A warning if you buy a Ortofon mm cartridge

[diviy]

Just a warning if you buy any Ortofon mm cartridges you are allowed to buy a new stylus but if the body goes down like mine has they will not supply you a replacement body so if you damaged a 2m black it will cost you a full cartridge so you are looking at loosing out big time .
I tried Henley audio they were not at all helpfull and the same goes for Ortofon Europe.
I have rung a few dealers today and the general view is they have a terrible customer care service.

[walpurgis]

It's a bit of an odd request to make from a manufacturer. The cartridge body is not a 'consumable' like the stylus. Perhaps a similar response would be forthcoming from most cartridge makers. After all, the bulk of the cartridge cost is in the stylus and a replacement can be nearly as much as a whole cartridge anyway.

[Cas]

States on their website that if purchased from an authorized Ortofon dealer your cartridge is backed with a guarantee.

[RobbieGong]

What do you mean by 'body goes down' ?

[Cas]

It's a bit of an odd request to make from a manufacturer. The cartridge body is not a 'consumable' like the stylus. Perhaps a similar response would be forthcoming from most cartridge makers. After all, the bulk of the cartridge cost is in the stylus and a replacement can be nearly as much as a whole cartridge anyway.

That is what I was sitting here thinking unless it comes with a guarantee and said guarantee has not run out.

[walpurgis]

If a cartridge failed within a reasonably short period after purchase, say up to a year maybe. Then in my case I'd return it to the supplier and ask for a replacement or at least a decent part refund. Assuming of course it had not been messed about with or abused.

I don't think buyers in the UK are obliged to take it up with the maker. The seller has the responsibility.

[diviy]

What do you mean by 'body goes down' ?
one channel has stopped working
tt is three years old and when I went to buy a blue I had the red checked and he said it was perfect the differance between a full cartridge and sylus is about £20.00 they also said you should have bought a mc cartridge as we will service those !

I am have been medically since 2010 I broke my back in three places so I do not have much of a disposable income these days .
Just pixxed off with there attitude over a £20 pound part .
some companys still have great service while in the shop i was talking to a guy to a guy who`s rega deck went down that was two years out of warrenty waht did rega do replace the arm foc.

[forsell]

Just a warning if you buy any Ortofon mm cartridges you are allowed to buy a new stylus but if the body goes down like mine has they will not supply you a replacement body so if you damaged a 2m black it will cost you a full cartridge so you are looking at loosing out big time .
I tried Henley audio they were not at all helpfull and the same goes for Ortofon Europe.
I have rung a few dealers today and the general view is they have a terrible customer care service.

Warning? What are you talking about mate? You can not destroy a cartridge BODY (by playing just music) unless you overtighten mounting screws when mounting cartridges with plastic body which is the case with 2m. And now you believe Ortofon will supply free of charge a new 2m as replacement?

[diviy]

Warning? What are you talking about mate? You can not destroy a cartridge BODY (by playing just music) unless you overtighten mounting screws when mounting cartridges with plastic body which is the case with 2m. And now you believe Ortofon will supply free of charge a new 2m as replacement?

I did not destroy a cartridge body it just stopped working on one cannel ,I have not touched the screws of the body since I fitted it three years ago .All i did was fit the blue stylus about eight weeks ok untill last thursday when I only had one channel so I went through the full system to see if there was a lead fault or loose connection I then plugged in another turntable and both channels works put that head shel and cartridge on my deck both channels worked put my headshell on borrowed deck works on one channel also checked all headshell leads as well
Have I asked for a free body NO I asked how much it would cost me for a new body .
So imagine you buy a 2m black and accidently damaged a pin when fitting the leads that means you down around £475 quid as you cant buy a new body
Any thing else you would like me to explain ?

[walpurgis]

Ask on here in Private Exhibitions for a whole cartridge in decent condition. I'm sure somebody will eventually come up with one at a sane price. Then you'll have a good cartridge and have a spare stylus. Your original stylus may not have too much life left after three years if you've played a lot of music in any case.

Actually. If you're stuck for playing music, I can possibly find you something to keep you going, maybe an old, but serviceable Audio Technica.

