Conrad Johnson Customer Service

[CTS59]

Well, they no longer answer the phone or return calls. And it takes a week to get an email returned.

And when they do:

Hello Chris,

We are unable to provide information unless you are the original owner.

Thank you,
Catherine Celis
conrad-johnson design, inc.
2800K Dorr Ave
Fairfax, VA 22031
P: 703.698.8581

Nice. Real nice.

[AnotherJohnson]

They are doing Triage … you’re looking for support on a product that has been out of production on the order of 40 years.

It is a VERY small operation. And they’re inundated with calls from guys needing help with things that they’ve not seen a nickel from in decades.

I wish Jeff were cloned so that there were a dozen of him.

But right now, I’m glad that the one Jeff is doing his best to support customers with current models, and warranty work.

This doesn’t help … but try to get help from Saul Marantz, Julius Futterman, Harvey Rosenberg … these are tough times, and, as I’ve waited now a full month on a Levinson warranty claim, I’m inclined to cut Jeff some slack.

[admin]

I share AJ's sentiments. I think they are inundated with service requests. I have the feeling they are addressing the "big things", ie new equipment under warranty, bigger upgrades, etc... small things they are probably just get pushed to a lower level of attention. Not saying it's good, but I can see something like this happening. Yes, we need another dozen Jeff's, that should fix the problem!

[CTS59]

They had no idea what I was inquiring about. I merely asked "what's the best way for me to get information on an amp?"
I get that we are in a tough spot, but at the same time, companies like Amazon have entirely changed consumer behavior in this country. We are now used to no-questions returns and refunds, etc. Higher levels of customer service are now the expectation. Acquiring a reputation for only dealing with people who want to buy your new stuff, or that you're obligated to deal with is one of those things that will lead you to being in a "tough spot".

Roger Modjeski built some of the best sounding amps ever Try and find an RM9. They sell in seconds. But Roger bounced around selling very few of his products in spite of rave reviews from magazines and users alike. Because people didn't want to deal with Roger.

A few weeks ago I called ARC to get a schematic for a 20 year-old amplifier. Immediately they connected me to Greg, who heads up service and support. We talked about what's going on with the amp and suggested a few tweaks he thought might be beneficial, then had the schematic with all the revisions and noted in my email in box less than five minutes after I hung up.

On another project, I have exchanged dozens of emails with John at Acoustic Elegance, picking through a couple dozen very subtle issues. I've learned more in the last two weeks about LF drivers than I have in the past 40 years. i have even said to him that I'll never spend enough money with him in the years I have remaining for the time he's invested, but he keeps answering. But I am ordering from him and I will take the effort to sing his praises and describe my project and his assistance enthusiastically.

There's a lesson here- you service everyone like they're someone that could be willing to spend a bunch of money on your product. Because I can't tell from looking which one's will and won't. Sustainable businesses are never built on anything other that solid foundations and thoroughly considered processes. I've always believed in the Golden Rule of customer service.

I'm not trying to beat up on CJD. Hopefully They avoid making decisions that aren't in their best interests

[admin]

I don't disagree with anything you said. I agree that good customer service is a foundation on which a successful company is built. I also don't know the inner working at CJ to make conclusions on the level of customer service that can be offered. Small operations may have a harder time with rapid response to service requests due to limited or non-dedicated staffing.

[AnotherJohnson]

ARC is literally 10 times the size of CJ.

They’re not comparable.

Greg is very helpful, but he is also clearly not the only guy there. He does customer support. Very well too.

Good luck with your project. Roberto might be able to put you in touch with Bill or Lew, but they’re retired. Jeff didn’t come to CJ until long after your amp was released.

I know I sound like an apologist, and I guess I am. Lectures about customer service, and the value of attending to everyone don’t ring true anymore. If your short handed, you have to prioritize your efforts. It’s not like yours is the first inquiry they’ve had along those lines.

What’s the future hold? I dunno. It’s going to be rough for anyone relying on the Russians for tubes.

