Warning To Csw Customers (1 Viewer)

[Mike Sloan]

Subject: Warning To CSW customers!!!!!

Cambridge Sound Works does not supply parts for the speakers they sell!

My Letter to CSW customer service:

I would like to start out by saying that my T500 speakers are performing flawlessly...no problems. This is a policy question that I have regarding parts availability for the Newton line. I realize that some of the speakers are not easily accessible buy the user (i.e., T300,s MC 300, etc.)
However...the MC500 and T500's are easy to get at. Let us say (for
discussion)...that a tweeter blows in the T500. I certainly would prefer to order the part and install it myself. The cost of boxing, and shipping the T500 back would be excessive....not to mention the potential damage that could be incurred by the exstensive handling of such a heavy and large/fragile product. I called CSW customer service and was told that they would never sell me any parts under any circumstances....and that I would have to return the entire T500! I then asked to talk with a supervisor...and was hung up on. Very unsettling, to say the least. I have dealt with many speaker companies and have always been able to purchase
parts. What is your take on this rather strange policy?
I see from your website (HIFI.COM) that your are no longer shipping the T500.....further supporting the case for "PARTS AVAILABILITY." I was also told from a CSW employee that the decision to stop shipment of the T500 was because of damage due to shipping such a heavy, delicate speaker. You want me to subject my speaker to this potential abuse over a $20.00 part?

Here is the CSW customer sevice response:

HI MIKE<
That actually is correct. The company policy requires that a customer
ship their product to our service center for repairs because we are the
only authorized servicer of the product. This policy has everything to do
with company liability. If a customer were to make a repair on their own
with a part we supplied them and then they accidentally electrocute
themselves, or their house burns down as a result of a fire from the
repair, we could be held liable for it.

If you encounter a problem with your T500s at some point and they need
service, please call us at 1-800-367-4434 to arrange for the repair
authorization number and shipping RMA.
Thank you for your inquiry, Mike.
Cambridge SoundWorks
Customer Care

.....................
Paradigm, Definitive Technology, Vienna Acoustics, Infinity, Mirage, Ascend, Klipsch, Onix, Polk Audio, Boston Acoustics, Atlantic Technology....and the list goes on....all allow the customer to purchase parts for their speakers!

This policy should preclude anyone from purchasing "large/tower" type speakers from CSW in fear that a simple "swap out part" would cost them hundreds of dollars in shipping and potential damage in handling!
Here ends my relationship with CSW (which is a shame because I like their products)...this is unexceptable!

 

[greg baker]

We live in a litigious society. I don't necessarily agree with them but I understand where they are coming from. People will sue for anything. Vioxx is a bad drug but they are getting sued by anyone that has a pulse and ever had a prescription is looking for some cash regardless if they were harmed or not. Are they over-reacting? sure. I think it has to do more than warranty issues than anything else.

 

[John Garcia]

They are a direct to the consumer store, not a big chain, so this policy does not suprise me at all.

Just because they discontinue a speaker does not mean parts are not kept in inventory somewhere. I had a similar question when I was looking into buying a used speaker for which I already knew the tweeter was discontinued by the OEM. When I researched it, I found that there were a few second source suppliers that maintained inventory of the tweeters for approximately 7 years now that they have been discontinued. I don't know if that is how CSW works, but I would guess they will keep inventory for a few years also.

Note also that in general, when you repair a speaker yourself, the warranty becomes void.

 

[Mike Sloan]

No...they are not discontinued. They stopped selling them "mail order" because they were having problems with UPS damaging speakers. They still sell them through there "brick and mortar" stores. There is not a problem with parts availability....they have the parts...they just won't sell them to their customers. So if I ever blow a $50.00 tweeter....I will have to incur $120.00 shipping and the potential damage of shipping a 100lb speaker.....don't think that is a reasonable fix...do you? Go to any speaker manufacturer's website and you can link to their parts department! Just ordered a part from Boston Acoustics. I have done this with Snell, B&W, Atlantic Technology....it's called customer support.

 

[John Garcia]

I don't think it's 100% reasonable, but from their point of view, it does make sense. Unfortunately, being in Tx, you don't have many options since their stores are not in your state. I have 3 of their stores in driving distance, and I know the owner of one of them.

I think their packaging of the speakers could be a problem as well...or the drivers are simply too fragile. I've received a number of very heavy, large speakers, and only once have I had one damaged (yes, UPS) Oddly enough, the smallest, lightest pair were damaged, and these were not packaged quite as well as the others, despite being double boxed. I had a Mini Monitor tweeter snap during moving - the magnet structure is too heavy for the plastic flange, but only in the event of a little too much movement, ie; being dropped. I'd be curious to know how many get damaged in shipping to the stores...

A friend of mine had a tweeter blow on his Studio 20s, well out of warranty, and he had to take them in to be sent for service. They did repair it for free though. For his KEFs, he ordered the tweeter and replaced it himself.

If one can electrocute themself while working on an unpowered speaker, well...that would be a special class of person.

 

[Mike Sloan]

I can see your point...I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything continues to work perfectly.

 

[Kenneth Harden]

John, you said:



Not really ture. JBL and Klipsch have both allowed me to replace/remove parts under warranty. Many other speaker companies are the same. Obviously, you break it, tough sh1t. But Klipsch won't make me send a RF-7 to replace a blown woofer, they will send me a replacement if I want.

 

[Mike Sloan]

and that is exactly the point!!!!!!!

 

[Wayne Ernst]

All CSW needs to do is make you sign a waiver before sending you the parts. Then, there would not be any issue preventing a smooth transaction. Plus, I don't know of any one person who has died from being electrocuted during the replacement of their tweeters.

 

[Dick Knisely]

While I understand your issue with CSW, I can't say that I'm surprised at their response.

And I also think that its worth saying that my only experience with their warranty service was superb. I have a number of CSW speakers in the house and when a tweeter died (can't prove it, but I'm sure it got severly abused by a teenaged son) in a satellite they sent me replacements for both sats to keep them matched and paid shipping both ways for everything.

There are, no doubt, better ones out there but I'm very happy with my CSW speakers and so far anyway the company behind them.