[rayofsi]

Hi, i recently sold a MisterX PPA with blackgate caps all around, Steps PSU as well. The amp has 12 Intersil buffers, and OPA637/627BP opamps.

The buyer recieved the amp and complained that it sounded sloppy and hissy, when compared to his SR-71, when using his ipod as source and HD25-1 / PX100 headphones.

I told him no refund since the amp is in perfect working condition. He told me that he would send the amp back, and proceed with paypal and amex complaints. also told me that i should be ashamed of my ethics.

I stood on my no refund unless its defective policy.

He makes correlations to bestbuy and landends regarding their return policy, expecting the same from me. eventually says that the amp could have been defective since it was hissing since he got it.

I tell him, send it back, i will test it, if its defective, i will provide a refund, if its not, it goes straight back to you.

So i got the amp back today, running it off my nad c521i, the PPA/Steps he sent back, as well as a900s/hd580s.

No hissing, no problems at all.

This was one of the exact replies i gave him, telling him the problem he was having
Quote:

Hi there is nothing wrong with the amp, so it is a done deal. The hissing you are hearing is because you are really hearing the source now. Also It is not uncommon for a PPA to hiss with ultra low highly sensitive cans, aka crap cans. The PPA is a high-end amplifier, and the ipod is not exactly a high end source. The SR-71 also has quite a roll off effect. I am sorry, I cannot refund you when there is nothing wrong with my ppa at all. If you feel unhappy about this, please do feel free to post a thread about this transaction on head-fi and see what others think about this, if the general consensus is that I should give you a refund, then I will. But at this moment, I am not ready to offer a refund on a 100% fully functional ppa.

Should i give him a refund, taking it back to test was already going out of my way considering i'm neither a dealer, or business, and i already have little time to be doing things like retesting a amp.
I have decided not to post full email copies here as i did not get the buyers permission to post such yet.

 

[RYCeT]

IMO Just refund it, it's not worth the trouble. Post all of it in his feedback.

 

[raisin]

If he wanted a BB warranty, he shoulda bought it there. Your contract was for sale, not audition, your ethics are fine. If you're feeling like a better person than him, offer a refund minus- costs and restocking, just like a brick & mortar store.

 

[Talonz]

IMO He should not have put you through all the trouble and then expect you to shoulder even more work. He bought exactly what he paid for, so he should be the one re-selling it if he does not like it.

 

[mulveling]

The buyer is definitely in the wrong here. Best Buy's return policy has absolutely nothing to do with a private transaction. As mentioned above, as long as the amp is in the condition described, it's now his/her responsibility to sell it.

BTW, of course running a high end, AC-powered home amp off a portable source and with low end cans is a BAD idea. Not your fault, as you're not responsible for the buyer's application of the amp.

 

[gsferrari]

I recommend :-

* Take back the amp
* Refund minus shipping/packing costs
* Post negative feedback

his life on HeadFi will be pretty tough with negative feedback.

 

[GlowWorm]

Basically, it's your word against his. I would reluctantly refund his money just to avoid the hassle.

 

[TrevorNetwork]

Although I have been known to be very accomodating to buyers, I am firmly in the no refund camp. If what you shipped was perfectly functional, and as described, you are in no way liable. The iPod is not an appropriate source for a PPA, especially one that is quite "optioned out". When I purchase an as-described piece of equipment from another member the sale is assumed to be final by both parties. Like you, I would have in all liklihood taken the equipment back to test it, but then again, I can be a bit too nice at times.

At this point, ship it back, and tell the buyer to simply sell it should he not be happy.

 

[Feanor]

He can resell it here if he doesnt like it. It's your priviledge to give or not to give a refund.

 

[Dane]

I suspect that it is not the iPod which creates the hiss. Ask him if the hiss remains with no source connected - I bet it does. Some people hear hiss from some PPAs, others don't. If you cannot hear it, that doesn't mean it isn't there. The man bought an amp which he cannot use with his set of ears and cans. That is not your fault, I dont think he is entitled for a refund. But I would probably just sell it to someone else who will be more happy with the purchase.

Currently listening to my "crappy" highly sensitivitive CD3000 through my Talisman

 

[PinkFloyd]

It's totally up to you to decide whether or not to give the guy a refund. Audio is a very tricky area when it comes to buying, sometimes you buy a piece of equipment without hearing it and it turns out not to be suitable for your purposes / ears when it arrives.

I always offer a full refund to anybody who is not 100% satisfied with anything I sell on the for sale forum, I really would rather the person is happy with their purchase and wouldn't like to think of them being obliged to keep something that isn't any use to them... I think most of the people in the audio community are like that and that's why it's great being part of it.

It's up to you..... hold on to the guys money and don't give a second thought to the fact that the guy isn't happy with the sound or refund him and sell it on to someone who will be happy with it..... if the situation were reversed and you weren't happy with a piece of equipment you'd bought wouldn't it make you feel good if you got your money back?

In answer to your question, yes I would refund the money in full but maybe next time you sell the amp you should stipulate conditions or only sell it to people who have heard a similar amp and know they will be happy with it.

Did you ask the guy what source he would be using before you sold the amp to him? ipod and PPA seem a pretty weird combo to me

 

[bootman]

I would refund the money and just sell the amp to someone else.
The amp is not defective or received damaged during the transaction.
You should not have any problems selling it again.
You have a good rep here.
Having it tainted by some poor bloke is not worth it.

 

[Earwax]

Was anything asked or stated beforehand about the possibility of returns and refunds?

In either case, now that the amp is back in your hands, I think you should give the guy a refund minus all shipping and transaction costs (paypal fees, etc.) and just resell the amp. I basicly agree with bootman, it's not worth the possibility of tainting your reputation to push the issue further.

Edit: And do put all this down in his feedback, it's the sort of background info I'd want to know about before dealing with someone.

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ufokillerz Should i give him a refund, taking it back to test was already going out of my way considering i'm neither a dealer, or business, and i already have little time to be doing things like retesting a amp.

I'm in the no refund team. But that last part made me more uncomfortable than the whole dispute. In my humble opinion an amp builder has to retest his amp if a «serious doubt», about the amp, is resulting from the communication with his client.

Amicalement

 

[ipodstudio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic I'm in the no refund team. But that last part made me more uncomfortable than the whole dispute. In my humble opinion an amp builder has to retest his amp if a «serious doubt», about the amp, is resulting from the communication with his client. Amicalement

Genetic, ufokillerz didn't build the amp, he just sold it.

I also believe that it's the right of the seller to choose whether to refund or not in this particular instance.