IOTAVX ghosts customers with service issues

[timewilltell]

There’s a growing number of IOTAVX customers being ghosted after reporting issues with the product post sale. I am one of them. This isn’t about small delays in shipping or communication - it’s about not even bothering to respond to customers who just spent a lot of hard earned money. Use paypal folks - it may be the only way to get your money back if you do experience an issue.

 

[Vasr]

Not to dismiss your concern but for these kinds of things it is better if you detail what actually happened in your case. It is good to know if a company is bad but it also must be set in the context of the customer issues and expectations. Companies get smeared all the time on the Internet, sometimes justifiably, sometimes from isolated incidents explained by accidents or miscommunication and sometimes by unreasonable customer expectations.

I have no relationship with IOTAVX other than having commented on their OEM/ODM business model and their representations of such for marketing.

 

[Koeitje]

The only customer service contact I had was ordering a new measurement microphone, because I bought a second hand processor on eBay that turned out not to have it. They were a pain to reach through email and their website chat, but I just gave them a call and it got sorted out pretty much right away. So if you have issues I suggest calling them instead.

 

[timewilltell]

Not to dismiss your concern but for these kinds of things it is better if you detail what actually happened in your case. It is good to know if a company is bad but it also must be set in the context of the customer issues and expectations. Companies get smeared all the time on the Internet, sometimes justifiably, sometimes from isolated incidents explained by accidents or miscommunication and sometimes by unreasonable customer expectations.

I have no relationship with IOTAVX other than having commented on their OEM/ODM business model and their representations of such for marketing.

I agree that many companies get undue bad press based on shipping or other issues well outside of their control. However, these folks not only didn’t respond to my request for assistance - but also blew off requests generated within the Paypal dispute framework/process (aside from generating a shipping label). Look, I’ve been in customer service for over 30 years - I can handle delays and unforeseen circumstances that may impact shipping and communications, but there appears to be a patten emerging here whereby they’re ghosting customers who seek post sale support. I will also admit that I really liked the product and only wanted to exchange it for one that worked properly - but after a full month of trying to communicate with them, I had to give up. In closing, the paypal dispute was initiated due to poor customer communication/support and ultimately closed in my favor for the same reason - they never responded.

 

[Vasr]

I agree that many companies get undue bad press based on shipping or other issues well outside of their control. However, these folks not only didn’t respond to my request for assistance - but also blew off requests generated within the Paypal dispute framework/process (aside from generating a shipping label). Look, I’ve been in customer service for over 30 years - I can handle delays and unforeseen circumstances that may impact shipping and communications, but there appears to be a patten emerging here whereby they’re ghosting customers who seek post sale support. I will also admit that I really liked the product and only wanted to exchange it for one that worked properly - but after a full month of trying to communicate with them, I had to give up. In closing, the paypal dispute was initiated due to poor customer communication/support and ultimately closed in my favor for the same reason - they never responded.

I am not trying to get you to defend your position. But you are still not giving details.

What was wrong with the unit that "didn't work properly"? How did you contact them (email/phone/?)? Did you get any response at all for any of your contacts or did they refuse to replace? Is there anything in the story that isn't explained by those guys simply not reading emails (and I am not saying that is right)? People have reported that they don't respond to emails for questions either.

If you have been in customer service for that long you know there are many sides to a story so why not set your story in context before asking people to take your judgment at face value? Just the facts, not your judgment.

Again, not saying your were wrong or didn't have a valid complaint, just trying to understand the circumstances.

 

[amirm]

I agree. I appreciate the warning but do like to know what all happened.

 

[luis meunier]

I currently made a purchase of the sa3 and the bluetooth adapter but in the meantime, they changed their website and suddenly my order disappeared, i havent been able to contact them at all, ian send me an email saying i could reply to him but when i did there were no answer from him

 

[Bklynsound201]

I purchased the iota vx stack and received it at the end of the summer 2020. It arrived with 2 stripped wire nuts on the speaker terminals. I wrote to Ian and he agreed to send me two new nuts. I have yet to receive them and have written to them several times. More recently, the red light which remains on when you shut the stack unit off has now become much dimmer on the amplifier than the integrated amp And I am concerned that this may be indicative of some more serious underlying electrical problem with the amplifier. Likewise, I have written to Ian several times now about this dimming light and have received no response after spending close to a $1000, based upon great YouTube reviews and a hail Mary that this new company would do right. Buyers beware! Seems Mr. Vermeulen and his company have left the building...

