Bought from the classifieds and it arrived with issues...

[Nick Thorpe]

Hey all,

I'm not gonna name names or get specific for the sake of privacy, but I recently bought a Mesa/Boogie amp from the classifieds on TB and it arrived with issues. There is a strange crackling/popping noise coming and I've tried everything to fix it. Took it to my local shop and they told me I'd have to send it to the Mesa factory. Mesa told me the repair would be in the neighborhood of $500 when I only payed around 900 for the amp in the first place. Tried contacting the seller, haven't heard back from him. What can/should I do about this?

Thanks

 

[Bassmec]

What type of Mesa Boogie was that then. If we knew we could probably help you fix it.X

 

[BassmanPaul]

Did you try linking the Effects Loop Send and Return with a signal cable to see it that helps?

 

[Nick Thorpe]

What type of Mesa Boogie was that then. If we knew we could probably help you fix it.X

I'd rather not say, as to protect the identity of the seller.

Did you try linking the Effects Loop Send and Return with a signal cable to see it that helps?

I did, but that did nothing. It seems only Mesa has the resources to fix it.

 

[Gorn]

How long has it been since you messaged the seller?

 

[BassmanPaul]

I think that you should tell us what model amp it is. Without that information we’re just groping in the dark. We also are lucky that we have an excellent Engineer who works for Mesa amongst our ranks.

Personally I have no interest who sold you the amp. That’s between you and he.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I think that you should tell us what model amp it is. Without that information we’re just groping in the dark. We also are lucky that we have an excellent Engineer who works for Mesa amongst our ranks.

Personally I have no interest who sold you the amp. That’s between you and he.

I check for stuff on the classified here almost every day.
I've yet to make a purchase here, but would do so with confidence given the general reputation of the site.
If unresolved problems start to become more prevelant that will hurt everyone here who buys and sells.

How long has it been since you first tried to contact the seller?
How many times have you tried?
Do you know you are being ignored or could it just be that the seller has been off-line, or maybe even out of commission for some reason?
How long has it been since your last attempt to contact?

If you want help you'll need to tell us what amp you have.
It's not as if your're ratting anyone out.
For the most part I doubt that anyone makes a connection between a name and an item for sale.
Maybe also the seller might see this thread once you post the details and realizes he needs to contact you.

If there is a shady dealer among us, we all need to know. But give the guy the benefit of the doubt if you haven't done so already.

 

[Nick Thorpe]

How long has it been since you messaged the seller?

I messaged him first a month or so ago telling him that it was experiencing problems and he denied knowing about it before selling. I messaged him two days ago telling him it would be $500 to fix and have heard nothing back from him.

I think that you should tell us what model amp it is. Without that information we’re just groping in the dark. We also are lucky that we have an excellent Engineer who works for Mesa amongst our ranks.

Personally I have no interest who sold you the amp. That’s between you and he.

What help would it be to tell the model? Mesa has already told me they're the only ones that will fix it, as did the music store that I took it to originally (who was an authorized Mesa dealer). It's a model that they only fix in-house.

I check for stuff on the classified here almost every day.
I've yet to make a purchase here, but would do so with confidence given the general reputation of the site.
If unresolved problems start to become more prevelant that will hurt everyone here who buys and sells.

How long has it been since you first tried to contact the seller?
How many times have you tried?
Do you know you are being ignored or could it just be that the seller has been off-line, or maybe even out of commission for some reason?

If you want help you'll need to tell us what amp you have.
It's not as if your're ratting anyone out.
For the most part I doubt that anyone makes a connection between a name and an item for sale.
Maybe also the seller might see this thread once you post the details and realizes he needs to contact you.

If there is a shady dealer among us, we all need to know. But give the guy the benefit of the doubt if you haven't done so already.

1. Just a couple days
2. Just that once, don't wanna send him the wrong message because I'm not freaking out *just* yet
3. He may have been offline, his profile doesn't say the last time he was online.

For those interested, it's a Mesa Boogie Big Block Titan V12. The guy who runs repairs at MB told me they only fix those in-house.

And yes, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt because he seemed sincere and asked me to keep him updated when I originally told him of the problems. Just trying to get some info on what I can do if I never hear from him again.

