[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazz9 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The less we hear about a company's customer service, the better. Now I know there are companies that are known for their bad customer service but don't you think there's something wrong when you tell someone not to worry about buying a product because it's going to be replaced when it's gonna fail?

I said 'if' they crack, not 'when'. I was just trying to reassure midget that if he wanted to take a chance on them, and they did crack, that he wouldn't have a problem getting a replacement pair.

But you're completely right, customer service shouldn't be praised just for replacing defective units that should be replaced without question in the first place. In fact, I said almost exactly the same thing about Sleek Audio a year or so ago.

wbrownie assured everyone that replacements would come from current stock, and he also said there had been no returns from that batch - but when I asked him what the batch number was for reference, he didn't respond. So yes, it would help if he posted and tried to clear up some of the issues sooner rather than later. Staying quiet isn't helping!

EDIT: I know wbrownie said the amount of defective pairs was very small, and that the white ones didn't appear to be affected, but the white ones are affected and the list of faulty units is growing every day.

 

[tstarn06]

Yeah, even as a major PFE fan and defender, this is getting disheartening. I want to believe that the number of problematic PFEs is small, but the sample here is not small. Mine are still intact, but to be honest, this is getting a bit silly. I almost am afraid to use my PFEs for fear I will somehow cause them to crack, and I never worried about it in the past. A shame.

Update: I still had the box for my PFEs, and they are from the October 17, 2008 batch. FWIW.

 

[wbrownie]

Sorry the delay in responding to this thread but I do have an update.

As previously stated the batches we are currently sending out, for both new and replacement orders, are dated 2008-02-12 and 2008-11-17. We have experienced very few cracks with these batches. Not 100% defect free but so far so good.

It is important to realize there is a seam where pieces are glued together. Some returns have come back thinking the seam is a crack. Not many but a few.

As for improvements, Phonak is currently prototyping a new material as well as a few other minor improvements that will likely be ready by the end of June.

So if you currently have a set and they crack before the end of June, we will replace them with a set from the batches mentioned above. If that set has any issues, we will replace it with one made with the new materials when they are available.

If you haven't purchased, should you wait? That's entirely up to you. The phones have a 2 year warranty as I've stated before. If you order from current stock, we are committed to customer service (as some of you have experienced) and it will not cost you if something happens and they need to be replaced.

Let me know if you have any questions and we appreciate the openness that forums like this provide. The best test of a new product is for users like the ones here at Head-fi to really give it go and provide feedback to the manufacturer.

All the best,

Bill

 

[bernado]

Hats off to you Mr B. This kind of open information exchange is a credit to you and Phonak

 

[DeTrun]

I've added some pictures of my PFE's.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wbrownie /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry the delay in responding to this thread but I do have an update. As previously stated the batches we are currently sending out, for both new and replacement orders, are dated 2008-02-12 and 2008-11-17. We have experienced very few cracks with these batches. Not 100% defect free but so far so good. It is important to realize there is a seam where pieces are glued together. Some returns have come back thinking the seam is a crack. Not many but a few. As for improvements, Phonak is currently prototyping a new material as well as a few other minor improvements that will likely be ready by the end of June. So if you currently have a set and they crack before the end of June, we will replace them with a set from the batches mentioned above. If that set has any issues, we will replace it with one made with the new materials when they are available. If you haven't purchased, should you wait? That's entirely up to you. The phones have a 2 year warranty as I've stated before. If you order from current stock, we are committed to customer service (as some of you have experienced) and it will not cost you if something happens and they need to be replaced. Let me know if you have any questions and we appreciate the openness that forums like this provide. The best test of a new product is for users like the ones here at Head-fi to really give it go and provide feedback to the manufacturer. All the best, Bill

Excellent info. Funny, but mine came from the 11/17/08 batch and no crack. I had just noted it, in fact. Look forward to the updates, and see what they are.

 

[schneller]

Just an update: Continue to use them daily and ZERO issues so far. No cracks, no nothing. Just working the way I want them to.

