I bought Focal Stella Utopia Evo, but...

[Tecknik1]

Very sad to read a customer is being treated this way by a dealer and even more disturbing that Focal has basically ignored you.

I will not by Focal now after reading this thread. Focal is going to loose more then it would of cost them to have another pair ( blue ) shipped from where ever and taken care of this problem right away rather then let this thread go on.

I wish the op luck in resolving this to his satisfaction asap.

very sad

 

[Jongsun]

Yes your experience is just brutal. Obviously the problem is not the Simaudio products.
I personally considered a used product as one that was sitting at somebody's home. Whereas a demo product presumably never left the store (although I guess it could have gone on loan to somebody's home). So I generally don't consider a demo product "used" but I also don't consider it "new" either. To me, the price should be somewhere between used and new and the dealer should disclose. I strongly suspect your speakers were demo but not used by my definition. And it is unprofessional for your dealer to sell you the speakers as if they were new. But I think that's why your dealer is convinced the speakers were working totally fine, because they've been using them as demo speakers at the store.

I also suspect the internal crossover of the speakers got knocked around during delivery to your home. This is because my non-Focal speakers on delivery to my dealer's store got knocked around the first time and the woofer didn't work because the internal crossover got damaged from the transport. My dealer had to ship the speaker back to the manufacturer to be repaired before being shipped back. I think he had to pay for the cost of shipping because he didn't use the manufacturer's recommended shipper and went with a cheaper shipper. I presume insurance covered the shipping for him but wouldn't be surprised he made a smaller profit as a result.

I would be very surprised if Focal didn't agree to repair your product if the dealer is willing to ship it back to France. I just assumed that the shipping is too costly so your dealer just refused. I also suspect it is true that Focal speakers are quite back-ordered as my local Focal dealer told me. So if you wanted a new blue Focal, you probably have to wait for many months. Even if your local dealer is willing to do the right thing. The blue Focal that was shipped to Dubai was probably ordered and paid for by the Dubai dealer months before you asked for a replacement. That's why Focal can't ship that particular pair of speakers to you.

Well, hopefully the lawsuit will get you your money back soon and you can move on to a new pair of speakers you'll be happy with. But yeah, I would insist on delivery and setup of the next pair of speakers to ensure they're fully functional before letting the dealer leave next time.

The dealer initially acknowledged the initial failure of the speakers.
So they tried to repair it twice.
However, they began to change their statements as the lawsuit progressed.
They are claiming that my system and my carelessness caused the speaker to fail.
I asked focal about this why the new product has no manual, has stains, and put manual when sending speakers.
However, the focal said that the stain could be smeared in transit and would be removed.
But the stain has not been removed.
And they didn't give an answer to why there was no manual.
Anyway, I'm so disappointed with Focal's handling of this case and I don't want to use Focal again.
This case has become a big issue for audio enthusiasts in our country as well
The image has declined and it has become a brand that is excluded from many audio enthusiasts.
Anyway, thank you for your advice.

 

[joey_v]

Not buying focal brand new if I can help it after this story

 

[Nemal1]

Very poor from a manufacture of such repute

 

[Jongsun]

Not buying focal brand new if I can help it after this story

That would be better

 

[Jongsun]

Very poor from a manufacture of such repute

I didn't know it would be this bad.

 

[Jongsun]

Very sad to read a customer is being treated this way by a dealer and even more disturbing that Focal has basically ignored you.

I will not by Focal now after reading this thread. Focal is going to loose more then it would of cost them to have another pair ( blue ) shipped from where ever and taken care of this problem right away rather then let this thread go on.

I wish the op luck in resolving this to his satisfaction asap.

very sad

I just bought a new focal stella utopia evo.
I informed the dealer about the initial failure and they tried to fix it twice, but they didn't know the cause and couldn't fix it.
I asked for a refund because they couldn't repair it and didn't have the same color in stock.
But dealers and focals treat me as if I were a black consumer.
I think a refund is natural if there is no stock of the same product.
I am just angry and ridiculous about this response.
I hope that many people will judge whether this focal response is correct.
Thank you.

 

[thedudeabides]

I just bought a new focal stella utopia evo.
I informed the dealer about the initial failure and they tried to fix it twice, but they didn't know the cause and couldn't fix it.
I asked for a refund because they couldn't repair it and didn't have the same color in stock.
But dealers and focals treat me as if I were a black consumer.
I think a refund is natural if there is no stock of the same product.
I am just angry and ridiculous about this response.
I hope that many people will judge whether this focal response is correct.
Thank you.

Why did you "buy" another Focal after all you have been through?

 

[Jongsun]

Why did you "buy" another Focal after all you have been through?

