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Thread: Quad (IAG) service experiences. Thumbs down from me . . .

  1. #1
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 803
    I'm Chris.

    Default Quad (IAG) service experiences. Thumbs down from me . . .

    Hi all, I'm just wondering what everyone's relative experience is with Quad servicing or IAG Group as they are known.

    I'll start from the beginning.

    Around three months ago I sent my Quad 57's in for a full service (after waiting a month for them to allocate me a slot).

    I delivered them in their Quad boxes with Quad inserts so as to avoid any courier mishaps.

    Sure enough a couple of weeks later the speakers were collected and I paid the roughly £600.00 bill for the service including two brand new treble panels, transformers and boards.

    A couple of days into listening (and probably just as they reached full charge) one of the speakers had a very audible transformer hum. As the work was covered under warranty I sent it back but Quad said this was normal (what!!@*~) and I would have to pay an additional £200+ for a new bass panel (as this was the culprit apparently). I did say this should have been picked up in the original service and that the speaker should be silent but they argued me down and said I was just being picky and most people live with the "small amount of hum".

    I wasn't pleased at all about this but as I am usually trustworthy of people I stupidly paid and went along with their assessment.

    The other speaker then within a couple of days of the other being returned developed a very audible ticking (leaking) from its treble panel. Again, I spoke to Quad who said they would have it back but they doubted it was anything to do with the treble panel as they have "never seen a brand new one go wrong" so quickly.

    A couple of days later they informed me it was indeed a faulty treble panel (as I suspected) and they replaced it free of charge as per their warranty.

    I received the speaker back and yet again the same audible ticking (leaking) was present. I have now returned the speaker for a third time in a couple of months and Quad won't be sending it back until they have found the exact issue.

    The speaker has now been with them for two weeks the most recent time and their email responses have simply turned into one word answers. When I politely asked them if there had been any progress this week, the service manager (Rob Flain) simply replied back "No".

    In addition to all the above they implied I had damaged the grill on the speaker by packing it incorrectly. I have had to use a courier service the last couple of times as I simply don't have the time or petrol to keep traipsing up to Quad every couple of weeks. I pointed out to them if they were done properly in the first place they would never have been in a couriers hands to begin with. When I informed them I packed the speaker in their own box with their own inserts (the same as the previous times) they relented and agreed the damage was probably sustained during carriage and they would "look into" fixing it.

    To say I am at a loss is a gross understatement. I have given them well over £800 for a service that was not carried out correctly in the first place and since it seems they have not bothered to check the speaker properly each time, wasting my time and generally treating me extremely poorly.

    They even have suggested its my equipment causing the issues. For the record I am using low powered 5-20w tube amps with high quality power supplies/cables etc. The exact same setup is driving my Quad 63's without a single issue so the only variable left is the speakers themselves.

    I'm sorry for the long explanation but this is one of the worst hifi experiences of my life and is making me question if owning these speakers (or at least getting them serviced) is worth this level of aggravation.

    I feel truly robbed by Quad and their reluctance to resolve my issues seems quite unbelievable.


    I just wondered if anyone has had any similar experiences and how they have dealt with them in the past?

    I'm not a confrontational person but if something like this occurs I'm willing to involve third parties as I have time stamped video evidence of the issues along with an email trail documenting all of the above.

    I would be satisfied with the speakers working as they should (even though they have had at least an extra £200 from me) or a refund for the service and I will take the speakers elsewhere.

    I concede Quad are supposedly working on the faulty speaker now as per their warranty and they won't let it come back until they are satisfied it is fault-free, I'm not complaining about them still having the speaker exactly. I have just completely lost all faith in this particular company.

    It's a real shame as contrasting experiences from people regarding the old "Quad" company are just that. Excellent service usually.

    Any advice, experiences or help is much appreciated.

    Cheers guys and gals.

    Chris

  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    keep your cool, and continue to press your case. they will have to follow guidelines no doubt and dont know you from adam, hence will be checking your story sticks.
    Some faults are hard to track down, especially if they dont always manifest themselves straight away. They may be soak testing them.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  3. #3
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: Neath, Wales

    Posts: 1,515
    I'm Shane.

    Default

    Sorry to hear that, Chris. Have you spread this news on other forums?