 

[Obreeon]

Wish I would’ve seen this thread prior to purchase (to curb expectations). Just got my SA3 (refurbished) today through DHL. Plugged it in and immediately went into what I assume is fault protect mode. Red light, press on, white light for a second, click, back to red. Nothing else was plugged into it or the power source. Double checked the volt select and all seemed well. Fuses intact as well inside. The Bluetooth adapter also was not included (did pay for it). Just sent an email and hope to hear back. I will update during this process. No judgment regarding the company and will try and be transparent during this. Unfortunately didn’t use PayPal, but already researched small claims equivalent in UK as a US resident in case (cause that’s the type of planner I am lol)

Created this account specifically to add to the knowledge base

 

[TooMany45s]

Wish I would’ve seen this thread prior to purchase (to curb expectations). Just got my SA3 (refurbished) today through DHL. Plugged it in and immediately went into what I assume is fault protect mode. Red light, press on, white light for a second, click, back to red. Nothing else was plugged into it or the power source. Double checked the volt select and all seemed well. Fuses intact as well inside. The Bluetooth adapter also was not included (did pay for it). Just sent an email and hope to hear back. I will update during this process. No judgment regarding the company and will try and be transparent during this. Unfortunately didn’t use PayPal, but already researched small claims equivalent in UK as a US resident in case (cause that’s the type of planner I am lol)

Created this account specifically to add to the knowledge base

Just now finding this thread as well - Also received my SA3 today via DHL and I am having the same issue - amp went into circuit protect mode, flashed white and shut down back to standby. Disappointed to hear this wasn't a one off issue. I've tried to contact via phone and email, no response yet.

 

[Obreeon]

Wish I would’ve seen this thread prior to purchase (to curb expectations). Just got my SA3 (refurbished) today through DHL. Plugged it in and immediately went into what I assume is fault protect mode. Red light, press on, white light for a second, click, back to red. Nothing else was plugged into it or the power source. Double checked the volt select and all seemed well. Fuses intact as well inside. The Bluetooth adapter also was not included (did pay for it). Just sent an email and hope to hear back. I will update during this process. No judgment regarding the company and will try and be transparent during this. Unfortunately didn’t use PayPal, but already researched small claims equivalent in UK as a US resident in case (cause that’s the type of planner I am lol)

Created this account specifically to add to the knowledge base

I wanted to update you on the situation. I sent an email and called IOTA. I called early in the morning, right after they opened, and they picked up. Assured me it would be replaced. A new SA3 was sent out two days later, and I received the return shipping info. I got the new amp today, and it works wonderfully. They DID forget the Bluetooth adapter again, but I'll have them ship that before I send it back the original broken SA3 Definitely was concerned after reading some posts, but it seems like they are fairly stressed. Anyway, the problem (almost fully) was resolved.

 

[Obreeon]

This is a final update on the above posts I made. The missing Bluetooth adapter came quickly and works great. I returned the faulty SA3. So it seems that “Nicholas” is the person now that is contacting folks. Email/message wasn’t returned quickly, but an early morning phone call (9am their time) really helped. So be persistent if you can. Once contact was made, they were actually quite quick. Best of luck folks! This sound stage is wonderful

 

[Michael109]

I ordered the IOTAVX stack almost a month ago now and it has not yet shipped. I emailed back and forth with Nicholas at IOTA and on January 26th was assured that the amps will be shipped out the next week. The next week came and I did not receive any DHL tracking. I have since sent a few emails to check on the status of my order and all emails have gone without any replies. How long did it take for orders to ship. Very poor customer service. For a company relying on the direct to consumer model; I would think they would prioritize customer service as that would be be a critical element for success regardless how good the product is. Obreeon, thanks for sharing your experience, I will follow your advice and give them a call.