[CTS59]

The guy I get my Cohibas from knows a guy

[CTS59]

At the risk of sounding like I’m disagreeing I guess I have to sound like I’m disagreeing. You earn those dollars and you have a choice on where to spend them. If you want to spend your dollars with people who don’t or won’t take care of you that’s up to you. If I wanna buy a $25,000 amplifier and I’m looking at Conrad Johnson radio research I have to weigh all the variables. And I’m going to. I’m going to come to places like this and read what people have to say if I don’t already have an experience space to depend on. And to customer service not being what it used to be usually Amazon example. Your customer service is exemplary. Now granted they do certain things extremely well. You’re not gonna be able to call up and talk to the guy that missed delivered your package but you’re going to get immediate satisfaction. And the benefit of the doubt. They raise the bar an expectation and that’s part of the challenge today that everybody in business has to deal with. And I would also suggest being small is an advantage. I just don’t think that “we’re not big enough to take care of our customers“ makes any sense. As far as questions on the amp I don’t need any rocket scientist level help. I just wanted to know if they could look at the serial number and see if it had been back for updates. But I can find that out another way. In the end they will make conscious decisions to choose to be the company that they want to be. Just as Roger who I referenced decided what he wanted his company to be

[CTS59]

And the reason for the sloppy reply above as I’m voice texting at 8 PM on my drive home from a business that I operate with my son that I arrived out a little bit before 6 AM. I haven’t had lunch yet. But I don’t leave until absolutely everything is resolved or has a resolution in place. And I’m 62 years old. This is a high-end retailer with reasonably high customer service expectation. Every day the first and last thing we talk about is exceeding every customers level of expectation by a measure that is absolutely noticeable as being above and beyond. I’m going to get home do a few things and then check to see if we had any customer emails come in after closing. I’ll do that again at 11 PM. After 11 PM you’re gonna have to wait till about 530 tomorrow morning for me to look again. But when you get a reply at 5 AM or 11:30 PM from the owner of the company addressing your issue you remember it. And when you’re reaching for your wallet the next time you remember the guy that treated you like a king

[admin]

I hear what your saying and they are valid arguments. When buying a premium product we expect premium service. But I also have to agree with AJ that size does play a huge factor in this. As you used the example of Amazon (which I am a user of multiple of there services and don't even want to think about how much money I send them on a yearly basis). Although their customer service is prompt, it is also very limited. They are quick to help with a refund, cancelation, or reorder,... they know almost nothing deeply about any of their services or products. Call an Amazon service rep up and ask them why you can't save an album to a playlist on their phone app. They really won't know what your talking about,.. although they may give you a months worth of service free for your trouble. When calling CJ, you literally are talking to people who designed the item and are experts in their field. The amazon equivalent would be if they put the lead android music app programmer on the phone with you. Yeah, that's not going to happen. You have a problem with your 7th generation kindle that you bought 3 years ago,... no problem sir, we have fix, which is to buy the latest 10th generation.

Very different circumstances and approach to customer service. But ultimately agree that it would be nice to have CJ customer service more responsive.

[AnotherJohnson]

I don’t disagree either … people spend their money as they choose.

Several of us, myself included, remember when we were 62.

We also remember when Cohibas were Castro’s best, before he gave them up. They were never the same.

Cohibas bought in Windsor or Montreal were never very good because they didn’t have to be. The Americans would come and buy them just because they were Cohibas. It was different in Europe. The quality was higher longer.

Before JFK invoked the embargo, he ordered a huge store of his favorites for himself.

In any event, I think if someone wants very attentive customer service on 20+ year old gear that’s had multiple owners, or if they want schematics or parts, CJ’s not going to be a good match. It sounds like it’s not for you.

[CTS59]

Well Conrad Johnson certainly didn’t lose me as a retail customer. I haven’t bought a new piece of equipment since I was paying acquisition prices for it in the 80s. I don’t have any fear of most equipment especially pieces that are clean designs with identified parts.

I still remember back when audio research was building equipment with their magic modules. I had a broken D 100 that I kept to show people. I would ask them “how are you going to fix this?“ It was a great selling tool. We picked up one line and shortly there after discovered that they were concealing their components. They would grind the top of their MOSFET outputs so they couldn’t be identified. Kind of a silly move considering at that time they were precious few MOSFET output devices available and anybody that knew anything could identify what it was. We told them to stop or we wouldn’t re-order. I wish Conrad Johnson all the luck in good fortune in the world. I hope the new owners do well with it. However as they enjoy the benefit of having a half century old name with strong brand affinity they also have to accept the responsibility for maintaining that name. Otherwise that brand equity goes away quickly.

