Monitor Audio Gold LCR Damage: What to do?

[andyph666]

Hey everyone,

So I bought a monitor audio gold lcr on ebay. The metal cone on the left side seems to have popped off. Is there any way to fix this? Should I send it back? I'm kind of panicking at the moment as it was quite expensive not to mention that I got it sent all the way to DK. Thanks for the help. This is what it looks like now... The cone is completely detached, it should have taken a lot of force for that to happen. The cover was on it already so I'm kind of skeptical that this was damage from transportation? Is it possible to get the left side of the speaker replaced???

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[dts_boy]

you should be able to get a replacement drive unit quite simply. just call your nearest monitor audio dealer who should be able to sort it for you!

 

[andyph666]

I don't think I have a receipt for it. Would it be hard to replace the left part of it? Does monitor audio sell the replacement part?

 

[dts_boy]

it should be easy enough to change yourself, i did an amp unit on my monitor audio sub once and they were very helpful - give them a call and explain the circumstances and i'm sure they will help

 

[Timmy C]

It would most likely be very expensive for a new drive unit and possibly not worth it. I know MA charge around £110 for a GR tweeter so I'm guessing a bass driver would be more. The tweeters are very simple to replace though and if the woofer is the same it needs no specialist skill at all, just the right tool to undo the thing in the first place.

 

[andyph666]

Thats kind of expensive but I suppose I have no other alternatives. Well I could buy another one from ebay and risk the centre breaking again. Thanks for the help. Does anyone have any thoughts on what I should do? I think I have pretty much sent an email to everyone. Well I don't want to pay for a completely new one though I wouldntk now what to do with the broken one.

 

[Curry Monster]

From the picture it looks like the whole drive unit is broken and I am doubtful if it happened in transit...

I would take this up with the person on ebay who sold it to you before I looked elsewhere.

The drive units are solid and so would have to be taken apart or broken apart on purpose...

 

[Showoff]

I was also watching this speaker intending to make a bid so I really feel for you.
As Baldybouncer suggests, take it up with the eBay seller.

If the seller is an honest sort and therefore unaware of the damage and sold the speaker in good faith, surely they would try and help you with a claim from the couriers?

Was any insurance taken for the delivery? I assume not.

Was it well packaged or package damaged at all? If it was and you didn't note it on the POD form you should of signed I doubt you'll get any compensation from the couriers, but worth a try, give them a call.
If you are offered compensation depending on the carriers it might be based on weight of the package multiplied by £x rather than value of the goods, but you may get something back.

Good Luck!

 

[andyph666]

I think he is honest as he has pictures of it. He would have preferred to have someone pick it up to avoid damages. Theres 500 pound insurance, the MA dealer here said htey couold probably get a replacement unit for 120 pounds which isnt that bad.

 

[Showoff]

Not suggesting he's not honest, but a picture doesn't really confirm anything, it could have been held in place with blue-tac for the photo, damaged after taking the photo or even old photos. The fact the seller advised a collection suggests that they probably weren't aware of the damage at least at the time they wrote the ad .

The insurance route seems the most obvious to me then, keep all the packaging in case they request it (unlikely) and get a claim in.

 

[Inverted_Hover]

If the ebay advert claims they were working correctly (or any message correspondance) I would try to seek redress from seller, raise the point with them, informing ebay as/when required.

MA in the uk can be very good with transfer of warranty, for 3 years if you have original proof of purchase.

But if the user did something silly - like following What HiFi's risky advice to use blu-tac to remove the tweeters protective grill cover - then I'm not sure warranty would help.

 

[lloydy6]

Dear Showoff,

To put your mind at rest I can confirm that the speaker was not held together with blu-tac for the photo, the speaker was in no way damaged after taking the photo and the pictures were taken a day or two before the listing was made.

I would also like to clarify why I sought local pick up. I was reluctant to send an item of high worth by courier for the very reason of the speaker may become damaged. When I wrote the ad the speaker wasn't damaged and I would have done well to disguise any blu-tac holding the cone to the tweeter if someone had collected the speaker in person which would have been my preference.

