L300 136A Recone nightmare

[guitarnie]

First post long time lurker. Anyway I went to pick up my 136A's from a local repair shop today, I was so excited to finally hear these speakers.

The shop had them for about seven weeks and today was gonna be a awesome day....Wrong!

I dropped the speakers off in December and told the front desk dude that I needed these to be reconed with JBL kits "Oh yea man that's the only way to go with these beauties".

We talk shop and I tell them they are for a pair of L300's I bought with bad woofers.
I felt like they were in good hands. Wrong.

I asked what was the JBL part #, front desk dude gets the tech that repaired them to the front.

He explains that the kit is no longer available and they used non JBL parts. He also states that the kit used had a accordion surround that he had cut out and installed foam to match the original.

I asked for the owner or manager, he comes out threatening to kick me out of the store for being loud and arguing. His solution was for me to source (buy) the appropriate kits and he will install them for free.

I told the owner that I had asked for JBL kits only, he said for me to prove that is what I wanted. Unfortunately my film crew was not with me when I dropped the speakers off.

He then instructed front desk dude to refund my money and took my 136a's to the back. I wound up getting my speakers back and just leaving.

So $438.76 later I have a pair of 136A's with non JBL kits.
I paid with a debit card so my bank will not do anything until the transaction is non "pending".
I filed with the BBB, I guess I am SOL! I don't even want even listen to these L300's now.

[jbl_daddy]

Where did you take them, attach a picture of the carnage so we know the severity of the damage. Pm. Me and I will let you know where I would go in atlanta.
Mark

[guitarnie]

Wizard Electronics they are on JBL's authorized service center page. They scratched the wrinkle paint, these things were mint. I reiterated numerous times, JBL only!

[Robh3606]

Well that sucks. They are correct on one point that the 136A/2231 kit is not available. That said the correct replacement kit is the 2235 recone kit. You need to really break there balls on this. I have no doubt the 2235 kit is available. They should redo them right as you requested. Do you have anything in writing showing you wanted the stock kits?? They should have given you a quote with the JBL kits P/N on it C8R2235 if I remember right.

Rob

[macaroonie]

In mitigation the recone job does look fairly neat and tidy , foam in the right place , no messy glue etc. Did they not write you a job sheet when you dropped them off ?

[guitarnie]

The invoice only states;
PROBLEM/COMPLAINT:RE-CONE RESTORE

No hack job, but not JBL. I assumed since it is an authorized JBL service center they would use JBL parts as I requested. I was naive.
I can't prove that I requested JBL kits, It's not on the invoice. Hell, they have it listed as an D-136A. I was referred by JBL's website. I never even knew that they existed.

[pos]

C8R2235 is the official replacement kit stated by JBL, so if they really are a JBL authorized center that is what they should have used.

Your invoice stated "recone restore", but that is not a restoration as they did not install the proper replacement kit stated by JBL. You don't need anything more to prove your right.

At a last resort you can ask them to to the burning and measure the actual T/S (and try to be there when they do...) and these do not match the original then you can ask for a refund.

off course all this is easier said than done...

[guitarnie]

Would JBL even care to hear how this company has treated me? Any ideas on who to talk to if so?

http://www.jblproservice.com/service/georgia.html

[guitarnie]

Ok thanks to the leads to Pro JBL but I need a contact on the Consumer end of warranty admin, anybody know anybody?
I have a very nice lady (Jamie) in parts reaching out to help. She is asking other dealers about the situation.
Will these aftermarket kits sound OK? or just gut and start over?

[Maron Horonzakz]

Have you listened to them??? they might even sound better.

[cooky1257]

What about the mass ring, did they, didn't they?

[guitarnie]

Response from the owner to the BBB complaint

On February 02, 2011, the business provided the following information:
To Whom It may concern.

I am the owner of Wizard Electronics and I personally spoke with this customer. We think that he is being completely unreasonable and I will try my best to shed some light as to why we think this way.

As a JBL authorized Service Center, we are not allowed to use generic parts to make repairs, unless the JBL factory no longer manufactures' a specific replacement part, and also only when they consider that there is no other part that they make that is a viable substitute.

