Warranty claim - what are some people thinking?

[Albert Kreuzer]

Got this mail a few days ago (I accidentally deleted the first mail because it looked like spam):

Hello again Mr. Manager from Customers Support Department,

I'm XXXXXX and I'm writing one more time because i've a big trouble in my hands and i need your very urgent assistance. So recently a friend who has been working in Austria brought as birthday present to me the Better preamp pedal , brand new.

He lives in Qüebec, Canada man.

Well, this pedal sounds really great!
I loved all resources. That's are really great ! I loved that vintage equalized sounds fellow and also i loved that as a preamp to push my all-valve Laney amp ! Really Awesome !

Back to the problem: i was playing when misteriously my unit stopped working.

I do not know what happened 'cos i just used a 9vDC power supply adapter. Immediately i've tested that using a Ex-Tech Professional Multimeter and it's GOOD !.

The problem / defect must be inside the pedal of course. I'll try to be clear despite i'm lay man...when i turn on the footswitch there's NOT effects, ie, nor signal or Boost/Equalization effects and when i turn off the footswitch the straight clear sound comes normally.

The led lights on/off but the effects from the pedal don't works !

I don't tried to fix it myself and i do not touched on circuit.

Unfortunately i could not find dealers yours here or professional support and i tried to call you X (XXX) XXXX / XXXX but i couldn't. Then on Sept.25th.2010 i have sent back my defective pedal to your company address Kreuzer Electronics * XXXXXXXXXXX 16 * XXXX XXXXXXXXXXX * Austria trought the regular post (economic way).

Big trouble ahead! Big Headache !

See,according to the postmaster my pedal will spend up or more absurd 90 working days to get there in Austria due to Brazil customs and federal revenue exigences and laws over imported products specially electronics. Dear friends i would like to ask you please that you send me a new Better pedal replacement in meantime (just trought regular common mail - trackable Regular Post if possible, never Fedex, UPS, etc) because unfortunately i have not financial conditions to buy another one because i have not credit cards or paypal account and i really can not be waiting the eternity for my pedal back because i need it asap to can work/record/play on studio with the band.

I know 90 working days sounds ridiculous but unfortunately is the truth!

I hope and trust you understand my problem and i trust your Co. and Warranty and i really hope you could help me very urgent please. Please do not forget: just send it trought regular/normal/common mail and if possible declare just warranty replacement (no commercial value) or free gift/sample on invoice (zero worth/value). Here the taxes and fees are really insane! .

Please register my home place address:

XXXXXXXX XXXXX * R. Dr. XXXXX XXXXXXX, Nº 19 - Apt. 33. * Gonzaga *Santos / S. Paulo * Código de Endereçamento Postal XXXXX-XXX * BRASIL

Kindest regards,
Waiting worried sick for...

God bless and have a wonderful week !
XXXXXXXX

Sept.27th.2010 - 2nd email !!

What would you do?

I answered:

Hello XXXXXX,

sorry that your pedal stopped working. If the warranty is valid (i.e. nobody messed with it or misused it), I will of course repair the unit and send it back to you for free.

Some things I would like to know:
1. Did the pedal work with the AC adapter before it quit?
2. Does the light come on with the AC adapter or only with battery?
3. Who was the original buyer of the pedal and where did he buy it? This is important for my customer archive and for the warranty claim.

Please understand that I cannot send you a replacement before I have the broken pedal here in my shop, because
1. There are several different models which look the same from the outside. I do not know which model you have.
2. I have to verify that the pedal was not destroyed by a wrong power adaptor and/or manipulated inside.

I will send you a message as soon as the pedal arrives.

Best regards
Albert Kreuzer

In the evening of the same day I got this:

Hey Albert,

I thank you very much for your answer.
Well now i'm much more worried about than before 'cos as i've explained earlier my pedal will spend a plenty of time to get there and i can't be waiting and i can't be able to buy another one.
And now ?

Well my pedal model is (Description):
Better Pedal - brilliant blue color
01 Footswitch
04 Potentiometers ( Mid, High, Low, Volume )
01 red led

My friend who bought this pedal for me during his working time there is named XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX but i'm not sure exaclty where or how he did it (if was cash, card, bla, bla) because it was a gift.

