Well, I own a Lexicon and I'm going to be purchasing a 2004 Acura MDX so I guess I'm in for a heap of trouble regarding customer service on both counts, right?



Seriously, let's not lose focus here. Granted, service can vary from dealer to dealer and not having do deal with dealers (lot of "dealing" going on here - almost sounds like a casino!) may have some good points. Since Outlaw is a direct to customer manufacturer they at least have a handle on being responsible for reacting to a customer's problems with no outside variables beyond their control. And on the question of customer service I feel that Outlaw has gone "above and beyond."

When I was a beta tester with Outlaw on the 950 I felt that perhaps the great interactivity and support I had from them was, in part, an accommodation to me because I was testing their 950s (several iterations of it). However, now that the 950 has been in the public sphere for a long time, I continue to be impressed how Outlaw has dealt with issues that have come up with "regular" customers - even when other manufacturers may have taken a different stance on these issues. Kudos to The Outlaws on that.

In fairness, dealer networks cost money to the manufacturers so that a $6000 list price unit with dealers in the mix doesn't represent a product that should be 7+ times better than an $800 one that is sold direct. True, one should expect the $6000 unit to be considerably better and, in my opinion it is in a number of areas. What is surprising is that the difference in sound is not as big as some might expect.

Dealing with dealers can be variable. Luckily, I've had no "display" issues with my MC-8, but if I did, I'd take it up with my dealer. It's funny, but the Lexicon Display issue seems to be running parallel to the 950 "hum" issue. I didn't have an issue with that either, but I realize that others did. As others have mentioned, Outlaw handled that issue very nicely for most concerned, although there still was a bit of grumbling. You can't please everyone. It's just that with the Outlaw direct-to-customer model, there are fewer people involved to screw things up.

The bottom line is are you pleased with your products? You choose a particular item because you like the way it performs. You've probably done your research and your final choice is based on the features and the performance over time. And you also hope that you will have some recourse in case you have problems.

When I decided to purchase a Lexicon I did this based on what others thought of their units, the features that it had, the ability to get answers to questions (SMR forum is a top-notch resource) and an upgrade path (Lexicon traditionally takes care of users with software and hardware updates and generous trade in offers when new products come out.) I realize that things can go wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that my MC-8 is one hellova piece of equipment.

I'm not about to purchase a less capable product because its dealer network is "better" (whatever that represents). My first priority is the quality of the unit I'm considering once I've established my budget. To me, a better support structure for a lesser product is not my top priority. For others, their priorities may differ. And, for the record, I think Lexicon is very responsive to most needs based on what I've heard.

And the same goes for my upcoming Acura MDX. I've looked at a lot of SUVs over the past few months and I'm going with the Acura. I have a very good dealer and in talking to others who have used this dealer find that people are satisfied with him. Sure, there may be some bumps in the road (no pun intended), but once again I'm placing the features, performance and reliabilty I want (and which get a great rating) ahead of the supposed "superiority" of a competitor's dealer network. If something is reliable there is an extremely good chance that you won't have to "deal" with a dealer after the purchase. And if I do, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Yes, quality of support is one thing to consider, but quality of a product is my most important parameter.

My 2 gold (Au) cents, one Aural and one Auto.

------------------
RAF

My HT (latest update 07/27/03)
Now includes my Runco CL-710 DLP FP
and Lexicon MC-8

[This message has been edited by Robert A Fowkes (edited August 29, 2003).]