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My terrible Mike Arnopol experience

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#21
Foz said:
Wow!

Bad drivers happen - sometimes right from the factory, which seems to be the case here [?] - but its very hard to understand how that problem was missed repeatedly.

Its a shame your attempt to get yourself a Dave Green designed bass cab failed so utterly over such a simple problem.

You deserve a full refund and an apology IMO.
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Yeah. My final email to Mike said that I didn't want to hear from him again unless it was regarding a refund offer. He is a very nice man. However, his niceness hasn't yielded a functioning product. It is now long past any warranty issue for getting a speaker replacement. I had considered asking him to just get FedEex to do as big a cash-out as they would provide for the damage they did to version 2 of the 15/6.

Honestly, I like the form factor of the F115. I'd like to hear what it can do. I think a properly built one would be a great product.

I had considered going with a wooden build from Ron, since he was close enough for me to drive to (2 hours away). However, at the time, I wanted the lightest/loudest cab possible. I was (and am) recovering from a major injury (I've posted about my broken neck and related paralysis before), so I was tempted by the composite. Like they say: light, strong, cheap; pick two.
 
#22
It stinks to get something that is messed up.. I have heard only Great stories about Mikes Products otherwise. Sometimes things are just not meant to be and everything gets in the way of it happening .. somehow..
Seems like mike was genuine and did attempt to make it right. however he missed it and you were the one to get the bad one.. .. Sadly things happen. Dont know if i would hold it against him forever..

Im considering one of the Xsonics 1155TF cabs,,, 3 way or 2 way with his V Vibe switch and a ferrite 15.. Im thinking punch
 
#23
incredible story monster...one thing comes to mind.

If these boutique builders were also able to apply some method and learn that communication and customer service and assistance is the business's core...

business, real business, the big one, cannot skip on those aspects

great companies always are considered this way also because of the customer care and service.
Personally, I'm prone to spend more money if I'm aware that a builder stands behind his products.

Two major issues here:
- lack of communication. Today (2014), it's unbelievable that a builder does not listen to customers using mails
- lack of quality control and testing.

I can tell a story. just bought a BB2 barefaced cab from alex claber.

Even alex is not so happy sending lots of mails, but he does, and he is truly great with customer care and testing his products BEFORE they go out!
My BB2 had a faulty crossover during final testing, and it took some time to rebuild it because of lack of spare parts in the Christmas period...at the end of the story my cab was delivered to me and it's good as it can be.
 
#25
monsterthompson said:
Yeah. My final email to Mike said that I didn't want to hear from him again unless it was regarding a refund offer. He is a very nice man. However, his niceness hasn't yielded a functioning product. It is now long past any warranty issue for getting a speaker replacement. I had considered asking him to just get FedEex to do as big a cash-out as they would provide for the damage they did to version 2 of the 15/6.

Honestly, I like the form factor of the F115. I'd like to hear what it can do. I think a properly built one would be a great product.

I had considered going with a wooden build from Ron, since he was close enough for me to drive to (2 hours away). However, at the time, I wanted the lightest/loudest cab possible. I was (and am) recovering from a major injury (I've posted about my broken neck and related paralysis before), so I was tempted by the composite. Like they say: light, strong, cheap; pick two.
Click to expand...

Wow. Sorry to hear about your physical problem and pray you get better in that carrying a substantial weight of a bass cabinet does not become an issue. I feel bad about what had happened concerning your cabinet both the original and the replacements. I am really surprised that you had problems with Mike as what I have read he is very respected here at talkbass. Maybe it was part of the reason you ordered from him. Did you ever speak to him personally by phone? I know you don't want to now. But maybe it would be a good idea, just to clear it up. Maybe this way you can iron out some of your differences. I am not saying Mike didn't have any idea it was the woofer but it just surprises me that it went down in this kind of way. Hope it all turns out right. Physically and mentally.
 
#26
Bassist30 said:
Wow. Sorry to hear about your physical problem and pray you get better in that carrying a substantial weight of a bass cabinet does not become an issue. I feel bad about what had happened concerning your cabinet both the original and the replacements. I am really surprised that you had problems with Mike as what I have read he is very respected here at talkbass. Maybe it was part of the reason you ordered from him. Did you ever speak to him personally by phone? I know you don't want to now. But maybe it would be a good idea, just to clear it up. Maybe this way you can iron out some of your differences. I am not saying Mike didn't have any idea it was the woofer but it just surprises me that it went down in this kind of way. Hope it all terns out right. Physically and mentally.
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thanks for the kind words. it has been a long hard road, and playing music has motivated quite a bit. i'm still making progress each week (after 3+ years).

regarding the communication, i did try him by phone, which usually had better results, though not always. i understand that some folks are email and some are phone and some are both... and some are neither :)
 
#28
+ 1

If I were Mike, I would prefer to rebuild the cab from ground or substitute every part of it or give a complete refund, instead of letting a faulty cab go out multiple times with the same obvious issue across a long period of time.

I am very interested in knowing how this may have happened, maybe there are reasons we ignore in the counterpart.

For example, I have read somewhere that Mike had major health issues in the recent past due to the composite material that cabs are made of...

but the whole story has some frightening aspects that are unexplanable in a good and polite way...
 
#30
It would seem that swapping the driver would be the first thing to try for a builder this well regarded and vetted by Dave Green. Well, not the first authorized builder to have issues and drop off that list. Glad you finally got your issue resolved.
 