I bought the focal scala utopia for the first time in 2016.
I used these with my simaudio without any problems
Also, I was satisfied with the sound and design.
That's why I bought the top model, Stella utopia, in 2021.
There was no problem when I used the scala utopia
I didn't expect the focals and dealers to respond like this.
I really regret buying stella utopia now.
I don't want another victim again

 

[audioblazer]

I m not surprised . When my psu had an issue & I wanted to buy another psu , I was told that I must get it through the original distributor who is no longer distributing Focal ! WTF … I bought it as demo unit from overseas! I have to virtually beg the current distributor from a neighborIng country to get it for me. Not cheap at all & waiting for more than 2 mths to have it send from France !!! Leave a bad taste in my mouth .

 

[Kingrex]

What and ending. Over a year of hate and bashing of Focal and the dealer, then ending with you bought another set of Focal. Did I read that all correct?

 

[ecwl]

What and ending. Over a year of hate and bashing of Focal and the dealer, then ending with you bought another set of Focal. Did I read that all correct?

I think Kingrex and thedudeabides both misinterpreted what Jongsun has been saying.
Jongsun bought Focal in 2016. It works fine. He upgraded to another Focal in 2021. And he has been struggling with Focal and dealer ever since.

I'm glad audioblazer brought up the other issue that was never raised, which was the distributor for Focal for Jongsun.
I think we normally think of Microsoft and Apple who would honor their products worldwide. But I have learnt from my local audio dealer that this is not as common in the audio world. Because most audio manufacturers rely on regional distributors worldwide. So dealer deals with distributor who deals with manufacturer. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to refuse to deal with dealer directly and asked them to go through the local distributor. It is unclear to me how much of a role the distributor played in Jongsun's problems.
The way some manufacturers think about this problem is kinda like this. For places outside of their sales region, the distributor made a profit on their products and then the dealer made a profit. So if something needs repairs, it is the distributors' responsibility to take care of it and cover the shipping cost (if not even the repair cost or replacement cost) because that's why the distributor gets a cut of the profit in the first place. But to the outsider of this system, the customer can always feel like the manufacturer is abandoning the customer and constantly referring the customer back to the dealer. When from the manufacturer's standpoint, the problem should really be between the customer, the dealer and the distributor to sort out. Once that's sorted out, the product that needs to be repaired can be sent back to the manufacturer or a new replacement product can be ordered by the distributor from the manufacturer.
To me, in a global economy, this system really needs to be rethought especially for the top audio brands as a good brand's reputation can be seriously damaged by bad dealers and distributors except it becomes more difficult for the manufacturer to get the dealer/distributor to hold accountability. On the other hand, it is hard even for the "big" audio brands to be familiar with all the languages of the world and pursue a global dealer/distributor strategy worldwide.

 

[thedudeabides]

I find the above explanation lame and without merit. In the end, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to back its product regardless of who gets paid what and why. End of story. Reminds me of the following.

You can put a dress on a pig but it is still a pig.

 

[thedudeabides]

What and ending. Over a year of hate and bashing of Focal and the dealer, then ending with you bought another set of Focal. Did I read that all correct?

One of the most bizarre threads I have seen on WBF.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...the distributor is Distributor A. The dealer is Dealer A. The badge on the product is Focal. It's fine to let dealers and distributors cover issues like this, up to a point.

But at the point that they're not actually covering the issue effectively, the manufacturer *should* step in, IMO. This reads like typical modern blame-shifting at some level. It's not fair to make a company issue (poor dealer/distributor comms, policies, etc.) a customer issue.

Caveat: The above comments are based on one side of the story.

 

[Gregadd]

Caveat emptor.
Demos generally sell for 20%offf and are not returnable. They usually come with full warranty. If you are truly paranoid get the serial number and ask the manufacturer for their history. Your speaker may not have been a demo. It may have been a "lemon"[ a defective product that cannot be made whole]. I hate to say it, but an unscrupulous dealer might seek to unload it as a demo. A wise dealer would save boxes and manuals to maximize the eventual sale. You 're already in litigation. But you might want to check out your jurisdiction's lemon law.

 

[Kingrex]

I think Kingrex and thedudeabides both misinterpreted what Jongsun has been saying.
Jongsun bought Focal in 2016. It works fine. He upgraded to another Focal in 2021. And he has been struggling with Focal and dealer ever since.