 

[cn11]

Isn't this thread for posting defects and not updates of phones with no issues?

 

[tstarn06]

Not sure why you feel compelled to post here, since you no longer own the Phonaks due to your intense dislike of the phones.

My initial post was a response to Soozieq's "not if" but "when" post (she wasn't really reporting on a defective pair of Phonaks either) regarding the Phonak replacement process. I then added the fact that the batch date on my box was in November, and as it turns out, that batch is one of the two singled out as the most defect free. My second post was a thank you to the Phonak rep for his update.

Again, since you have already admitted you dislike the PFE sound, and returned your pair, I am not sure why you are posting here at all. Just can't stay away from any thread with PFE in it, I suppose.

I thought you were through with all inferior IEMs anyway.

 

[cn11]

Dude, what's your problem? I wasn't even addressing you. ^^

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dude, what's your problem? I wasn't even addressing you. ^^

I think your avatar makes him cranky.

 

[fabianwseko]

such a stupid mistake by Phonak.,.

 

[yeahx]

I've got a hint of a crack where the typical chunk falls out and my box says 9-16. It hasnt change since I noticed it but Im not even worried because of the great things I have read so far. I recently did some plastic mold work and experienced making parts with a weakness in the same spot. They were quite large so it was easy to spot and after making some changes I was able to correct it. Wow I didn't mean for that to be in my post! Anyways, I'm guessing its a similar problem with new molds and figuring out how to get it just right and not being able to tell there is a problem because the parts are so small and it takes a while to show up after some use.

Good work so far! Hopefully this wont prevent Phonak from continuing in the IEM market because I may have just started, but I feel like I'm done searching.

Sorry, too much caffeine!

 

[pianoplayer88key]

I'm actually having problems with the cable insulation cracking on one of mine... (I have the black pair btw)

You should be able to see the exposed wire.

Also the ear guides won't stay on -- this pic was within a few seconds of installing the ear guide.

Also the left side audio is now very faint, like 40-60dB quieter than the right side) (weak one is same side with the cracked cable / exposed wire). What should I do about this? (I was referred to this thread from another one.) (I've had these for a couple months or so.)

Also, is there a way to improve the low bass? I can hear the low frequencies, but they're quite subdued compared to what I would like them to be like. (FYI I'm pretty much exclusively referring to around 32 Hz and down.)
Also they keep popping out of my ear, even though I'm using the large silicone tips right now.
First pic was within a few seconds after inserting the earphone.

Is there a way I can find out what batch mine came from? (Also I seem to have misplaced the english copy of the printed manual.... guess I can read it online though...) EDIT: just found what's left of the box... says 2008-12-02.

TBH, I was actually hoping that in the long run these would be better for the $ than my previous ones I've had - specifically lasting longer, relative to the price paid, than the cheapies have lasted. (For example, typically ones that might be $5-10 that I've had (and even some that were like $30) did good to last a couple months, so I was expecting something that was around $120 or so to last several years or more before needing any repair.)

If I should have these replaced, should I go for the white ones? (I've been reading a little and it seems like they have fewer problems than the black ones, which I have.)

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure why you feel compelled to post here, since you no longer own the Phonaks due to your intense dislike of the phones. Again, since you have already admitted you dislike the PFE sound, and returned your pair, I am not sure why you are posting here at all. Just can't stay away from any thread with PFE in it, I suppose. I thought you were through with all inferior IEMs anyway.

Is it possible to keep your personal arguments out of this thread? cn11 pointed out quite rightly that this thread is for posting defects, and schneller has posted twice now that his are defect-free. There's an appreciation thread for that, this isn't the place. All cn11 was doing was trying to keep the thread on topic, there was no need for your outburst. So what if he doesn't have the PFE anymore, neither do I. And you constantly post in threads about earphones you no longer have, so what's the big deal? At least his post was on topic, whereas yours wasn't. Please just stop with the unprovoked attacks on him, it's getting really tiresome.