Becoming disenchanted with my Express 5:50

[vbf]

I purchased my Express 5:50 with great excitement and anticipation that I was buying a high end amp. I think I was wrong and am quickly becoming disenchanted with the product. I do all I can to buy American knowing I'll pay more to help support American manufacturers. And how is my excitement, anticipation, and patriotism rewarded? I'm rewarded with a 4 month old amp that had a bad tube and now the foot switch is defective. So I called Mesa, and while I was pleased to actually talk to a person, I have to take it to a Mesa approved repair facility WITH the bill of sale, without which they won't pay for the fix. I registered the amp and they have me on file. So why do I have to do all the legwork with the repair facility? Why don't they take more initiative to assist their customers? The nearest authorized facility is more than an hour away and are backed up for weeks. They didn't offer to send me a new foot switch, which is extremely disappointing given how important it it to the amp's use. I told the Mesa person that I'm hosed without the footswitch and need the amp this weekend. His response? Take it to the repair place.

I'm really regretting having purchased this amp and would not recommend one to anybody, despite their great tone. Reliability and customer service is well below where it should be given their reputation for quality......not to mention what they cost. I walked past a good number of other amp manufacturers to buy the Mesa. I'm going to revisit those amps and consider selling the Express when the footswitch is finally repaired. When it comes to these Express amps.....buyer beware.

 

[EtherealWidow]

Ah that sucks man. Sorry to hear it, but plenty of other people have had fine experiences with theirs so I wouldn't really use this as a definite reason not to buy the Express. I don't know though. We'll see what happens when my 5:25 gets here around Halloween. I'm so pumped. I still go to the local guitar store to wail out a few things on their 5:50. Those things sound so unbelievably **** good. How people don't love these for black metal is beyond me. They're so perfect.

 

[edward]

That really does suck! The bad tube really should be addressed w/o having to bring the amp in ...I'd call Mesa back and complain up the chain on that one. The bad footswitch, though, is prob something they'd have to see.

While you are disenchanted with the customer service, I honestly know of only one other major company brand (Taylor) that offers as personal and comprehensive service and backing of their product, and that even includes their old products. No other major marque even comes close in my experience. You can, of course, go "boutique" but that buys you no guarantees of better service, and you certainly/easily pay more than your typical new Mesa. If you genuiniely like the tone, I'd call again and ask (politely, of course) to up the chain, so to speak, to get your issue resolved. Be persistent, but positive. Good luck, and post back!

Edward

 

[richpjr]

My express had a bad tube when I got it home last week. I had a spare set of tubes to stick in, called up support, scanned and emailed a copy of my sales receipt to register and have a new set up tubes scheduled to be delivered any day now. I was quite pleased with their support.

Good luck with whatever you do!

 

[mlabbee]

It is unfortunately a bit of a hassle to deal with Mesa - their amp designs are fairly complex, so there aren't many shops that can handle the repairs (I had to take my 5:25 in here in Portland and they wound up having to send the amp back to Mesa to get fixed).

It was covered no problem, but I was without the amp for over a month and their communication was HORRIBLE! I had to go through the whole "Bill of Sale" routine and had to bug the Mesa rep repeatedly via e-mail until he finally told me that I could take the amp in to get repaired (apparently when he told me "it's all good" earlier in the correspondence, that meant "we have you in our system, go ahead and take the amp into the shop for repair and it will be covered under warranty"). And once I got to the shop, I had to present the bill of sale there, too.

So, I love the amp, but sure hope I never have to get it repaired again . . .

 

[vbf]