#31
I had a similar experience with another Greenboy authorized builder, who is also no longer authorized. I was'nt the only one, though. I don't know Mike's work situation, but I am wary of " authorized " builders, that are a one man shop. They get in over their heads sometimes, realizing that they can't get the cabs built in time, and start cutting corners to get the builds done and shipped. Cabs aren't tested properly if at all, quality checks aren't done, and if issues arise, it's an ordeal just to get a response from them because they are so busy with other builds. Dr. Bass is the extreme example of these types of problems. I recently had an " authorized " cab built that turned out to be excellent. However, the cab was packed in styrofoam sheets, and by the time it got to me, it looked like it had snowed all over the cab, inside and out. Styrofoam pellets were everywhere, and I had to take it apart and vacuum the inside. Most of these cabs are not inexpensive to buy, quality control should not be an issue at these prices. BTW, I once sent a custom build request to Mike, and he never responded. The only " one man shop " I trust at this point is LDS; three cabs built, no problems.
 
#32
The driver is going to Eminence for evaluation. All eminence products carry a 7 year warranty.

Jnewmark I hope that wasn't me. I made that mistake in packing, but only did it once. Boxing cabs is almost harder than building them.

I deal with Mike all the time. I find him to be a stand up guy. This was a c/f without a doubt. I know he agonized and still does over it. It's a shame it all turned out this way.
 
#33
And to be fair, there are plenty of small shops that are amazing with their customer service. I would say that all of the builders currently on greenboy's current list are pretty top notch. I have cabs from Gigmaster soundworks and BNA Audio/greenboy Audio. In both those cases I experianced nothing but great service.
 
#34
Sorry about your experience man but It sounds like we are talking about a different
guy than I know? I think one should be careful when titling a thread on a forum "My terrible experience with" on the internet unless someone has show a pattern of dishonesty or incompetence. Mike Arnopol is the a man of high integrity and skill and yours is the first time I have heard something negative on this forum as a customer. When we put stuff like this out there it comes up in google searches and can have a bad effect on these small boutique operations. Titling a thread like this feels vindictive as we all know the implications at this point with the web. If Mike was like Dr Bass I would be all for letting the hounds out but this is not the case and I see no pattern of impropriety.
Sorry for your experience but lets be big boys.......
 
#35
lelandcrooks said:
The driver is going to Eminence for evaluation. All eminence products carry a 7 year warranty.

Jnewmark I hope that wasn't me. I made that mistake in packing, but only did it once. Boxing cabs is almost harder than building them.

I deal with Mike all the time. I find him to be a stand up guy. This was a c/f without a doubt. I know he agonized and still does over it. It's a shame it all turned out this way.
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I thought he did based on our conversation. I genuinely get the impression that he cared and wanted to do the right thing. I just couldn't figure out the link in the supply chain that ended up with me getting a fauly product. If I were a handy guy, I might have opted to try various solutions myself. As noted by oters, this can be the risk of getting involved with a one man shop.

I don't intend for this to be a witch hunt of any kind. Instead, I wanted it to be an honest statement about my experience. I find it hard to believe that mine was the only such experience, though sometimes life just deals a person a tough hand.
 
#36
nomatic said:
Sorry about your experience man but It sounds like we are talking about a different
guy than I know? I think one should be careful when titling a thread on a forum "My terrible experience with" on the internet unless someone has show a pattern of dishonesty or incompetence. Mike Arnopol is the a man of high integrity and skill and yours is the first time I have heard something negative on this forum as a customer. When we put stuff like this out there it comes up in google searches and can have a bad effect on these small boutique operations. Titling a thread like this feels vindictive as we all know the implications at this point with the web. If Mike was like Dr Bass I would be all for letting the hounds out but this is not the case and I see no pattern of impropriety.
Sorry for your experience but lets be big boys.......
Click to expand...

It was "my" experience and it was "terrible.". I've been quite polite about how I described this, and I've pointed out that this may have been bad luck. I believe he meant well, but it didn't get me a working product. He exhibited a pattern of poor communication skills (from my side as a customer with an issue). He missed the source of the issue, which an ameture spotted immediately. Based on the reports I've been given by the person working on the cab, the build quality was sub-par in multiple areas. If I were a customer google searching for a builder, this is exactly what I would want to know. Mike is no longer an authorized builder for this product, so it is moot for people looking for a greenboy product. I can only speculate why he is no longer a builder. Perhaps he is busy with other projects, or maybe mine wasn't the only such experience, or maybe a combo of the two.
 
#37
lelandcrooks said:
The driver is going to Eminence for evaluation. All eminence products carry a 7 year warranty.

Jnewmark I hope that wasn't me. I made that mistake in packing, but only did it once. Boxing cabs is almost harder than building them.

I deal with Mike all the time. I find him to be a stand up guy. This was a c/f without a doubt. I know he agonized and still does over it. It's a shame it all turned out this way.
Click to expand...

Nope not you. I made the suggestion to the builder to invest in some double extra large garbage bags though ! Still finding styrofoam pellets everytime I move the cab.
 
#38
nomatic said:
Sorry about your experience man but It sounds like we are talking about a different
guy than I know? I think one should be careful when titling a thread on a forum "My terrible experience with" on the internet unless someone has show a pattern of dishonesty or incompetence. Mike Arnopol is the a man of high integrity and skill and yours is the first time I have heard something negative on this forum as a customer. When we put stuff like this out there it comes up in google searches and can have a bad effect on these small boutique operations. Titling a thread like this feels vindictive as we all know the implications at this point with the web. If Mike was like Dr Bass I would be all for letting the hounds out but this is not the case and I see no pattern of impropriety.
Sorry for your experience but lets be big boys.......
Click to expand...


When you start a business that sells consumer products, you out yourself at the mercy of those customers. Big boys? Why should a dissatisfied client be obligated to remain silent about an issue such as this simply to protect a business reputation?
 
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