Questionable service at Soundsmith


I sent my Benz Micro for a re-tipping.  After they received my cartridge I get an email on how to check status of the job.  Their website tells you retipping takes 8 - 14 weeks.  Well that came and went, I did not hear anything.  I checked the status now and then, nada.  I started to worry because it's been about a year now.  Finally, I decided to give them a call and find out what is going on.  In my mind, I'm thinking, have they lost my cartridge?  Did they misplace it?  What?  I couldn't get through, goes straight to voicemail every time.  So I decided to email an address I got from their website to ask for help.  I got a response that it will be done soon, they are really back logged.  An hour later, I get another email from another person saying it was done and ready to ship.  What?!  Did they just do a rush job on my cartridge?  Because I started to complain?  That they've had my cartridge laying around for about a year!  And here's the kicker, please pay $450 for the retipping.  Nice.  
rviloria
Your words are muchly appreciated; I lost my brother a year ago to an orphan cancer, my first wife to cancer.....and my son not so long ago.

Now......my wife has cancer, and one other close family member to care for......Your thoughts are appreciated. No one knows what its like till you have to care for, watch with grim detail, and become mostly helpless to ease the suffering and passing of those few who are close to you.

Personally, I plan on driving off a cliff when the time comes. But I will get caught up with cartridge repair work before I do, for those who are now reading this and worried.

Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith
Witness

Witness 1

Unreliable for the defense
Unreliable for the prosecution
Unworthy receiver of events
unaware of the miracle
of an arrangement of atoms infinite
observing itself
Unwitting witness
God’s small window on the world
in each of us

Witness 2

Small room. Nice.
tubing dripping
slowly
red poison
and clear
premedication for my wife
to not vomit up the world
I count the pills
keep track of time
tell her only 7 more times
just count backwards from 8
but nothing I have as a witness
helps the defense
the sentence has been predetermined
If I had not
witnessed this
before
then it would not be so vivid red this time around

Witness 3

You think you are a voice
the eyes and ears of God
But it is not your agenda you are tracing
it is just the agenda of someone who is empty
and filled themselves with power
If you would know God’s will
then find yourself some hill
and spend an entire day
interrogating a daffodil
not mowing the innocent down
(only March has the right
to torture
the snowdrops


Witness 4

I pray for peace both without
and within
The feeling of loneliness is measured
as the distance from God
Where is the voice
the real witness of time
beauty and cleverness
to distill it down to something that can be whispered
in my ear
if I can put down my agenda
long enough to be your witness
even for just for one moment each day
Gift enough against all that above and those
who do not witness your grace
.
.
.
.
Peter Ledermann 12-15-15
Unfortunately I had a bad service experience too.  It took over 6 months to get my Soundsmith cartridge retipped.  I called frequently and emailed often and eventually got it done.  It sounds great, but I think they should let you know they are really backed up when you send your cartridge in to set your expectations.  It seems Peter is the only one who can do a lot of these, and is schedule is too busy for him to devote the adequate time to repair the cartridges.  I would definitely recommend a backup cartridge if you send one in for repair.
Thank you for that post - I would very much like to have your RA# to see what happened. It is NOT typical or usual. Soundsmith (unlike ALL other cartridge companies) values its customers and rebuilds all our own designs for 20% or LESS. Our designs can be rebuilt many, many times. They get priority - 2-6 weeks.

It may have been that your cartridge was placed in regular rotation for non-Soundsmith designs by one of my staff in receiving -  by accident - which has happened on occasion. Even so - that seems along time, even for a non Soundsmith design, unless it had special issues. Please feel free to Email me the details - Peter@sound-smith.com -

I will be more than glad to investigate.

Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith  

 
This is direct from the Soundsmith website. 

"Q: How long does it take to get the work done?

A: That depends on the number of customers who sent in work ahead of yours. Our services are in high demand world-wide. Repair queue is typically in the 6-12 week range. Each and every customer gets the full measure of my 40 plus years of experience and skills."

Common sense tells me that one should call Peter first to get a real-time estimate for how long the repair will take. It states the queue is typically between 6-12 weeks but this all depends on the number of customers already in the queue. Clearly, this could stretch beyond 12 weeks especially when the guy is taking care of his ailing family.