Another dissapointment from another U.S. manufacturer: Schiit

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I could tell you a story about putting a three yr old, $1100 Maytag washer out to the curb, poorest customer service I've ever encountered. Should have quit after the first repair wasn't covered under the still in place warranty. I believe it was the pump, $150 if memory serves. The second the tub bearing, they offered to split the cost of the $5 part but the $200 in labor was on me, this after many phone conversations as I moved higher up the chain.

Replaced with a $400 Kenmore and never looked back.

Oh, did I neglect to mention the Maytag already had cancerous rust on the lid from lack of painting the inner rolled edge from the factory, on a washing machine.

Paying more does not mean getting better quality or customer service, it's treating customers with the golden rule, from a manufacturing standpoint all the way to dealing with any reliability issues that might arrise, it's not that difficult.
 
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We now know that the DAC was defective -- which is good to know
Actually we don't know if that's the case.
Just reading post #200 will tell you a hands on same issue same product and their work around.

I know there where / are lots of issues people would have with the McIntosh C2500 preamp when they put a DAC in there 2ch tube preamp. That was similar with intermittent shutting down and loosing the signal. Some people fixed it by getting better cables that made better contact to the USB socket, some tried crimping their cable ends to make the tighter.

McIntosh also recommend J Rivers as the player needed for best compatibility and to fix the issue, some people didn't have any issues and others where pulling their hair out. Sometimes it's the source player, or even a combination of things.
 
To ask the manufacturer to look the other way on the two year warranty, just this once, is not fair, nor a reason to bash them in an online forum.

To simply ask for some consideration the warranty is up has nothing to do with being fair, it has to do with being smart. Now if it was 5 years after warranty was up, my expectations would not be high, but it never hurts to try. Would you be saying it was not fair if he asked and GOT some help and came on to post about his great customer service?

People seem to be unable to comprehend the idea that sometimes companies go out of their way to make their customers happy, even IF the item is out of warranty and even IF the customer is at fault. I dont understand why people are so upset at the fact just maybe somebody would get some help that others dont get.
 
People seem to be unable to comprehend the idea that sometimes companies go out of their way to make their customers happy,

Not true, I see and hear about it all the time. I think most people here that have dealt with Schitt customer service aren’t buying their customer service sucked. Could it have in this case, possibly but not probable in my mind. Unrealistic expectations is more likely. Then to bash in a public setting because you want to take your ball and go home.

Just my take having dealt with Schitt and not knowing the OP but understanding how people treat “service” people.
 
It is possible that their customer service rep was accommodating, we weren't there. It is also quite possible that the OPs idea of accommodation is different than yours or mine.
 
It is possible that their customer service rep was accommodating, we weren't there. It is also quite possible that the OPs idea of accommodation is different than yours or mine.

That is very true. I just am always on the side of the customer which in this case is a fellow AK member so I am taking him at his word.
 
It is also important to note that customer service people are still humans. It seems lots of people have had good interactions with Schiit's customer service. It could be OP had the misfortune of getting someone on a really bad day. (Yes, I know the customer service rep should be professional and suck it up, but seeing what the customer service reps have to deal with where I work, well, humans have limits).
 
Update: (I'm the OP) No; this was'nt a driver issue, No; this was'nt a PC update issue. The Modi had been in-and-out for 3 months previous to it's total failure.
Well let's make this a project then! Post this Modi in BT and let one of the members have at it for awhile. I'm sure one of our skilled technicians here will work on it and post their findings. An interesting project for sure!
 
It is also important to note that customer service people are still humans. It seems lots of people have had good interactions with Schiit's customer service. It could be OP had the misfortune of getting someone on a really bad day. (Yes, I know the customer service rep should be professional and suck it up, but seeing what the customer service reps have to deal with where I work, well, humans have limits).


I have been screamed countless times by angry customers over my 30 years in retail. I always looked at them as a challenge to calm them down and help them. The only time when I have had people kicked out of the store or hung up on people is when they got personal or threatening. That happened a few times over the years but it was fairly rare. Some people are wired to be able to deal with tough customers and some are not.
 
Yup, true. I dimly recalled some definitive determination that the DAC was at fault, but on re-reading, no.

I see no evidence from the OP that the DAC is indeed defective. It won't work with his PC and his operating system. There are other possible culprits here and we have been given none of those details. He did say that he tried a different PC, but again no details. If this is a Windows issue and the second PC is running the same version of Windows, the same problem will occur.

The OP did link to another thread (nearly three years old) about a similar problem with an earlier version of this product (the original Schiit Modi - not the Modi 2). I read that entire thread as well as this one, and found this little nugget from the OP of that thread:

"I've tried the 15 or so ports I have dozens of times, different cables, as well as combinations of it on my macbook pro. Absolutely no issues on the latter."

So, the "defective" Modi 1 in that case failed with that OP's Windows based PC, but worked flawlessly with his Macbook Pro. That sounds a lot more like a Windows issue than a defective DAC.

For the OP of this thread, his Modi 2 was working with his PC, and then suddenly stopped working. He suspected the DAC was the problem, but if he has automatic updates enabled for Windows, that could be the source of his problems. Microsoft could have pushed a driver (or other SW) update that causes his PC to no longer recognize his DAC. Rather than just try a different PC, which may very well have the same problem, I'd suggest trying his Modi 2 with a Mac that would have a totally different OS than his PC. If it fails with the Mac, the problem most likely lies with the Modi 2. If it works with the Mac, Windows is to blame.

