Michael T.
Horrible experience
I am the owner of a Klipsch THX home theater speaker system. The system consists of five speakers, and two passive subwoofers. The five speakers are driven by a Marantz receiver, and the two subs are driven by a dedicated Klipsch subwoofer, being model number SA-1000. Approximately six weeks ago the subwoofer stopped working. I contacted the Klipsch customer service and was informed that I should try installing a 15 amp slow-blow 5x20 mm fuse to see if that would resolve the problem. The customer service representative that I spoke to at Klipsch, whose name I shall not provide (to protect the guilty), told me the fuse was readily available and I ordered from Amazon a pack of eight fuses for approximately $8.00. When I attempted to install the fuse on the back of the amplifier, per the instructions of the customer representative, there was no place to install the fuse. My neighbor did a little research, which took about two minutes, and determined that the fuse was inside the cavity of the amplifier. I certainly did not want to disassemble the amplifier to install the fuse! After this took place, I made a second call to customer service and advised them of the above. I was informed that I needed to provide customer service with my proof of purchase, my full name, shipping address, and the fifteen digit serial number on the back of the amplifier. I took to this task the following day, and the information/documentation was provided to Klipsch, via email. Approximately a week later I called back and the Klipsch representative I spoke to informed me that my email had been forwarded to the Design Team for review, and I should await further instructions. Approximately two weeks later I called back again, and was told it was still with the Design Team, and they were waiting for a response. I called back a third time, explained my extreme frustration why this matter was not being resolved in a timely fashion, and the customer representative told me there were only two people working in the Design Team department, and they would get back to me once they had a chance to review the documents/information I previously provided in my earlier email. The following day I received a response informing me what I already knew, that the amplifier was out of warranty (it carried a two year warranty, and my phone call took place approximately three years after the date of purchase), and they provided me with a name of a Klipsch authorized service center for the repair. The authorized service center is located in Clackamas, Oregon. I certainly do not want to ship off my amplifier to the West coast (when I reside in Ohio) only to encounter similar frustrations as noted above in the repair and return of my product to my residence. This entire process took approximately six weeks. If any of the readers out there own a home theater system with subwoofers, they know how important it is to have the subwoofers/base compliment the rest of the speakers to truly enjoy this system. Watching a movie without subs is like listening to am radio! If anybody who reads this critique of my experience with my experience with Klipsch service is considering Klipsch as a source for the purchase of their speakers or accessories, I would urge you to consider my experience and the poor quality of customer service that I experienced. I am not going to take my amplifier to a Kilpsch authorized service center, but instead I will deal with a reliable local source. Shame on you Kilpsch for treating your customers like you do, especially when one considers I purchased fifteen thousand three hundred fourteen dollars and 95/100 ($15,314.95) for your speaker products! Sincerely, Mike T.