Beware of buying from THD amp co.
Jim Harper
I have never slammed a company on the net before and went back
and forth as whether I should or shouldnt but if this post saves someone else from
the aggravation THD caused me then
its worth it. THD makes tube amps,speaker cabs and the hotplate power attentuator and
the company is run by Andy Marshall. I was looking to purchase a small 2-12 cab that
sounded as good as my basketweave Marshall 4-12 cab
(no easy task) because I needed something small to fit in the car I bought which
doesnt have alot of room,prior to the car purchase bringing the 4-12 was no problem.
I tried lots and lots of 2-12's and eventually settled on the THD 2-12 which despite
how they treat their customers is a GREAT cab. It was small and sounded huge. I
called THD and spoke to Andy and he had a demo cab he would sell me directly for $500
(yes its alot for a 2-12 but it fit the bill) but it was in
a weird color tolex so he said he would send me a tolex sample,hold the cab
and I could decide if I wanted it and let him know. Cool I thought !
after 2 weeks and no sample I called him back and he said his cabinet maker forgot
and he would get it out ect.... probably ended up being 3 wks,but no big
deal. I got the sample and it was cool but I was a little sceptical about ordering
the cab from him (I needed this cab no later that Jan 13th because
of a recording date I had booked) because I had heard he was kind of slow in getting
things out and also another friend that bought a cab directly from him
had a nightmare trying to get it. (Andy said 2 wks to build it took 4,also
it took forever for him to ship as he claimed one cab was lost by UPS
then he sent another which later after my friend called Andy told him
by accident the cab was left on the dock and never shipped,I think 2 mos
later my friend got the cab). But I figured this was a rare case and since my cab was
already built and it was only Dec 18th how could I not get the cab
by my recording date.
So I called Andy and said go ahead and ship it. UPS from Seatle to Boston is 6
days so after waiting 12 days I figured something was up so I gave Any a call
and he says that he knows he shipped it and checks and says that he filled out the
paper work but somehow it got left on the dock and never shipped (same excuse
as he gave my friend) I really didnt call him on this even though I knew this was
B.S. mainly because I wanted to get the cab as my recording date was getting closer.
I find it hard to beleive that a small (I'm guessing 3 people) company like that
doesnt notice a cab sitting on the dock for 12 days (and this was the same excuse
he gave my friend so I doubt it would actually happen twice)
Andy then said he would 2 day air it to me at THD's cost. I thought OK cool
at least I'll get the cab and that will be that. 3 days later guess what no cab.
At this point I'm getting pissed (I'm pretty patient but this is ridiculous)
I call Andy and he gives me the "I'm in a meeting I know I filled out the paper
work to ship the cab, I'll call you back after my meeting" so the day ends and no
phone call. Actually not once did he call me I always had to call him.
At this point I figure it's just not worth doing business with someone who
thinks they are doing me a favor by selling me a $500 cab and can't be bothered
to actually ship it. How hard can it be to ship a cab when you do this
for a living ? So I leave a message and basically say cancel the order and if you
want to discuss this give me a call which of course he never calls.
(what I really wanted to do is beat the living shit out of him but Seattle
is a little too far to go for revenge :>)
I did manage to get the studio to loan me a boogie recto 4-12 for the session which
is not too shabby, but this too me is unacceptable and I'm surprized he can actually
stay in business, when I told a few other people who work in the industry about this
they made comments like "Thats not a surprize he is a constant procrastinator and
you should see his booth at NAMM its a disaster"
So thats that I'm sure Bogner will be glad to get my money for a 2-12 cab
hopefully this will save others from this kind of disgracefull service.
BTW Andy can be reached via email at CompuServe:71563,1717 if anyone wants
to drop him a line. Since he never bothered to call I can't comment on his reactions
or final comments.
Thanks
Jim
Carl Fiadino
>
>So thats that I'm sure Bogner will be glad to get my money for a 2-12 cab
>hopefully this will save others from this kind of disgracefull service.
>BTW Andy can be reached via email at CompuServe:71563,1717 if anyone wants
>to drop him a line. Since he never bothered to call I can't comment on his reactions
>or final comments.
>
>Thanks
>Jim
>
>
>
Carl
Eric B Shen
In article <5b5j8v$b...@bone.think.com> Jim Harper <har...@think.com> writes:
>I have never slammed a company on the net before and went back and
> forth as whether I should or shouldnt but if this post saves someone
> else from the aggravation THD caused me then its worth it.
I have called THD four times in the past six months asking for a dealer
list and price list, and they've never sent me anything. Each time it
was "We'll get it out to you right away." But I never got anything from
them. I just gave up eventually.
eric
|::::ValveJob::::|
Thanks for the warning, I've been considering making a small purchase
from THD. Now I'm not so sure I should bother with it. I'm used to
dealing with companies like Mesa, that have given me excellent support
for 16+ years. You'll always get a phone call returned from Mesa. I'm
much more inclined to give my support/$$$ to the companies that earn
and deserve it. I,ve never seen one bad word about Mesa's customer
support. They also have a couple of 2x12 cabs available.
Jim Harper <har...@think.com> wrote:
>I have never slammed a company on the net before and went back
>and forth as whether I should or shouldnt but if this post saves someone else from
>the aggravation THD caused me then
Nick Schepis
ebs...@athena.mit.edu (Eric B Shen) wrote:
>
>I have called THD four times in the past six months asking for a dealer
>list and price list, and they've never sent me anything. Each time it
>was "We'll get it out to you right away." But I never got anything from
>them. I just gave up eventually.