I'm glad audioblazer brought up the other issue that was never raised, which was the distributor for Focal for Jongsun.
I think we normally think of Microsoft and Apple who would honor their products worldwide. But I have learnt from my local audio dealer that this is not as common in the audio world. Because most audio manufacturers rely on regional distributors worldwide. So dealer deals with distributor who deals with manufacturer. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to refuse to deal with dealer directly and asked them to go through the local distributor. It is unclear to me how much of a role the distributor played in Jongsun's problems.
The way some manufacturers think about this problem is kinda like this. For places outside of their sales region, the distributor made a profit on their products and then the dealer made a profit. So if something needs repairs, it is the distributors' responsibility to take care of it and cover the shipping cost (if not even the repair cost or replacement cost) because that's why the distributor gets a cut of the profit in the first place. But to the outsider of this system, the customer can always feel like the manufacturer is abandoning the customer and constantly referring the customer back to the dealer. When from the manufacturer's standpoint, the problem should really be between the customer, the dealer and the distributor to sort out. Once that's sorted out, the product that needs to be repaired can be sent back to the manufacturer or a new replacement product can be ordered by the distributor from the manufacturer.
To me, in a global economy, this system really needs to be rethought especially for the top audio brands as a good brand's reputation can be seriously damaged by bad dealers and distributors except it becomes more difficult for the manufacturer to get the dealer/distributor to hold accountability. On the other hand, it is hard even for the "big" audio brands to be familiar with all the languages of the world and pursue a global dealer/distributor strategy worldwide.

I get this. And I also get someone saying a stain is something you created. Not being able to repair a speaker with inaccurate channel balance matching is a manufacturer problem. Its a poorly designed product and its good a customer is calling this out.

You would hope the retail or national distributor would have some responsibility to make it right. But they are not eating money for a nobody one off customer. These are big boys. I got told to Pound Sand by Rega in a very similar way. So I don't purchase Rega anymore.

Post 107 by the OP seems to say he just bought a new Focal Speaker. This appears a language translation misinterpretation. I took it as he bought new speakers yesterday. Upon re-reading it a couple times, I can see he is using himself in the 1st person reciting the basic outline of the story.

Well, who here is a reviewer or dealer that will reach out to the national distributor and make a plea. Is anyone willing. Who wants to get in the middle of all this and jeopardize your personal/business relationship. My bet is Focal was told by the distributor and Focal responded, its within tolerance, and they would not assist in any way. The distributor and retail are unwilling to eat $80,000 so they are both doing all they can do. Deny, deflect, whatever is necessary to make Jongsun go away.

 

[Jongsun]

I m not surprised . When my psu had an issue & I wanted to buy another psu , I was told that I must get it through the original distributor who is no longer distributing Focal ! WTF … I bought it as demo unit from overseas! I have to virtually beg the current distributor from a neighborIng country to get it from me. Not cheap at all & waiting for more than 2 mths to have it send from France !!! Leave a bad taste in my mouth .

I now know that this is how Focal's post-action management works.
Of course, dealer
They seem to think that selling is the end.

 

[Jongsun]

What and ending. Over a year of hate and bashing of Focal and the dealer, then ending with you bought another set of Focal. Did I read that all correct?

No, I used the focal scalau topia for 4 years without any problems and then repurchased focal stella utopia.
But there's a problem with the new speakers, and they can't fix them and they don't have them in stock
I asked for a refund.
But they refused a refund and said it broke down because I used it incorrectly
So I started a refund suit

 

[Jongsun]

I think Kingrex and thedudeabides both misinterpreted what Jongsun has been saying.
Jongsun bought Focal in 2016. It works fine. He upgraded to another Focal in 2021. And he has been struggling with Focal and dealer ever since.

I'm glad audioblazer brought up the other issue that was never raised, which was the distributor for Focal for Jongsun.
I think we normally think of Microsoft and Apple who would honor their products worldwide. But I have learnt from my local audio dealer that this is not as common in the audio world. Because most audio manufacturers rely on regional distributors worldwide. So dealer deals with distributor who deals with manufacturer. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to refuse to deal with dealer directly and asked them to go through the local distributor. It is unclear to me how much of a role the distributor played in Jongsun's problems.
The way some manufacturers think about this problem is kinda like this. For places outside of their sales region, the distributor made a profit on their products and then the dealer made a profit. So if something needs repairs, it is the distributors' responsibility to take care of it and cover the shipping cost (if not even the repair cost or replacement cost) because that's why the distributor gets a cut of the profit in the first place. But to the outsider of this system, the customer can always feel like the manufacturer is abandoning the customer and constantly referring the customer back to the dealer. When from the manufacturer's standpoint, the problem should really be between the customer, the dealer and the distributor to sort out. Once that's sorted out, the product that needs to be repaired can be sent back to the manufacturer or a new replacement product can be ordered by the distributor from the manufacturer.
To me, in a global economy, this system really needs to be rethought especially for the top audio brands as a good brand's reputation can be seriously damaged by bad dealers and distributors except it becomes more difficult for the manufacturer to get the dealer/distributor to hold accountability. On the other hand, it is hard even for the "big" audio brands to be familiar with all the languages of the world and pursue a global dealer/distributor strategy worldwide.