FAQs
Q: What times are you open?
A: We’re open 9am until 6pm Monday to Friday. At the weekend, by appointment only.
Q: How long will it take to repair my gear?
A: Normal turnaround is approx. 10-14 days. However, we do offer a priority repair service. Please contact us for more information
Q: When does my item go in to your queue?
A: Might seem like a simple question, but not always. You’d like to think that as soon as an item arrives with us that it goes in to the queue of things to be repaired. Well, with non-warranty items and warranty items that have a valid proof of purchase with them, that is the case. However, when a warranty item turns up without a valid proof of purchase, or simply no proof of purchase at all, then the item in question can NOT go it to our queue of jobs to be looked at until the proof of purchase has been provided. This is to try and keep our queue system as fair as possible. Bottom line – we don’t get paid unless we can provide a valid proof of purchase to the warrantor. No POP = No Repair.
Q: We can't provide a proof of purchase because we're a dealer and this item has now been exchanged for a new item for the customer. This is now our stock.
A: Either way, we still need a proof of purchase. If it’s easier for you, then a copy of the original bill of sale for the original faulty item will suffice – even if the customer no longer owns that unit. Or a copy of the invoice from your supplier to you is just as good for us.
Q: We can't provide a proof of purchase because we're a dealer and the item we're returning for warranty repair has never been sold, just been on demo or it was an out of the box failure.
A: We still need a copy of the proof of purchase from the manufacturer or distributor to yourselves.
Q: What's the deal with Focusrite's 30-day policy?
A: We look after the servicing and spares for the brands KRK, Stanton and CerwinVega on behalf of Focusrite/Novation. PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY LOOK AFTER THE FOCUSRITE & NOVATION BRANDS THEMSELVES! They have a 30-day returns policy which means that if a product fails within 30 days of its purchase date and once the fault has been confirmed by us, they will either credit or replace it for you. Please note that this is generally only done via a main retailer. So in general, if you’re an end user that needs to take advantage of this policy then you will need to take it directly back to the retailer you bought it from rather than bringing it directly to us. If you don’t need to take advantage of this, then by all means book it in directly with us; no need to go back to your retailer.
Q: My unit has been physically damaged - is this covered under warranty?
A: Well yes, no and maybe. It’s down to your supplier and of course when the damage actually happened. For instance, if you’re a dealer and the item was damaged on delivery to you from the supplier then first port of call is to tell the supplier that there’s been damage. They may just replace items rather than have you send them to us for repair. If an item arrives with us and it’s found to be damaged, we will always let you know about this when it arrives. It may be that this is what it’s come in for – but sometimes not. Either way, unless your supplier (warrantor) has authorised us to repair a physically damaged item under the terms of their warranty, these items will normally be treated as NON Warranty.
Q: My speaker is still within its warranty period but you say my speaker has been overdriven.
A: When a speaker fails because of overdriving it is classed as misuse and cannot normally be repaired under the terms of a manufacturer’s warranty.
Q: ADAM Warranty period.
A: All ADAM units sold prior to April 2009 had a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard from ADAM. Serial numbers greater than P-71434 or sold during or after April 2009 have a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty. Warranty is to the ORIGINAL Purchaser only.
Q: Other Warranty periods.
A; In years: KRK=1, Stanton=1, CerwinVega=1, CME=1, DaveSmith=1, Roland=3, JBL=1, Lexicon=1, AKG=1, Powersoft=4, Outline=1, ART=1, Mackie=2, Crate=2, EAW=2. There are many other manufactures we represent too. If they’re not listed here, please email/call us and ask.
Q: Loan Stock.
A: Some dealers get loan stock from Distributors or Manufacturers. If these items ever go wrong and you need to send them to us for repair, you still need to book them in as normal using the Customer Portal, claiming warranty. However, once it arrives with us, you WILL get the reminder emails sent to you about a proof of purchase (which you obviously won’t have) until we get an email from the supplier loaning the equipment to you that they authorise us to repair the item under the terms of their normal warranty. So YOU need to tell your supplier when one of their items has failed.
Q: What is a valid Proof of Purchase?
A: A copy of the invoice from your supplier (Distributor or Manufacturer) for shop-owned items. A copy of the bill of sale to your customer if it’s been sold. If you are the customer and you don’t have a copy of your receipt, the dealer/shop you bought your goods from should be able to provide a copy as they have to keep copies for 6 years in UK law.
Q: What is NOT a valid proof of purchase?
A: What is NOT a valid proof of purchase is a Purchase Order from you (if you’re a dealer) to the supplier, or a Pro-Forma invoice from the supplier to you – these just prove intent to buy – not that you actually did. Similarly, for dealers or end users, a bank statement showing a purchase from said supplier or store is not a valid proof of purchase as all this proves is that you bought “something” from them and not necessarily the item you’re claiming a warranty repair for.
