[yic42]

Hello everyone,
 
I am new to the forums, and was hoping to hear some advice on an issue.  I will also start this thread as a benefit for others, so that we can all learn from shared experiences.
 
Earlier this year I purchased the Sennheiser HD-600, and wanted to pair them with a nice amp.  After reading positive reviews, I decided to go with the Audio-gd NFB-15.  I received the unit back in February, and overall was happy with my purchase.  The sound is crisp and loud, and with the RCA output, the unit is a very good value.  However, recently I experienced a problem with my NFB-15 whereby the sound output all of sudden disappeared from the left channel and has not returned, even after repeated power cycling.
 
On August 23, I emailed Audio-gd to explain the problem.  Kingwa, the technical leader of Audio-gd, was very responsive, and suggested that I check the channel balance setting on my computer.  He also suggested that I check the unit using another computer.  So I double checked my balance setting (of course that wasn't the problem), and then I tried installing the USB drivers on another computer and connected the unit with that computer.  But the problem was still there.  When I responded with my findings and asked for more advice on how to proceed, Grace responded by telling me to ship the unit back to them.
 
I have never dealt with product support from a Chinese company before, and so I then asked a few basic questions, like should I purchase insurance or tracking;  after all, this was a $300+ investment that I was about to ship overseas.  Kingwa's response was less than encouraging;  rather than answer my questions regarding the tracking and insurance, he simply stated that I should use the cheapest shipping option possible, because I would be responsible for the shipping costs if they cannot verify the problem.
 
Now of course I understand that every company must protect itself from false claims, but must it come at the expense of honest customers?  By warning me that I may still be responsible for shipping costs if they cannot verify the problem, Kingwa is essentially calling me a liar;  after all, I have already stated that I truly am experiencing the problem.  Furthermore, I am now left fearing that if I send the unit back to them, they may declare the unit faultless, if for whatever reasons the problem goes away on its own (see thread entitled "My Horrible Audio-GD Experience" by LondonHiFier).
 
I will update this thread as the situation develops.  So far I have asked Kingwa if we can hold a skype session, where I can demonstrate the problem to him so that he will believe me.  The absolute last thing I need is to end up in some sort of aggravating dispute, wasting more of my time and money.

 

[cel4145]

Now of course I understand that every company must protect itself from false claims, but must it come at the expense of honest customers?  By warning me that I may still be responsible for shipping costs if they cannot verify the problem, Kingwa is essentially calling me a liar;  after all, I have already stated that I truly am experiencing the problem.  Furthermore, I am now left fearing that if I send the unit back to them, they may declare the unit faultless, if for whatever reasons the problem goes away on its own (see thread entitled "My Horrible Audio-GD Experience" by LondonHiFier).

Get over being offended. Companies have to deal all the time with people that think they have a problem and ship the product in for warranty repair, but then no problems actually exists with the unit. This could especially be true where compatibility of other electronics the customer is using may be the issue. So some companies have policies that customers pay for the shipping when that happens, and that was the policy when you purchased your product. He just reiterated his policy to you, and realize that there is a language difference there that may be making you interpret his response more harshly than you should. Don't take it personally. Focus on fixing your problem instead.

Meanwhile, perhaps you might try using it without installing the optional ASIO driver? I don't use that driver with my NFB-11. Could be the driver is the issue. I have heard some complaints about it. Figure out what you need to do uninstall it correctly (I don't know).

 

[yic42]

Get over being offended. Companies have to deal all the time with people that think they have a problem and ship the product in for warranty repair, but then no problems actually exists with the unit. This could especially be true where compatibility of other electronics the customer is using may be the issue. So some companies have policies that customers pay for the shipping when that happens, and that was the policy when you purchased your product. He just reiterated his policy to you, and realize that there is a language difference there that may be making you interpret his response more harshly than you should. Don't take it personally. Focus on fixing your problem instead.

Meanwhile, perhaps you might try using it without installing the optional ASIO driver? I don't use that driver with my NFB-11. Could be the driver is the issue. I have heard some complaints about it. Figure out what you need to do uninstall it correctly (I don't know).

 
Thanks for the constructive criticism.  You raise good points, and maybe I have read more into it than what was really intended.  I googled how to remove the ASIO driver.  Multiple sources suggested removing a registry entry, so I tried doing that, but it did not solve the problem.  Kingwa has already advised me to send the unit back using the cheapest delivery option possible, with no tracking and no insurance.  So at this point I will trust the process and do as he says.  I will post more when there is more to report.  Thanks again for your reply.

