Well, maybe @Naim.Marketing needs to get her house in order. When official comms isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, the company has a problem somewhere… In the UK, we are lucky to have a few dealers who stock quite a few popular items to be able to deliver instantly – Acoustica is a good example for this.
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Rather harsh, I feel. As well as regular comms that get sent out to dealers, there’s a full-time customer-service team in Salisbury whom talk to dealers and distributors from all around the world, every day - taking orders, updating on orders and much more.
They don’t always have definitive answers at the moment, due to the huge upheaval in supply chains, logistics etc, but they are always totally transparent on the current situation - eg likely lead times, reasons for delays (components; shipping issues etc).
Then there is the whole global network of distributors and sales teams we have - again, dealers can ask for updates from their sales rep; all have a hotline here to Salisbury.
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I thought we were pretty clear that the lack of communication from Naim to their dealers and hence their customers was the concern. I waited the best part of 4 months with my dealer unable to get any update from Naim at all in that timeframe. If I wasn’t heavily invested in the brand, I’d go elsewhere. It’s just the facts of the matter and it reflects poorly on Naim. To make matters worse, the 250 I got was available from Australia right from the beginning of that 4 month period.
For whatever reason, it’s your customers that are being let down though. It not unreasonable to get clear communication and it’s not really the customers problem.
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Mike, there have been unique circumstances during the transition period in NZ that you can’t extrapolate on a global scale. I understand it’s been an incredibly frustrating period, but hopefully we can move on. As you say, Australia had stock; that’s the same distributor we now have in NZ.
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I get it Mike, and there is no excuse for poor (or non existent) communication from distributors/dealers and manufacturers. Hopefully the new distributor will be better in that regard.
In my experience Naim are far better in this regard than many other suppliers I have experienced.
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Safe to say the general consensus amongst the Kiwi Naimies is that their now ex- Naim dealers have done their bit, and they have been in the game a long time and we have the highest rate of Naim sales per population in the world 
. Anyway, it’s done now.
I’m repeating myself now, but it’s the customers who have been let down, and that’s quite a few long term devoted Naim clients, for what it’s worth. If I was asked for a recommendation, I’d be saying; look I love my Naim gear, but if you are starting new in NZ, look elsewhere.
But hopefully with the disclaimer: ‘Other gear may not sound as good as Naim and you may be disappointed when you compare to your mate’s Naim rig’. 
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a bit harsh, and slightly disrespectful.
we’re lucky to have clare here talking to us, let’s not make her regret, eh?
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I think it’s important to remember the problems that Naim are facing, just like everyone else. Shortage of supplies, staff working from home, and everything else. People can gently prod their dealer and the dealer can ask Naim, who will give them the best information they can. People need to have a bit of patience and not expact everything RIGHT NOW!!! It shows a rather inflated sense of entitlement. To keep slagging off Naim is unpleasant and disrespectful and some members are not showing themselves at their best. Bleating on a public forum helps nobody. Do people really believe that Naim are not doing their best to balance all the conflicting demands they face?
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But Clare, you previously mentioned an 18 week waiting list which is just not true as I and others have already waited over 20 weeks plus?
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18 weeks is current lead time for new orders, as I clearly stated - it was 20 weeks previously.
There could be other variables in play, too - eg shipping time and method, which account for the longer wait. We provide the lead-time dates based on when we expect the completed product to be ready to go out the door.
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@Analogmusic, you make me laugh. Respect for others is certainly not your strong suit…
Certainly, somewhere communication is not going right. And when people spend a small fortune on hifi, they can expect proper communication. Certainly, the pandemic has made things difficult. We recently converted our loft — and it was a pain to get the sliding door. But the comms from our local window guy seems rather smooth compared to some of the Naim experiences shared here…
The best things come to those who wait, especially from Naim 
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No, I don’t think that’s the situation. Members were simply giving feedback that there was acceptance to delays, but that communication was either poor or absent between Naim and their dealers, with the result that costumers weren’t getting good or accurate information or service. Most businesses welcome customer feedback as part of the review / improve process, even if a problem isn’t publically acknowledged, so it’s good that Claire has contributed to the discussion rather than not being aware of their customers experience.
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Agreed, the sound performance goes without saying. It’s more about how customer support is going to look going forward with new dealers. Probably not an issue at the Uniti level, but building a classic system will be harder than previously.
A wealth of experience and service is being lost with the transition unfortunately. The new dealer has been fine to deal with, the 250 was here the day after I paid for it, but there was no follow call to check how things were going. My previous Naim dealer would only take payment after a home demo and there were always phone calls to see how things were going. The new dealers don’t know the range and how things are connected etc, offered me a S/L pin to double XLR for the 250…. Sure, they will pick it up with time, but there is 20 plus years of experience to replace and they are not offering home demo unless you are spending very big. Servicing remains an unknown, apparently someone will be trained in NZ, newer products will supposedly just be replaced with new if under warranty.
So, that’s the context for people starting new here in NZ.
I’m sure it’s been rather upsetting to see a change in distribution of a brand that’s been dear to you, but I’d gently suggest it’s time to let it go and move on. Going over and over and over the issues will only upset you. If you have suggestions as to how things can be improved, why not email Clare directly and share your ideas? It’s what I’ve always done, and it’s far more effective than posting on a public forum.
As to the delays, it’s a case of going with the flow and waiting. If people want to bail out and get something else, then that’s their prerogative.
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Spot on Nigel.
I’ve clarified the state of my order. Looks like I should have done this in the very beginning.
There is a distributor in the chain who has lots of pre-paid orders dated somewhere in Winter. So, the queue is quite long. At the moment this distributor is fulfilling a very small part of this scope. So, my order is at the very end of the long queue and the priority is low as I didn’t do any pre-payment.
Folks, please, don’t start a war. Make peace, love, and jazz instead.
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Sorry to hear that @Pauel – if you are impatient, have a look at Chord’s Qutest. Chord DACs are quite popular with Naim. Lots of detail, but one doesn’t loose Naim’s PRAT. Obviously you would need a transport, but lots of cost-effective solutions are around. According to Chord, no need to splash out big time for a transport…
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