I'm not claiming the OP's DAC isn't broken, just that there hasn't been enough information shared in this thread to make that determination with 100% certainty. I get that the OP is frustrated, but at this point he seems more interested in complaining about the manufacturer of his product that actually fixing the issue.
 
I have been screamed countless times by angry customers over my 30 years in retail.
I can understand a customer getting fed up and losing their temper, but what baffles me is how often I've encountered someone with a minor issue about a product or service, and their first thought is to "give them a piece of my mind", generally at the top of their lungs.

Do they really think that the unfortunate customer service rep is going to be all like, "Oh yes, ma'am, you've screamed at me for twenty minutes and employed multiple racial epithets, so as a direct result of your foul mouth and threats, I'm going to take back your out-of-warranty whuzzit that you've clearly attempted to fix with a hammer and give you a brand new better model and refund your original purchase price and give you a coupon for a free dinner at a fancy restaurant of your choice where the floor show is watching me be publicly humiliated because you showed me the error of my ways and reminded me that I'm a minimum-wage droid -- who deliberately insulted you by choosing to work for a corrupt, soulless, evil corporation that only exists to sell you defective products for the sole purpose of making you irate -- and who now, having been swayed purely by the brutal strength of your yelling and having been sprayed with your rant-spittle, exists only to serve you and accede to your every wish."

You used to hear the old phrase, "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar," now and then, but no more. Seems like folks noticed flies like shit and are trying that instead.
 
IMHO & experience ... "giving someone your piece of mind" or winning like a 2 year old (see this more often than I care to remember in today's world) is not as effective as simply asking to see the manager. Most managers (lower level) ... do not want the issue to go upstairs ... because the big cheese expects it to be handled at lower levels.

I do feel for customer service reps ... one girl I knew had to literally duck as an irate customer threw a cell phone at her head.
 
I can understand a customer getting fed up and losing their temper, but what baffles me is how often I've encountered someone with a minor issue about a product or service, and their first thought is to "give them a piece of my mind", generally at the top of their lungs.

Do they really think that the unfortunate customer service rep is going to be all like, "Oh yes, ma'am, you've screamed at me for twenty minutes and employed multiple racial epithets, so as a direct result of your foul mouth and threats, I'm going to take back your out-of-warranty whuzzit that you've clearly attempted to fix with a hammer and give you a brand new better model and refund your original purchase price and give you a coupon for a free dinner at a fancy restaurant of your choice where the floor show is watching me be publicly humiliated because you showed me the error of my ways and reminded me that I'm a minimum-wage droid -- who deliberately insulted you by choosing to work for a corrupt, soulless, evil corporation that only exists to sell you defective products for the sole purpose of making you irate -- and who now, having been swayed purely by the brutal strength of your yelling and having been sprayed with your rant-spittle, exists only to serve you and accede to your every wish."

You used to hear the old phrase, "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar," now and then, but no more. Seems like folks noticed flies like shit and are trying that instead.

When customers had a real reason to be upset I took them aside and let them vent then let them know I understood why they were upset. Most people just want somebody to understand why they are upset. I would say a solid 95% of pissed off people settled down and I was either able to help them or at least understood why I could not and left with a handshake. There were of course pure assholes or straight up criminals trying to scam, but those were fairly rare.

Since I worked so long in retail I am either the worlds nicest customer or a retailers worst nightmare. As long as I see an employee trying hard to help people I will make sure they get a good online review, even if I did not find or get what I wanted. A lazy or unfriendly associate gets no mercy from me. But I never raise my voice or swear........I remember all the times I had it done to me. BUT some associates are not a good fit for customer contact positions......one has to have a thick skin to deal with it.
 
There were of course pure assholes or straight up criminals trying to scam, but those were fairly rare.

My daughter who has been doing retail for 11yrs now, most of it in customer service because she is good at it will tell you this is the norm now. Now that she is the manager she also has no problem showing the customer or the employee the door!
 
Now if it was 5 years after warranty was up, my expectations would not be high, but it never hurts to try. Would you be saying it was not fair if he asked and GOT some help and came on to post about his great customer service?

What is the magic number here? If I read your comment correctly, at 9 months out of a generous two year warranty, on a $100 device, the company should have fixed the unit for free, and paid for shipping? I agree that it never hurts to ask. I'm with you on that one. But you should know going in, that you're asking for the manufacturer to basically give you a free unit after three years. I would estimate their cost to repair and ship will far outweigh the value of the product.

And no, I obviously wouldn't believe it to be unfair if the manufacturer decided to take a loss on this transaction. That argument really doesn't have any validity in this case. I would question whether the manufacturer will be around in 3-5 years if they operate their business at a loss. We're not talking about retail giants that can have loss leaders. We're taking about boutique companies, run by audiophiles, that are looking at ways to provide quality equipment at prices the common man can afford. I don't believe any of these guys are getting rich doing what they love to do. That's why I believe it's important to be very careful of painting them with such a broad brush as "they didn't fix my device for free, even though it was well out of the warranty period." So their customer service is terrible!
 
There's failures.. and then there's known manufacturer defects, which with the other reported cases, is what mine is. When a manufacturer says "I'm not going to do anything about this ongoing series of probelms with my product", what they are really saying is: "We are NOT a quality Audio company, in fact: we don't give a shit about our products or customer service!"

This is not a tragedy, but it sure as hell is a teaching point; a lesson to be shared.

Are they denying replacement/repair on these failures if they are within the warranty period?
 
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