In this case, we contacted JBL and were told that they no longer make the part for these speakers, nor would they recommend another of their kits be installed in them, considering the model of cabinets that these speakers are being used in. They knew of this model of generic kit, and explained that it used the exact same edge wound voice coil, but that we would have to change the cone edge surround, from the accordion edge, to the rolled foam edge, and that then the kits would be an exact spot-on match to the original equipment.

Nowhere in our records did it say that the customer would not accept anything other than JBL original parts. If he had stated this, it would have been noted on his work order. Also, we feel that he had a responsibility, to himself, to review his work order, before he left his speakers in our care, to insure that it represented correctly the service he was requesting, and that it including any specific parameters.

He now states after the fact, that he knew the parts were no longer manufactured, but that another company on the west coast has some of the old parts in stock. We were not informed of any of this, at the time he dropped off his equipment. Had he, we would have contacted this company to see if they were willing to sell us, or him, the parts.

As I mentioned, earlier, we are an authorized JBL Service Center, and so we are obliged to follow their instructions, and those did not include any Internet research, or calling all over the country to see if anyone else had some of the original JBL parts still in stock.

We provided him with something that looks the same, sounds the same, and is built to JBL specifications exactly replicating the original parts.

Furthermore, his comment about us blatantly ripping him off is absurd. He did not request to be provided with an estimate, nor did he ask about our pricing. He simply dropped these speakers off with the statement, "Re-Cone And Restore".

When he came in to pick up his speakers, we were honest about everything. If we were deceitful people, trying to scam Mr. Speer, we could have lied, and he would have probably never known the difference, but we wouldn't do that. Again, we are honest people, and have been providing an honest service here for 37 years.

I told Mr. Speer that if he really believed that he could find the original parts, (recone kits), get them, and I would then remove the parts we had so beautifully installed, and that I would install the JBL parts for free, plus I would refund the cost of the parts that we did use. He then told us, never mind, just let me have my speakers, we did, and he left.

My offer still stands. If he can actually find true JBL parts that are the correct ones made for those speakers, when used in those speaker cabinets, I will have my JBL certified technician install them for free, meaning no additional charge, and I will refund the cost to him for the parts that we already used. I will not, however, do this with a substitute JBL recone kit, which as he now states, "will work". If he was willing to go that route, and accept a substitute JBL part, why didn't he say so when he dropped these off with us for repair?

I feel that this customer knew these parts were no longer available, and after dropping off his speakers for repair, he discovered someone who claims to have the original parts in stock, he has buyer's remorse, and is either turning to you as a means to leverage against his failure to make sure his work order correctly stated what he wanted, or he is trying to use your leverage to gain a resolution that satisfies his change of mind, after the fact.

I am very sorry for all of this, but feel that the work we performed was correct, fair, and as communicated to us by the documentation created at the time he left his speakers with us for repair.

His coming into our lobby, raising his voice to the level of yelling, with analogies as to how this is like restoring old cars, and claiming specifics about the work request and previous communication that is clearly not on the work order, comes after the fact, and cannot be honored.

My offer still stands.

[grumpy]

Seems like they're willing to work with you, and did nice work.

Also seems like there is some misinformation floating about:

http://www.jblproservice.com/pdf/Tra...rts%20List.pdf

where 2231A = 136A

I would -think- they should know about this list, as should JBL resource staff.
Who knows what happened there, and I won't uselessly speculate.

Also, seems like you were charged quite a bit for aftermarket kits
(perhaps due to the extra work involved in reworking aftermarket kits ...
unfortunately and unnecessarily). A written quote with all conditions of
repair listed would have protected both you and the owner, or at least
caused less confusion.

I'd suggest taking them up on their offer or if they sound fine...let it be, live and learn.

[guitarnie]

The big deal is I never ever heard of the place before. They are on JBL's site. I only went there because of that. I was told on the phone that they would use JBL kits, I told them in person I wanted JBL kits only. I told the owner that a JBL center on the west coast had kits that would work. I told him I knew that the 136A's original kits are NLA but there were JBL kits that can be used.
He states that "In this case, we contacted JBL and were told that they no longer make the part for these speakers, nor would they recommend another of their kits be installed in them"
Is the true, Is this JBL's official stance pertaining to this driver?

[grumpy]

It's not exactly a new question (see link below). I don't know what more information
you could need .

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...1%202235%20136