Gr-research - bad customer service

[Tony31]

Hello everyone,
This is the kind of story we all hate.
After knowing GR-research for many years, specifically having heard about the OB in the dipole community, I was tempted to take the plunge and went straight to the place.
I was welcomed and we listened for some tracks.
After discussing and getting to know each other, I decided not to take the upgrade kit for my magnepan 20.7 but to take the triple threat OB subwoofers and paid in a heart-bit 3500$, taking possession of the 6 drivers as well as 6 sheets of no-rez without even negotiating, knowing the amplifiers would have to be drop-shipped by the importer and he will send me later the speakon connectors.

I thought the owner would treat me well having done such an easy deal in a couple hours.
Well that was probably too easy for him.

1) After a few days, as I didn’t have any news about the amplifiers shipment, I sent gr-research an email but he supposedly couldn’t give me information…….well, it is him placing the order and providing the importer with the shipping label.
Basically I had to phone twice the importer in Austin who told me Danny should have given me all informations. Fortunately the importer helped me directly.

2) Despite asking Danny 3 or 4 times about the speakon connectors he owe me, either I get “i don’t know when i will receive them or simply no answer at all. Both are unacceptable as he surely knows when he will receive, knowing the volume of speakers he sell…..

I don’t know if it is because I am a foreigner or if it is because I am being too nice, but this chasing ends up in being a whole frustration and it certainly doesn’t reflect professionalism but amateurism, giving credit to the people calling all of its products either overrated or snake oil.

I had in mind to buy other kits in the next few months, well….I’ll pass !
Lessons learnt, don’t support small businesses ! Unfortunately

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Hello everyone,
This is the kind of story we all hate.
After knowing GR-research for many years, specifically having heard about the OB in the dipole community, I was tempted to take the plunge and went straight to the place.
I was welcomed and we listened for some tracks.
After discussing and getting to know each other, I decided not to take the upgrade kit for my magnepan 20.7 but to take the triple threat OB subwoofers and paid in a heart-bit 3500$, taking possession of the 6 drivers as well as 6 sheets of no-rez without even negotiating, knowing the amplifiers would have to be drop-shipped by the importer and he will send me later the speakon connectors.

I thought the owner would treat me well having done such an easy deal in a couple hours.
Well that was probably too easy for him.

1) After a few days, as I didn’t have any news about the amplifiers shipment, I sent gr-research an email but he supposedly couldn’t give me information…….well, it is him placing the order and providing the importer with the shipping label.
Basically I had to phone twice the importer in Austin who told me Danny should have given me all informations. Fortunately the importer helped me directly.

2) Despite asking Danny 3 or 4 times about the speakon connectors he owe me, either I get “i don’t know when i will receive them or simply no answer at all. Both are unacceptable as he surely knows when he will receive, knowing the volume of speakers he sell…..

I don’t know if it is because I am a foreigner or if it is because I am being too nice, but this chasing ends up in being a whole frustration and it certainly doesn’t reflect professionalism but amateurism, giving credit to the people calling all of its products either overrated or snake oil.

I had in mind to buy other kits in the next few months, well….I’ll pass !
Lessons learnt, don’t support small businesses ! Unfortunately

in addition to being a bad customer service agent, he's a snake-oil peddling grifter

 

[kma100]

Not many people here are fans of GR Research so posting such a complaint here seems a bit calculated. Are you looking to generate some controversy?

Especially as a first post...

 

[kemmler3D]

Not many people here are fans of GR Research so posting such a complaint here seems a bit calculated. Are you looking to generate some controversy?

Especially as a first post...

You're not wrong about that, but a complaint is not a super surprising first post if it's real, nothing motivates people to complain online like a bad product or service experience.

 

[Jim Taylor]

Lessons learnt, don’t support small businesses !

What happened to you has nothing at all to do with "small businesses". People choose to either be honest, or not. This applies to CEOs of giant corporations as well as proprietors of small businesses, and everything in between. The only difference is that small businesses that happen to be dishonest screw a few people, and giant corporations that happen to be dishonest screw huge numbers of people.
Either way, the end result is the same.

As for thinking that "the owner would treat me well", I would advise you to never make assumptions. It can help you a great deal when dealing with strangers.

 

[Woofersnoofer]

Maybe he truly doesn't know when the speakon connectors will arrive, they can be backordered. Bad communication is unforgivable though and something i often use to decide whether i want to do business with a company. If you're a small business and are swamped i don't think it's hard to set something up where you get an automated reply stating delayed response.
If i had a good in person contact/service with a company i too might be "fooled" into thinking everything would be ok though.