I'm the kind of consumer that shops very carefully and doesn't let price drive the decision alone. I'm extremely fortunate in that I can afford to purchase quality products. And please, not boasting here, just laying out how I establish expectations. First off, as a service provider, I realized a long time ago that customers are retained and lost at the point of a problem....not the point of sale. I go out of my way to satisfy a customer if they aren't happy and have a good track record of retention. I purchased a set of Bosch, battery-operated power tools recently and proceeded to accidentally drop the drill from high atop a ladder. It damaged the chuck slightly and I called Bosch. Their response? They had a replacement drill on my doorstep within 24 hours with pre-paid Fed-Ex paperwork ready to go in the box to return the damage done; no questions asked, no hassle. My local BMW dealership comes to my house, picks up my car, leaves me a free loaner, then returns my car after servicing. Bosch and BMW know how to take care of their customers at their point of need. As a result, I buy only Bosch drill bits, etc and purchase parts and other services from the BMW dealership. They continue to earn my business. So when I shopped for an amp, I wanted a Bosch/BMW level product and thought I was buying one in a Mesa Boogie amp. Perhaps my research was flawed and I over estimated the product. I did look at Dr. Z and was tempted but really believed Mesa was up there in quality and anticipated customer service. All that said, an amplifier footswitch isn't a cost driver for a large, well-established manufacturer like Mesa Boogie. But it's a pretty key part of using the amp. Similar to tubes, foot switches should be a no-brainer; if it's broken, we'll have a new one on your door step tomorrow with pre-paid shipping to return the defective one. But no, Mesa doesn't do this. You forced into a Fender-like repair experience. I expect a run around from Fender or Line 6...not from Mesa. They supposedly sell high-end amps but treat customers with repairs in a low-end manner. And this is the nexus of my disappointment and disenchantment. I'm planning to call Mesa today and have a polite and professional conversation about this. One would hope that, in these trying economic times, companies would go farther to satisfy their customers.

 

[GD_NC]

I love Mesa amps, but you have to wonder if they are outgrowing the Boutique business model. Their customer service is fantastic but their communication system is broken. The last couple of times I've called it's taken more than a day for someone to call me back.

Don't get me wrong, they have been fantastic when you finally get to talk to someone, but I think they should try to be more responsive. I don't really want to wait a couple of days for someone to call me back so I can replace a worn out amp handle. Can't they just pass that to a CSR and place my order??? If I have a major technical issue I'm happy to wait to talk to the expert but I suspect that's the minority of the calls. Would it kill them to have an email address or online chat to manage simple questions?

Anyway, I hope the folks a Mesa keep an eye on this board. It's time for them to rethink their customer service model. I'd hate to see a great company with historicaly fantastic service levels be marginalized by hanging on to the "old" way of communicating too long.

 

[edward]

Good points, all, vbf. Not only should what you describe be the standard business model for customer service, it is even more essential in this economic climate where consumers are acutely particular about where they spend their dough. If you haven't shared this (the gist of what you just wrote) with Mesa, I seriously would.

The problem here seems to me the guys manning the customer-service lines. Run your issue up the chain, seriously. The reason I continue to say this is that I have personally dealt with some of these great folks on Mesa, one of which was the VP who was a heck of a nice guy who bent over backwards to talk to me; not to mention the "legend" of Mike Bendinelli who was at the ground floor with Randall Smith and freely talked to me about my old MKIII ...long out of production, yet seemingly one of his passions. If there is anything at Mesa that is broken, it is likely the CS folks, and poor communication/flawed policy. Insist on better service from a higher up, IMHO.

Edward

 

[Old BF Shred]

Sorry to hear about your problems with the express....
I also had problems with my Ace when I got it, including A BAD FOOTSWITCH! :x

So I can relate!....but wait! There's more! :mrgreen:
I also had a power supply issue that drove me nuts for months! The real tough part is it would only mess up about every 2 months. So if I changed a tube or did anything else to affect it, I would think it was fixed for about 2 months and then it would f%#@ up again!!!

I finally took it in to a service center, and it took them 6 weeks just to get it to act up so they could fix it! I was without the amp for 2 months.....
I fixed the footswitch myself...Mesa sent me the part to fix it, so no biggy there, but I had problems with the amp for most of a year until it finally settled down.
Apparently the quality of parts available these days is the culprit....even American-made electronic components are not what they used to be (too many cut backs in American companies). Unfortunately, Mesa has no direct control over their suppliers and this can, and does, happen now and then.

The good news is that once the Ace was fixed, it has not even burped since!
And the tone is un-beatable. I am very happy with it now! :wink: Want my amp? PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS! :twisted:

Sorry to be so blunt, but once your issues are squared away, there is a good chance you will feel the same way about yours...so you have a right to be angry, but don't give up too quickly! It WILL get better!

Good luck!

 

[Old BF Shred]

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[Old BF Shred]

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[Old BF Shred]

WOW
talk about server glitch!!!!!!????!!!

