I read somewhere on the forum that someone considered ordering the Sopra 2 but backed out when they learned that Focal can’t deliver it before 2023, apparently. Maybe similar with Kanta drivers having a looong waiting list
Given the fact that the fate of the speakers was down to a faulty Nova, and given the incredible patience of the OP in regard to something that was not their fault, and given that Focal seem to be having trouble sourcing the drivers, would it not be possible for Naim to source a new pair of Kantas and give them to the OP as a goodwill gesture? There seem to be loads in stock in the U.K. and doubtless elsewhere. The problem could be solved this week.
To the OP I’d suggest that perhaps the pressure be increased. There is a saying - the squeaky wheel gets the most grease - and sadly that’s often true. I’ve had a tiny issue where I was promised a refund of the cost of return postage for a watch that was faulty. It was only £11.15 and despite promises to send it to me, the cheque never arrived. It was a tiny sum and I could have ignored it but it was a matter of principle and I would not let it go. It took a load of phone calls, emails and threats of airing it on social media and in the last few days the cheque arrived, about four months after the whole saga started.
Yes, Naim are busy but that’s really not the point. Their amp blew up your speakers and they really should be moving heaven and earth to sort it out. A new pair of speakers really wouldn’t break the bank.
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Nice thoughts HH but the OP (as I understand things) is in Portugal, having bought the Nova in UK and the Kantas in France.
Supplying a new pair of expensive speakers across borders could set the Customs people ablaze…and the issue is already deep enough and is heading for a happy, if albeit delayed, ending (by the looks)?
Plus this would be toying with ‘new for old’ provisions in terms of warranty protections and damage – which is where domestic insurance comes in.
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Or a loan/demo pair whilst the OP waits? “Courtesy speakers”
I had a (dealer provided) NAIT5 on loan whilst awaiting a NAIT3 service once. Which is “nothing” in the scheme of a c. £8k pair of speakers
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The way for Naim to do that would be to get Focal France to supply a new pair for the OP in Portugal. It would all be inside the EU so no customs people involved. Then Naim would compensate Focal through their usual internal Group money transfer processes.
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Exactly. It would all be at cost price anyway, so it’s a cheap fix and would be an excellent sign of goodwill. Far better that waiting even longer, it’s already been four months.
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I would submit:
1- 4 months (so far - respected) in getting things fixed nowadays isn’t that long in Naim-land
2- both and Nova and Kantas aren’t ‘new’ – and there may be some dubiety around the warranty aspects given the X-border movements (but let’s assume not).
3- Naim have ‘stood to’ on this – that is the ‘big win’.
4- the cost of a new set of Kantas (far more now than when built) is far above say 4 drive units. That would be largesse and then some.
5- If you supply new in replacement, who is to pay the Customs/VAT et al — it’s not the g’tee for the Kantas which is being tested here.
6- OK, so strip the drivers from a ‘new’ set of Kantas (are they matched?), insert these and return – but that destroys the ‘factory boxing’ of a new pair/ slices a chunk of value.
I’m all for exhibiting goodwill but there’s a limit to any warranty repair aspect and we all know times are challenging vis manu’s. By all means shout loud, stamp feet, but don’t consider ‘new for old’ as the solution here at the moment IMV.
Many years back, there was a time when a UK buyer often had to wait a couple of months (or more) for new Naim kit such was demand/factory holidays etc.
So, since another month has passed, it’s time to update this thread again. Unfortunately, the update, is that there aren’t any news at all. The situation is exactly the same as it was one month ago. I haven’t heard back from naim. I sent an email to Flynn on the 30th August asking if there were any updates, but haven’t heard back yet.
To be honest i think i have been extremely pacient with this situation, and like i said a couple of months ago, really appreciated that naim took responsibility considering the severity of what happened, and naim support, more specifically Flynn, has always been faultless with me, but, this situation is taking an enormous amount of time to be resolved, that is starting to exceed what is acceptable.
Let’s hope this situation is resolved sooner rather than later, because if that’s not the case, unfortunately, i will have to start to consider other ways to resolve this, and that is definitely what i do not want to do, as i wish to resolve this in good terms. I will only consider it as a last resort.
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Sorry to hear you’re still waiting on the drive unit from Focal - from what I can see, it appears it’s a problem sourcing the parts? It would be good to get an update from Flynn - I will try to find out for you.
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I have been reading this situation since the initial post, and I can’t imagine the frustration of living something like this.
I have been living another strange and frustrating one with the brand, but your is really terrible, hope all is resolved soon.
This has gone on for a ridiculous amount of time!- the 6th month!
Is there someone actually in charge of resolving this?
I’d suggest ringing persistently rather than wait for a reply to an email that doesn’t seem to come.
Yes ridiculous. No music for 6 months! Hope this gets resolved soon.
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I’ve heard back from Flynn and I think he has emailed you (with apologies if he missed your last mail). The drivers are being made and, all being well, should be with Naim by end of this month.
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Hello guys, sorry for taking so long to update this thread again, but unfortunately, the reason for that, is that this situation is exactly the same as it was before. On the 12 September i did get an email from Flynn saying that they were awaiting delivery on the drivers by the end of September, but that he would confirm this information to give me a more accurate lead time. Unfortunately after that i still haven’t received any more information. We’re now close to 7 months in since this situation began, and i’m not going to lie, i am pretty frustrated with the situation.
Like i said, i have been extremely patient and understanding with all the delays, but after all this time, this is starting to become truly unnaceptable.
Tomorrow i will send an email to naim, to see if there is any update at all.
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Emails sit in an inbox and don’t necessarily get replied to. 7 months is insulting and ridiculous. You really need to ring and ring and get someone senior at naim to get some action on this
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I’m afraid that I have to agree with you. Very disappointing to hear and I hope you do finally get some resolution.
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You might get more response if you post on Twitter every few days with Focal-Naim’s hashtag.
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Sorry to hear you’re still waiting here. As posted above, I was informed by Naim that they expected the drivers from Focal by the end of last month. I have asked for an update.
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I’ve just heard from Flynn at Naim. The driver arrived from focal and the repair is finished. They are just trying to work out the logistics of getting them back to you - I believe you should have now received an email from them to arrange this.
Hello again, so about an hour ago i got an update from naim. The kanta has already been repair but it’s awaiting the shipping proccess to be sorted out, since they are trying to find the best solution because of the UK-EU import-export duties. Let’s hope this can be sorted out sooner rather than later, but it’s finally nice to have a positive update after all this time.
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