And that's not an invite to everybody else for a free cartridge!! :D

[diviy]

Cheers Geoff someone has pmd me so fingers crossed he can help me out .I am not going to buy a new one out of principle to buy another Otrofon after such crap aftersales service

[walpurgis]

I am not going to buy a new one out of principle to buy another Otrofon after such crap aftersales service

To be honest Gerald. I don't think you'd get a new body out of most cartridge manufacturers. But you never know!

[forsell]

I did not destroy a cartridge body it just stopped working on one cannel ,I have not touched the screws of the body since I fitted it three years ago .All i did was fit the blue stylus about eight weeks ok untill last thursday when I only had one channel so I went through the full system to see if there was a lead fault or loose connection I then plugged in another turntable and both channels works put that head shel and cartridge on my deck both channels worked put my headshell on borrowed deck works on one channel also checked all headshell leads as well
Have I asked for a free body NO I asked how much it would cost me for a new body .
So imagine you buy a 2m black and accidently damaged a pin when fitting the leads that means you down around £475 quid as you cant buy a new body
Any thing else you would like me to explain ?

A simple question: did Henley Audio who is Ortofon distributor for Britain refuse your request for repair? If the answer is Yes, I think you should provide more detailed information on it, because "they were not helpful" says nothing to me. If the answer is No, there is no reason to issue a WARNING.

[diviy]

Karich I asked them if they could supply a new body they said no then I asked if they could repair it they said no they only repair mc cartridges they stated the only way I could have a new body is to buy a new cartridge !

[forsell]

...then I asked if they could repair it they said no they only repair mc cartridges...!

OK, if it is true that Henley Designs refuses to repair a cartridge with a faulty generator that costs around £475 then in my eyes this is a serious matter. If I were you in this situation I would call Goldring in UK -they have a repair service but not sure if Goldring will be prepared to repair an Ortofon. Then there is Dominic Harper from NWA. These are two serious addresses IMO but other forum members may provide some more..?

[allthingsanalogue]

I have seen some photos of Ortofon 2M series where the cartridge tags have actually come away from the body. I believe there is a genuine issue here.

[diviy]

forcel I am glad you can se my point of view I am in the lucky position that I could not afford the 2m black I brought this subject up for people who have the bronze and black that if they ever get in the same situation as me they will loose a lot of money.how can they say
( Moving magnets can be served by replacing the stylus)
at the end of the day the body is the heart of the cartridge
They say you can service it by changing the stylus but its like saying here is the oil filter for your engine to service it but have no engine
you will have to bear with me as I suffer with really bad dyslexia and have trouble expressing things in writing
here is part of the email from them in europe

Sorry to hear about the trouble.
That is correct what our partner and distributor Henley Audio says: we offer 2M cartridges with preinstalled stylus only. Moving magnets can be served by replacing the stylus and we offer a wide range of replacement styli program. 2M series styli are interchangeable within the below combinations:
- 2M Red, 2M Blue and 2M Silver
- 2M Bronze and 2M Black
- 2M Mono and 2M 78

Cartridges bodies have a longer lifetime than stylus. That is our long-life experience that our customers prefer total solutions as cartridge with pre-installed stylus

[forsell]

I have seen some photos of Ortofon 2M series where the cartridge tags have actually come away from the body. I believe there is a genuine issue here.

It is possible that the generator as such is OK and properly working but there is an "open circuit" somewhere inside the body between the cartridge tags (of the one channel that is OFF) and the generator. The problem can be very simple, anyway a professional have to check it first...

[Jimbo]

Ok I understand your issue and sympathise but I must say I had superb service from Ortofon via a uk main dealer. I had a new 2M black stylus that sounded a bit off and it was sent away to Ortofon who examined it and it did not meet there exact specification so they sent me a brand new one FOC which has sounded fantastic. Can't really fault Ortofon there for customer service.

[Haselsh1]

I used to use an Ortofon OM4 SE cartridge and on changing it for a different one years back, one of the rear pins pulled clean out of the body. I think it is still in the 'junk' box somewhere where it obviously belongs.

