Integra dealer horror story

[Razvan]

On January 3rd I ordered the RDC-7 from Image Sound and Control in Las Vegas - an Integra authorized dealer. Not knowing that the unit was on backorder I paid for it in full. Three days later the dealer told me that the unit was on backorder but it will be back in stock at Integra by the 4th week of January and that they (the dealer) will ship it to me as soon as they get it. I said OK, I can wait 4 weeks, no problem.

Fast forward to today, February 11. Still no RDC-7 - so I called Integra this morning to inquire about my order and they told me that although the RDC-7 has been back in stock since the end of January, my order is on hold because Image Sound and Control hasn't paid Integra anything since December! Consequently, Integra has decided not to ship them any units any more. Now, let me tell you that during the past two weeks I e-mailed Image Sound and Control several times about my order but they never replied to my e-mails. When I called and asked to talk to the salesman who sold the RDC-7 to me, he was either not there or in meetings, and I was told that nobody else was available to help me as they were busy with other customers. I thought that this was just very bad customer service but now, after talking to Integra, I think that it's much more than that. I think that they took my money knowing very well that they won't ever get the unit for me. I call that fraud or even theft.

Tomorrow I'll call the dealer and ask to talk to the owner - I bet he'll be in a meeting - and give them a deadline to deliver my unit or else I'll do the following:

1. Fill out a mail fraud report.

2. Call the Las Vegas police department.

3. Call my credit card company and ask them to start an investigation into the matter.

I will also call Integra again and ask them how is it possible to have Image Sound and Control listed as an authorized dealer when they haven't paid Integra anything since December and they engage in things that look to me like fraud, if not theft. I ordered the unit from Image Sound and Control precisely because they were listed on Integra's site as authorized, and look what happened! If these are the dealers Integra recommends, then thank you, but no more Integra products for me. Ever.

Razvan

[jakermc]

Sorry to hear about your plight, but your anger towards the company sounds a bit misplaced.

Integra Research (Onkyo) doesn't recommend this dealer. In fact, they told you this when you called them. You find yourself in this position because you called them after the fact, not before. Websites are not updated instaneously, they are all subject to outdated information. I recently tried to order a replacement part of GE (one of the best run companies in the world) and the website listed a part that had been discontinued. Perfect information over the web delivered instaneously is not quite a reality yet.

Furthermore, you placed your order on January 3. Since they made a payment in December, it is very possible they were in good standing at that time. Should Integra have been able to predict the non-payment? Every company experieinces good customers that go bad from time to time. Integra is not unique with this problem.

Had you inquired about Integra's mail order policy ahead of time? (You specified mail fraud and rely on e-mail for communication, so I assume that you never visited the store.) Their website clearly states that Internet sales are not permitted. This should have been a warning sign that mail orders of any kind might not be legit. My understanding is that dealers are not permitted to sell via mail order unless the customer can not reasonably travel to a dealer or if the customer is unhappy for some reason with their local dealer. (Unhappy about price alone does not qualify.)

You should go after the retailer with everything you've got, but placing the blame on Integra isn't fair. I would also recommend that you take extra precautions on your next mail order purchase from a manufacturer that explicitly prohibits sales via the intranet or mail order .

[Razvan]

I did call Integra again today and they took care of the situation. They talked to the dealer and my unit will be shipped tomorrow so I will be receiving it next week.

I ordered the unit while in Vegas and initially I expected to receive it while I was still in Vegas. Unfortunately I later found out that the unit was on backorder so the only reasonable thing to do was for them to ship it to me the moment they got it. It wasn't a mail order or an Internet order thing at all.

Razvan

[jakermc]

My apologies for jumping to that conclusion (mail order). Its good see Integra stepping in to help out and I'm glad the situtuation is working out for you. Hopefully all the hassles you've had to deal with will fade from memory once you have it up and running.

Happy listening!

[Razvan]

"My apologies for jumping to that conclusion (mail order)."

No problem at all. In fact I could have bought the RDC-7 by mail order from an authorized dealer in Illinois ( $3150 + shipping) but I turned down the offer as I knew that Integra doesn't authorize mail order sales.

According to the owner of the dealership I should be getting my unit on February 21st... I hope that everything's going to be OK.

Razvan

[Leslie]

Razvan,
Sorry you've had a problem getting the RDC-7. I had an initial bad experience with a Houston seller of Integra products and had Burke not talked me into dealing with a different salesman, I wouldn't have my unit. As it was, I got somebody else who didn't jerk me around and once I auditioned the unit, decided on it even though I couldn't hear it with my particular speakers.

I've always been grateful to Burke for urging me to persist. I really, really love the sound and the way it integrates with my entire system. I found the manual/set up a bit daunting as I had to do it myself. Hooking stuff up must be a guy thing. Again, Burke et al helped me get the best possible sound.

I auditioned a bunch of pre-amps, but for my needs the RDC-7 was the best choice. It performs marvelously for DVDs, High Definition broadcasts, SACD multichannel sound - - well you get the picture. I'm glad Integra helped you out.
Leslie