 

[Gorn]

Just trying to get some info on what I can do if I never hear from him again

If the seller totally flakes out I believe the only option is a PayPal dispute.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I messaged him first a month or so ago telling him that it was experiencing problems and he denied knowing about it before selling. I messaged him two days ago telling him it would be $500 to fix and have heard nothing back from him.



What help would it be to tell the model? Mesa has already told me they're the only ones that will fix it, as did the music store that I took it to originally (who was an authorized Mesa dealer). It's a model that they only fix in-house.




1. Just a couple days
2. Just that once, don't wanna send him the wrong message because I'm not freaking out *just* yet
3. He may have been offline, his profile doesn't say the last time he was online.

For those interested, it's a Mesa Boogie Big Block Titan V12. The guy who runs repairs at MB told me they only fix those in-house.

And yes, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt because he seemed sincere and asked me to keep him updated when I originally told him of the problems. Just trying to get some info on what I can do if I never hear from him again.

OK, sounds like you gave him a chance to make good.
But for the record, he did get back to you the first time.
The original post made it sound like you never had a conversation with him at all.

So you got in touch a month ago and he said he wasn't aware of any problem?
And that's where it ended, or did you ask if he'd make good on it?
Then you just tried him again two days ago to essentially tell him that after a month, he owes you $500?
And you're complaining about not hearing back from him?

Is there any chance it was damaged after it left him? Like in shipment for instance?
I'm sorry you got the short end of a deal, but IMO waiting a month to ask for recourse when buying used from an individual is kind of a long time, if that's how it went down.

 

[Nick Thorpe]

OK, sounds like you gave him a chance to make good.
But for the record, he did get back to you the first time.
The original post made it sound like you never had a conversation with him at all.

So you got in touch a month ago and he said he wasn't aware of any problem?
And that's where it ended, or did you ask if he'd make good on it?
Then you just tried him again two days ago to essentially tell him that after a month, he owes you $500?
And you're complaining about not hearing back from him?

Is there any chance it was damaged after it left him? Like in shipment for instance?
I'm sorry you got the short end of a deal, but IMO waiting a month to ask for recourse when buying used from an individual is kind of a long time, if that's how it went down.

It is a bit more complicated than that. He first said he wasn't aware of any problem and to keep him updated. I told him I'd give him an update after I had the issue diagnosed by a tech, because I assumed it was just a faulty preamp tube or something simple.
Then, going through the process of taking it to an authorized Mesa dealer took a while as they kept it in the shop, and then getting in contact with Mesa was a nightmare. After a long and tedious process I finally found out that I would have to ship it back to Mesa to get $500 of repairs on it if I want it to work right. No specifics, no statement of what exactly was wrong with it, just "it'll probably be 500 bucks or so, and we can only service the Titans in house."
So after finding this out, I send him a message a couple days ago, not saying that he owes me anything explicitly, but that it would cost $500 to fix the amp, because he asked for updates. And he hasn't replied, but I don't know if he's been online or not.

Nothing against the guy, he was very pleasant to deal with up until I sent him a message so it's probably nothing, but I am starting to get worried about this one.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

It is a bit more complicated than that. He first said he wasn't aware of any problem and to keep him updated. I told him I'd give him an update after I had the issue diagnosed by a tech, because I assumed it was just a faulty preamp tube or something simple.
Then, going through the process of taking it to an authorized Mesa dealer took a while as they kept it in the shop, and then getting in contact with Mesa was a nightmare. After a long and tedious process I finally found out that I would have to ship it back to Mesa to get $500 of repairs on it if I want it to work right. No specifics, no statement of what exactly was wrong with it, just "it'll probably be 500 bucks or so, and we can only service the Titans in house."
So after finding this out, I send him a message a couple days ago, not saying that he owes me anything explicitly, but that it would cost $500 to fix the amp, because he asked for updates. And he hasn't replied, but I don't know if he's been online or not.

Nothing against the guy, he was very pleasant to deal with up until I sent him a message so it's probably nothing, but I am starting to get worried about this one.

