LaRocco PRII MKII. Waiting or FRAUD?

[Cool_Torpedo]

Oh my gosh! At first, reading Truant's post I thought it could be some kind of misunderstanding due to language differences, but looking at all your feedback about LaRocco and the man in charge, I'm quite convinced this Larry must be one of the least dependable guys in this industry. I wouldn't care he made the best headphone amp in the Earth for just USD600. I didn't buy it if he cannot give some feedback and replying any e-mails for weeks or months

I know first hand how is waiting for a device you paid for advanced six months ago, but this can be understandable under high demmand conditions or suppliers problems. Which is not acceptable is not receiving any explanations, answers to e-mails or a timely refund.

Truant, I don't believe phoning him is any worth. Try contacting your local consummer agency, they might provide you free advice. Also try the Better Bussiness Bureau as Musicmaker adviced, they might assist you.

Good luck mate, keep us posted on any further news. Regards.

 

[Copperjacket]

If you pay by a credit or charge card you usually have a claim against the card company in the case of faulty goods or services.

This is certainly the case in the UK with for example Mastercard.

I would suggest you might want to check this out ASAP.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Here's who you should contact:

Address:
District Attorney's Office
Lane County Courthouse
125 E 8th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401

Phone:
(541) 682-4261

Office Hours:
8:00am - 12:00pm
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Monday-Friday

District Attorney's Office

It might be worth contacting the DA's office to let them know. I'd describe it as possible consumer fraud.

 

[carlosgp]

Doing business with Larry milligan is risky to say the least. We are reaching a point in which you have to be crazy to buy something from him. Truant, I hope you get a refund soon and forget about Larocco Audio amps for the rest of your life

 

[FallenAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbx2006 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, I just took a look at that address in google earth, and unless he lives in a tent, there is a good chance that is a fake address. Sorry truant, I was really hoping to help you out here.

Not likely, look at the satellite imagery, there's a very nice house there. I can't believe the age we're living in where I can say that and not be surprised, damn incredible

I also agree with Sovkiller of Rudison, Phil Larocco shouldn't take all the heat from being the designer of a few very nice amps by having shady sales tactics done by affiliate stores.

It totally kills me to see **** like this though, I've seen a few very nice amps by Larocco audio, it's a real shame that it's a hit and miss shopping for them, but I cannot stand to see this kind of business conduct. Perhaps laying charges through the DA is a little extreme, but perhaps sending a very direct email which clearly states the next move WOULD be the DA, might scare the person a little into responding properly.

Ending the rant, just pisses me off when a company that sells nice amps pulls stupidity like this.

 

[rantamplann]

Just another victim added to a long list

.

Try to write a claim at your local consummer service. Good luck next time.

 

[jonoliew]

have you tried calling him? its like the xin amps.. too long a list of buyers, too few people to make em. If i was making that many, i'd probably not have much time to check emails then head fi etc..

 

[truant]

Guys, thanks for your support

I can't call him because a lot of people al Ipastudio forum called him and at the other side of the phone only was answering a machine. And my spoken english is terrible

I paid it by PayPal, and the date for to claim has expired (I paid it one year ago!). I'll try to contact with Duncan of Ipastudio, maybe he could talk with Larry.

Maybe Larry Milligan is reading this and he's laughting over my face.

 

[fkclo]

I purchased a few things from Larry - his Pocket Reference II, PSR power supply, SilC interconnects, and of-course, a Diablo. I also have my PRII sent back to him for the AD744 opamp upgrade.

Yes, delivery took a long time. My first PRII was probably the last he shipped out in that batch. The PRII upgrade took a long time. The PSR was "missing" for a while until it finally turns up. And the Diablo - it took me close to 2 years after sending my money to get mine.

Yet, I finally received ALL I paid for. I never sent him a lawyer's letter, I did not report to the police or any law enforcement unit, I did not send a contractor to finish his cat or dog, all I did is send him reminder emails about the pending delivery and explain to him my frustration and expressed my understanding that good things made by hand do take time. Do I get a reply to all those emails? NO!. But somehow I can tell he read them.

