This is just about Marcus Dean, who violated New Zealand laws and is therefore being brought to court by me. You didn't want to accept an amicable settlement that I suggested. Even a Marcus Dean is not above the law. The deposit of 7,500 New Zealand dollars (4,500 US dollars) as requested by my lawyers is no problem for me, that corresponds to the selling price of just one DZT tonearm from me
Ordering a Bokrand Tonearm
- Thread starter Folsom
- Start date
Letter from my Laywer
Otherwise, if you want to go escalate the matter legally, is send an initial letter to Marcus Dean seeking a retraction of the online statement and/or apology.
If no apology or retraction is forthcoming, we can discuss options to file a legal suit with you. If you would like to instruct us , we would require a retainer (as security for our final invoice) in the sum of $7,500 plus GST please.
Otherwise, if you want to go escalate the matter legally, is send an initial letter to Marcus Dean seeking a retraction of the online statement and/or apology.
If no apology or retraction is forthcoming, we can discuss options to file a legal suit with you. If you would like to instruct us , we would require a retainer (as security for our final invoice) in the sum of $7,500 plus GST please.
Heaven forbid Moderators--this thread is out of control--some of us joined WBF for fair and meaningful Audio discussions and comparative observations --now we get this legal BS and slanderous diatribe . Seriously folks can you not take this to PM's ?
BruceD
BruceD
I only defended myself because I am publicly and legally forbidden to be called a fraudster here without presenting the appropriate certified documents. Where is the control by WBF that allows such types to also have a platform here. this thread should be closed immediately
Here is the last email I received from Alfred. It's an eye opener! It reveals a lot after close reading.
Alfred is the star in his own show. Its obvious that he has no regard for some of his customers.
Narcissistic?
Have a read and be amazed. He didn't even bother adding my name.
To paraphrase Alfred, I'm shooting myself in the foot but here it is.
"Dear
the fact that you still haven't received your tone arm is putting a lot of strain on me physically. I tried to resolve this situation for you and the other 20 or so customers as quickly as possible.
I get migraines every night and have to take strong painkillers every morning, which makes me forget a lot, sorry. I can empathize with you, it's an absolutely stupid situation that I've gotten myself into because of my long illness. I still have to deliver to about 20 or more customers who are already waiting in the same situation as you. If I had enough money available (but I don't, because I don't have a pension or other income) I would like to give everyone their money back immediately, but that's not possible for so many. I can't pay out all customers at once. No bank can do that either, see the bankruptcy of the Swiss fintech Flowbank on June 13, 2024 and Credit Swiss.
I could file for bankruptcy as a private individual, but then no customer would get their tonearm and their money would be lost, but I don't do that. I have an obligation to my customers and I keep it. I have been self-employed for 50 years. Bankruptcy would finally give me peace and quiet and I wouldn't have to read customers' emails every morning, which is very stressful for me. I am now 75 and get migraines every night and have to take strong painkillers every morning. As a result, I can't work full time, which I would have to if I wanted to resolve the situation quickly. Some customers ask me why I continue to offer my tonearms with a short delivery time and don't finish and send the tonearm first. Quite simply, I need constant cash flow to pay for materials and all production costs, otherwise I can't provide tonearms for the customers who are waiting for their tonearm. Of course lots of notes about my long delivery times. Please note: I find it impossible for customers to bring a private sale between two people into the forums and into the public, you simply don't do that. In addition, there is the negative effect for my waiting customers too, as new customers may distance themselves from a current purchase This means that I have less cash flow and therefore cannot pay for new material and all the costs to satisfy the customers who are still waiting.
As the saying goes: You're shooting yourself in the foot! In the past, alongside production and sales, I have always tried to make a tonearm in parallel and send it to one of the customers who often wait patiently for their tonearm for more than a year, but that is too slow and many customers become very impatient. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as I had imagined. There is only one option: I have to give all customers their money back. Since I have no other income and do not receive a pension (I have always been self-employed and have not paid into a pension fund in Germany), this is of course only possible with monthly installments.
I also have no security for a bank loan. So I can only pay a monthly installment. The total for all customers is around 16,000 euros. Through my new sales I can raise a monthly sum of 2,000 euros, so that each customer receives 100 euros a month and, depending on the amount they have paid, everything is paid back in around 6-8 months. Please write to me whether you agree with this arrangement or whether you have another suggestion.
I would like us to part as audiophile friends.
f you agree, please provide your bank details and 150 euros will be transferred automatically every month until your payment for the tonearm is reached. I don't have Paypal.
Best regards
Alfred"
There we have it. Some customers now have no value as far as Herr Bokrand is concerned.
I have not taken him up on his offer yet, so I suppose when he implies that everyone is being paid back its not the whole truth.