 

[UKBoogieboy]

Its because Mesa Boogie could not care less, they have got a massive name and don't care about their individual little customers. I was told this today by the people who deal with Mesa Boogie. 50% of Mesa Boogie amp that arrive in the UK don't work out of the box and are sent back also.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

Support American manufacture? I have read on lots of forums about this, i can't understand that at all, no one buys anything music equipment or anything else here to support British companies, infact I would be "incredibly" surprised if anyone ever gave it a single thought seriously!!!!
We buy the best for our needs, if it happens to be British then thats just a coinidence, most music equipment we buy is American, other equipment like T.V.s, computers, hifi and other house hold items are makes like Panasonic, Sony etc. Do people really buy american there to help American companies? Hard to believe.

 

[vbf]

Support American manufacture? I have read on lots of forums about this, i can't understand that at all, no one buys anything music equipment or anything else here to support British companies, infact I would be "incredibly" surprised if anyone ever gave it a single thought seriously!!!!
We buy the best for our needs, if it happens to be British then thats just a coinidence, most music equipment we buy is American, other equipment like T.V.s, computers, hifi and other house hold items are makes like Panasonic, Sony etc. Do people really buy american there to help American companies? Hard to believe.

I absolutely do. Whenever possible I buy products manufactured in America. All the furniture I recently purchased was manufactured in Pennslylvania. Save for the Gretsch, all of my guitars are American made. One exception, however, is cars; I prefer German automobiles.

 

[soundchaser59]

I definitely buy American if I can. I am pretty sure the only things in my studio that are not made in America are a couple of mics (made in Japan and Austria) some pedals, and the parts inside my computer (although I built the computer myself using all those parts!). My speakers, cabs, all amps and even my Strat are all MIA!

Unfortunately, "American made" is no guarantee. American cars really suck, as does American beer. But we have the best chocolate! 8)

 

[GD_NC]

Support American manufacture? I have read on lots of forums about this, i can't understand that at all, no one buys anything music equipment or anything else here to support British companies, infact I would be "incredibly" surprised if anyone ever gave it a single thought seriously!!!!
We buy the best for our needs, if it happens to be British then thats just a coinidence, most music equipment we buy is American, other equipment like T.V.s, computers, hifi and other house hold items are makes like Panasonic, Sony etc. Do people really buy american there to help American companies? Hard to believe.

I absolutely do. Whenever possible I buy products manufactured in America. All the furniture I recently purchased was manufactured in Pennslylvania. Save for the Gretsch, all of my guitars are American made. One exception, however, is cars; I prefer German automobiles.

Yes, I'm typically willing to pay a premium for a US made product. Especially if it's a 1st rate product such as Mesa, Gibson or PRS. I'm sick of buying cheap products that end up in the landfill after 2 years of use.

 

[ryjan]

I try to go a step further and buy locally supplied products. Put walmart out of buisiness! There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with a company that doesnt give a crap about you after they have your money and not being able to deal with them face to face.

 

[richpjr]

I definitely buy American if I can. I am pretty sure the only things in my studio that are not made in America are a couple of mics (made in Japan and Austria) some pedals, and the parts inside my computer (although I built the computer myself using all those parts!). My speakers, cabs, all amps and even my Strat are all MIA!

Unfortunately, "American made" is no guarantee. American cars really suck, as does American beer. But we have the best chocolate! 8)

What? Perhaps mass market American beer sucks, but there are PLENTY of really good beers brewed in America. As for chocolate, no American chocolate comes close to what I tried from Switzerland!

I'll always buy American - if it's warranted. If the price and quality of the product I am looking at is comparable to something imported, it's a no brainer. The problem is, far too often this isn't the case.

 

[EtherealWidow]

I definitely buy American if I can. I am pretty sure the only things in my studio that are not made in America are a couple of mics (made in Japan and Austria) some pedals, and the parts inside my computer (although I built the computer myself using all those parts!). My speakers, cabs, all amps and even my Strat are all MIA!

Unfortunately, "American made" is no guarantee. American cars really suck, as does American beer. But we have the best chocolate! 8)

What? Perhaps mass market American beer sucks, but there are PLENTY of really good beers brewed in America. As for chocolate, no American chocolate comes close to what I tried from Switzerland!

I'll always buy American - if it's warranted. If the price and quality of the product I am looking at is comparable to something imported, it's a no brainer. The problem is, far too often this isn't the case.

Haha. Yeah I was gonna say something about the chocolate. There is MUCH MUCH better chocolate that doesn't get your hands and face all messy. As for buying strictly American, I just go with whatever I like. Glad I didn't like Engl's or Diezel's or Orange's. Those are all so **** pricey just because they're imports.