Dingiswayo
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2007
- Messages
- 167
- Real Name
- Matt
I couldn't find any better place to put this, so here it is. In my quest for a pair of NHT Classic 3 speakers I googled "NHT Sale" and came across this place in NJ that is an authorized dealer for NHT. This letter chronicles that experience. I don't necessarily expect anyone to read it but in case someone considered buying anything from this place I wanted this to come up in a google search of their business. My letter ends before I had been issued a refund. After over 2 weeks, 4 phone calls and 4 assurances that they'd already issued the refund, giving 4 separate dates for that supposed refund, I had my cc company reverse the payment.
If this is inappropriate then a moderator is free to delete this, I just wanted to save someone the trouble of going through these people who have the cheapest online price on a pair of new NHT Classic 3 speakers. After this I bought them used and I'm very happy (except I may have to upgrade my receiver
).
Matthew Sullivan
[Address Removed]
[Name Removed], President
Legacy Audio Video
[Address Removed]
Sparta, NJ 07871
Re: Online Purchase of NHT Classic 3 Speakers
Dear Mr. [Removed]:
This letter serves to chronicle my absolutely awful experience attempting to purchase a pair of NHT Classic 3 speakers from NHT-authorized dealer Legacy Audio Video located at 61 Sparta Ave, Sparta, New Jersey. This is my first truly negative experience as an active subwoofer-building, forum-participating hobbyist in home audio.
On Monday, November 12, 2007 I ordered a pair of NHT Classic 3 speakers from the website of Legacy Audio Video (“Legacy”) at http://www.legacyaudiovideo.com. While not listed on NHT’s website as an online distributor, Legacy claimed to be an authorized dealer of NHT products. I later found Legacy listed as an authorized brick-and-mortar store on NHT’s website. Since NHT authorized Legacy in this respect, I assumed that they must be a legitimate distributor over the internet as well. I ordered my speakers, excited by the good deal I’d found on this set of speakers. I received an email (copy enclosed) stating that my credit card had been charged and that my speakers would ship, via 2nd Day Air, within 24-48 hours.
I then suspected that the deal was too good to be true. I called Legacy to confirm that the price was for a pair of speakers and to confirm the low-priced 2nd Day Air shipping charge of $19.93. After navigating a telephone menu containing options that led nowhere or only back to the main menu, I found a customer service representative. He assured me that the shipping was so cheap because NHT is based out of Benicia, California, very close to my home in Berkeley, California, so really they were going to drop-shipment instead of shipping the speakers to me from New Jersey. He also confirmed that they only sell speakers in pairs. The representative’s response sounded acceptable so I waited excitedly for my new pair of speakers to arrive.
By Monday, November 19, a week after I had placed my order, my speakers had still not arrived; so I called Legacy to check on the status of my order. I spoke with the same man I had spoken to previously. He told me that they had not shipped and that he had not seen that the order had been placed (despite my phone call). I said that I had received an email stating that they would ship within 24-48 hours. He explained, quite matter-of-factly and without any trace of apology, that those emails are generated automatically. This “explanation,” hardly an acceptable response to the issue, foreshadowed the type of ridiculous logic that would soon characterize my entire experience with Legacy. While my credit card had been charged, providing Legacy with my $643.93 for a week to that point, no human being had even noticed that I’d ordered these speakers.
Upset but willing to continue with the transaction, I asked him when I could expect my speakers. He said that they that they would arrive in their office on Wednesday, at which time they would ship them to me. This upset me greatly as I specifically ordered from Legacy, as opposed to a distributor on Audiogon.com because they were cheaper and listed as “in stock.” I had paid for 2nd day air so as to have them for Thanksgiving, when my family came to visit. I explained as much to Legacy’s customer service representative. He dumbfounded me with what he said next. He said “Oh, they’re in stock, we just get them in Wednesday.” I explained that this is not what “in stock” means by any interpretation. Still he did not apologize.
While looking at my order he then noticed the cheap shipping. Surprised, he said that the shipping charge was too low, that 2nd Day Air was at least $80 from New Jersey to California. Quite upset by this point, I reminded him that I had called a week previously specifically to enquire about the very cheap shipping and that he had explained to me at that time that the drop-shipment in California, not New Jersey, did not require any higher shipping charge. He remembered me and said that if he got off the phone right at that moment he might be able to have a pair removed from their shipment before they left California. I said “okay” and we ended the conversation. I remained very suspect about Legacy’s legitimacy and worried about the fact that they already had my money.