 

[Obreeon]

You’re welcome Michael. Once I made contact via phone and referenced my ticket number, it was shipped within a few days. But it seems they are a skeleton crew and I’m not sure if there are delays with components being short with covid.

 

[Michael109]

I

You’re welcome Michael. Once I made contact via phone and referenced my ticket number, it was shipped within a few days. But it seems they are a skeleton crew and I’m not sure if there are delays with components being short with covid.

I am not sure if IOTA enterprises is monitoring this thread/forum. Monday being a holiday here, I was going to call them first thing on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning there was a confirmation and tracking from DHL in my inbox. The amps should be here on Friday. Fingers crossed, all works and I do not get the red, white, red light issues.

 

[Michael109]

I


I am not sure if IOTA enterprises is monitoring this thread/forum. Monday being a holiday here, I was going to call them first thing on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning there was a confirmation and tracking from DHL in my inbox. The amps should be here on Friday. Fingers crossed, all works and I do not get the red, white, red light issues.

Update: The amps finally arrived today Thursday, a day early. Kudos to DHL, fast shipping simple great customer service of under promising and over delivering. The SA3 is working fine. The PA3 was shipped with the wrong power cords, the European ones with the different plugs. I checked the back of the amp and as expected the power supply was set to 240V. Unscrewed the little plastic cover and flipped it to 110/5V. I had a spare North American power cord, I powered it on and guess what, I get the same issue as @Obreeon , when I power on from the red light, it flickers and turns white then back to red. It does not power on. To say the least, I am pissed right now.

 

[DougS]

I first bought the SA3 to replace an appliance store integrated amp and pair with KEF LS50's and a small HSU subwoofer. I did so based on internet reviewers positive comments. No problems with the SA3 and the audio improvement was obvious. 6 months later I ordered the PA3. The trigger between the the SA3 and PA3 was faulty where it would turn the PA3 off, never on. The dimmer trigger feature between the units also failed to work turning the PA3’s light completely off, but it still functioned. However, the audio quality was even more improved with SA3 / PA3 stack. After several e mails were ignored, Ian finally responded by setting up a phone meeting two days later. He'd forgotten the meeting, but still took my call (at 0500 EST, I live in Michigan) and forgot my name twice during the call. He decided to e mail me software which he hoped would solve the issue. It did not. After 3 more months of mostly ignored e mails, Ian accepted return of the products. Once they were picked up by DHL I immediately ordered a PS Audio Sprout and NAD3045 from Cambridge to try as replacements. The NAD3045 sounded thin no matter how I adjusted the bass / treble. The PS Audio Sprout came close to the IotaVX sound but lacked the power. (I guess class D amps don't satisfy my ears.) Both PS Audio and Cambridge accepted returns and refunded me immediately without question. I was going to move on to trying Marantz and Cambridge integrated amps. However, Ian at IotaVX had been unable to muster the resources to refund me. After several e mails were ignored, he finally responded the only way he could do so was by PayPal and was not sure that would work. I told him if he could send me a SA3 and PA3 that worked properly, I would be happy. They arrived a week later and work as advertised except the PA3's red off light button is a bit dimmer than the SA3's red off light button surround. YIKES, what a journey. Very unprofessional. I’m guessing the popular internet audio guru reviewers are not having this experience.

Still, with all the hassle, the IotaVX is great sounding for the money. I’d suggest Ian charge the amount additional to allow supplier quality control, create credible customer service and put himself in product development.

 

[Carnatux]

Bummer, I was saving up to purchase an IotaVX stack over something like an emotiva BasX A-300/PT-100 Combo. Heres to hopping Iota can pull through because i'm not sure what other stack combos can compete at this price.

 

[krott5333]

It's funny how seemingly out of nowhere there's a bunch of positive YouTube reviews for the previously unknown product.

 

[Carnatux]

It's funny how seemingly out of nowhere there's a bunch of positive YouTube reviews for the previously unknown product.

Yup seen good reviews on youtube specifically from Zero Fidelity. I know the company is small but how hard could QA be?