Good Customer Service

[msobeldc]

Just wanted to share a good experience with fellow AKers. I purchased an NAD C 658 streaming Pre-amp/DAC from Crutchfield about 7 months ago. I've enjoyed the unit and especially the Dirac room correction. About 2 weeks ago, my CD player, which I had run through the NAD's DAC, started experiencing some skipping. I thought it was the CD player which is 20 years old. I tried a second hand Sony player and found I had the same issues with the RCA jacks plugged into the NAD but not with the Toslink. I then tried a third player and had the same skipping with both optical and RCA. When I tried the second player again, even the optical had skipping issues. I then plugged the units directly into my amp and bypassed the NAD and had no issues with playback. That led me to believe the problem was with the NAD which was disappointing given it's youth and expense. I called Crutchfield Tech Support and walked them through the scenario. Within 10 minutes, they said they'd send me a new unit and asked me just to send back my old one in the box with a pre-paid UPS mailer. I received the new unit the following day by UPS. I haven't set up the new unit yet but expect the issue to go away when I do later today.

I'd like to contrast this amazing customer service with my experience with Audio Advisor. I purchased an upgraded 24v motor kit for my Rega TT which I found came with a wire disconnected. I called AA customer service and left a message. No response. I sent two subsequent emails to their customer service and silence. I ended up fixing the issue myself but I won't buy from AA again while Crutchfield has me as a customer for life. Small things make a big difference.

Thanks

 

[swechsler]

Not suprising. Crutchfield has always been known for the excellent customer service. Have they outsourced it, or is it still in the US?

 

[msobeldc]

In house in Charlottesville, I believe. Definitely in US.