I did not expect the speakers to arrive the next day, Tuesday, so I called on Wednesday, November 21, to re-check the status of my order. This time I spoke with a woman who did not know of my situation. I explained my experience briefly. She told me that the speakers would actually arrive at Legacy on the next Wednesday, November 28, a week later than the man had led me to believe, at which time they would ship out to me from New Jersey. I recounted the drop-shipment explanation the previous customer service representative gave me. She did not address this but merely stated that “We need to check them out before we ship them to you, to make sure they are okay.” I found this questionable, in that I cannot fathom what manner of “checking them out” could take place without opening the factory-sealed boxes. With Thanksgiving the next day, I knew that movie-watching would not take place at my house on Thanksgiving this year (as I had sold my Infinity Beta 50’s and C360 in favor of more compact bookshelf speakers). Had I known they were not in stock, I could have ordered these speakers elsewhere and had them in my home on-time. Angrier than I’d been in some time, I told her that I might want to cancel my order but that I was too upset at that moment to make that decision right then. She said I could call back.
Since a movie-less Thanksgiving had already happened, I decided on Friday, November 23, to cancel my order for these speakers. I called Legacy and spoke to someone with whom I had not yet spoken. She explained that the person who could cancel my order was not in the office but that she would leave her a message and that she would call me back. This made sense as it was the day after Thanksgiving.
No one called me on Monday, November 26, and circumstances did not allow me to call. On Tuesday, November 27, I called Legacy to confirm the cancellation of my order. I spoke with a woman who again stated that she would leave a message for someone to cancel my order. More than a little skeptical, but without any other options, I accepted this.
However, by this point I had grown accustomed to Legacy’s complete lack of organization and customer service. I expected the speakers to ship out on Wednesday, November 28, despite my two attempts to cancel my order (wondering by this point if Legacy was a real company in the first place). I further expected this would mean that I would not get my money refunded until Legacy received the speakers back from me and that Legacy would expect me to pay for return shipping. I called on Wednesday, November 28, at 8:55 a.m. PST to re-confirm, now for the third time, the cancellation of my order. I spoke with a woman who put me on hold as soon as I explained that I had called to cancel my order twice previously. She returned to tell me that she had “just” taken my order from the shipment pile. To clarify I asked her if indeed, despite my two previous attempts to cancel my order, the speakers were set to ship. She confirmed that they had been, but now they would not ship and that my credit card would be credited. By means of fairness I feel compelled to mention that she was helpful and possessed good customer service skills.
The following day, November 29, I spoke with a woman to check on the status of the credit of $643.93 to my credit card. She was prompt and helpful and assured me that the accounting department would credit the amount to my credit card within two hours and that it would appear in my account within three business days. I hope this happens. By this point I had called so many times that she recognized my voice and knew my last name. She was also polite and helpful as well. Perhaps Legacy should only allow these women (or woman, I could not tell if they were the same person) to answer their phones.
My experience with Legacy marks, without a doubt, the most difficult and angering experience I have yet endured at the hands of any distributor of any kind. On the day I had purchased these speakers I read a thread on avsforum.com of which I am a member, which stated something negative about “shady dealers in NJ.” Worried, I asked “what’s wrong with dealers in NJ? I just bought a pair of speakers from a dealer in NJ.” Apparently, despite my experience in home audio, I had not yet been educated about the shady nature of New Jersey distributors. I consider this corrected in full.
If Legacy cannot function as an internet dealer even in the most fundamental aspects, such as shipping items within the time specified in a confirmation email or even knowing that an order has been placed and a confirmation email has been sent, then Legacy has no business selling items online. Online sales notwithstanding, Legacy also failed in all other aspects of normal business.
If, at any time during this ordeal, someone had sincerely apologized for the incorrect web listing of these speakers as “in stock,” the lack of human attention to my purchase, the incorrect shipping charge, the constantly-changing date of shipment or just my experience in general, I probably would have continued with the purchase and just been mildly annoyed. This never happened.
In writing this letter I have referred to Legacy in the third person, as opposed to the second, because, barring some explanation or attempt at reparation from Legacy, I plan to cc copies of this letter, with attachments, to NHT, the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey and to paste copies on hometheaterforum.com and avsforum.com where I am a member. I will wait two weeks from the date of mailing of this letter before I cc the above-mentioned parties. This is more than Legacy deserves. I have since checked the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey only to discover that Legacy has an “unsatisfactory rating” (report enclosed). I wish I had researched this prior to giving Legacy my money, which it held for two and a half weeks without shipping any product. Unless given a reason not to, I will strongly urge NHT to drop Legacy as an authorized dealer, owing to a poor track-record of business dealings and utterly deplorable business practices.
