McIntosh - Public Relations

[Poobah]

I was going to post this In Dan's Men 220 Retrofit Thread.. But didn't want to dirty it up... Personallly I don't see it as dirt but some of you may. I just want whats best for McIntosh and it's Customers. I'm a fan at heart.

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I'm happy for Dan, and every other Men 220 owner out there. The pictures clearly show that they did an absolutely fantastic job correcting an unfortunate problem.

As for alll the hub-bub... I'm not a Men 220 owner, but I have experienced the problem that lays at the heart of it on other matters. Mcintosh simply does not do a great job of communicating with the growing number of Internet savvy consumers that is quickly becoming the absolute norm and very important part of the public relations puzzle.

Its simply a must that a large company selling high end equipment such as Mcintosh do a better job of communicating in an intelligent and honest matter. I'm sure I am not the only one that find's Ron-C's answers short and somewhat lacking in emotional terms, while somehow being slightly deceptive.. Aswell (yes it's water under the bridge part a good example) Chucks regretable Remarks, that clearly showed his lack of finese when dealing with people on a public forum. Clearly I don't think we'll see him again, by his own undoing.. (not ours).

There are clear examples of other representives on this forum (Bryston leaps to mind) from other manufactures that clearly have an ability to communicate in a meanful and personable way. And having that ability to communicate goes a long long way in how people think of you.. It's really a no brainer, and can effect public opinion in such a fundamental way that it can make or break a company.

All that said, I'm sure Ron-C and Chuck Hinton are both Intelligent and very skilled individuals. And I am not trying to insult them, but clearly they are not very skilled when it comes to public relations and communicating on a public forum.

Where I work there have been people I have dealt with by phone for over 12 years now that are completely personalble on the phone. But over the last year as I switch more and more to mostly email communications, I realize that alot of these really personable people, are not so personable and in some cases, complete buffoons when it comes to email conversation.

Again I'm not trying to say anyone at Mcintosh is a Baffoon either.. I'm just saying that they need someone, specifically to handle what obviosly is lacking, that is clearly being handled by it's competitors.

If Mcintosh for instance had someone like Dan working for them, and communicating with us.. I'm 100% sure there would be no reason to even have conversations like this.... "Conversations" that clearly show there is a problem.

Jonathan

[MikeSp]

Another public relations faux pas that stands out is NOT providing warranties on new Mc items purchased from outgoing dealers nor allowing transferrable warranties like Bryston does.

Had I purchased an MEN 220 and it took Mc so long to even admit to it having an engineering issue as well as the length of time to repair it, I would have had such remorse in my pride-of-ownership of Mc products that I would have sold all on Audiogon and switched brands just like I have done with vehicles, and never looked back. The very least that Mc should have done is quickly admitted the engineering error and at least offered to allow returns of the defective units for full credit since it was going to take so long to obtain replacement parts and correct defective units or even offer to loan the owners high end replacement unbalanced RCA cables to get them by. I love my Mc products and have used Mc products for many years but they are not the only brand out there which I sometimes wonder if they understand. I do not mean to insult the many McFans on this forum and I AM a McFan -- YMMV.

MikeSp

[BuffaloBill]

Originally Posted by Poobah

I'm sure I am not the only one that find's Ron-C's answers short and somewhat lacking in emotional terms, while somehow being slightly deceptive.

There are clear examples of other representives on this forum (Bryston leaps to mind) from other manufactures that clearly have an ability to communicate in a meanful and personable way.

Jonathan

I have benefited from e-mail exchanges with James Tanner of Bryston. So much so that I exchanged my second system from McIntosh to Bryston. Each time I send him a note I get a complete response quickly. I have received the same level of response directly from Peter Thomas of PMC, remarkable. (They apparently have the time and their corporate policies apparently do not restrict honest e-mail communications with customers.)

