Now that is what I call customer service

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Mike M

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Hi

A few months back I ordered a Genesis pre-amp from Valve Audio. On installing it in my system, which includes Emotiva XPA-1 mono blocks (which have a very high gain), I was blown away by the sonic performance of the Genesis. The dynamics and transparency were particularly exemplary. 

However, there was a minor compatibility problem between the Genesis and the Emotiva?s due to there high gain of the Emotiva?s, which resulted in the volume control being ?very? sensitive and fine adjustment was impossible. I must emphasise that this was not a problem with the Genesis (it worked perfectly in other systems) and was just a compatibility issue.

When I phoned Schalk to thank him for the Genesis, in passing I mentioned the aforementioned issue. Much to my surprise he seemed genuinely concerned about it and undertook to give it some thought. Most manufacturers I know would simply have brushed this aside as my problem (which it was) and left it there.

Not our Schalk. A few days later he phoned me back to say that he was sending down some attenuators that would reduce the gain on the system. When I asked him how much I owed him, he said (almost with a tone of disgust that I should ask) ?no charge?.

The attenuators arrived and I put them in the system and they went a long way to solving the problem. Just as I was settling down to Dire Staits - Love over Gold and thinking to myself, ?what great service from Valve Audio?, the phone rings and its Schalk enquiring how the system is doing? After explaining how happy I was with the SQ, Schalk advised me, much to my surprise, that he is rethinking the design of the volume control to resolve my problem completely enabling me to remove the attenuators. At that stage, I was not sure if I could believe what I was hearing. Could it be true that a manufacturer who is extremely busy, would go to such lengths to resolve a compatibility issue in my system?       

Well, a couple of months go by and the Genesis is just getting better and better. The phone rings and it?s Scahlk asking me to sent the Genesis back to him so that he can install new volume control modules. He had competed his re-design, installed the new modules in another unit, (Xumbug?s unit if I am not mistaken) and was happy with the result and now he wanted to install the same in mine (again no charge).

And so the new improved next generation Genesis is born.

And now for the cherry on the cake, Schalk insisted that he bring the unit around personally so that he could hear for himself how the Genesis was fitting in with the Emotiva?s. SCHALK LIVES IN PRETORIA AND I LIVE IN CAPE TOWN. The attached photo is evidence that Schalk was here.

Now that?s what I call exemplary service. Talk about going the extra mile, a couple of thousand more like.

With this service, patience is definitely rewarded.
Just in case I forgot to mention, the product is not too shabby either.

Regards
M
 

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