[ovlov854]

Ask on here in Private Exhibitions for a whole cartridge in decent condition. I'm sure somebody will eventually come up with one at a sane price. Then you'll have a good cartridge and have a spare stylus. Your original stylus may not have too much life left after three years if you've played a lot of music in any case.

Actually. If you're stuck for playing music, I can possibly find you something to keep you going, maybe an old, but serviceable Audio Technica.

And that's not an invite to everybody else for a free cartridge!! :D
Bravo Geoff

[Scooby]

I feel that the OP has every right to be dissatisfied with Ortofon. Cartridge bodies shouldn't fail in the first place. When they do, a decent manufacturer would replace FOC, never mind refuse to sell. I'm not saying they should advertise these things for sale but they should IMO help out with a one-off request.

Thank you fior advertising the service you received. That's what's great about forums: Good and bad manufacturer experiences can be shared and we can all learn from other people's experiences. I only hope someone from Ortofon reads this and has a re-think.

[hifi_dave]

I have seen some photos of Ortofon 2M series where the cartridge tags have actually come away from the body. I believe there is a genuine issue here.

I have a customer with exactly that problem - one of the pins has pulled out of the body.

Henley wouldn't supply him with a replacement body despite it being only £40 worth at full retail. They must have some duff cartridges kicking around they could cannibalise for the sake of customer satisfaction.

[Clive197]

It has always been my experience with Henley Designs that they give excellent service.

That said I’m surprised you haven’t gone back to the original dealer as under British law a product has to last a reasonable period of time. As your Ortofon is not exactly a cheap cartridge and is less than 6yrs old, I think that you have a reasonable claim. The dealer should at the very least fight your claim.

[struth]

6 yrs is long enough i'd say for all guarantees to be expired. its unfortunate that Henley and Ortophon take this stance and wont sell bodies only, but the more its highlighted in places like this the sooner this will start to become widely known and folk can make up their own minds re this kind of poor after sales service.

[Macca]

I can supply an Ortofon 540 Mk2 body if that is any use? The 2M Black replaced the 540 mk2 so it should be compatible with your existing stylus. I don't want any money for it. Just send me a PM I can post it out to you on Friday morning.

[Dubster68]

I can supply an Ortofon 540 Mk2 body if that is any use? The 2M Black replaced the 540 mk2 so it should be compatible with your existing stylus. I don't want any money for it. Just send me a PM I can post it out to you on Friday morning.
Cracking gesture Martin:)

[paulf-2007]

OK, if it is true that Henley Designs refuses to repair a cartridge with a faulty generator that costs around £475 then in my eyes this is a serious matter. If I were you in this situation I would call Goldring in UK -they have a repair service but not sure if Goldring will be prepared to repair an Ortofon. Then there is Dominic Harper from NWA. These are two serious addresses IMO but other forum members may provide some more..?
Is an apology on its way then matey?

[forsell]

Is an apology on its way then matey?

Mine...?

[spikey_w]

I had a similar experience when one channel had no sound with a Grado cartridge. I initially sent the cartridge back to the dealer and they said it's not possible to replace the body. I just so happen went to a HiFi show and spoke about my disappointing experience with a Grado representative. He couldn't been more helpful and he gave me details to send it back and I got a new replacement body promptly.

So not all cartridge manufacturer are the same for customer service.

[diviy]

Just found Heanly audio are at the Bristol show be nice to see how they deal with customers face to face and not over a keyboard can't wait

[henley]

We've been at the Bristol show every year for the last 30 years and are always keen to meet our customers to hear good and bad.
From MD, Sales Director, Sales team and Marketing team, we will all be there and are happy to talk.
We are looking forward to seeing you all there and welcome calls to the office during the year.

[diviy]

I have been in communication with Laurance and the matter has been resolved between ourselfs but I was lucky that AOS members have sorted me out in the end so could mods please close this thread .
Regards Gerry

[walpurgis]

It seems there has been a happy resolution to Gerald's problem following his contact with Laurence at Henley Designs. I will now close the thread as requested.