 

[TimVG]

Any sort of speakon connector is probably the most universally available sort of connector. How can this be an issue?

 

[Woofersnoofer]

Was just playing devil's advocate, i agree it's probably bullshit.

 

[3125b]

GR-Research has to be the most pretentious name for any company making cheap, crappy speakers.

 

[Jim Taylor]

Was just playing devil's advocate

What a wonderfully appropriate term in relation to Danny!

 

[Chaconne]

You're not wrong about that, but a complaint is not a super surprising first post if it's real, nothing motivates people to complain online like a bad product or service experience.

For what it's worth, the OP posted the same thing on the Steve Hoffman forum. Seems Tony is not a newbie forum follower, because he's been a member there for six years. He's made only one post in that time, and he certainly could have been a lurker here for a while. No harm in that, and no harm in finally having a strong enough opinion to post it. There's a good chance he's familiar with the general opinion of Danny around here.

 

[Tony31]

Seems I missed the few replies.
No, I am not new, I just lost my previous profile (shame on me).
I have been a member here and other fora since a couple decades.
And no, I am not willing to launch any controversy or whatever, just being pissed off and that triggered me to post.

10 days ago he told me he had a return that contained some speakon connectors, and that he shipped them to me straight away.
We are now 10 days later and I have not received them (I am a 100 miles away).

Anyway…..seeing a dealer lying like this for 2 cheap connectors, can only trigger doubts about what I purchased and his work ethics when more expensive products are at stake (ie speakers or kits ) , giving credit to the naysayers.
Anyway, I am finalizing my kits and don’t need his damn connectors, and will certainly never do business with him again.
Thanks for your replies guys ;-)

 

[courtesy]

Basically I had to phone twice the importer in Austin who told me Danny should have given me all informations. Fortunately the importer helped me directly.

GR uses Rythmik drivers and amps for the subs. So I imagine the "importer" you spoke to is Rythmik/Brian Ding (or Enrico).
Their customer service is excellent.

 

[Billy Budapest]

GR-Research has to be the most pretentious name for any company making cheap, crappy speakers.

What exactly does GR Research mean (especially the “GR” part and why is the name pretentious? When Ifirst heard the name, I thought it was some kind of motorcycle tuner or similar business.

Also, what does “OB” mean in the context above?

 

[defec1]

GR uses Rythmik drivers and amps for the subs. So I imagine the "importer" you spoke to is Rythmik/Brian Ding (or Enrico).
Their customer service is excellent.

aren't the driver's his but the amps aren't?

 

[solderdude]

what does “OB” mean

Open Baffle

What exactly does GR Research mean (especially the “GR” part

The "G" in GR Research stands for 'Green' the last name of a (former) business partner of Danny Ritchie when they founded the company in 1995.
So simply the first letters of the founder's last names.

 

[Alan O]

"Shunyata Research", "Syngergistic Research", "GR Research"... anyone spotting a trend?

 

[Mnyb]

"Shunyata Research", "Syngergistic Research", "GR Research"... anyone spotting a trend?

And the OG audio research ! A little better but ultimately they failed into the tube fallacy as founding principle for their “research” .



Orwell would have approved the newspeak . The research is anything but actual research.

 

[Tony31]

GR uses Rythmik drivers and amps for the subs. So I imagine the "importer" you spoke to is Rythmik/Brian Ding (or Enrico).
Their customer service is excellent.

Correct, he was surprised GR-research didn’t provide me details such as a date and a tracking (as gr-research provided the shipping label electronically to them).
But as you said, after discussing with him, HE was true to his word and shipped the very same day, giving me the details requested.
Top notch guy,

 

[heflys20]

I don’t know if it is because I am a foreigner or if it is because I am being too nice, but this chasing ends up in being a whole frustration and it certainly doesn’t reflect professionalism but amateurism, giving credit to the people calling all of its products either overrated or snake oil.

I hate the term being "too nice' in relation to customer/business interactions...Yes, a lot of customers can be rude off the rip, but if a business is providing shoddy/dismissive customer service after cordial interaction, you have every right to be angry...I wouldn't argue/threaten him initially, but I would be insistent and post about my experience on forums where he does business. You could do it on his youtube channel, but he'd likely delete your comments like a lot of cowards.