    S.
    Shane Lonergan.

  4. #4
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 803
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    keep your cool, and continue to press your case. they will have to follow guidelines no doubt and dont know you from adam, hence will be checking your story sticks.
    Some faults are hard to track down, especially if they dont always manifest themselves straight away. They may be soak testing them.
    Trying to Grant!

    Keeping cool . . . always good advice.

    I work in the service industry myself and appreciate that sometimes these nightmare jobs (and customers) do pop up. I know its probably just a combination of me being unlucky and perhaps catching Quad at a particularly busy time. I know they certainly wouldn't be doing it on purpose but it is extremely frustrating. I think it was the one word reply of "no" without any update or explanation that sparked me to write the original post.

  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 803
    I'm Chris.

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    Quote Originally Posted by southall-1998_mk2 View Post
    Sorry to hear that, Chris. Have you spread this news on other forums?

    S.
    To be honest I don't really frequent that many other forums, certainly not in an active capacity (as AOS is the best obviously!).

    I don't really want it to turn into a PR smear campaign and was probably a little rash to reference anyone in particular but I just don't know where to go from here!

    Deep down I know I'll have to let the dust settle . . . . man I miss those speakers though . . .

    Thanks for the suggestion - certainly an option to consider.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: Neath, Wales

    Posts: 1,515
    I'm Shane.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Opti-cal View Post
    To be honest I don't really frequent that many other forums, certainly not in an active capacity (as AOS is the best obviously!).

    I don't really want it to turn into a PR smear campaign and was probably a little rash to reference anyone in particular but I just don't know where to go from here!

    Deep down I know I'll have to let the dust settle . . . . man I miss those speakers though . . .

    Thanks for the suggestion - certainly an option to consider.

    You have every right to be openly explicit about your bad experience. I'd go spread the word if Quad treated me like that!

    S.
    Shane Lonergan.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 803
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by southall-1998_mk2 View Post
    You have every right to be openly explicit about your bad experience. I'd go spread the word if Quad treated me like that!

    S.
    Fair enough, I may have to reevaluate my "nice(ish) guy" approach . . . .

    Probably give them until next week to come up with something as like I say they won't be doing it on purpose (I hope).

    Bottom line is I've paid for something they have failed to do again and again. Then charged me extra for something they missed. The more I think about it the more I think you're right Shane.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Sep 2013

    Location: North Island New Zealand

    Posts: 1,757
    I'm Chris.

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    Hi Chris
    You are despite the hiccups, in good hands with Rob Flain being involved. He has been with Quad as long as I can remember, and knows
    every product backwards. I am sure they will have your difficulty sorted. Robs advice is worth bottling to put it mildly, so listen to what they are saying.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Opti-cal View Post
    Trying to Grant!

    Keeping cool . . . always good advice.

    I work in the service industry myself and appreciate that sometimes these nightmare jobs (and customers) do pop up. I know its probably just a combination of me being unlucky and perhaps catching Quad at a particularly busy time. I know they certainly wouldn't be doing it on purpose but it is extremely frustrating. I think it was the one word reply of "no" without any update or explanation that sparked me to write the original post.
    yup, it was poor form on his behalf. Most managers of service depts are, alas, not pr men but engineers, and they are usually not good at pr.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  10. #10
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 803
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Light Dependant Resistor View Post
    Hi Chris
    You are despite the hiccups, in good hands with Rob Flain being involved. He has been with Quad as long as I can remember, and knows
    every product backwards. I am sure they will have your difficulty sorted. Robs advice is worth bottling to put it mildly, so listen to what they are saying.
    Thanks Chris.

    That's reassuring. But the insinuation I have been at fault a) for the issue with the speakers and b) for the damage to the grill in transit, was not welcome or indeed correct.

    Like I say the issue I have forked out an additional £200 for, should have been picked up during the first service and my equipment is driving other Quads without issue.

    I respect experience as I have my own within the servicing industry. But this many times for an identical issue would not be considered an acceptable level of service.

    My experience with Quad is what it is, I hope Rob will sort it but so far they have come up well short each time.

    To further empathise if Rob is indeed an ex-engineer/technician (as I am) then I can confirm dealing with customers is a pain in the a*@$.

    Thanks for the reply.

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