Rotel Service / Mike Sheehan

[TimGRA]

So often we forget what good service looks like.

I sent Mike Sheehan a lengthy email yesturday (Sunday) with a bunch of questions about the update. I would have been very happy just to get a response in a few days from the time I sent the email.

I recieved a response from him 8:30 Monday morning. And the response
was not just "go to the Rotel site and check the instructions." NO, he took the time and effort to explian everything and answer every question. I am so blown away.

Andrew and many other regulars to this site need to be commended as well. This is a great, SAFE, forum that is a real pleasure to be involved in.

I would ask that the moderators make this a sticky and call it "Rotel Service......somthing.

In an era that it is so hard to find any company willing to provide even decent service, Rotel goes above and beyond anything out there.

[soundhound]

Cool, Good to hear, good post............

[junior77blue]

Not to mention he handes B&W reponses as well...great guy!! Kinda makes you wonder if its really just ONE person.

[TimGRA]

I know. I asked him today for his boss' email address so we can get him a pay raise!

[PiDD]

You should c/p the response here so he doesnt get too many more emails asking the same thing!

[TimGRA]

You should c/p the response here so he doesnt get too many more emails asking the same thing!

Mike Sheehan;

"With regards to the EPROM - the only feature the EPROM update adds is it makes the center back speaker outputs in 7CH stereo mode stereo, instead of mono as they currently are. If you do not use 7 speakers or 7CH stereo mode, you don't need this update.

There was nothing wrong with not disconnecting the RSP 1068 from the PC before checking the version.

To scroll to PLII Game mode, or normal Pro Logic, simply go to Pro Logic II mode either by pressing the front panel PLII button, or by using the '+' or '-' buttons on the remote. When you are in this mode, then press the 'SUR+'
button on the RR 1050 remote, following by '+' or '-' to toggle through the
4 Pro Logic Modes (Music, Cinema, Game & Pro Logic). You can also change it by going to the OSD, the INPUT SETUP Menu, and set your default mode to Pro Logic II. When you do, a small 'options' icon will appear on the bottom of the menu. When you go down to and select this icon it will bring you to a Pro Logic options page allowing you to pick which PLII mode you want.

With all inputs on the RSP 1068, the default mode is different for Analog and Digital signals. So in other words, Video 1 has both an Analog Default mode AND a Digital Default mode. Right now PCM 2CH is the default for a Digital source, but if there is no digital signal present, the unit defaults to analog mode & looks at the analog default mode, which is PLII C based on your description."

I am sure you can figure out what I asked. I finally gave up on the EPROM and will try agian later. I do not have 7.1.

[Andrew Pratt]

If you email me I can give you his bosses email address and yes it wouldn't hurt to say thanks every now and then to all their tech guys as they really do a fantastic job :T

[Woo Wooooo]

On that note...

Andrew did you get your MB Shirt??

Thanks again!!!!! :T

[Andrew Pratt]

It arrived yesterday in fact :T

[Neal_C]

Mike has been great with trying to diagnose the problems with my 1055.

Woo Woooo,
Nice to see someone else on here from Keller. Small world. Not uncommon to see Dallas or Ft. Worth, but Keller, what are the odds?

[Woo Wooooo]

Keller is branching out :rofl: Nice to know someone else from keller is here...
Who is your dealer? I have not found a good dealer anywhere near here worth a flip.

[Neal_C]

I have been going to Home Theater Store in Southlake (off 1709). I may be looking for a new dealer though because they seem to be becoming to much of a "chain" store.

[Woo Wooooo]

They suck 8O I did buy my RB-1070 from them and they are a bit too stuck up and didn't really have good customer support. :roll: :Z
I went back to my dealer in Oregon and bought the rest of my stuff from them. They are top notch there. :T The only other option is Marvins in Ft. Worth but I have not gone there yet to se how they are.

[Neal_C]

Yea, they are definitely a bit stuck up. They did give me a discount and allow me to finance my purchase though (no interest, no payments for some period of time, can't remember).

[TimGRA]

Woo Woo,

Who is the dealer in Oregon you use?

tim

[Woo Wooooo]

Chelsea Audio Video :T

[TimGRA]

Nice. I live here in Portland and I run down to my friends at Hear No Evil in Salem, OR.

