Amplifier arrived with a hole in the box (take two)...

[992Sam]

My shock is just beginning to settle ... As some of you might recall, about a month ago I posted about an MH9000 that I ordered and waited one month for, only to have it arrive with a huge hold in the box, and damage to the unit .. thus having to wait, I decided to upgrade my purchase (took at as a sign from the universe)... and I went with a C1100 pre-amp and MC462 stereo amplifier..   so MC462 arrived today with guess what?   Yes... a hole in the box.  This time the dealer rejected it as the last time he decided to inspect the box, he got into some hot water with McIntosh.

 

So now, 2 months later, I'm still waiting on an Amp...  and my dealer tells me that McIntosh will not likely do anything special, in terms of expediting a unit to us... which I find shocking. 

 

I'm just venting I suppose.... nobody will even get what it feels like in my circle of friends and relatives, so maybe my online audiophile friend can relate to the frustration ... two months now waiting.   dCS took all of two weeks to get my stuff...  the cables, tables, and everything else was done inside one month..  But now this blow! 

 

 

[992Sam]

56 minutes ago, charlesphoto said:

Sounds like somebody needs a new forklift driver (only way I could imagine one could put a hole in a box like that). 

 

Ever consider Naim? (not helpful I know but might be worth an audition)

 

my dealer is obsessed with Naim and is trying to get my to switch, but honestly their aesthetic bothers the heck out of me, even if they do sound good... I still prefer the Mc sound. 

[992Sam]

6 minutes ago, avta said:

I might be tempted to change dealers. I see you live in California. I would imagine you have other choices. You might call McIntosh in case you haven't done that. They might respond to an unhappy customer more than to a dealer.

I can't blame the dealer for any of this, it's more a McIntosh issue in my view... so I have no plans to punish the dealer.  I am giving them the morning to sort something out though before I call McIntosh and try to see what is going on.   From what I hear from others, McIntosh isn't the most responsive company to their dealers.. 

[992Sam]

45 minutes ago, bluesman said:

Wow - if so, that's a monumental change from the early days!  My dealer from the late '60s until he retired over 20 years later (Danby Radio in Philly) was an early Mac reseller who actually opened, burned in and checked every piece he sold to be sure it made spec - he would not sell anything in a sealed box, because he felt responsible to his customers.  He actually lost a few sales because of this policy. 

 

Danby was an authorized Mac service location.  I vividly remember Dan's sending a few newly arrived pieces back over the years because they didn't quite make the stated numbers or because they had a minor flaw that most dealers would have ignored. Any deviation from perfection was rare in McIntosh products in those days (as it is now, from what I'm told) - but they never gave him a problem about it.

 

Given the shifts in ownership to Japan and Italy over the years before returning to US ownership, and the change from the personal vision of a man and the company he built around it to a component in a holding company's portfolio, I'm not surprised to hear this.  Frank McIntosh must be turning over in his grave.

 

Well, my dealer is going to lend me a MC402 to use today, and my C1100 pre-amp arrives end of the month, as does the MCD600 ...  I have a call into McIntosh customer service, left the guy two voice mails, still waiting to hear back..  I am going to ask if a)they can priority my M462 shipment.... or b) look at the returned unit and if it's damage free, re-package it and ship it out to the dealer again.   What I don't want to hear is that I have to wait another month to get one... even with the dealer generously lending me a M402, I want my stuff and I want it soon... after waiting the better part of 3 months now.

 

 

[992Sam]

3 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

You've got to be kidding me!

God I wish I was... its as like a reoccurring nightmare ... part of me is downright angry at Fedex for allowing this to happen twice... part of me at McIntosh for not using plastic / ballistic cases for their amps when they ship... part of me is just mad at the universe right now and venting to you guys because you're the only ones who can appreciate my "first world" problem. 

[992Sam]

3 minutes ago, WAM said:

 

We had a new MA352 in a week. Guess we were lucky.

 

A horror story nevertheless.

spoke to their guy in customer relations . they're going to carefully bench test the returned 462 and then send it back to me if it's in perfect working order, and as a plan B, we now have a new order in for a new 462.. which is a month wait.  Eitherway, I have to wait at least 2 weeks for an Amp... and will be borrowing a MC402 from my dealer for now.  The C1100 arrives by the end of the month (praying with no holes in the box!!!)

[992Sam]

1 hour ago, Allan F said:

 

Is that the reason or has McIntosh had a rash of boxes with holes in them? Perhaps they have a disgruntled employee in their shipping department.

I spoke to the shipping manager today and he thinks there might be someone at the Fedex San Jose depot thats got it out for guys ordering these...  It could turn into a scandal... stay tuned.   Meanwhile I'm enjoying the MC402 loaner amp... sounds great. 

[992Sam]

1 hour ago, charlesphoto said:

Like I said, some terrible forklift driver. Maybe loading on a pallet isn't always best (I have no idea how much one of those weigh). 

110lbs and about 150lbs boxed... and sits on a pallet apparently. 

[992Sam]

Just now, GregWormald said:

It sounds to me that you've done your due diligence by making your displeasure known to both the dealer and Mac, and that they are responding. Have you castigated Fedex as well?

 

I hope it all works out for you—I hate having to cope with other people's incompetence and lackadaisical attitudes.

That is my next goal... just don't know how to go about it... in general I find the shippers to be absolutely not responsive to the package recipient .. just the shipper (McIntosh)..and from what I am told, this incident (being the 2nd one in a row for me) made it's way up to the VP of transportation and logistics.. so I am hoping they do some kind of investigation into this mess...  my dealer says it's happened in the recent past to another customer ..  

[992Sam]

Just now, GregWormald said:

A formal letter to the appropriate executive, by registered mail, will actually get read. How they respond is ???

I'd be sending a copy to Mac as well to support them with Fedex.

tempting idea... It seems nobody writes letters anymore, which would even highlight it even more. 

 

Tell you what, if upon receipt of the unit back at McIntosh they determine it is in fact damaged and I have to wait 30+ days for a new one, that is exactly what I will do.