Over the course of things, Larry did show some gesture of good will - he send me extra rubber rings for the Pocket Reference, give me a huge discount when he realise he made an interconnect to the wrong specification, and send me a used Black PSR for interim use when he realised my Silver PSR was "missing in action". I did not know him in person, so I guess he do know how to deal with a customer when things are within his grab.

I may be lucky, or patient, or stupid. But this is how I deal with it. And I am more than happy to be able to enjoy his creations. They are unique in many ways.

I know about consumers rights & protection, my daily work deal with contracts of all kinds. But in a cottage industry like headphone amp, I do think there are alternative ways to work things out.

This made me also recall a small out-fit called ShellBrook Audio Lab - again a lot of frustrated buyers leading finally to its closure. And again, I get what I paid for (2 amps, 2 interconnects) , despite the long and sometimes frustrating wait. May be I am lucky again. But looking back, it might be that my way is more effective in the long run.

I am not saying what is right or wrong. Just share my experience with Larocco Audio. That's all.

F. Lo

 

[hamparts]

Here's what Duncan said to me, "As you know, no refunds are issued by me. All funds were passed immediately to Larry."

Larry has very little communication with Duncan now according to Duncan.

 

[vvs_75]

It's a long shot but you can try to send a letter to the Paypal with explanation what happened. You didn't buy the amp on eBay so their one month dispute policy doesn't apply in this situation. Asking never hurts. May be they be able to make exception for your case. Good luck man!

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvs_75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's a long shot but you can try to send a letter to the Paypal with explanation what happened. You didn't buy the amp on eBay so their one month dispute policy doesn't apply in this situation. Asking never hurts. May be they be able to make exception for your case. Good luck man!

As I noted in my post on the 32 Portable Amps thread...

Always pay via Mastercard / Visa (directly, or via PayPal)... never... pay via your bank account, or PayPal cash balance via PayPal. Neither eBay, or PayPal stand behind their buyer protection policies. Only Mastercard / Visa do!

If you pay via Mastercard / Visa - they will always refund your money and charge the vendor back. PayPal may... in time... but... most often does not - at least in any kind of reasonable timeframe. And... they have nothing but very inexperienced, and ingnorant customer service staff, who have no power to issue your refund... and who have no knowledge of the UCC and the law... and... really don't care to.

But... most importantly... never pay directly from your bank account or PayPal cash balance via Paypal, or otherwise.

 

[Skylab]

Hint from personal experience: If you let Larry know that you intend to file a grievance with paypal, you may get a refund from him.

 

[truant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkclo /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Yet, I finally received ALL I paid for. I never sent him a lawyer's letter, I did not report to the police or any law enforcement unit, I did not send a contractor to finish his cat or dog, all I did is send him reminder emails about the pending delivery and explain to him my frustration and expressed my understanding that good things made by hand do take time. Do I get a reply to all those emails? NO!. But somehow I can tell he read them. ... I am not saying what is right or wrong. Just share my experience with Larocco Audio. That's all. F. Lo

I don't have your patience, Fkclo

 

[hamparts]

After five months, I just received a full refund via my PayPal account in one hour and eighteen minutes albeit less the transaction fee but who cares.

I composed a very business like letter (which I will share via PM) addressed to the Lane County District Attorney, PayPal and the FBI Internet Fraud Division. I sent a very pleasant (as I have always been with Larry) email to Larry asking him to review my letter for accuracy of the facts. And I told him I intended to send it to all three agencies today if I didn't get a refund to my PayPal account today.

I'm sure the PRII mk2 sounds great but so do my Lisa III, Graham Slee Voyager, IQube and countless other amps I have which have much better customer service. Life is to short for LaRocco, even as a reference.

Thanks to everyone for the idea and information.