[Big Dog RJ]

Mmm... those are some highly valid points and concerns raised by CTS.

I completely understand every angle of it. Even so to the point where my damn tube order of Mullards never ever showed up! This was placed last year in July! and still rowing that boat gently down the stream oh what a dream... I could have swum to the US and back by now, seriously!

I must also add something that's very interesting and going on here down unda; our very own CJ importer is really no better, according to many "potential customers." To be exact 6 of them in total, have tried to call, email, visit the store etc...to absolute no avail. And guess what? They all bought from none other than the ARC store / dealer, including Nordost accessories, such as power cords and cables. They've confirmed orders for the new M160's, the new VT series power amps, including the bigger Ref250's. Overall, this sales value well exceeds a few hundred thousand dollars $AUD, unfortunately our chaps didn't respond to any of these guys, so be it!

Now, how do I know all of this? They all contacted me! Simply because I'm pretty well known amongst the local audio forums, and some of them have labelled me as the CJ specialist! Going onto further comment that I should represent CJ and not these clowns... Oh well, to be honest, I'm really no expert, I've just got a few decades of experience dealing with tube gear, mostly CJ, and have been using their gear since the 80's, so I guess I may know one or two things but definitely no expert.

Having said that, I would certainly love to represent the brand and be the sole importer but times have changed dramatically since my dealership stint, and CJ's definitely not the same. They're very small now, and even the person in admin is pretty useless (again not my words but potential customers...)

As of this era, they don't come across anything of what they were once reputed for. I strongly believe that messers Lew Johnson & Bill Conrad's team back in the day, especially when Ed D was in charge of service, up until 2009, their service was impeccable! Now... merry-go-round.

Having said that, people would ask, including those potential customers who we lost to ARC, why am I still using CJ gear and why am I so very passionate about it? The answer is quite simple really in two points:

1. I don't place any of my tube orders through our CJ importer anymore. I go through my local Aus supplier for all tubes requirements. He has plenty of stock and all genuine from Russia.

2. My trusted tech knows CJ, ARC, VTL, VAC, Manley, Lamm and a host of others inside out, so he's my number one point of contact for any service, parts, fixing or upgrades required.

So, what I've created over the years is a trusted well established network of tube supplier and service tech. The gear can also be sourced from overseas now, not necessarily a must to go through local importers. Simply because if they're not responding, people will go elsewhere. Trust me, I've seen it happen in front of my eyes...

At the end of the day, we must always be aware of such challenging and changing times, wars going on, causing global impact on nearly every commodity you can possibly think of, so not just tube gear... so I will do my very best to support the local business and suppliers in any way possible, even if it means spending more. OTOH, if the local supplier/ importer is not interested in doing business then "unfortunately" I can see that discerning audiophiles will go elsewhere, there's no doubt about it!

As far as I'm concerned, I'll do my best to keep the CJ flag flying but there's only so much I can do...
Cheers, RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

I agree again.

The situation is not one that delivers a warm and fuzzy feeling.

The best idea so far is to clone JF … but that’s as likely as getting a schematic for a 40 year old amp that’s not in admins data base.


It is what it is. And we have to deal with the hand we’re dealt. I wish CJ could afford a serious, competent full timer … the good will generated by supporting old gear generates customers for new gear. I bought many pieces of used CJ before I started buying new.

[Big Dog RJ]

For whatever other reasons, poor customer service or just plain ignorance... whatever, I could very easily have settled for any other gear, with top level of service. ARC, VTL, Manley Labs, Lamm, Kondo, Ayon and the like... however I must say, there's just some thing that simply draws me towards that CJ signature sound.

Even if you blind fold me, place a massive sheet of concrete or even pour concrete onto my eyes, uh... just saying... I'd still be able to identify that CJ sound. That sheer level of fine musicality is like no other! It's an unmistakable type of signature that has been with the brand ever since!

So from humble inception since the 60's up until now, CJ has always been faithful to what they stand for, "it just sounds right."

