Guess the tube head "Brand" of my defective power transformer? Bought NEW August 2013

[g1]

Button it up like you've never been in there and return to where you bought it.
"In the unlikely event that a defect should occur, follow the procedure outlined below. Defective products must be shipped, together with proof of purchase, freight pre-paid and insured to the Authorized B-52 Dealer from whom you purchased the product".
Sounds like your problem is with the dealer, are they not offering to take care of it for you? As far as you know it blows the fuse.

The part you read about only returning the defective component is only in reference to speaker cabinets, they don't want entire cabs returned when it's just a blown woofer or tweeter.

[TubeAmpStudent]

Button it up like you've never been in there and return to where you bought it.
"In the unlikely event that a defect should occur, follow the procedure outlined below. Defective products must be shipped, together with proof of purchase, freight pre-paid and insured to the Authorized B-52 Dealer from whom you purchased the product".
Sounds like your problem is with the dealer, are they not offering to take care of it for you? As far as you know it blows the fuse.

The part you read about only returning the defective component is only in reference to speaker cabinets, they don't want entire cabs returned when it's just a blown woofer or tweeter.

I think you are right! I did already call the authorized dealer that sold me the head (Musicians Friend) and they said that I had to go through the manufacturer, which I did, and they then claimed that they couldn't do anything for me.
However, I have the original box, all of the packing materials, and I have not done anything to damage the head.
I am going to call "Musicians Friend" to let them know I am returning the defective product, per the warranty instructions, so they can deal with the manufacturer regarding a repair/exchange/replacement or whatever.

Thanks!

[Enzo]

before you unilaterally send it to them, find out what happens. Some places will not accept shipments they did not authorize, in which case you are not only out the shipping cost, but also the shipping cost as it bounces back to you.

Talk to them on the phone and tell them you need a return number for the amp you plan to return.

[Enzo]

before you unilaterally send it to them, find out what happens. Some places will not accept shipments they did not authorize, in which case you are not only out the shipping cost, but also the shipping cost as it bounces back to you.

Talk to them on the phone and tell them you need a return number for the amp you plan to return.

[TubeAmpStudent]

before you unilaterally send it to them, find out what happens. Some places will not accept shipments they did not authorize, in which case you are not only out the shipping cost, but also the shipping cost as it bounces back to you.

Talk to them on the phone and tell them you need a return number for the amp you plan to return.

Thanks for the tip! I will do that on Monday morning and hopefully get everything resolved soon.
And thanks again to everyone for all of the information!

[tedmich]

"Return Merchandise Authorization" (RMA) is a phrase every consumer of modern electronics (or tube amps) should know well, sadly. Some other bargain amps make the B52 look like a Diezel, but its the cost that makes most people bite. Caveat Emptor. QC is the usually the first casualty of the race to the bottom (line)

[Mick Bailey]

Your post raises an interesting point; I don't know about the US, but in the UK when you buy a product the contract is between you and the supplier. The supplier in turn has a contract with their supplier, which may be the manufacturer or a wholesaler, but their contract is abstracted from yours.

Regardless of any attempt for a supplier to palm you off onto someone else, you have a right in law for the supplier to resolve the problem if it occurs within (usually) 12 months of the purchase date. You have additional rights beyond this if goods have a defect that was present at the time of manufacture.

Supplies will often attempt to hoodwink the public and impose terms that would appear to diminish your rights and prevent you from getting a refund or exchange or whatever and then add the phrase "your statutory rights are unaffected".

A while back I bought a printer that was DOA when I got it home. The next day I took it back to where I bought it from and the guy said I'd need to pack it up securely and send it to Epson, at my expense. I told him I wanted a refund, or a working printer. He said it was nothing to do with him - he didn't make it - Epson did, so it was their problem and their warranty. Anyhow it took an Enforcement Notice for me to get my money back under the Sale of Goods Act and it turned out the guy had 14 notices for similar offences.

[soundguruman]

Perhaps I might be able to turn my problem into an entertaining thread: can anyone guess the company/brand that has not honored the warranty on their 100 watt tube amp with the power transformer in the attached picture?

Here is a hint: their entire "customer service department" appears to be one overworked person who is not familiar with tube amps. I actually feel sorry for him that he works for a company that sells defective products and makes him deny warranty service requests.

The issue looks fairly obvious to me, but the amp still does not work and the company does not care that they sold me a defective product that is clearly under warranty (I followed all of the steps in the owner's manual in an attempt to solve the problem).

I'm not an expert and I would certainly appreciate any suggestions on what to do next (if you think the answer is "throw the whole amp in the trash", please don't hesitate to express your opinion)

Thank you!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]28582[/ATTACH]

https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complai...nt/get-started
File a complaint with California Huntington Park BBB
Then Call B 52, and tell them you filed a complaint.

http://www.bbb.org/sanjose/business-...486/complaints


Vendor will usually offer a resolution quickly. If not, file a second or third complaint.
In the complaint, give all details, dates and receipts. Ask the vendor to correct the defect immediately.

Most important, do not give up. Keep making plenty of NOISE until the vendor fixes the problem.

Another resource is the RIP OFF REPORT website.
Ripoff Report | Scams, reviews, complaints, lawsuits and frauds. File a report, post your review. Consumers educating consumers.

[TubeAmpStudent]

https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complai...nt/get-started
File a complaint with California Huntington Park BBB
Then Call B 52, and tell them you filed a complaint.

Consumer Complaints for E.T.I. Sound Systems Inc - Serving the Silicon Valley BBB


Vendor will usually offer a resolution quickly. If not, file a second or third complaint.
In the complaint, give all details, dates and receipts. Ask the vendor to correct the defect immediately.

Most important, do not give up. Keep making plenty of NOISE until the vendor fixes the problem.