[Beans]

I appreciate what you're saying, but as far as I know it is not in Mr. Cornelius' job description to go around to all the audio forums out there to answer everybody's questions ...but I could be wrong. You're right about this - that if he's going to chime in here at all he should do it with care, but that's the problem... having to do his job and not let his personal desires to also participate in these forums backfire on him. He has no control over how his posts will "go over" and others can respond to his posts immediately. And remember there's no telling how many lurkers are reading it all, too.
I don't have a stake here - I'm just saying it's a fine line to walk.

[schaefer11]

FWIW, I have copied and pasted this from my comments on Dan's thread.

"Unlike others, I do not feel that McIntosh has any requirement to have communicated this issue with anyone other than current owners and their dealers. In the auto business, a "stop sale" on in stock units would have been issued and owners would have been notified of a recall. Perhaps also a general press release, but the manufacturer would not look for every enthusiast forum in order to broadcast the problem to the world, and in my opinion, they shouldn't have been expected to. Simply put, you as an owner had the right to expect exceptional service on the issue, while I, a non owner, shouldn't have expected to even know the issue existed. If I had walked in to buy one, it would be the dealers responsibility to have apprised me of the situation."

I think that Ron C's participation in these forums is a welcome bonus, regardless of his "style" of communication. Chucks one post, well that was unfortunate, but unless I am mistaken, since I have never met him, he is only human and we humans sometimes screw up.

[bradleyc]

I've exchanged emails with Chuch Hinton regardings questions about McIntosh products, and he has always answered my questions thoroughly and to my satisfaction. Ron is extremely knowledgable, and does a great job of communicating on various forums IMO. As for MEN220 posts on public forums, do we really know if D & M Holdings would allow Chuck and Ron to openly discuss what they consider confidential or sensitive company information? I too think that McIntosh should have openly acknowledged the design flaws as soon as they were understood, and communicated their intentions to retrofit as soon as those plans were finalized...

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Poobah

If Mcintosh for instance had someone like Dan working for them, and communicating with us.. I'm 100% sure there would be no reason to even have conversations like this.... "Conversations" that clearly show there is a problem.

Jonathan.......Wow, a new career direction for me. Thank you for your confidence. I agree with the premise of your post. The Internet, and not just forums, have given us an invaluable resource for information, research, and sharing communications. It is difficult, if not impossible for a manufacturing company to do business without a savvy Internet presence. A professional way to interface with vendors, clients, and end users is essential to future success, and any company ignoring the ability of individuals to share information on the Internet does so at their own peril.

As for McIntosh personnel, such as Ron-C, Chuck Hinton and others who have communicated here, we may not know the extent of corporate policy with regard to how McIntosh allows these individuals to share information publicly. There may be strict guidelines that we are not privileged to know about, so criticizing them really doesn't create anything positive, as I see it. The one thorny thread from Chuck was obviously a moment of frustration. We all have these moments, and hope that our friends and acquaintances don't hang this stuff over our heads for eternity.

Finally, I agree with you that McIntosh, as well as many other companies, could improve their public relations by using the Internet more efficiently. The Internet as a resource for information and communication is not going away, and is rapidly becoming more valuable daily.

[Still-One]

You are so in the dark on this one. After Dan's issue was verified during my first contact with McIntosh they stated "we will repair or replace the units". We will contact the registered users when we are ready to provide a RA." That is exactly what I expected and what occurred.

Jim

[Dj_AmTraX]

I appreciate Ron's input here and my emails to him. I understand the corporate world so I don't expect him to say anything that can compromise the company. I may or may not agree with him, but I understand his position.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Dj_AmTraX

I appreciate Ron's input here and my emails to him. I understand the corporate world so I don't expect him to say anything that can compromise the company. I may or may not agree with him, but I understand his position.

Mike.......It is an asset to have any manufacturer's reps become members of this forum. Whether it is Ron-C, or Chuck Hinton from McIntosh, Ryan Conway from PS Audio, James Tanner from Bryston, Ian from PMC, or some of the other individuals from other companies who stay undercover, we are fortunate to have their input, and industry insight. I am happy to see them visit and post. There are many other audio indutry people who lurk here, as well. It is all good.