Very Sincerely,
Matthew Sullivan
MBS:mbs
cc: BBB of New Jersey, President NHT, hometheaterforum.com avsforum.com
0800.legacy letter.doc
If this is inappropriate then a moderator is free to delete this, I just wanted to save someone the trouble of going through these people who have the cheapest online price on a pair of new NHT Classic 3 speakers. After this I bought them used and I'm very happy (except I may have to upgrade my receiver
).Matthew Sullivan
[Address Removed]
[Name Removed], President
Legacy Audio Video
[Address Removed]
Sparta, NJ 07871
Re: Online Purchase of NHT Classic 3 Speakers
Dear Mr. [Removed]:
This letter serves to chronicle my absolutely awful experience attempting to purchase a pair of NHT Classic 3 speakers from NHT-authorized dealer Legacy Audio Video located at 61 Sparta Ave, Sparta, New Jersey. This is my first truly negative experience as an active subwoofer-building, forum-participating hobbyist in home audio.
On Monday, November 12, 2007 I ordered a pair of NHT Classic 3 speakers from the website of Legacy Audio Video (“Legacy”) at http://www.legacyaudiovideo.com. While not listed on NHT’s website as an online distributor, Legacy claimed to be an authorized dealer of NHT products. I later found Legacy listed as an authorized brick-and-mortar store on NHT’s website. Since NHT authorized Legacy in this respect, I assumed that they must be a legitimate distributor over the internet as well. I ordered my speakers, excited by the good deal I’d found on this set of speakers. I received an email (copy enclosed) stating that my credit card had been charged and that my speakers would ship, via 2nd Day Air, within 24-48 hours.
I then suspected that the deal was too good to be true. I called Legacy to confirm that the price was for a pair of speakers and to confirm the low-priced 2nd Day Air shipping charge of $19.93. After navigating a telephone menu containing options that led nowhere or only back to the main menu, I found a customer service representative. He assured me that the shipping was so cheap because NHT is based out of Benicia, California, very close to my home in Berkeley, California, so really they were going to drop-shipment instead of shipping the speakers to me from New Jersey. He also confirmed that they only sell speakers in pairs. The representative’s response sounded acceptable so I waited excitedly for my new pair of speakers to arrive.
By Monday, November 19, a week after I had placed my order, my speakers had still not arrived; so I called Legacy to check on the status of my order. I spoke with the same man I had spoken to previously. He told me that they had not shipped and that he had not seen that the order had been placed (despite my phone call). I said that I had received an email stating that they would ship within 24-48 hours. He explained, quite matter-of-factly and without any trace of apology, that those emails are generated automatically. This “explanation,” hardly an acceptable response to the issue, foreshadowed the type of ridiculous logic that would soon characterize my entire experience with Legacy. While my credit card had been charged, providing Legacy with my $643.93 for a week to that point, no human being had even noticed that I’d ordered these speakers.
Upset but willing to continue with the transaction, I asked him when I could expect my speakers. He said that they that they would arrive in their office on Wednesday, at which time they would ship them to me. This upset me greatly as I specifically ordered from Legacy, as opposed to a distributor on Audiogon.com because they were cheaper and listed as “in stock.” I had paid for 2nd day air so as to have them for Thanksgiving, when my family came to visit. I explained as much to Legacy’s customer service representative. He dumbfounded me with what he said next. He said “Oh, they’re in stock, we just get them in Wednesday.” I explained that this is not what “in stock” means by any interpretation. Still he did not apologize.
While looking at my order he then noticed the cheap shipping. Surprised, he said that the shipping charge was too low, that 2nd Day Air was at least $80 from New Jersey to California. Quite upset by this point, I reminded him that I had called a week previously specifically to enquire about the very cheap shipping and that he had explained to me at that time that the drop-shipment in California, not New Jersey, did not require any higher shipping charge. He remembered me and said that if he got off the phone right at that moment he might be able to have a pair removed from their shipment before they left California. I said “okay” and we ended the conversation. I remained very suspect about Legacy’s legitimacy and worried about the fact that they already had my money.
