Bravo Geoff
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.