Q: I booked my speaker in as a warranty repair; however, when you looked at it you found that it had been overdriven, and therefore not under warranty. How do you proceed with charges?
A: For ALL Non Warranty jobs, we give estimates based on our estimate policy (which can be found in our terms and conditions). However, if when a unit is booked in as a warranty repair we later discover that it’s not failed due to a manufacturing problem, we would contact you as a matter of course to let you know. We would also have a good idea of repair cost at this point.
Q: How much does it cost to return my goods to me?
A: Normal Next Day Delivery in the UK is £11 + vat up to 20kg then the usual 30pence per kg thereafter.
Q: Why are you charging me for packaging?
A: In some cases, the nature of the packaging we receive your equipment in may not be reusable or even suitable to return your equipment to you. In the event we have to use alternative packaging or we have spent a great deal of time reusing your own packaging to package up your equipment, a charge is made. Any applicable packing charges will be added to the courier delivery charges when it is summarised online.
Q: Why do I get charged a surcharge when paying by credit card?
A: Not a lot of people know this. The credit card companies win both ways. They get paid interest from you on your purchases when you don’t pay off your balance in full every month; and they charge us (the merchant), a percentage for taking the payment from you in the first place. The two main types of card are DEBIT and CREDIT. With a DEBIT Card, we’re only charged 50p for taking the payment, so we don’t bother to pass this on. However, with CREDIT cards, we’re charged a percentage of the value of the transaction. This is true with ALL Merchants, most of whom build this extra cost into the price of what you’re buying without you knowing. We feel that this is unfair to charge everyone for this, especially if they’re not even using a Credit card. Therefore, to keep our prices lower, we only charge the Credit card surcharge when you use a CREDIT card.
Q: Do you give estimates over the phone?
A: We don’t do crystal balls! We can only give you an estimate once we’ve actually looked at your equipment. However, we would only give an estimate should the repairs come to more than £150.01 exc. VAT, or 50% of the declared value (whichever is the greater). Any less than that and we’d just get on and fix the problem.
Q: What if I have to go out on the day I've arranged for a collection?
A: As with all couriers, if they have a wasted journey, we’d still get charged. PLEASE, if you really do need to go out on a collection day, inform us so as we can inform the couriers om turn. If you don’t, you run the risk of being invoiced for a missed collection.
Q: Would the collection charge of £15 + vat cover all items I need to send for repair?
A: The £15 collection charge is for as many boxes as you like, up to a total weight of 20kg. After 20kg you will be charged 30 pence per kg. e.g. a 22kg consignment would cost £15.60.
Q: Why do you charge for carriage while others don't?
A: Unlike many other service centres, we show you exactly what you’re paying for. We don’t hide the courier costs in the repair charges. Collections are charged at £15 + vat and Deliveries at £11 + vat, up to 20kg then 30pence per kg thereafter.
Q: Do you charge for estimates?
A: That all depends on what we’ve done to reach the estimate. A two second “Oh Yeah, it’s that!” estimates that are refused, are free. But if we have to spend half a day diagnosing the problems then refused estimates get charged at no more than £50 + vat.
Q: I want to pay by Credit/Debit Card but I need my gear sent to my work address?
A: OK – Here’s a problem. To prevent fraud, we only ship out goods to the card holders statement address. This is to protect you and us. When we take Credit card details over the phone, it is known as a Customer Not Present transaction (CNP). If we ship out goods to a different address other than that on the card holders statement for a CNP and it turns out to be a fraudulent transaction, WE are liable for the costs. The card company simply takes the money back out of our account, this is known as a ChargeBack.
Q: Do I need to insure my goods if you collect or deliver them and how does it work?
A: For 99% of all transits, it’s not us that collects or delivers your goods. We employ the services of UPS. The choice is yours but we do strongly recommend that you take advantage of their optional insurance, selectable on the confirmation booking page for collections; and once your goods are repaired, you may also select to have the optional insurance for the return journey too on the final payment page. This optional carriage insurance costs 1% of the total value you have declared your goods to be (minimum value for insurance purposes is £365 – So charged at a minimum of £3.65 even if you declare your goods to be £150), and is added to your final bill. This is cover for the entire loss of, or damage to your goods. If you don’t select the additional insurance cover, should anything happen to your goods in transit, you will only be entitled to the couriers free £10 per kilo cover; this will mean that if your £1000 worth of kit which only weighs 10kg, goes missing in transit, you’ll only be entitled to £100 less the cost of the carriage fees and less the £50 excess. The first £50 of any claim is not recoverable in any case.
Q: What terms can I expect from holding an account?
A: Standard 30-day. Interest is currently not charged on late payment although persistent late payers will be penalised.