For whatever they're going through, I truly hope they will be able to better cater / serve potential customers and existing and past customers... one thing for sure is their gear is top notch, there's no denying it, and this is the only sole reason why I still use them.

You just gotta love! It Bloody marvellous in every way!
Cheers, RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

I think a lot of folks have a tendency to brand loyalty.

Linn and McIntosh are two of the strongest loyalty cults.

I have been strongly brand loyal to conrad-johnson for decades, only recently making forays into other brand territory (Krell, Levinson and ARC, with failed attempt to ignite for McIntosh).

*****
Edit: Actually not entirely true … I’ve flirted with Marantz and Cambridge audio, and probably a few others, always with the idea that I didn’t want to spend more than necessary.
*******

Conrad-johnson has been responsive and genuinely engagable in my cases of need for service. I’ve always been pleased.

Even early in this century when I was trying to get their help with 20+ year old gear that I’d bought used, they were helpful. But one of the biggest ways they helped me was by showing me how parts scarcity for the old gear, and the clear sonic improvements of the new gear made it worthwhile to “move on” to 21st century offerings.

CJ is not big enough to support the huge base of 20th century gear extant. They’re focused on supporting warranty work, and original owners. Any body should recognize that those should be first priorities. I wish they could do more, but it’s not free.

The days of chatting with Ed on the phone are long gone. The days of idle chat with Jeff on the phone are probably gone too.

FWIW, the same issues are plaguing VPI.

Small shop. Big installed base. Can’t readily respond to inquires. This has been an issue since Harry’s retirement. Small shops are often just not able to focus on old product or the used market.

Stop and think for a moment about how many warranties require a sales slip from an authorized dealer. Many companies won’t even accept filled out warranty registration cards as proof of original purchase … they want the sales receipt.

We can be indignant and think that we have a lesson to teach, but the truth is, they’ve already been schooled at the college of hard knocks.

[AnotherJohnson]

People often complain that parts aren’t available for 30 year old units.

This is also an issue for other marques.

Here’s a list of ARC components that have suffered the same fate.

https://audioresearch.com/faq/

Scroll down to the list.

[admin]

I think the other thing that we also don't appreciate is that as times goes on, it becomes harder and harder to maintain legacy support. Two primary reasons. The further out we get, the components of the first units may no longer be manufactured so you get a dwindling supply. And 2nd, it becomes more expensive to support older units. Accumulation and storage of more parts as more models are released and maintaining technical knowledge about more models.

CJ has elected to still service old units. I wonder if this is ultimately behind their "reachability issues?" Would it serve the customer base better if they just said, "we have a 15 year service window and no service or upgrades on anything older"?

I think we have to face the fact that the world is changing and the days of chatting with Ed for half an hour about baroque music while buying a single cheap replacement tube for my PV12 are over.

[AnotherJohnson]

CJ has elected to still service old units. I wonder if this is ultimately behind their "reachability issues?" Would it serve the customer base better if they just said, "we have a 15 year service window and no service or upgrades on anything older"?

Two thoughts in support of your good analysis.

1. They will service old units, but reserve the right to not service units that have been serviced (aka molested) by others. And they are not magic … if an OEM pot or relay is no longer available, they’ll clean the old one if they can, but functionality may be an issue. This is why I abandoned my PV preamps.

2. Built into the retail price of any warranted component is the expected cost of supporting the unit. There’s the warranty period (typically 3 years for CJ), and the post warranty period. The post warranty period on many consumer products is 10 years after the model is discontinued. It is impossible to argue rationally that a hypothetical component that cost $1500 at retail in 1985 and was discontinued in 1989 ought to be supported by the manufacturer 30+ years later. It is VERY NICE when such support is available, but it is also rare in my experience.

[AnotherJohnson]

I got great email/phone support when I asked for help with my LP275Ms yesterday.

I inquired, and had a call back within the hour.

The call back saved me from having to send three large boxes and about 250 pounds back to Virginia.

My LP275Ms are 15 years old. I bought them in 2018 after factory refurbishment and they were shipped from CJ.

I have had nothing but good experiences with CJ over the past 35 years, and this continues to be true.