So, Herr Bokrand. Since you are doing so well selling arms in the US and have money for legal fees in NZ. How about giving me all my money back at once?
You can't though.
The bottom line is, your business model amounts to a ponzi scheme and you admit it in the above email.
We will not part as audiophile friends due to your dishonesty.
Billy
Alfred is the star in his own show. Its obvious that he has no regard for some of his customers.
Narcissistic?
Have a read and be amazed. He didn't even bother adding my name.
To paraphrase Alfred, I'm shooting myself in the foot but here it is.
"Dear
the fact that you still haven't received your tone arm is putting a lot of strain on me physically. I tried to resolve this situation for you and the other 20 or so customers as quickly as possible.
I get migraines every night and have to take strong painkillers every morning, which makes me forget a lot, sorry. I can empathize with you, it's an absolutely stupid situation that I've gotten myself into because of my long illness. I still have to deliver to about 20 or more customers who are already waiting in the same situation as you. If I had enough money available (but I don't, because I don't have a pension or other income) I would like to give everyone their money back immediately, but that's not possible for so many. I can't pay out all customers at once. No bank can do that either, see the bankruptcy of the Swiss fintech Flowbank on June 13, 2024 and Credit Swiss.
I could file for bankruptcy as a private individual, but then no customer would get their tonearm and their money would be lost, but I don't do that. I have an obligation to my customers and I keep it. I have been self-employed for 50 years. Bankruptcy would finally give me peace and quiet and I wouldn't have to read customers' emails every morning, which is very stressful for me. I am now 75 and get migraines every night and have to take strong painkillers every morning. As a result, I can't work full time, which I would have to if I wanted to resolve the situation quickly. Some customers ask me why I continue to offer my tonearms with a short delivery time and don't finish and send the tonearm first. Quite simply, I need constant cash flow to pay for materials and all production costs, otherwise I can't provide tonearms for the customers who are waiting for their tonearm. Of course lots of notes about my long delivery times. Please note: I find it impossible for customers to bring a private sale between two people into the forums and into the public, you simply don't do that. In addition, there is the negative effect for my waiting customers too, as new customers may distance themselves from a current purchase This means that I have less cash flow and therefore cannot pay for new material and all the costs to satisfy the customers who are still waiting.
As the saying goes: You're shooting yourself in the foot! In the past, alongside production and sales, I have always tried to make a tonearm in parallel and send it to one of the customers who often wait patiently for their tonearm for more than a year, but that is too slow and many customers become very impatient. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as I had imagined. There is only one option: I have to give all customers their money back. Since I have no other income and do not receive a pension (I have always been self-employed and have not paid into a pension fund in Germany), this is of course only possible with monthly installments.
I also have no security for a bank loan. So I can only pay a monthly installment. The total for all customers is around 16,000 euros. Through my new sales I can raise a monthly sum of 2,000 euros, so that each customer receives 100 euros a month and, depending on the amount they have paid, everything is paid back in around 6-8 months. Please write to me whether you agree with this arrangement or whether you have another suggestion.
I would like us to part as audiophile friends.
f you agree, please provide your bank details and 150 euros will be transferred automatically every month until your payment for the tonearm is reached. I don't have Paypal.
Best regards
Alfred"
There we have it. Some customers now have no value as far as Herr Bokrand is concerned.
I have not taken him up on his offer yet, so I suppose when he implies that everyone is being paid back its not the whole truth.
So, Herr Bokrand. Since you are doing so well selling arms in the US and have money for legal fees in NZ. How about giving me all my money back at once?
You can't though.
The bottom line is, your business model amounts to a ponzi scheme and you admit it in the above email.
We will not part as audiophile friends due to your dishonesty.
Billy
It's really unfortunate to see things end this way for some, but it’s been clear for a long time, even when this thread first started. After all the complaints, I would have expected @alfredbokrand to apologize honestly for the trouble he’s caused, but instead, he chose to attack those who spoke up.
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I'll share my experience of dealing with @alfredbokrand -
I ordered and paid for two 9" arms in December 2022. At that time, he told me that they would be despatched in "10-12 working days". The first arm arrived in late March 2023 and the second in late May 2023. For months, I had to message him many, many times and - when he did reply - it was nothing but excuses and false promises.
The arms were supposed to be identical (both banana, one mono, one stereo) but the arm tube curves were different, meaning that the custom plinth I'd ordered (based on AB's specifications) had to be modified at extra cost. The arms had faulty/missing parts and some of the workmanship was poor so both needed attention from a specialist. Even after that, I still consider them substandard and wish I'd never dealt with Alfred Bokrand.