 

[jodgey4]

The biggest problem is Chinese customs damaging things, but Kingwa has a great, trustworthy history from what I know. Sorry to hear about your problems!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I am new to the forums, and was hoping to hear some advice on an issue.  I will also start this thread as a benefit for others, so that we can all learn from shared experiences.
Earlier this year I purchased the Sennheiser HD-600, and wanted to pair them with a nice amp.  After reading positive reviews, I decided to go with the Audio-gd NFB-15.  I received the unit back in February, and overall was happy with my purchase.  The sound is crisp and loud, and with the RCA output, the unit is a very good value.  However, recently I experienced a problem with my NFB-15 whereby the sound output all of sudden disappeared from the left channel and has not returned, even after repeated power cycling.
On August 23, I emailed Audio-gd to explain the problem.  Kingwa, the technical leader of Audio-gd, was very responsive, and suggested that I check the channel balance setting on my computer.  He also suggested that I check the unit using another computer.  So I double checked my balance setting (of course that wasn't the problem), and then I tried installing the USB drivers on another computer and connected the unit with that computer.  But the problem was still there.  When I responded with my findings and asked for more advice on how to proceed, Grace responded by telling me to ship the unit back to them.
I have never dealt with product support from a Chinese company before, and so I then asked a few basic questions, like should I purchase insurance or tracking;  after all, this was a $300+ investment that I was about to ship overseas.  Kingwa's response was less than encouraging;  rather than answer my questions regarding the tracking and insurance, he simply stated that I should use the cheapest shipping option possible, because I would be responsible for the shipping costs if they cannot verify the problem.
Now of course I understand that every company must protect itself from false claims, but must it come at the expense of honest customers?  By warning me that I may still be responsible for shipping costs if they cannot verify the problem, Kingwa is essentially calling me a liar;  after all, I have already stated that I truly am experiencing the problem.  Furthermore, I am now left fearing that if I send the unit back to them, they may declare the unit faultless, if for whatever reasons the problem goes away on its own (see thread entitled "My Horrible Audio-GD Experience" by LondonHiFier).
I will update this thread as the situation develops.  So far I have asked Kingwa if we can hold a skype session, where I can demonstrate the problem to him so that he will believe me.  The absolute last thing I need is to end up in some sort of aggravating dispute, wasting more of my time and money.

 
Think about it, Audio-GD really has no way of being able to judge if you are an honest person.
There are in Hong Kong, they can not see the halo on top of your head.
Guess you could try to take a picture of yourself and send it to them, but your halo may not show up in a picture.
If you have check out a lot of the Audio-GD webpages, their English language skills are not the best, so Skype might not be very productive.
The guys that do their technical work, the ones that build and fix their units, might not speak any English at all, so good luck trying to Skype with them.
 
I think what they are willing to offer you in the way of service is very fair, send them the NFB-15 and just get it over with.

 

[yic42]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, jodgey (and hello from Austin!).  I really hope you are right, because shipping a rather expensive piece of equipment back to a vendor without tracking, insurance or confirmation defies conventional wisdom and the common business practices that we are familiar with here in the States.  But I've already asked Kingwa twice about this, and rather than give a direct response, he simply keeps telling me to use the cheapest shipping option.  So Purple Angel, that's what I intend on doing!  Again, thanks for all of your thoughtful opinions and empathy.

 

[jodgey4]

I'm Austin based, too! Hello! haha

 

[PurpleAngel]

 
Thanks for the words of encouragement, jodgey (and hello from Austin!).  I really hope you are right, because shipping a rather expensive piece of equipment back to a vendor without tracking, insurance or confirmation defies conventional wisdom and the common business practices that we are familiar with here in the States.  But I've already asked Kingwa twice about this, and rather than give a direct response, he simply keeps telling me to use the cheapest shipping option.  So Purple Angel, that's what I intend on doing!  Again, thanks for all of your thoughtful opinions and empathy.

 
I think Kingwa is offering the safest advice and you do not have to use the cheapest shipping option.
You do realize you might have to make up your own mind about what choices you make in life and what value you place on your belongings.
You can always ship the NFB-15 to Hong Kong with tracking and confirmation and insurance, I do not think Kingwa would stop you if you decided you want to get tracking and confirmation and insurance.

 

[obobskivich]

I agree with cel4145 and PurpleAngel - I think it's too much of a leap to insist they're accusing you of lying. It is *very* standard practice for companies to have customers pay one-way shipping when an item goes back for an RMA. Even Koss, who will fix anything with no questions, will not cover initial shipping to them - they will fix the item, and pay to ship the item back to you, and no more. This isn't that uncommon. If I'm understanding the reply correctly it sounds like Audio-gd may even be meaning to cover some of the shipping charges to them if the item is found defective - that's fantastic if so. But what more likely they're meaning is if there is no verifiable issue, you will have to pay return shipping - which is also a very common policy for many companies.

