Thanks Hottentott.
However, despite this being a good idea...at least one with some passion behind it and a hope that others can enjoy a sound they may not want to invest in without encountering first...I have to admit I'm rather disgusted at this point on how the whole thing is shaping up.
I have asked only a few things with regards this program:
1) send pics. Lots and lots of pics. If you can't do this don't sign up. With the plethora of small inexpensive digi cams EVERYWHERE, I can't understand why some simply won't send me pictures.
Why are pictures important? Well, I'll give you a straight up answer: because people, as much as I hate to admit it, can be quite dishonest, half-way dumb and/or both. I need to keep track of the condition of the packaging and the headphones so I know who to go after if things go wrong.
Gatto just received the SR-60's and when she received them, the pizza box had some damage to it (though the phones were fine). When I sent them out to Nugwin as the first person to get the BRAND NEW headphones, he received them via express international airmail, fully insured, in a box with packaging inside to protect the SR60's box and headphones. I know he received them like this because he sent me the photos to prove he received them in that condition. However, he was pretty incompetent in communicating and sending off the headphones, giving excuse after excuse as to why he had delays. When he finally did send them out, I never received photos of the final shipped product. Morover, acameron didn't send me photos so I can't confirm he received them in the same box I sent them to Nugwin in. acameron then sent to LeonWho who never sent me photos and now...Gatto, who diligently sent me the required photos, provides me with some details but the lack of pictures means I have to investigate who initially cheaped out on shipping. Certainly I can lay blame on LeonWho immediately, but if he received them from acameron in the same condition Gatto received them, then of course I have to look to acameron or Nugwin.
This gets ridiculous and tedious and damn well time consuming. I'm ridiculously busy. I'd wager I'm busier than most anyone on this forum yet I find the time to set this program up and at very little cost to the participants. Many people suggested I swing some sort of escrow service to ensure the headphones are at least financially covered if something goes wrong. To me that is just too much effort and given how things are progressing I may just have to shut this program down.
2) I ask that people send via airmail with the headphones fully insured. Why? Ground shipping is notoriously hazardous to packages of all types and worse still without the proper insurance, if damaged, we are all out of luck because I won't finance or find generous donators to finance new headphones. I'll just end it. LeonWho sent via ground shipping to Gatto, sure she isn't very far away, but that isn't the point. The point is, the box is damaged because it wasn't packed properly and worse still given the abysmal packaging it was sent by the worst possible shipping method! Do I really require a bloody age requirement with this program? Thus far, of the dozen or so participants I've hand 3 have been horrid and 2 of those are under 20.
3)I ask that people demo the phones for 14 days. That does not include shipping time, so they get a full two weeks from the time they have the headphones. I've been busy and sometimes I don't send off the contact info for the next person on the list right away. In that case, I'm never upset, since the extra time the person has with the phones is my fault. Yet, when I do announce to that person their time is up, I expect the headphones to be shipped out within the next few days. I have had one mature and responsible Head-fier who asked to withdraw from the program because he knew he would not be able to commit to getting them out on time giving some unexpected scheduling. Awesome! I'll just add that person to the list at another spot if/when he feels he can commit to the 2 week period. As of right now, I'm currently dealing with a situation where a Head-fier has lied and lied and lied about shipping giving excuse after lame excuse about why it hasn't happened. Then, dodging me, then not sending me tracking which is indicative of sending via ground uninsured without a signature upon receipt. I have my fingers crossed the package arrives to the next person on the list.
With this type of mayhem within one country, I'm completely left without any ambition to pursue something overseas where I have little to np control. In North America I have ample legal means of hunting down a member and getting money for damaged or stolen goods. In Europe or elsewhere I am at the total mercy of beneficent Head-fiers. With Europe so tightly made up of many countries, it will be even harder to keep control...
I'm going to have to think about this a lot and see how things turn out by the end of the year. I may well just shut the program down by Dec 31 and save myself the stress and energy of dealing with what amounts to incompetent and delinquent children. Of course, they aren't children, they are adults which makes everything that much more frustrating.