[Woo Wooooo]

Cool man, I never had a chance to check them out....
Ok enough off topic stuff, better stop B4 I get flamed :rofl:
If you want to talk more about the dealers there PM :lol:

[NewBuyer]

I regularly travel to Portland Oregon.

If any of you are ever in the Portland OR area, I highly recommend you check out Fred's Sound of Music. Much more professional sales and management people there, and they will not only match but also beat any price Chelsea (or other authorized dealer) offers. It's a win-win situation.

Friends in Portland also tell me that Chelsea is getting a very bad reputation lately, for terrible customer service and questionable business practice. After what I've learned about them, I would NEVER do business with them. Especially since you can get a better deal and much better service from their competition.

Buyer Beware! :twisted:

[TimGRA]

I have done a small amount with Fred's. I did by my Processor and a couple of sets of Paradigm 5.1 systems (that constitutes for a little correct?) I do not think I will go back. After all that business and referals up the gazoo, the deapest discount I ever got was 5%! That just is not right. Yes their service is great but they are the highest priced distrubutor in the area. I know this from first hand experience.

Another good freind has spent $thousands on Anthem equipment with them and finally had to take his processor to Seattle to get the latest board upgrade. Fred's was giving him the run around.

And the whole meet or beat the price at Fred's is like pulling teeth.

Sorry to vent about Fred's, but..........

[Woo Wooooo]

No Problem W/ Chelsea

I've never had any problems with Chelsea what so ever, they have gone the extra mile making sure everything was/is working to my satisfaction they called me, how many dealers do that...........? It's got to be a comfort level where ever you go, if the dealer makes you feel comfortable and seems knowledgeable AND give you a discount that's a bonus! I'd rather pay more and get customer service and support that get a discount from some dead beats...

[NewBuyer]

Wow, you two guys have had some very, very different experiences than what I've been consistently hearing from friends and family in Portland for many years. This really took me by surprise, as I was kinda expecting the opposite feedback!

My friends are in fact the ones who have lately got me interested in good (and expensive) audio, and since I lived in Portland for a long time and still visit there, a lot of my friends also live in Portland. They have shopped at the nice handful of quality audio places in the Portland area for the last 20 years, at least. I value their input and advice very much.

Fred's has consistently matched every price my friends were ever quoted from other dealers, and then given a little more discount as well. The average discount given is around twelve to fifteen percent, according to what I'm told. They also regularly follow up with their customers to see how the equipment is working out. Their salespeople are top notch and they are known for making customers feel extremely comfortable and unpressured. They offer full-value trade in value on equipment you purchased from them, when you choose to later upgrade through them. They have their own in-house repair center, money-back guarantees, 30-day aftersale price match guarantee, custom installation, financing, etc. They are well known for being THE outstanding audio dealer in the Portland area, and their salespeople are literally among the very best and most knowledgeable in the industry. They will even remember your name, personally, for YEARS after you do business with them. You will be surprised by this if you call them and they identify you by your first name before you can even say who you are! You can read some of their customer comments at http://www.fredsoundofmusic.com/customers.html as well as a summary of their policies, etc

Chelsea, on the other hand, has exactly the opposite reputation in the Portland area. They are known for being very troublesome to work with regarding price matching, to be "less than honest" when working with waranty and repair issues, and to simply lie about a product when they are trying to make a sale. They are considered very "sleazy" and "fast-buck" oriented in the industry, at least locally to Portland.

I have heard this time and time again, from many people that I completely trust, especially with audio purchasing matters. Because of this, I would NEVER do business with Chelsea, but I would definitely feel good buying from truly reputable Portland-area specialty dealers like Fred's, or Stereotypes, etc. In fact, from what I understand Chelsea may not even be around for much longer, as they are slowly getting squeezed out of the market by these better and more professional dealers in the Portland metro area.

Again, caveat emptor...

P.S. - I think I will call Fred's and direct them to this thread, since they can probably answer better for themselves! This also makes me want to schedule another trip to Portland soon...

[Woo Wooooo]

Once Again it's a matter of opinion... I'm sure you LOVE Fred.... 8O and I'm sure some people think they SUCK :E I'm just writing about my experience with Chelsea.. I like them and they have always done me right....oh yea they even know my name You have never said you have gone there and "tried" to interact with them, your info seems to be based on your friends.... So enough bashing I understand that you promte Fred and are trying to send customers Fred's way becasue they work for "you" :T I just posted my experience with Chelsea. Best advice is go to "ALL" the stores and buy what is right and feels good to you...... 8x) cheers!

