Spark - RMA and replacement
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I finally received my Spark about a month ago, 6 months after ordering. It worked for a week before it started emitting these awful squealing noises whenever I turned it on. It did this regardless of whether an instrument was plugged in or not. And it got significantly worse if I chose a higher-gain amp model. And no instrument sound came out of the amp at all, regardless of how high I set the gain, master or output.
Contacted PG support and got a fairly quick response with an RMA and claim that they were sending me a replacement amp within 2 weeks. I requested both the return shipping info and the tracking info for the replacement amp. I got a response that was pretty much "sit tight and we'll send you that info soon". That was over a week ago.
Tried to contact them again yesterday and it's radio silence. It's frustrating enough that I waited 6 months for my Spark to arrive. For the one week I got to use it, I was truly impressed and enjoyed the experience. But coupled with the long wait and now the runaround I'm getting with returning and replacing what is obviously a defective product, I'm left me with a very bad impression of Positive Grid. The thought of waiting another 6 months for a replacement is unacceptable.
I'm at the point that I'm thinking of contacting the appropriate consumer agency, as I don't know any other recourse I have. I'm stuck with a product that was delivered long after promised, that is now non-functional after normal use, no replacement in sight and now customer service is no longer responding.
If anyone has any advice to offer me to get this process actually moving towards a successful resolution, I'm all ears.
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It's been about 14 days now since Felix said that my replacement Spark would ship. But have heard virtually nothing since. And now they are not responding to my request at all. I've since put in a request for a refund, as I want to have an amp to use and need to find a different solution, if they are unable to provide a replacement. I have yet to get a response to the refund request either. Hopefully I can at least get my money back.
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@vaslow You can start a complaint through your credit card company or PayPal (whichever you used to pay for your original Spark order) and let them put the pressure on PG to refund your money.
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The complexity of the issue is that I actually received the amp and it proved to be defective. I'm certain that my CC company will say it's a warranty issue and I need to resolve with PG. Plus, the CC company only guarantees purchases for 120 days. Took over 180 for the amp to even arrive.
I filed a complaint with the BBB and I've been writing reviews of my experience on every site I can find. Left one one TrustPilot a few days ago and PG responded, asking for info. Haven't heard anything since.
At this point, I just want me money back. I have no desire to own any products from a company that only cares about moving stock. They apparently have little to no regard for you once they have your money.
And from all the reviews I've read here and in other sites, this is status quo for PG.
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@vaslow I'm not sure exactly what the warranty terms are, I suggest you ask for a refund.
The spark is not really the best or be or end all of all Bluetooth amps out there.
I think there is enough negativity towards PG and their practices out there now, for anyone to make an informed decision, moving forward. -
Thanks for your advice. I've been asking PG for a refund for 2 months now. I've heard exactly nothing from them. I filed a complaint with the BBB in hopes of getting a resolution that way. I even returned my defective amp, as they requested. At this point, I have nothing but a $300 hole in my bank account to show for over 8 months of my time. The fact they will not return my money or send me replacement constitutes fraud, in my opinion. I'm going to explore my legal options at this point.
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@vaslow I'd keep at it, bombard them with your full details and history every day if you have to... not hard.. just copy and paste
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I did exactly as you suggested... thanks. While I didn't get a refund, I did finally get a different customer service rep to contact me. With the news that my replacement amp was arriving that day (9/10).
So while I didn't get a refund, I did get a new amp. Which in the end, I can live with... if it continues to work. I appreciate that products develop faults, etc, but the way the manufacturer responds is the true tell of a good company. I think the Spark is a decent product. But, PG has a lot of work to do, to fix their customer service issues before I want to spend more money with them.