You may also be interested to learn that I am in regular contact with DHL & Parcel2Go trying to seek compensation for the damage. I am also in regular contact with the buyer keeping him up to date with my progress.

Regards
The eBay Seller

 

[Showoff]

Dear Showoff,

To put your mind at rest I can confirm that the speaker was not held together with blu-tac for the photo, the speaker was in no way damaged after taking the photo and the pictures were taken a day or two before the listing was made.

I would also like to clarify why I sought local pick up. I was reluctant to send an item of high worth by courier for the very reason of the speaker may become damaged. When I wrote the ad the speaker wasn't damaged and I would have done well to disguise any blu-tac holding the cone to the tweeter if someone had collected the speaker in person which would have been my preference.

You may also be interested to learn that I am in regular contact with DHL & Parcel2Go trying to seek compensation for the damage. I am also in regular contact with the buyer keeping him up to date with my progress.

Regards
The eBay Seller

Dear lloydy6,

I did also say "the fact the seller advised a collection suggests that they probably weren't aware of the damage"
The rest was mainly tongue in cheek with a bit of advise for things to try, apologies if I caused you any offence.

 

[andyph666]

Wow. I don't know what to do anymore. I've been quite patient with everything and tried to be understanding. I would have even been okay with purchasing the 135 pound component and let the issues go away and never to deal on ebay again. But the issues just keep on coming. I purchased the Monitor Audio GSLCR woofer and now knowing that it is a Monitor Audio GRLCR and not a gslcr as it was described. It does not fit. It was advertised as a Gold Signature series centre speaker on ebay. I'm so ****** off right now. Any ideas? So basically i spent 450 pounds on a GRLCR which is damaged and I purchased a 135 pound component for the GSLCR which doesnt even fit. Not to mention that speaker was poorly packaged. I have bought so many things on ebay and this one takes the cake. May have to go retail from now on :O.

 

[Dave964]

What does the seller say now? The fact that the item was damaged in transit is one thing - but selling a GRLCR as a GSLCR is something altogether different.

 

[andyph666]

He has yet to reply. Now I honestly don't see how it is my fault. I should have taken the plunge and get a brand new gslcr for 500 pounds instead of being cheap. The 135 pound component doesnt fit and even if i do get my money back i wouldnt know what to do with it. I've started a claim on paypal as this is too much.

 

[kidloco46]

Stick to your guns mate, its very unlikely that kind of damage would happen in transit. you would thing that kind of damage could only happen by pushing the dome itself. I cant see how it could happen boxed up. the MA boxes are so well padded.

The fact that he sold it as a GS rather than a GR means he doesnt have a leg to stand on.

The good news is paypal pretty much allways sides with the buyer.

Then just try and get MA to take the unused part back. if not, maybe try and sell it.

 

[andyph666]

Thats the thing it wasnt in a monitor audio box, I paid 60 pounds for it teh shipping and it came in a tiny box with minimal padding. So considering the way it was packaged, it might have been damaged in transit. Pretty dissapointing really. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[andyph666]

The seller claims that his advert is accurate aside from the actual product description where he links to the GSLCR on the MA site and the description is all about hte GSLCR and never even mentions the GRLCR. I mean does the description not count as well? He shows the picture of the speaker but how am I supposed to know what it looks like without even owning it. I mean he owns it and said it was a gold signature speaker and he still believes he is right? He says its a whathifi 5star winner and they only reviewed the gslcr. Guys buy retail unless you want to take the risk . He even admits there i some confusion??? Obviously if he did not notice that the speaker looked different from the monitor audio website, how am I supposed to know? I've escalated this to paypal to see where it goes.

 

[Timmy C]

Have you got a link to the original ebay page? I'd be interested to see it. It seems from what you have said that paypal will come down on your side for sure but what's so wrong with paypal protection is they often insist you return the item using a tracked service at your expense! I never see why the buyer should be at all out of pocket due to a sellers inaccurate or misleading description.