[TimGRA]

Let me give you another example;

After spending all of the $ I have I could not go into Fred's and have to ask for a better price. At some piont they have to recognize that I will bring business, high volume for that matter, and I do not want to be embarrased by them always asking for a better price.

Since I purchased my Processor from them last summer, I have spent another $10,000 on equipment they sell, but would not give me more than 5% off. So I went to my friends in Salem, OR. I am not going to play that game with them.

With that said, their service is incredible. I know that is crazy to say after what I just said. The salesman I have used in the past, Spencer, was great to deal with.

I spent a few hours with the Chelsea folks and they were nothing but professional. It was tough not to buy from them.

Newbuyer,
When are you coming up to the Portland area?

OK I'm done bashing. Different strokes for different folks. That's what makes freedom, and this country so great.

tim

[Maximum7]

Ok I'm sorry I usually don't post here, but I have to agree with Tim, but go futher. Fred's sucks.
I have been horribly treated by them for no reason. I bought at least $4000.00 from them and have recommended another $10g in buisness to them. They don't care. They maybe smart and knowledgable, but they be-little you with it. They have never followed up with me on my purchases, never gave a discount, and lied to me on several occaisions. I lost sleep several nites over the horrible service I have gotten from them. I know I shouldn't say this because I'm not this kinda of a person, but if I can prevent people from buying, and going through what I did at Fred's I will.

"P.S. - I think I will call Fred's and direct them to this thread, since they can probably answer better for themselves! "

I hope you do, I'd love to hear what they say.
I won't be posting like this again so don't worry.

[TimGRA]

Maximum7,
WOW :E that would leave a poor taste in my mouth to. ops: It sounds like we have similiar stories, but you have spent a few more $ with them than I have. :T

Hope you have better luck in the future :roll:

This thread agian just shows how good ROTEL's service is. It is just hard to find people who really care. :T :T :T

tim

[Woo Wooooo]

All this Portland Dealer talk

I need to stop at McMenamins for some Hard Cider :beer: when i come back for a visit. AND go to see Fred's service first hand .... :toilet:

[NewBuyer]

Thanks you guys for sharing your feedback about Portland area audio vendors!

The things I'm hearing from you three people about Freds completely astonishes me, because it is completely the opposite of what I've been hearing from a considerably large group of friends and family in Portland over a period of more than twenty years. These are people that have learned the hard way who the good audio folks in town are. I was thinking today of just how many people this group I'm referring to encompasses, and when I think of all my audiophile friends, family, and aquaintances of friends sharing their experiences over this period of time, this probably includes at least one hundred people, probably more. Every single one of them would tell you that Fred's has earned their reputation by being the best and more reputable dealer they've ever encountered, with truly superior service, best pricing policies, knowledgeable staff, support and follow-up. They also say very nice things about Stereotypes, and some seem to generally like Magnolia HiFi as well, but all of them are very solid about Fred's being by far the very best dealer around.

They also have in common a feeling of true disgust for Chelsea, from whom they have received very dishonest and unprofessional treatment enough times to learn not to EVER buy from Chelsea. I think they would rather pay a little more if they had to, just to avoid the crappy experience and people at Chelsea - but since the competition will price-match anything Chelsea offers anyway , they end up getting a better deal from Fred's or Stereotypes or etc. I think Chelsea is really getting desperate lately, because it is all coming back to haunt them now - word-of-mouth in the Portland area has progressively been keeping customers away from them in droves, and rightfully so.

OK, enough from me about it! I'm going to buy all my audio from Fred's, but I'm also really glad whenever anyone gets good service from any dealer period.

[TimGRA]

NewBuyer,

Your responses have been very kind and to the piont and for that I commend you. Fred's definately has its place in the local area.

I am in sales and have been for many years. My current job finds me responsible for upwards of $18-$20 million anually. I know what great service and highly educated saleman can achieve. That's what Fred's is about. Unfortunately for Fred's WE KNOW the real story. Allot of people on this forum could run circles around the knowledge represented at Fred's. That is why when you have, and other you have influenced, have invested thousands on equipment only recieve a 5% discount. We all know that this industry makes a fortune off of uneducated consumers. We, in sales, are always trying to get what we can get, but at some piont a customer has paid his due's and should not have to ask for Fred's to meet a price.

