New service and repair costs?

AIUI Naim previously offered an OLED replacement for owners with faded/blank screens for circa £150. A service was extra which seemed fair enough.

Is this option still available? Or is it a question I need to address to a dealer?

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But the difference is that the price list for new products is published for all to see, so no sane dealer would try to charge above the listed (recommended) prices. The same is not true for servicing, where a dealer can charge above what Naim recommend, as recommended repair prices are hidden.

I cannot imagine such unscrupulous behaviour by the Naim dealers I have dealt with, but the possibility is there.

We don’t publish the price lists, either - dealers do that.
A quick email/call to Naim HQ would give reassurance on current guideline pricing in a customer’s territory.
‘Current’ is a key word there, too - we live in a world of volatile pricing. Another reason not to publish lists.

Yes, screen replacement is a repair option; your dealer will have details.

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The issue here Clare, if I may, is that all the dealers publish the equipment prices on line, so everyone knows that a Supernait 3’s suggested price is £3,799. No dealer would ask for more than that and it’s then down to customers and dealers to agree a price at £3,799 or less.

If the servicing price is kept under wraps, surely Naim can’t be happy that dealers charge what they think they can get away with? Take a NAP 250 for example. ‘The list’ states £399 including VAT. Taking your line, a dealer could charge £350 by waiving some of their margin, or they could charge £500 or £600 if they thought they could get away with it.

That cannot be right and it cannot be fair. It may be the finance people that decide this, rather than your good self (I don’t actually buy that because as directors you share corporate responsibility) but if that’s really the way Naim intend to do this, then it’s poorly thought out and impractical, and will only lead to problems.

This criticism is meant to be wholly constructive - it needs to work for customers, for dealers and for Naim. People need to be able to take their product to their dealer for servicing and know they are being charged a fair price. The last thing anyone wants is to have to ring round various dealers to check prices. A canny dealer could set up a cut price servicing regime and hoover up the servicing market. Others could charge a high price if they can get away with it. Nobody wants that.

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Feedback all welcome, but there is no change here - the prices have always been set by dealers based on suggested points. And as noted, a call/email to HQ would give guidance on banding etc.

‘Snapshot in time’ price lists can be misleading without context.

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I should be able to trust any Naim dealer to charge the recommended repair cost, without having to check with Naim HQ that I am not being ripped off.

I am sure Naim will update dealers when servicing and repair costs change, so why can’t this be freely published. I have only found one dealer who has published repair costs on their website. It will be interesting to see if this servicing price list remains on their site.

Showing the world that Naim gear can be readily serviced and repaired at reasonable cost is a good thing for the brand, and you guys should be shouting it from the rooftops, not hiding the costs. If a certain servicing cost has taken an unforeseen hike, this can be easily explained by the dealer. It is all about trust, transparency and customer communication.

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I can’t imagine right now with parts shortages etc, there are too many deals to be had new, or service.

Yes, you should be able to trust a carefully selected Naim dealer. I find the assumption that a retailer’s first instinct would be to ‘rip off’ customers rather than have a conversation about next best steps to be highly cynical….

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The trouble with that is that not everyone is that savvy. Not everyone is on this fine Forum, shocking as they may seem, not everyone searches the internet, and not everyone questions their dealer. I’m not sure it’s a good use of resources to suggest people call or mail Naim to check. In fact it’s definitely not a good use of resources. I take the point about prices changing in a challenging market but if they need to be changed it’s simply a matter of editing a file and mailing it to the list of dealer addresses. That could be done monthly if necessary. Publishing the list has few if any downsides whereas keeping it under wraps has many. It’s a very poor business decision.

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Well why did you suggest we check with Naim HQ on servicing costs?

By the way I am a loyal and enthusiastic Naim owner for many years, who has praised the dealer network on here many times. Earlier I did say I trusted my known Naim dealers to not act unscrupulously when it come to servicing.

I don’t appreciate being accused of being cynical.

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It is not the same Naim when we visited i fear.

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You are risking coming across as a delicate flower here, or Naim is. It’s a harsh world out here, and getting harsher. No one is suggesting that any Naim dealer is ripping anyone off. We are raising the possibility of that, yes, but more than that we would like surety in unsure times. Would it be so difficult to publish maximum service prices in a list available to customers. Many of us rely on either fixed incomes, or diminishing capital, being retired. I don’t want to be either ignored or priced out of the market by a reluctance to publish necessary price information.

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Please don’t make this personal. I’m here on a weekend trying to explain things (and help out on other threads, too!)

I am only communicating policies that have been in place for years - well before my time at Naim.

I will always try and answer questions - and certainly take feedback; attacks are not necessary.

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OK Clare deal with it tomorrow! I think you can see there are strong feelings here, and it should not be ignored.

BTW, I take being accused of being cynical rather personally, so excuse me if I am a little low on sympathy.

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Sorry for any offense; not intended.

The Naim dealer-based business model has worked this way for many, many years - nothing has changed.

But I do appreciate we are living in uncertain times; I have asked the Sales team if we can share more info.

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I agree on that. Dealer prices for components may vary a little bit, but not the prices for service and repair. A dealer should not make a margin on this later. It’s a service, because the dealer is an authorised Naim dealer. What I think at least.

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It wasn’t meant as a personal attack Clare and I apologise. You do however represent Naim on here so my comments do apply to how I see Naim at the moment. I understand costs are rising and I do not like it. However it is as it is. A little communication on what those rises are fixed at and even for how long would be gratefully received. There really is no need for coyness.

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The problem here - IMO - is that more ‘information’ is now available - and is expected, compared to years before - due to the Internet & more. Price information like this used to be almost ‘secret’. But that no longer the case.

This Genie cannot be forced back into its bottle.

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We aren’t going to benefit from taking this further. Might I suggest that the team considers the points made on this thread and the potential benefits of making the service bandings and prices freely available via dealers, including on their websites if they wish. It would be a step forward in transparency and would save phone calls and emails to the factory; after all the staff are busy enough already without having to answer unnecessary questions.

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