As far as shipping goes - EMS with tracking and basic insurance ($300 really isn't that much, cost wise, for insurance) is not horribly expensive, and not a horrible idea if you're concerned about the shipping process. You can call the USPS 1-800 number, or go into your local branch, for more information about the entire EMS process. It is really quite straight-forward and (IME) quite fast too.

 

[inthere]

One good sign is they're replying to you very quickly and the lines of communication are still open. Hell, I'm in a situation with a $6000 unit where they not only didn't let me know the unit got there until 4 months after, they took 2 weeks to let me know after I asked. 
 
 
If you're concerned, just pay for insurance.

 

[cel4145]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, jodgey (and hello from Austin!).  I really hope you are right, because shipping a rather expensive piece of equipment back to a vendor without tracking, insurance or confirmation defies conventional wisdom and the common business practices that we are familiar with here in the States.  But I've already asked Kingwa twice about this, and rather than give a direct response, he simply keeps telling me to use the cheapest shipping option.  So Purple Angel, that's what I intend on doing!  Again, thanks for all of your thoughtful opinions and empathy.

Ship it via US International Priority Mail. You'll get basic tracking information that will tell you when it is delivered. Not sure what the cost would be, but that is the cheapest the US Post Office offers for something that weighs as much as the NFB-15.

 

[yic42]

I agree with cel4145 and PurpleAngel - I think it's too much of a leap to insist they're accusing you of lying. It is *very* standard practice for companies to have customers pay one-way shipping when an item goes back for an RMA. Even Koss, who will fix anything with no questions, will not cover initial shipping to them - they will fix the item, and pay to ship the item back to you, and no more. This isn't that uncommon. If I'm understanding the reply correctly it sounds like Audio-gd may even be meaning to cover some of the shipping charges to them if the item is found defective - that's fantastic if so. But what more likely they're meaning is if there is no verifiable issue, you will have to pay return shipping - which is also a very common policy for many companies.

As far as shipping goes - EMS with tracking and basic insurance ($300 really isn't that much, cost wise, for insurance) is not horribly expensive, and not a horrible idea if you're concerned about the shipping process. You can call the USPS 1-800 number, or go into your local branch, for more information about the entire EMS process. It is really quite straight-forward and (IME) quite fast too.

I guess the bottom line is, not all companies will reimburse costs associated with shipping a defective item back for warranty service.  Audio-gd's policy, as stated on their website:
 
"If the gears have any problems (manufacturing defects and which is not caused by the user), customers can ship back the gears, we will refund the shipping cost (customers must submit the shipping bill following which we will reimburse the amount to customers, please note that we will only refund shipping cost equal to what the customer had initially paid us for shipping the gears to them when placing the order)"
 
I shipped using EMS, priority mail international shipping.  The cost was $80, which includes up to $200 of insurance.  If Audio-gd decides to reimburse my shipping costs, then I should expect to receive $50, which was what I paid during the original purchase.  Again, thanks everyone for your advice on shipping and your feedback.  I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[yic42]

I wanted to provide an update to my situation.  Audio-gd received my NFB-15 on September 8.  One week later, they informed me that indeed the left channel DAC was damaged and repaired.  The unit was promptly shipped back to me, and they refunded $32 of my shipping costs.  So far in my testing, the unit seems to be working without issue.
 
Now that the problem has be resolved I must say that the warranty process went smoothly.  I began the process with trepidation, having doubts about a company previously unknown to me.  That is why I sought advice in the community, and for all of you who replied, I want to thank you again.  It sounds like a few of you are more familiar with Kingwa and his company than I was, and so your words of encouragement were helpful.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I wanted to provide an update to my situation.  Audio-gd received my NFB-15 on September 8.  One week later, they informed me that indeed the left channel DAC was damaged and repaired.  The unit was promptly shipped back to me, and they refunded $32 of my shipping costs.  So far in my testing, the unit seems to be working without issue.
 
Now that the problem has be resolved I must say that the warranty process went smoothly.  I began the process with trepidation, having doubts about a company previously unknown to me.  That is why I sought advice in the community, and for all of you who replied, I want to thank you again.  It sounds like a few of you are more familiar with Kingwa and his company than I was, and so your words of encouragement were helpful.

 
Thanks for letting us know, makes me more comfortable recommending Audio-GD to others.