As a tech myself, I find it odd what you are hearing. I don't know how someone can give you a repair estimate who hasn't even seen the thing. But then maybe that's how they do things. Perhaps they just replace all the guts and that's how they fix things. Still doesn't seem right. And doesn't really sound like a company who seems to to enjoy the reputation Mesa seems to have around here. There must be a missing piece to this story.

 

[Nick Thorpe]

As a tech myself, I find it odd what you are hearing. I don't know how someone can give you a repair estimate who hasn't even seen the thing. But then maybe that's how they do things. Perhaps they just replace all the guts and that's how they fix things. Still doesn't seem right. And doesn't really sound like a company who seems to to enjoy the reputation Mesa seems to have around here. There must be a missing piece to this story.

I'm not sure. Maybe they don't know themselves what's wrong, they just have an idea of how much it typically costs to fix it? I don't know at what point the shop decided to redirect the amp to Mesa, could have been upon hearing that it was simply a Titan model, or they could have looked at it, determined it was only fixable at the Mesa Hollywood shop, and told Mesa about it? I have no idea, really, but I agree that it is very odd and quite frustrating. I think in the worst case scenario I'll just sell it cheap or for parts. I need to sell either the Titan or my M9 soon anyway.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I'm not sure. Maybe they don't know themselves what's wrong, they just have an idea of how much it typically costs to fix it? I don't know at what point the shop decided to redirect the amp to Mesa, could have been upon hearing that it was simply a Titan model, or they could have looked at it, determined it was only fixable at the Mesa Hollywood shop, and told Mesa about it? I have no idea, really, but I agree that it is very odd and quite frustrating. I think in the worst case scenario I'll just sell it cheap or for parts. I need to sell either the Titan or my M9 soon anyway.

Being it's me and realizing that not everyone would do this... but I'd be asking the hard questions of these people who make crystal ball repair estimates. Why do you think it will cost $500? How can you say that without even looking at it? Please be more specific about what you think is wrong. If they can't answer your questions you need to walk. Not easy when it is an authorized repair center, but you can start asking the manufacturer these things directly.

For anyone though, I'd suggest that buying used (or even new for that matter) should come with some prior research. Certainly get on here and ask questions like do brand X have a lot of uses? Are they easily repairable, or do they require being sent back yo the mother ship? Has anyone had repair uses with this brand. And zig I do have to deal with customer service, how is their customer service?

I realize that sometimes you see the deal of a lifetime and don't want to miss out, but you have to be willing to take chances in those cases and accept what comes of it.

Best of luck in getting whatever you can out of it.

 

[MrLenny1]

Mesa has had some issues. My buddy's Mesa develped problems and went
back for a pricey fix. He was told many upgrades were done to the amp.
He's up and running again. Classifieds can be risky.

 

[Nick Thorpe]

Being it's me and realizing that not everyone would do this... but I'd be asking the hard questions of these people who make crystal ball repair estimates. Why do you think it will cost $500? How can you say that without even looking at it? Please be more specific about what you think is wrong. If they can't answer your questions you need to walk. Not easy when it is an authorized repair center, but you can start asking the manufacturer these things directly.

For anyone though, I'd suggest that buying used (or even new for that matter) should come with some prior research. Certainly get on here and ask questions like do brand X have a lot of uses? Are they easily repairable, or do they require being sent back yo the mother ship? Has anyone had repair uses with this brand. And zig I do have to deal with customer service, how is their customer service?

I realize that sometimes you see the deal of a lifetime and don't want to miss out, but you have to be willing to take chances in those cases and accept what comes of it.

Best of luck in getting whatever you can out of it.

Yeah I think I will have to call Mesa again this week and ask them what's really going on here. I had a good amount of confidence in buying as usually Mesa's are built like tanks. I think it may have happened in shipping, but I can't know for sure. Worst case scenario I sell it for what I can and walk into the world wiser than before.

Mesa has had some issues. My buddy's Mesa develped problems and went
back for a pricey fix. He was told many upgrades were done to the amp.
He's up and running again. Classifieds can be risky.

Yeah, Mesa will do all the upgrades possible for an amp if you send it to them, and if it's not under warranty it ends up being really pricey. Kinda sucks.

 

[Nick Thorpe]

Hey guys, just an update: Seller was out of town for a couple days, but he got back to me and is being really cool about this whole thing. All is well, no worries.