Another resource is the RIP OFF REPORT website.
Ripoff Report | Scams, reviews, complaints, lawsuits and frauds. File a report, post your review. Consumers educating consumers.

I'm definitely going to file the complaints: there is no doubt that the B-52 product I purchased new is defective and they should not be able to get away with refusing to honor the warranty like they have done.

Thank you for the encouragement!

[Leo_Gnardo]

I just won't ever buy a B -52 again or any Egnator product in the future.

I wouldn't slag Egnator's USA made products just because one of his designs was licensed for a super cheezy Chinese build.

[TubeAmpStudent]

Egnator phone support appears to be from B-52 customer service in Huntington Park, CA

I wouldn't slag Egnator's USA made products just because one of his designs was licensed for a super cheezy Chinese build.

I'm not questioning the quality of Egnator's USA made products, but I am questioning the support for all of Egnator's products.
If there needs to be a phone discussion about an Egnator product warranty, the phone number listed appears to be the same 1 person supporting B-52 amps in Huntington Park, California

Egnater Amplification Support Department
Egnater Amplification Support — Contact our Support Department using the below submission form.
Egnater Custom Amplification is dedicated to offering our musicians and music professionals the best customer service in the industry. To this end, we have established Authorized Service Centers across the United States to ensure that in the unlikely situation that you need help with your Egnater amplifier it is quickly available to you. Fill out the form below so the Egnater team can initiate your service request.
To initiate a customer service request with Egnater Amplification you must fill out this customer service request form below. Our email servers aggressively filter spam and on occasion email sent directly to our support department are quarantined. This often results in a delay in your request. Once you have lodged your initial request using this form, a customer support representative will attempt to contact you within 24-48 hours.
In case of emergency, call 323-277-4119 during business hours (PST).

Welcome to B-52 Guitar Amplification
B-52 Professional / E.T.I. Sound Systems, INC.
3383 Gage Ave, Huntington Park, CA 90255
Telephone: 323-277-4100
Fax: 323-277-4108

[Leo_Gnardo]

I'm not questioning the quality of Egnator's USA made products, but I am questioning the support for all of Egnator's products.
If there needs to be a phone discussion about an Egnator product warranty, the phone number listed appears to be the same 1 person supporting B-52 amps in Huntington Park, California

If that's the way it is for Eg's USA products, same clueless overloaded guy answering the phone, well then yes you do have something to squawk about. Bruce Egnater is an MEF correspondent & it sure would be nice to hear from him about this situation. You could PM him or - if you care to speak up, here's your chance Mr Egnater!

[TubeAmpStudent]

Same lack of Warranty Issues - Report by Egnator Customer in December 2013

If that's the way it is for Eg's USA products, same clueless overloaded guy answering the phone, well then yes you do have something to squawk about. Bruce Egnater is an MEF correspondent & it sure would be nice to hear from him about this situation. You could PM him or - if you care to speak up, here's your chance Mr Egnater!

Check out this post about Egnater's lack of customer support & service for defective products:

Submitted: Wed, December 04, 2013, Reported By: PatrickUgolini — Lincroft New Jersey
The Egnater Custom Amplification company has mainly failed in customer service. There is no way of contact. I have left over 4 voicemails, now the voicemail box is full. The amplifier I purchased has also been faulty since day one. Starting with just the LED lights and wiring and some faulty hardware problems. Called Egnater and had no response multiple times. So I paid for that repair. It came back, replaced the faulty hardware but the LED lights still did not work. Next the fuse blew. Tried calling Egnater again and still no answer. Paid for another repair, also stating the LED lights still didn't work. Once again, the LED lights did not come repaired, but the blown fuse was replaced. Then a tube blew along with the fuse again. I tried calling Egnater once again, and still no answer, leaving several voicemails this time. Paid for another repair. This time, the repair lasted 2 days. So after leaving even more voicemails and trying to contact the company, the voicemail box is now full. I've spent over $500 on repairs. And I can't contact the company about this defected product. This item was suppose to be a gift, but I've had to sell almost all my guitars for a product that still doesn't work.
Ripoff Report | Egnater Custom Amplification Complaint Review Huntington Park, California: 1104298

[Leo_Gnardo]

Check out this post about Egnater's lack of customer support & service for defective products:

That is one sad tale. Here's mine, more accurately one of my customers. He bought the "wedding cake" amp head, I dunno the model name, but the one with maximum bells & whistles and choices of power levels etc etc. Not long into his ownership, the amp just went dead. Nothing. I diagnosed it as a failed power transformer. And this is no ordinary transformer. A huge toroidal with multiple windings to support all those power levels, plus low voltage to run op amps, and filaments besides. So I told him he'd better call Egnater, and he did, and no spare transformers were to be had. Well at least he got through. And about half a year later, they sent him a PT, which he installed himself. "All the wires were color coded." Took a while but he did get a fix.

Unlike many amps, a repair person could not sub a generic transformer intended for Fender, Marshall, Vox or some other Hammond, Heyboer, or Mercury, that's for sure. And I suspect Egnater isn't a giant company with huge factory and warehouse. Amps probably made in batches, and if a special part isn't in stock, you have to wait for another batch of those amps to get built then they order extras of those parts so those needing repairs can get one. To make matters worse, if it turns out there's a batch of defective special parts, then ALL those awaiting repair have to wait wait wait until the light turns green.

FWIW that "wedding cake" amp did appear to be very well built, with a sturdy chassis & everything inside nice and solid. Definitely NOT a MIC flimsy-chassis and minimal quality build & box like B52's I've seen. In any case some major improvement in handling customer complaints and supplying spare parts would be in order.

But if you want to sign up for the Egnater Amp-Building Seminar, that's available, no problem. Build an amp while Bruce shows you how. Sounds like fun - Amp Camp.