Kangaroo Court Needed Again.

[hlb]

A few of you may remember me asking about speaker wire, a few weeks ago.

Well a few week ago I bought a new pair of speakers. Thinking that the brats now having left home and them having totaly abused the last speakers for about ten years, they were now sounding a bit wooly and a new pair should be safe.
Tried Currys and others but all chipboard crap, so visits local posh shop.
Man says bring amplfier down.

So takes amp. Oh, he says, "Wonderfull they dont make them as good as them no more". Then shows us the dearest speakers in shop. " Would'nt normally recomend these cos they need lots of power to run them" I says yes but there a bit dear. " Ah but you will never need a new pair all your life"
So we bought them.

Now a week before Christmas I'm sat in the chair right at the side of amplifier and playing music that SWMBO thought a bit loud. So she reaches over and waps the volume up. Within two seconds I'd wapped the sound back down and gave her a few chosen words of endearment, then turns it off .
A day or two latter I notice that one speaker is dead and the other has bits of silver metaly threads hanging from the speaker.
So back to shop. He says they've been abused so pay £300 for repair job.
Now the Question is this. The last pair were abused for years. and ok a bit duff after that but still played.
Shop man recomended them for that amp.

We've all been abusing cars, boats, shoes, and many more things.
But if the boat fell in bits and sunk, just because we'd hit the pontoon a bit hard once. Or the car fell in bits cos we went just a little over a hundred for a couple of seconds, or gearbox fell off when wife crunched gears an odd time.

Now I know that speakers should not be turned up to loud but wife dosn't . Theres no instructions with them. No one said, Dont use too loud cos that amp will fry them.
Only. Last a life time and 800 quid.

The amps not that special. Just Tecnics 100w per chanel.

Would the court please contemplate and deliberate. Whether wife or man in shop should be hung drawn and quartered.
Ministry of fair trading seem to agree that the shops in the wrong but wont get involved much and tell us to pay for them then take to small claims court.

But lets have your opinions first.


Haydn

 

[Guest]

50/50 blame wife and shop, that way you are in the clear, Haydn, get to the show and cheer up.

 

[petem]

Deffo taking the piss.

1) Check credit card doesn't do some insurance that might cover you and save hassle.
2) Failing that go directly back to shop on a busy Saturday and get loud.
3) Write snotty letters.
4) Instruct solicitor.
5) Start small claims procedings.

 

[ArthurWood]

-if speakers matched to amp, should not have been a problem. Salesman guilty.
-good speakers usually have a fuse to protect from wife not knowing clockwise from anticw.
-contact credit card co. poste haste. I think you have 60days. Let them fight it.
-last resort- small claims ct

 

[hlb]

Credit card answer no good arthur. Used Visa Conect card. ( Thats own money not credit card.)

Haydn

 

[ArthurWood]

Sorry about that - you'll know better next time when making an expnsv purchase. Small claims is the ansr, methinks.
Oh, what about calling/writing the manfr's MD? I'm sure your Japanese is perfect;-)

 

[Guest]

Once had trouble with a local electrical supplier that messed me around with a fridge that was faulty, so after many weeks and endless phone calls yours truely losses rag.

Bundles useless fridge into back of van,drives to shop and puts fridge in front of door,local newspaper called ETC ETC

we made so much noise and cost the guy so many customers in the space of an hour he couldnt give me back my money fast enough.

Extreme...yes but it worked.

Speakers sold to suit the amp...give the guy hell , we are to complacent in this country.

 

[Guest]

Sale of Goods act - not fit for purpose for which sold which was, de facto, to work safely with amplifier specified. It should be open and shut in small claims court unless the "abuse" shows in ways other than blown speakers e.g. damaged cabinets, etc. Even then, repairs to blown speakers should be free.

As a rule of thumb, speaker capacity should be 20% more than rated output of amp. Also check impedence quoted as 100 watts into 4 ohms is different from 100 watts into 8 ohms.
So 100 watt amp wants a minimum of 120 watt rated speakers to allow for peaks.

What kind of speakers were they?

Anyway, what do you need good speakers to listen to Max Bygraves for?

Nick

 

[Guest]

Nice to see you back on the forum, the important question is, have you bought another boat yet Nick tell us if you have.

Paul js.

 

[hlb]

So far, have left SWMBO in charge. Partly cos I had flue just before Christmas. But Partly as a punishment for breaking them in the first place.
I've had experience of OOFT and small claims courts before.
Fair trading say one thing but wont get involved with court ruling and the small claims courts are just a load of amatuer
tossers who could jump any which way without looking in the law books. So out come would be more due to time of month than logical reason.
Thet're ok on straight folward, Unpaid bill situation but asking them to make a disision I feel is a bit iffy.

Haydn

 

[Guest]

Re: sale of goods act

He sold you what he recommended ,they are not fit for the purpose !!
HANG HIM
Small claims you will win and get costs ,I would advise him that you will be taking him to court.
Bet he pays up ,please tell us what shop so that we dont go there.
Mick

 

[david_e]

My legal bods tell me that the small claims court no longer exists as it used to. Just the normal court route. You gotta get heavy with this dude 'cause he is takin the p***, ask him what he would expect from an £800 pair of speakers. Don't let him repair them, just go for a refund, it's a surefire winner in the courts.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Send in the boys!! NM

.

 

[Guest]

Re: new boat

Nothing done so far as I need the cash for a couple of property projects. Hopefully these will come to fruition in the spring just in time for really itchy boating feet.

I am still toying with the idea of a motor sailer, especially with the end of red diesel potentially on the horizon

Nick

 

[BarryH]

Read all the other posts, all good advise. Thing to take into account, at what impedance is you amp rated at 100w per channel and is that RMS. most jap stuff quotes peak not RMS. what make are the speakers and how many drivers do they have, becuase this will make a great difference as in what type of crossover they use be it passive or active, at that price range i think they would be passive. and at what impedance are the speakers rated at whatever you said they were.

IMHO most of these sales persons in the HIFI shops talk a load os B******T. they havent got a clue when spcing stuff to match your existing equipment. If you really want to get shirty with himask him the following about the speakers he sold you

1 does he know dynamic range of them and doesit match the amps
2 does he know the FAR(free air resonace) values of the enclosures and do they match that of the drive units, woofer in partuicular (youll be suprised how many expensive speakers dont match) they put ports in them, but these have got to be the right length and diameter
3 are the drivers coaxial or omniaxial
4 is he sure the enclosures are made to the golden ratio(based on the greek golden rectangle)

and yes before you ask i am a bit of an anorak when it comes to hifi.

 

[paulineb]

If you shouldn't turn up the volume too much cos it blows the speakers, why does the volume knob turn all the way round. Shouldn't it have a limiter on it ?

Pxx

 

[Guest]

Direct action is the only option,send the wife down.

 

[Guest]

Direct action is the only option,send the wife down.

 

[ArthurWood]

Eh, Pauline? How does the amplifier know wot speakers it's talking to?

 

[ChrisP]

Re: Kittens and knitting paterns..NM