This kind of business practice is inexcuseable, no matter what the
product. I would never even consider calling THD and forking over
the kind of money they want, when their customer service is so entirely
devoid of any service at all.
NS
Anthony DeBarros
Jim Harper wrote:
>
> I have never slammed a company on the net before and went back
> and forth as whether I should or shouldnt but if this post saves someone else from
Companies like this deserve to go out of business. There's
just no excuse.
--
Anthony DeBarros
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/adebarros/
I know a farmer who looks after the flock;
with water clear, he cares for all his harvest.
-- Genesis, "Supper's Ready"
SEFSTRAT
I find this thread about THD's reported lousy service and apparent
uncaring attitude to be amazing......how the hell do they survive?
Of course, I know a LOT of players, many of them pros or semipros...and NO
ONE has a THD product, to my knowledge.
Although you don't LIKE it, it's understandable, from a purely business
standpoint, when a highly successful and very busy shop gives less than
stellar customer service; maybe they don't care about the sale. But given
the miniscule nature of the THD shop, one would think that......aww, never
mind.
Hmmmmm.
Steve
SEFS...@AOL.com
Wolfe Axe
Regarding your problem finding a quality 2 x 12 cab, I sell & use
Naylor's 2 x 12 "Compact" cab. This cab will do the job, sound
great & costs only $500 in any color you want. It's gotten rave reviews.
call if you want one of these fine cabs. Jay Wolfe 1/800-358-9014
George Brickner
Well, as you yourself noted, there were two or three examples that
should have told you not to count on getting your cab when you needed
it. This doesn't excuse THD's behavior but it's a small company run
by an engineer/artist. If you like what they make, you'll get it on
their terms. Will this help his company grow? No. Is it worth the
wait? Sometimes it is. It's your choice. You wanted this thing so
bad that you hoped, maybe this time, it would work out.
About them lying to you: Well it's not acceptable but I assume they
have no ability to deal with the public. You know, they sit around
all day breathing solder fumes then someone calls asking where their
speakers are. They panic and respond that they had to sacrifice them
to the volcano.
My THD story. I wanted an 8 ohm Hot Plate. Luckily I was in no
hurry. I went to my local music store and they said the Hot Plates
sell as soon as they get them. They said they had some on order come
back in a couple of weeks. For the next 6 months I checked with the
store and every two weeks; nothing. I called THD and I talked with
someone who said they just got all the parts in and they plan on
assembling them soon. I asked about ordering direct and they made it
clear that they would like it much better if I delt with the local
music store (Veneman Music, Rockville, MD). I went back to the store
to order it. Three months later it arrived. After two years of
enjoying it I decided I need another one. Here I go again.
Once upon a time, Jim Harper <har...@think.com>, in a land far far
away, wrote:
>I have never slammed a company on the net before and went back
>and forth as whether I should or shouldnt but if this post saves someone else from
ksm...@usaor.net
Nick Schepis <stra...@onramp.net> wrote:
>NS
For some further insight to THD amps, please feel free to check out my
review of the THD plexi-reverb head in Harmony Central's amp database.
Kevin
Rennie Selkirk
In article <19970111130...@ladder01.news.aol.com>
sefs...@aol.com (SEFSTRAT) writes:
My local guitar store special ordered a pair of their Longhorn
10 speakers. Was not a snap job, but I got them within a month
and they sure sound great!
I also called up for a catalog and waited a LONG time to get one,
but one finally showed up in my mailbox.
Rennie
Kevin Hager
I have had similar experiences with Mesa/Boogie. I bought a Blue Angel
4x10 which i liked in the store, but got it home and it didn't work with my
guitars for my application. They were absolutely great in customer
service. I had had some technical problems with the amp too so they let me
trade up to a Tremoverb at almost dealer cost. I ended up selling the
Tremoverb(too loud) and came out even on what i spent total. That doesn't
happen too often!!! I wish they made an amp as good as my Dr. Z, i would
buy it!!!
Kevin
Jay
Jim,
Thanks for the report. I can't believe that people are actually writing
negative responses to your post. (i.e.:Jomack, George Brickner).
To Mr. Brickner: Yes, a customer has to make a choice whether they want
a deal with a supllier who seems as indifferent, over- worked, whatever
as Andy Marshall. Mr. Harper has kindly provided the readers of this
newsgroup with the information neccessary to make that descision. While
you may be willing to wait 3 months for a product, others understandable
may not. (BTW, I would wait the 3 months too, but then I don't have any
studio gigs as Jim does)
To Mr. Joe Macnamara: I'm glad the Keith Richards likes THD amps. I
wonder, how many times do you think Andy told Keith, "Oh yeah Keith,
that amp that was supposed to be there last week, it got left on the
dock..."
Again, I thank Mr. Harper. He did not say anything untrue, as oppossed
to Mr. Marshall who may have been using his, "left on the dock" comments
a bit to often. Jim even related how good the 2x12 cabinet sounded. I
have more knoweldge than before I read these posts.
P.S. I have also played through THD's. I can't remember the model, but
it sounded beautiful. After hearing the amp, I can understand how he can
keep in business, and probably easily so.
Jay