After Sales Warranty/Service

[drummerman]

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Tufan Hashemi, Co-Founder and owner of Roksan Audio (HifiChoice June 2015)

Tufan talks about his club for Roksan owners 'They pay a nominal £100 fee every year and we will regularely update, set-up and service the product at no (extra) charge and keep it going. - I set this up because I want Roksan products to sound their best wherever they are in the world and we now have a lot of members. If somebody trusts my taste, they like my music, they like the way my equipment sounds, then I am for sure going to look after them for the rest of the life of their equipment. - I don't actually feel ownership of Roksan, I really feel that Roksan would be nothing without all the guys; some of my staff, they've been here forever!'

I assume the above includes repairs. I would guess that a fair number of Roksan customers are probably owners of one of the companies turntables which, although not super service intensive, clearly benefit from the odd oil/belt change and set up after cartridge replacements and/or a move. Amplifiers are arguably less service-prone but still benefit from the odd check-over and may need parts replacing to bring them back up to spec.

Do you think more hifi companies should take that approach or is it, in your opinion, just another way of making profit?

Cyrus, for example, charge around £200 to have a component serviced/repaired but that includes several other things such as re-packaging, cleaning, bench soak testing and replacement of parts that are below spec or out-dated ones with newer, better ones. - Its another take on the maintenance theme.

Personally, the way I see it, the first (Roksan) option may be worth for someone that tends to keep his/her equipment for a long time. £1200 over ten years may seem a lot but if you love your equipment and it tends to be at the higher end of the portfolio, you may feel different about it.

The second way (cyrus), although also expensive, may be an option for folks that tend to change equipment more frequently but still outside normal warranty times.

What do you think should companies realistically offer to customers?

 

[Al ears]

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Tufan Hashemi, Co-Founder and owner of Roksan Audio (HifiChoice June 2015)

Tufan talks about his club for Roksan owners 'They pay a nominal £100 fee every year and we will regularely update, set-up and service the product at no (extra) charge and keep it going. - I set this up because I want Roksan products to sound their best wherever they are in the world and we now have a lot of members. If somebody trusts my taste, they like my music, they like the way my equipment sounds, then I am for sure going to look after them for the rest of the life of their equipment. - I don't actually feel ownership of Roksan, I really feel that Roksan would be nothing without all the guys; some of my staff, they've been here forever!'

I assume the above includes repairs. I would guess that a fair number of Roksan customers are probably owners of one of the companies turntables which, although not super service intensive, clearly benefit from the odd oil/belt change and set up after cartridge replacements and/or a move. Amplifiers are arguably less service-prone but still benefit from the odd check-over and may need parts replacing to bring them back up to spec.

Do you think more hifi companies should take that approach or is it, in your opinion, just another way of making profit?

Cyrus, for example, charge around £200 to have a component serviced/repaired but that includes several other things such as re-packaging, cleaning, bench soak testing and replacement of parts that are below spec or out-dated ones with newer, better ones. - Its another take on the maintenance theme.

Personally, the way I see it, the first (Roksan) option may be worth for someone that tends to keep his/her equipment for a long time. £1200 over ten years may seem a lot but if you love your equipment and it tends to be at the higher end of the portfolio, you may feel different about it.

The second way (cyrus), although also expensive, may be an option for folks that tend to change equipment more frequently but still outside normal warranty times.

What do you think should companies realistically offer to customers?

Profit boosting all the way.

Your product should have at least a year's warranty to start and I don't think solid state amplifiers would need servicing for a number of years. CDPs only have so much that can go wrong with them and turntables only require a belt change now and again. As for updating.... what's to update? Personally, if you are looking at £100 per piece of equipment, I'd just bank £100 per year and carry on.

 

[lpv]

I don't buy any extra cover then those I'm forced too buy ( car insurance, building etc)... so no extra sofa cover, watch, jewellery, pants, phone or audio cover needed.. my speakers, amps and preamp came with 6 years warranty anyway

 

[lpv]

Double post

 

[drummerman]

I am probably the same. £100 a year seems a lot plus I do think that above a certain price ... a five year warranty should be standard.

Still, Roksan's example does seem to go beyond a warranty plus it may have benefits when it comes to re-sell if that 'membership' is transferable.

If you have several (expensive) components from one manufacturer, this extended service/replair agreement does perhaps make sense.

From a manufacturers perspective, it probably aims at making ownership more in(ex)clusive.

Would I take one out for my cyrus system? - No but if I had more expensive stuff I'd may think differently.

 

[NSA_watch_my_toilet]

It's a wonderful idea to make much more profit. A well made amplifier or receiver will be able to last 15 years without special attention. Same goes for a DAC or a receiver. So during 15 years, you are basically paying 100 pounds for nothing. So, you are already at 1'500 pounds and nothing that was really needed was made, and nothing will become better through that. And if you have a Roksan amplifier, you have generally a Rokan something else ; so it' already 3'000. Somebody must propose this to B&W, they will do it.