Answering your questions:

1- The led lights on/off with both 9v battery and 9vDC power Supply adapter.
2- There's no Equalization/Boost when i turn on the pedal and when i turn off the clean sound came from the instrument
3- YES, the pedal worked both battery and P.S. adapter. I prefer battery to avoid any risk of schock

I'd like you could send me a new replacement in meantime because as i've explained earlier my defective one will spend a eternity to gete there.
I trust you could make me an exception in respect to our distance and to my big trouble.
Please JUST send it trought REGULAR POST, NEVER trough UPS , FeDex, others to prevent confisco here.

I'l be waiting for your urgent help

Have a nice day fellow

XXXXXX XXXXXX
Sept.27th.2010

I replied:

Hello XXXXXX,

I'm awfully sorry, but I will not send a pedal to Brazil until I have verified that your warranty claim is legit.
The only way I can verify this is to have the pedal here in my hands, which I don't have (yet).

All I can offer you is free repair and free shipping of the original (repaired) unit back to you.

Best regards
Albert Kreuzer

I have a very slight suspicion that the pedal may never show up...

[Jazz P Bass]

Either this guy is very naive or it's a scam.
Coin toss until you do or do not receive the pedal.
Nice try though.

[Hella1hella]

It just does not seem right, dont send him anything untill you get something from him. He is not acting like his pedal is broke, he is acting like he wants something free! Tell him to give you a call and talk to him and see if you can read him, he sounds like he is full of it and is making stuff up!

[Alex R]

- sounds like he's taking a day off from writing those letters about being a poor Nigerian princess who just needs a nice European to open a bank account for her so she can get at her £M200 fortune, 5% commission of course, etc etc.

[J M Fahey]

Well, I DO sell in Brazil, in fact I'm flying to São Paulo next Monday to arrange importing my stuff there, and, believe or not, that letter sounds exactly like the average kid rocker there.
*Everybody* finds himself very important, and has "a very important Show" just tomorrow or the next day, and he *urgently* needs xxxxxxx which only you can provide to save his life.
Now to the actual problem:
Should you send him anything?: NO, if he was dumb/cheap enough to send something 10000 miles away to be repaired, by the slowest, most unreliable way possible, it's HIS fault.
I sometimes get asked to lend some equipment while the repair is being made, to which I refuse.
Worst case, if it belongs to a relatively known band which *does* have an important show, or if a guy from some far away province is in Buenos Aires for just one day, or even a few hours, I may just swap the defective power amp module in bulk, with new power supply and all, or whatever it takes, so he goes through the door in literally 10 minutes, but that is just a tried and true servicing method, nothing new here.
Of course, he might just be a (very stupid) con artist.
If you wish, PM me his name and contact information, maybe somebody I know has some idea about who he is.
*Maybe* he's even bragging in some Forum telling "how he cheated the dumb Austrian"
By the way, the Ferrari a friend of mine bought from you is out of gas, would you send me another one so I can drive to the Gasoline Station to purchase some?
Please declare it as "gift", value under U$50, or I'll have to pay taxes on it.
You will get it back in no time.
PS: just for fun, ask him for pictures of him playing with your unit, any video he uploaded, pictures or scans of any paper or whatever accompanied it, the date of purchase, the name of his friend, his passport number, whether he bought in person or by mail, etc.
The idea is to let him strangle by his own tongue.
Let's test his "creativity".
EDIT: ask him for his Orkut info, so you can browse his picture album and see him proudly playing with his Kreuzer pedal.
There is *no way* a Brazilian kid buys some exotic piece of equipment and does not post it there to brag before fellow musicians and friends.

[Alex R]

Brazilian mothers have a lot to answer for.

[J M Fahey]

Now you have opened a can of worms.
Has any of you ever had to fight a client's Mommy or Daddy on a perceived lack of respect or mistreatment or whatever on behalf of their "genius" kid?
God help you if you ever tell an obnoxious pampered kid to f*ck off !!

[Alex R]

Oh they're all geniuses. Pity they're all dyslexic too.