I did not expect the speakers to arrive the next day, Tuesday, so I called on Wednesday, November 21, to re-check the status of my order. This time I spoke with a woman who did not know of my situation. I explained my experience briefly. She told me that the speakers would actually arrive at Legacy on the next Wednesday, November 28, a week later than the man had led me to believe, at which time they would ship out to me from New Jersey. I recounted the drop-shipment explanation the previous customer service representative gave me. She did not address this but merely stated that “We need to check them out before we ship them to you, to make sure they are okay.” I found this questionable, in that I cannot fathom what manner of “checking them out” could take place without opening the factory-sealed boxes. With Thanksgiving the next day, I knew that movie-watching would not take place at my house on Thanksgiving this year (as I had sold my Infinity Beta 50’s and C360 in favor of more compact bookshelf speakers). Had I known they were not in stock, I could have ordered these speakers elsewhere and had them in my home on-time. Angrier than I’d been in some time, I told her that I might want to cancel my order but that I was too upset at that moment to make that decision right then. She said I could call back.
Since a movie-less Thanksgiving had already happened, I decided on Friday, November 23, to cancel my order for these speakers. I called Legacy and spoke to someone with whom I had not yet spoken. She explained that the person who could cancel my order was not in the office but that she would leave her a message and that she would call me back. This made sense as it was the day after Thanksgiving.
No one called me on Monday, November 26, and circumstances did not allow me to call. On Tuesday, November 27, I called Legacy to confirm the cancellation of my order. I spoke with a woman who again stated that she would leave a message for someone to cancel my order. More than a little skeptical, but without any other options, I accepted this.
However, by this point I had grown accustomed to Legacy’s complete lack of organization and customer service. I expected the speakers to ship out on Wednesday, November 28, despite my two attempts to cancel my order (wondering by this point if Legacy was a real company in the first place). I further expected this would mean that I would not get my money refunded until Legacy received the speakers back from me and that Legacy would expect me to pay for return shipping. I called on Wednesday, November 28, at 8:55 a.m. PST to re-confirm, now for the third time, the cancellation of my order. I spoke with a woman who put me on hold as soon as I explained that I had called to cancel my order twice previously. She returned to tell me that she had “just” taken my order from the shipment pile. To clarify I asked her if indeed, despite my two previous attempts to cancel my order, the speakers were set to ship. She confirmed that they had been, but now they would not ship and that my credit card would be credited. By means of fairness I feel compelled to mention that she was helpful and possessed good customer service skills.
The following day, November 29, I spoke with a woman to check on the status of the credit of $643.93 to my credit card. She was prompt and helpful and assured me that the accounting department would credit the amount to my credit card within two hours and that it would appear in my account within three business days. I hope this happens. By this point I had called so many times that she recognized my voice and knew my last name. She was also polite and helpful as well. Perhaps Legacy should only allow these women (or woman, I could not tell if they were the same person) to answer their phones.
My experience with Legacy marks, without a doubt, the most difficult and angering experience I have yet endured at the hands of any distributor of any kind. On the day I had purchased these speakers I read a thread on avsforum.com of which I am a member, which stated something negative about “shady dealers in NJ.” Worried, I asked “what’s wrong with dealers in NJ? I just bought a pair of speakers from a dealer in NJ.” Apparently, despite my experience in home audio, I had not yet been educated about the shady nature of New Jersey distributors. I consider this corrected in full.
If Legacy cannot function as an internet dealer even in the most fundamental aspects, such as shipping items within the time specified in a confirmation email or even knowing that an order has been placed and a confirmation email has been sent, then Legacy has no business selling items online. Online sales notwithstanding, Legacy also failed in all other aspects of normal business.
If, at any time during this ordeal, someone had sincerely apologized for the incorrect web listing of these speakers as “in stock,” the lack of human attention to my purchase, the incorrect shipping charge, the constantly-changing date of shipment or just my experience in general, I probably would have continued with the purchase and just been mildly annoyed. This never happened.
In writing this letter I have referred to Legacy in the third person, as opposed to the second, because, barring some explanation or attempt at reparation from Legacy, I plan to cc copies of this letter, with attachments, to NHT, the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey and to paste copies on hometheaterforum.com and avsforum.com where I am a member. I will wait two weeks from the date of mailing of this letter before I cc the above-mentioned parties. This is more than Legacy deserves. I have since checked the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey only to discover that Legacy has an “unsatisfactory rating” (report enclosed). I wish I had researched this prior to giving Legacy my money, which it held for two and a half weeks without shipping any product. Unless given a reason not to, I will strongly urge NHT to drop Legacy as an authorized dealer, owing to a poor track-record of business dealings and utterly deplorable business practices.
Very Sincerely,
Matthew Sullivan
MBS:mbs
cc: BBB of New Jersey, President NHT, hometheaterforum.com avsforum.com
0800.legacy letter.doc