But for some turntable, the idea could be good. But for a belt and some oil every 2 years, I don't need to give 100 to a group and carry my gear from left to right with the risk of destroying it during transport.

I prefere the philosophy of brands like Restek : "If we made it, we can fix it". Their warranty is not incredibly long, but they can fix everything they made. You need a new front for your 30 years old amplifier in champaign color because you change all your gear for Accus, no problem, they will carve you some aluminium and make you a new champaign front. You have an old tuner you want to repair/upgrade after 25 years, no problem, they will do it. New solding, no problem. I like this way to do. For some other brands, you have a run out of pieces after the two years of the warranty WT_F... seriously.

 

[lpv]

it's a good idea to give this idea to naim.. why they haven't got such a ' service ' already is beyond me. I bet naim lovers could pay £200

 

[lpv]

£200 for each component

 

[lpv]

psu counts as separate component..

servicing cables only £80 ( they would put the cables on the shaking machine they may still have in the factory)

 

[tino]

This might make sense if the hifi equipment would benefit from mechanical calibration e.g. turntables or a firmware/software update that cannot be performed by the user. There are many example where software isn't kept up to date with the service providers e.g. loss of internet radio account association (Cyrus) , BBC HLS streaming updates, future MQA support etc. etc. If a small payment could guarantee regular software updates or insure against the loss of a software/streaming service then it might be worth it.

 

[Electro]

It's a pity more manufacturers don't give a nice 20 year transferable warranty like PMC speakers and Bryston .

 

[tino]

Cyrus, for example, charge around £200 to have a component serviced/repaired but that includes several other things such as re-packaging, cleaning, bench soak testing and replacement of parts that are below spec or out-dated ones with newer, better ones. - Its another take on the maintenance theme.

A service now costs £225-275 depending on model and some updates considerably more e.g updating a Streamline from V1 to V2 spec. is quite pricey at £450. At least they offer an option whereas a lot of manufacturers don't.

 

[TrevC]

It's a pity more manufacturers don't give a nice 20 year transferable warranty like PMC speakers and Bryston .

It's priced in.

 

[steve_1979]

I've never had a piece of hifi equipment fail in my whole life. Ever.

£100 per month for what is basically insurance. A rip off IMO.

 

[ChrisIRL]

Considering my two Roksan amps died fairly quickly I'm surprised they can afford to offer this service. Make it sound like you care but then set the price that little bit too high to put anyone off actually signing up. A clever bluff?

 

[spiny norman]

£100 per month for what is basically insurance. A rip off IMO.

No, £100 per year.

 

[spiny norman]

It's priced in.

Bastards, eh?

 

[spiny norman]

it's a good idea to give this idea to naim.. why they haven't got such a ' service ' already is beyond me. I bet naim lovers could pay £200

£200 for each component

psu counts as separate component..

servicing cables only £80 ( they would put the cables on the shaking machine they may still have in the factory)

Careful: you may chuckle yourself to death with your own hilarity.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Naim provide the same service mentioned earlier with regards to Restek - Naim will service anything they have ever produced. Not all manufacturers will do that.

 

[Jota180]

I'd be inclined to avoid an offer like this. Those that choose to go ahead, the devil will be in the detail. You buy a brand new amp, when do they say it will need a service? 2 years? 5? 10? They wont tell you?

I could maybe see the point for a company that specialised in valve amplifiers which may need a bit more TLC than solid state, but come on, SS amps should be good for 15 years.

 

[lpv]

it's a good idea to give this idea to naim.. why they haven't got such a ' service ' already is beyond me. I bet naim lovers could pay £200

£200 for each component

psu counts as separate component..

servicing cables only £80 ( they would put the cables on the shaking machine they may still have in the factory)

Careful: you may chuckle yourself to death with your own hilarity.

 

[steve_1979]

£100 per month for what is basically insurance. A rip off IMO.

No, £100 per year.

Not sure why I typed month. I ment to say year.

Still a rip off IMO.

 

[nopiano]

It's a pity more manufacturers don't give a nice 20 year transferable warranty like PMC speakers and Bryston .

I completely agree. My Krell CD player has needed one £180 service in eighteen years, the amp is untouched, and the speakers needed a terminal block replacement after about a decade as the original plastic frame had cracked - I recall it was about £140. Had these items been Roksan, they would have cost me £5400, rather than £320!

Sadly, this idea is just profiteering. They should give a minimum five year warranty on anything.

 

[drummerman]

It's a pity more manufacturers don't give a nice 20 year transferable warranty like PMC speakers and Bryston .

I completely agree. My Krell CD player has needed one £180 service in eighteen years, the amp is untouched, and the speakers needed a terminal block replacement after about a decade as the original plastic frame had cracked - I recall it was about £140. Had these items been Roksan, they would have cost me £5400, rather than £320!

Sadly, this idea is just profiteering. They should give a minimum five year warranty on anything.

Sorry but how do you come to £5400?

 

[TrevC]

Hifi equipment doesn't need routine servicing, it's a nonsense. If it develops a fault you fix it.