I am seeking advice on how to handle a situation that I probably should have walked away from at the very beginning. It is becoming frustrating for me and my wife (which increases my frustration level), so I feel I needed to seek 3rd party advice before continuing/instigating anything.
I decided to purchase some used speakers from Audiogon to get more for my money. It was my first time to use Audiogon, but I have done several trades on AT. The seller has 20 positive comments on Audiogon, and after email communication and an exchange of contact info, I paid for the speakers through paypal using a big name credit card (just in case) on December 19th. After a few emails that were not replied to until the 26th and a phone call that was never returned, the speakers finally shipped out on Dec 26th (my first clue since Thursday the 21st was the promised shipping date).
As stated in the title, the speakers did arrive damaged. The boxes (one especially) looked like they had been through a warzone. I personally feel that the boxes (each speaker arrived in its own box) were not adequate to have held floor standing speakers, and I do not know the condition of the packaging before shipping. The internal packaging was mostly destroyed upon arrival. The speakers were single boxed using relatively thin cardboard. It is clear that the boxes were mishandled during shipping.
Speaker A arrived with a large gouge in the back of the cabinet, and a broken binding post. I have attempted to connect the speaker and hold wire against the broken post, and very little sound (if any) comes from the tweeter. I'm not sure if the tweeter is broken or just has a poor connection.
Speaker B arrived with major cosmetic damage to the front of the cabinet. It was dropped onto the top of the cabinet (very apparent). All of the binding posts suffered some form of damage, but they are all still intact (even if falling out of the speaker). I have connected this speaker, and tweeter distortion is very apparent.
I informed the seller, and was instructed by him on Wed Jan 3rd to file an inurance claim through fedex. I proceeded, and am waiting on information from him and the speaker manf. for additional forms to file with fedex. Despite a couple of emails and a phone call which went to voicemail, I have received no other updates from the seller since Wed. morning.
So here is my dilemma, and I would appreciate any honest recommendations you may offer. Though its possible for the insurance claim to be easy and successful, I do have my doubts. I have heard the horror stories of the insurance claim process before. How long should I have to deal with the mess of insurance claims? How quickly should I expect the seller to respond to my requests during this process? Should I send the speakers back (at my expense) and demand/hope for a refund? Should I process a chargeback with the major credit card if the insurance claim gets refused?
Cliffs:
Bought speakers from Audiogon Dec 19th (paypal using major CC)
Speakers shipped inadequately packaged on Dec 26th
Both speakers arrived damaged and unusable at this point
Seller suggested insurance claim on Wed Jan 3rd, and has been started
No updates from seller since Wed Jan 3rd
Need suggestions
I decided to purchase some used speakers from Audiogon to get more for my money. It was my first time to use Audiogon, but I have done several trades on AT. The seller has 20 positive comments on Audiogon, and after email communication and an exchange of contact info, I paid for the speakers through paypal using a big name credit card (just in case) on December 19th. After a few emails that were not replied to until the 26th and a phone call that was never returned, the speakers finally shipped out on Dec 26th (my first clue since Thursday the 21st was the promised shipping date).
As stated in the title, the speakers did arrive damaged. The boxes (one especially) looked like they had been through a warzone. I personally feel that the boxes (each speaker arrived in its own box) were not adequate to have held floor standing speakers, and I do not know the condition of the packaging before shipping. The internal packaging was mostly destroyed upon arrival. The speakers were single boxed using relatively thin cardboard. It is clear that the boxes were mishandled during shipping.
Speaker A arrived with a large gouge in the back of the cabinet, and a broken binding post. I have attempted to connect the speaker and hold wire against the broken post, and very little sound (if any) comes from the tweeter. I'm not sure if the tweeter is broken or just has a poor connection.
Speaker B arrived with major cosmetic damage to the front of the cabinet. It was dropped onto the top of the cabinet (very apparent). All of the binding posts suffered some form of damage, but they are all still intact (even if falling out of the speaker). I have connected this speaker, and tweeter distortion is very apparent.
I informed the seller, and was instructed by him on Wed Jan 3rd to file an inurance claim through fedex. I proceeded, and am waiting on information from him and the speaker manf. for additional forms to file with fedex. Despite a couple of emails and a phone call which went to voicemail, I have received no other updates from the seller since Wed. morning.
So here is my dilemma, and I would appreciate any honest recommendations you may offer. Though its possible for the insurance claim to be easy and successful, I do have my doubts. I have heard the horror stories of the insurance claim process before. How long should I have to deal with the mess of insurance claims? How quickly should I expect the seller to respond to my requests during this process? Should I send the speakers back (at my expense) and demand/hope for a refund? Should I process a chargeback with the major credit card if the insurance claim gets refused?
Cliffs:
Bought speakers from Audiogon Dec 19th (paypal using major CC)
Speakers shipped inadequately packaged on Dec 26th
Both speakers arrived damaged and unusable at this point
Seller suggested insurance claim on Wed Jan 3rd, and has been started
No updates from seller since Wed Jan 3rd
Need suggestions
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