Magnepan Service HORRIBLE???


I am now into my 5th week waiting for Magnepan to evaluate shipping damage to a pair of MG 3.7's. My wife and I paid Craters and Freighters to build a custom wood crate for them so they would not be damaged further by the trip from Richmond to Minnesota.

I know everyone will say they are a small company and I need to be patient but this is ridiculous to my mind. I have called 5-6 times and the seller has also called. The last time I called Shelia acted like she had never spoken to me before despite the previous phone conversations.

I know the MG 3.7's are supposed to be sensational speakers and I bought my first pair of Magnepans in 1975 but I am seriously considering flipping these if Magnepan ever inspects and repairs them. The aggravation simply is not worth it to me.

A month and I can not even get anyone at Magnepan to open the crate, inspect them, and give me a damage estimate to provide to FedEx who is ready to pay the claim. Unfortunately, they can't pay until Magnepan provides an estimate of the damage and then I have to wait for the actual repair.

I never thought I would feel this way about Magnepan but this current situation has changed my mind to a huge extent. This is just ridiculous the way I see it and I can see no good excuse for it.
etmerritt33
agreed, while we may not need a blow by blow of how pissed you are on a daily basis, Tom, i would also like to know the outcome. And, i have no axe to grind with Magnepan. But since you reached out to the community, not only to express your displeasure with the company but to get some help, I feel somewhat invested in the outcome at this point.
Has anyone ever brought up the possibility that Magnepan runs a lean organization? In this economy, I surely wouldn't have someone readily available to inspect damage on a speaker they didn't even buy from me. I would think that coming off a two week shut down for vacations, they have some demand to meet. I highly doubt they have piles of speakers lying around to meet demand. They might also have someone dealing with damaged speakers that are new. Are they getting paid for this estimate? Do they have to pay someone because your seller
or Fed Ex screwed up? Where does the money come from to pay the person who assesses the damage to your speakers?
*Erikt--This is like a soap opera - must....resist....watching....but can't :-)*

I can't believe I'm still reading this, let alone responding again. But "it is like a soap opera"; I keep tuning in for the next episode.

Among all the things I don't understand about this train wreck, is WHY anyone buying used, out of warranty, gear from a very small, esoteric mfg., would "assume" that the co. would have some prompt repair operation. It's just not realistic. Buying huge, hard to ship gear just compounds the problem.
I just realized I do have an axe to grind, but it's an actual axe and bench grinder so I'm not sure it even matters to this thread. That said, a relevant point I can make illustrates the fact that a "lean organization" has even more incentive to not be marketing oblivious as the leanness could lead to no businessness. In a hurry. I started a small company many years ago that competed with huge players in the same (financial services) market...we were insanely successful because we did a better job at everything the big boys did...most importantly service. The excuse of vacations (!) or "smallness of workforce" combined with the inability to simply respond to any customer with a beef is a harbinger of disaster, especially when Magnapan is magna-panned in public.
Wolf- I gotta say, apart from the substance of your post (which i tend to agree with), you are pretty funny.