Is great to see that you got the support finely working and will receive your gear soon.
I new to Naim my first Naim was purchased in 2021, got my NDX repaired on warranty after a wait of 4 months, 4 months is not acceptable, but it is what it is. The unit was scratched in the process and no one took the blame. So I sent my unit back for the repair of the box at a cost supported by me to repair a damaged case of the unit. And that was unacceptable to me, but I do not want to have a unit with a damaged exterior, so I will pay the cost to be repaired.
Now waiting at the moment two months more without my unit to arrive. Also in the 6 months without my streamer that have past, acquired an Uniti HE and a Supernait 3.
I Am not very happy with the Naim brand, I do not feel secure with the brand repairs and damage caused that no one assumes the damage, nor the dealer or Naim, and inflict the costs to the user that is the one who is really loosing without any reason.
I Am afraid when any of my gear has to be serviced I will be onother 6 months without my music, waiting, waiting and waiting.
By the Portuguese consumer law after 30 days the unit should have been replaced, and no one cared about the law, even not Naim. The damaged after repair unit should have been repaired for free not at a price for the user that has no guilt on it.
I still know I will like the sound the brand offers, but my psychological confidence on the brand and customer support is greatly affected by with the position of Naim Support and in the brand itself.
For a high-end brand such as Naim, that’s outstandingly bad service. I sympathise with you hugely and can only marvel at your level of restraint. One wouldn’t take such a dismal regard for customers from a luxury car or watch brand.
I had always thought Naim’s customer service and support to be first rate but then I’m also surprised to learn that their warranty is limited to just 2 years. That’s rubbish. Macintosh warrant their electronics for 3 years and their speakers for 5. Linn offer 5 years as do Roksan. PMC offer 20 years for their passive speakers.
Has Naim’s service gone off the boil as they’ve sought to pursue lower cost, higher volume products such as the Muso? I bet Bentley wouldn’t let Naim get away with treating their customers like this.
I can appreciate that Naim would prefer customers still to go through their dealers but that’s no longer the way of the world. As manufacturers have dis-intermediated retailers by selling directly, so customers increasingly expect to be able to talk straight to the horse’s mouth. Naim may wish try to buck against this trend but their efforts will be as King Canute’s.
And Bryston 20 years for their amps and other analog products.
I believe that in the UK Naim’s warranty at least on some electronics is 5 years (if the customer registers for the extended warranty). I also believe it is not uncommon for many brands to have different warranties apply to sales in different countries.
Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s the case having bought a new amp a year or so ago for which I registered for the extended warranty.
It’s strange experience indeed when other posts show the lengths Naim support and repair go to to resolve issues on other threads. Maybe the issue is more complicated where an in country distributor is involved. But you’d really hope Naim choose distributors with the same care they choose components. It also shouldn’t be down to individual engineers being heroic, or forum moderators, to help chase these things down.
Fingers crossed the NDX2/SN3 case has an acceptable resolution. And glad the Focal units are close to be being reunited with their owner!
Naim’s warranty in the UK is 2 years plus and extra 3 (making 5 in total) when you register your unit with them after purchase.
As for what happened here, unfortunately much of the frustration (for everyone) here was down to the two items having been purchased from different dealers in different countries, with different distributors, both outside the UK - you might be surprised at how complicated this can make things, especially in such an unusual situation such as this. However, Naim were quick to take responsibility here and, as I gather, once the various logistics were resolved to get the speakers into the UK, the necessary part Naim needed to get the speakers repaired (the speaker driver) was not available from the speaker manufacturer due to the parts supply situation. So Naim had to wait until the necessary parts arrived with Focal and allowed a new driver to be built and then sent to the Naim factory. At which point somebody qualified to work on the Focal speakers has to then come to repair them on site at the Naim factory. That done, they then have to be shipped back to Portugal , which is where we are now in the proceedings.
Buying across borders really doesn’t present a repairs and servicing difficulty if you set yourself up to offer a level of service beyond that mandated by local legislation. Again, car and watch manufacturers learned this some while ago.
The radio silence seemingly exhibited by Naim and its agents at various points in this sorry tale is inexcusable and just plain dumb. Even if there are going to be long delays in getting parts, keeping the customer in the loop with regular, pro-active updates is primary school stuff.
All of these warranty concerns highlight the fact that you need to establish a connection with a good dealer. One that’s more interested in repeat business rather than someone who just wants to sell you something. I never had a warranty issue cause I have a dealer who cares, mind you I’ve never had any major problems with my Naim gear.
It wasn’t 7 months to take responsibility, which was Richard’s “really quick” aspect.
However it occurs to me that having done that it would have been better for Naim to arrange with Focal for the speakers to have been sent there and the amp to Naim, removing one complicating factor - then only the smaller component, would have been faced with the into-EU import after repair. (And, I assume, fixed much faster so back with the OP while Focal were still sorting out the driver.) one where hindsight may help, this possibly being a first?
By law yes, time in repair out of the user is added to warranty end date.
Brands should understand that support and confidence created on a brand, drives their future. If their support is great when needed that solidifies the confidence of a user, when is not it destroys the same confidence, driving less good feedback and less sales in the future.
We normally recommend a great experience, but we never forget a bad one.
Yes, it’s the time of the item in the users possession. For example with online sales warranty starts from the moment the customer receives the item, not the moment the purchase is made.
Begs the question of what course of action you would have taken to remedy the situation any better than Naim have done given the complexities and sourcing problems…
I thankfully (touch wood) haven’t had to deal with this scenario but I know I wouldn’t, couldn’t go 7 months without music.
I guess I would’ve replaced the gear and sold the amp and speakers once they were repaired and returned to me. I very much doubt I would’ve bought Naim & Focal again as any confidence I’d have would have evaporated after that length of time.
I love the Naim HE and I have no intention of selling it but heck, there are only so many work days I could get by without music!
There is also a little known caveat under UK consumer law that goods must have a “reasonable merchantable life” Apple honours this to 6 years (check the UK Apple Store small print) I know this for fact as the laptop I’m typing this on got a screen replacement for free after 4 years, as Apple deemed it faulty hardware and their liability.