I ordered and paid for two 9" arms in December 2022. At that time, he told me that they would be despatched in "10-12 working days". The first arm arrived in late March 2023 and the second in late May 2023. For months, I had to message him many, many times and - when he did reply - it was nothing but excuses and false promises.
The arms were supposed to be identical (both banana, one mono, one stereo) but the arm tube curves were different, meaning that the custom plinth I'd ordered (based on AB's specifications) had to be modified at extra cost. The arms had faulty/missing parts and some of the workmanship was poor so both needed attention from a specialist. Even after that, I still consider them substandard and wish I'd never dealt with Alfred Bokrand.
Don’t worry, I’m not , in fact I had forgotten all about it . Guess I’ll have to sit by the letterbox waiting for the legal paperwork to arrive.
Not sure what the amicable offer was though.
But I did get a refund for the well overdue counterweight, so unlike many here I am whole financially.
But my advice stands, do not send Herr Bokrand money that is not protected by PayPal where you have a mechanism to get a refund in the event of non delivery.
I'm am going to leave the discussion. I can't keep going over this. I will accept the loss and get on with enjoying my music.
Cheers folks.
Cheers folks.
Don’t let him win by walking away, if you are based in Europe there must be a civil ( perhaps criminal) litigation process to recover your funds.
Promising delivery and taking payment constitutes a contract of sale, and you can’t hide behind a statement of “private sale between two private parties “ when you advertise your services and products in a commercial manner.
16000 euro Alfred?, you should be ashamed of yourself and not popping up on the internet to try to salvage your reputation, if you want any credibility then give this person their money back or deliver a tonearm in the next 72 hours.
If you read my first post this is not a slanderous attempt on him. Anyone that wants to educate themselves on the topic will do so. Apparently it is possible to get a tonearm but there is a lot of complicated non-business issues that make it perhaps not worth it at all - I am no ones arbiter for purchasing. This topic is several years old now so I doubt there is anything more I can do, clearly this gets searched for somewhat regularly. My thoughts are similar from the start, it is better to not cause the drama and simply not sell anything that is not already finished 100% and in a box ready to go out the door - and if that is not what is on the table I cannot recommend purchasing. The other issues mentioned also seem to make it more of a gamble. It would be no surprised if he was banned from selling on platforms and that is likely for the best if he cannot clear everything up. It is not that I wish for there to be one less tonearm person out there, but realistically you can fulfill or cannot fulfill orders and there is nothing more to it than that.
Alfred probably deeply regrets my purchase at this point. All I can offer is a tid bit below that might be useful to him, that may help the process along for him being able to clear his name out of orders etc.
Alfred if you read this, have you tried magnesium oil soaking for feet, it does absolute wonders for the body actually using potassium.
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For all of you waiting: my tonearm arrived today after 1,5 year of waiting and quite some emails with Alfred
Im the end all is well. This was the second time I ordered a tonearm (yes I have two now). I dared a second time because eventually he will deliver. His communication is total shit, as are his promises. The product however is very fine
Hope the best for you all, don’t give up and don’t get to frustrated. He has to deliver.
Im the end all is well. This was the second time I ordered a tonearm (yes I have two now). I dared a second time because eventually he will deliver. His communication is total shit, as are his promises. The product however is very fine
Hope the best for you all, don’t give up and don’t get to frustrated. He has to deliver.
Glad to find this thread. Was about to send him direct transfer for a demo unit for us to advertise but glad to came across this thread. Let him know right away my concerns and he became irritated and defensive. Sent my apologies to him for not going through with the order and time to find another tonearm. Thank you for keeping me out of the 31 page stress.
my new replacement arm from return delivered dec 23 is underway as from wednesday
the new 309 with underhung counterweight assy and extra internal dc wires for DaVa Reference/Soul fieldcoil cart
however bad communication, he seems to deliver in the end.....
best
Leif
the new 309 with underhung counterweight assy and extra internal dc wires for DaVa Reference/Soul fieldcoil cart
however bad communication, he seems to deliver in the end.....
best
Leif
Whilst I shall be most interested in your consideration’s regarding the fidelity of your refurbished 309 Leif … you ain’t particularly filling me with enthusiasm to plunge down this particular rabbit hole … beyond looking into ceramic ball bearing replacement which I can do for myself
I´ll know in a few days...if OK I´ll bring to ETF in Baarlo, NL in a couple of weeks
and still if it´s a disaster, I still have the Ikeda, the Harmony, The Peak and the DV-505 + the Airtangent Reference(whenever I´ll get it back)
Also considering buying the new ss Groovemaster IV
From what I have heard and read thus far Leif … it would seem that the GM IV might prove itself to be a sound per pound *killer* of a modern manufacture tonearm :0}
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