Arcaydis

[luckylion100]

Have What Hifi removed the reviews of these speakers? I think that once the reviews were out there, endorsing these products was the soul responsibility of the manufacturer by offering realistic timescales, better communication and general transparentency not What Hifi. The magazine surely couldn't have predicted such a hopeless mess. Once RA realised he had a production/delivery issue and the resulting customer service problems, he should have stopped taking peoples money then and there, until he managed to clear the backlog, simple logic to me! Regardless of people being fully aware there was a prolonged 'waiting' period, customers have been treated terribly.

I believe at this stage What Hifi should have totally removed the reviews from their website (I'm unsure if this was done or mot) and stated they no longer offered their seal of approval. Don't under estimate the sway 5 star reviews and a good write up have, you see it every day on this forum. If this was not done, I believe What Hifi failed their readers but not by initially reviewing what by all accounts is a good product. It's a shame the individual producing these goods appears not to be bothered by taking peoples money and behaving in a manner I'd consider near fraudulent.

 

[unsleepable]

I don't think the problem is the little availability of the speakers, or the long time that buyers need to wait to have them.

Out of the many complains we've seen in this forum, it seems to me that the problem is that EB Acoustics regularly fails to meet the dates agreed with their customers, however long they were in the first instance. And then, when these customers get nervous after having paid and not getting anything, they also fail to keep a satisfactory communication, and set new, sensible delivery dates that can be met.

For these buyers to start shouting in public forums like this, I can imagine they must have gotten the silent treatment for a while. The ostrich-like strategy that EB Acoustics seems to be following with their customers is one of the worst ways I imagine you can treat your clients.

And I don't think a publication like What Hi-Fi should be promoting in any way products from a company that treats their customers, and the magazine's readers, like this.

 

[bigboss]

This has happened before with Sony and Panasonic TVs. It is difficult to fathom the magnitude of the issue, considering that only disgruntled customers resort to reporting on forums. Sony previously acknowledged a fault, prompting What Hi Fi to drop its star rating.

 

[John Duncan]

Views on appropriateness of retaining reviews raised with editorial...

 

[Andy Clough]

LHC,

I don't suspect a conspiracy but I do suspect that somebody in the editorial team did an old friend a favour.

If you had overhead some of the numerous conversations I've had with Richard on the phone, I can assure you I'm not "doing an old friend a favour". Far from it.

Should we have reviewed the EB Acoustics speakers in the first place? They're not the only ones that are available to order online only, Teufel for example do the same. We felt, at the time, that the speakers would be of genuine interest to our readers so we reviewed them. Quite a lot of specialist hi-fi is bespoke and hand-made, so you may have to wait to get it.

As a result of those reviews, it is true that the company struggled to keep up with demand. We were well aware of the complaints (aired frequently on these Forums) and it was for that very reason we decided NOT to consider them for our Awards. But those who did get them seemed very happy with them.

In the past, we had a rule that any product had to be available in a minimum of 12 dealers across the UK. But in this day and age of internet/direct sales, that seemed a little archaic.

I will try and contact Richard on Monday and find out what's going on. At the moment I'm not inclined to remove the reviews from the website as we have made clear the issues around availability, and I think they're still of interest, but if lack of supply becomes a permanent problem then we may have to do so.

 

[SteveR750]

Morgan's *cars* (as they are an acquired taste tbh) have been road tested over the years with more "mainstream" stuff. Just because a magazine gives a rave review doesn't obligate the manufacturer to produce more products any more than said magazine has any moral indemnity to the reader should he/she choose to act upon their review.

 

[Jota180]

I don't think the problem is the little availability of the speakers, or the long time that buyers need to wait to have them.

Out of the many complains we've seen in this forum, it seems to me that the problem is that EB Acoustics regularly fails to meet the dates agreed with their customers, however long they were in the first instance. And then, when these customers get nervous after having paid and not getting anything, they also fail to keep a satisfactory communication, and set new, sensible delivery dates that can be met.

For these buyers to start shouting in public forums like this, I can imagine they must have gotten the silent treatment for a while. The ostrich-like strategy that EB Acoustics seems to be following with their customers is one of the worst ways I imagine you can treat your clients.

And I don't think a publication like What Hi-Fi should be promoting in any way products from a company that treats their customers, and the magazine's readers, like this.

This. The lead times are an irrelevance if they are communicated to the buyer before purchase and then met on time. The problem is clearly people have been informed of dates when they'll expect their speaker/refund/email reply and it doesn't happen. When it doesn't happen no communication is sent to the buyer and they're left trying repeatedly in vain to contact the guy. Some are saying promises are broken time and time again.

That sort of thing makes customers sick in the pit of their stomach, the thought that you're being taken for a ride or you're not going to see either your speakers or the money you paid again.

 

[ChrisK]

Well I was told originally about 3 weeks! Now it's 7 to 10 days each time I ask.