Now let's take the price match issue. What position do you put the CUSTOMER in everytime you shop for equipment and then run back to Fred's and give them thier competitors prices and all they have to do is beat it? WOW what a great marketing plan. NOT. After spending $thousands with them, am I still expected to ask them for thier best price? What is a relationship for then?

I have said way more than I should and from a business perspective I commend Fred's for continuing to be succesful in this area. Having to compete agianst the BOX stores is not easy. I always try to keep the independent dealers alive by supporting them. They are the life blood of this nation.

tim

[mmpeak]

Thumbs Up for Chelsea

I purchased all my Rotel gear and speakers from Chelsea. They were very professional and great with me. Ford, the owners son was very pleasant and took a lot of time with me over the month I took to decide on equipment and speakers. It took me some work with Ford and he did give me a very nice discount. I had also purchased another piece of equipment that had an issue and Ford was there for me, and promptly stepped in and got it replace for me. I can only say good about Chelsea.

I tried Magnolia HiFi and the salesman kept getting interrupted by the manager when he was letting me hear what some speakers and amp sound like. It was so rude of the manager that after the fourth time of interrupting we left and didn't go back because the manager was more acting like he didn't want the salesman helping us.

Fred's Sound of Music, Spencer is a nice guy, a little over-whelming sometimes because he can really get on a roll and talk non-stop. He spent some nice time with me but when I tried my hardest to work with Fred's Sound of Music..... they just wouldn't budge on a fair discount with all the equipment I wanted to buy so I went back to Chelsea's and Ford did. Fred's just gave me the sales pitch of how wonderful service they provide that because of that, they don't like to do discounts, so I walked.

Better to go by your own experience instead of hear-say! Since we all have different experiences it seems.

Thank you Ford from Chelsea Audio Video for working with me!

[Woo Wooooo]

Well said arty:

[Maximum7]

Fred's just gave me the sales pitch of how wonderful service they provide that because of that, they don't like to do discounts, so I walked.

That's the same speech I got when I went to buy from them. I purchased an Anthem avm20. They had it on sale on the website so I called them to see if they had any left they said yes we do "new in box". I went home talked it over with the wife called them the next day and they said they still had some NIB. Went down to pick it up and they were putting it in a box and searching for the power cord. I asked them if it brand new and they said oh no it's the floor model. I said I wanted new and they said oh no this one's broken in. So not only did they lie to me on two different days they bullshitted me that this one was better cause it was broken in. Did they offer a floor model discount HECK NO! They were closing so I just took it. When I got it home I noticed there was a small ding in the front panel. Now if I took it back and showed them, do you think they are gonna beleive me that I didn't cause that? Heck no. When the upgrade came out for it, I called them and told them I would like to schedule it and they said they would call me back. 3 WEEKS LATER I CALLED THEM and they said were still waiting to hear back from Anthem. I mean while had talked to Anthem twice and they said just take it to your dealer. WTF? So I called a dealer in Seattle and they said bring it up we'll do it while you wait.
Is this the service I paid full price on a demo piece for?

Newbuyer, I can give you a matching opposing list of people who won't shop there.
If you need Rotel or Paradigm gear, you owe it to yourself to go to Hear No Evil in Salem. Let TimG or I know and we'll get you the service and discount you deserve.

[Andrew Pratt]

Guys I think this thread has about run its due course. I'm not opposted to dealer discussion but I think there has to be point at which we close it and if you guys wish to continue your discussion take it off line or via PM's etc. I must say though that I'm been impressed with the adult behaviour of all parties involved :T

[NewBuyer]

You guys have made me seriously reconsider using Fred's for my audio. I value everyone's feedback here, and because of your advice in this thread, I will be visiting both Chelsea and Hear No Evil instead of Fred's, to actually see for myself what these other dealers are like in person.

Thanks again everyone for helping me get some perspective outside of my own group of locals! I thought at first that I was giving others some helpful feedback, but it turns out that I was the one that received it. I always appreciate having a broader perspective on things, especially when it involves service and large sums of my hard-earned money.

P.S. - I really mean it - Thank you!