Replacement mixer has arrived! Thank you Behringer for finally shipping a replacement unit… six weeks after I shipped the faulty one to a repair center. Though I’m thrilled to have the mixer back on my desk, it should not have required contacting the vendor to ask, “Hey, where’s my mixer? Is it fixed? Is it dead? What’s the story?” I didn’t write those exact words, but that’s what I was asking.
Tech companies need to do a lot better with tech support.
Apple-vs-ATT was a nightmare when my first iPhone X died. Nobody was responsible, of course. Apple said ATT would replace the phone, ATT said it was an Apple issue. No, this is a customer service issue and the store at which the phone was purchased should handle the swap. Always. Always. Never send the customer to the manufacturer — that’s bad customer service. You’re a retail store, I expect I’m getting some level of service above and beyond online shopping.
Behringer doesn’t really have a United States contact, as far as I can tell. The service center to which I shipped my mixer never acknowledged receiving the unit. I had to use UPS tracking to verify the unit was received by April 15… and it was June 5 before I had a replacement unit.
My wife and I tried a wireless speaker, purchased at Sam’s Club, that turned out to be a pain to configure and incompatible with our Apple gear except in a limited Bluetooth mode. The box stated “Apple compatible” with the Apple logo, but it wasn’t AirPlay compatible. Again, the company tech support was lousy. “We work with Apple computers and devices.” Are you AirPlay compatible? “We support WiFi, yes.” No, that’s not the same.
Technology is complicated. Things do die. But, the failure rates are too high and the technical support too mediocre to maintain any brand loyalty. If you want me to like you brand and keep buying products, give me some decent support when things do go wrong.
Consider what happens today when a computer or device dies and business, worker, student, or freelancer relies on that hardware. Sure, it is never great to rely on one thing, but most of us do. I rely on my old MacBook Pro. I rely on my mixer. I rely on plenty of single devices. If they die, I’m not getting work done.
My nightmare now is the computer. It’s a 2012 MacBook Pro on its last legs and Apple has indicated EOL is approaching.
When that computer does die, and it will, I won’t have the resources to easily replace it. This isn’t a Mac-v-Windows debate, either, because a lot of my work uses Mac-only software and many university programs are Mac-only with Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro for media production. The hardware is dictated by the software used.
Only some mixers work with digital audio workstation software. It’s not a matter of “buy anything” and all is well. You can’t buy a DAW controller at Walmart.
There are examples of great support. B&H Photo/Video has great support when you need their help with a vendor. They also provide great information online. They are what other retailers should be. Guitar Center, the physical stores, has always offered excellent in-store help with hardware and software.
Apple tech support isn’t what it used to be, either online or in store. Our experiences with a dying hard drive were lousy. The “Genius” team hadn’t heard of Tech Tool Pro (which used to be bundled with Macs) and had idea why the S.M.A.R.T. status was important. (It’s hard drive self-monitoring standard. The drive was telling us it was dying.)
In world dependent on technology, the manufacturers and retailers need to employ better support people. I know Apple pays a fair wage. I know they train staff regularly. Why can’t staff solve common problems? Something isn’t right.
Behringer support wasn’t able to help troubleshoot, either. I took photos of the mixer’s buttons to prove that I had the correct settings for USB audio passthrough. I quote from the manual. “Have you watched the YouTube videos on how to configure the mixer?” Yes, I have. And it worked fine for a year before it didn’t work. It was a frustrating experience.
At least I can get back to recording and editing podcasts without rigging less-than-ideal solutions. I was using my Zoom H4n as an audio interface and doing the mixing in software, with mouse and keyboard. Physical sliders are 10 times faster for me. I did purchase a Zoom R16, which I used as a stop-gap and field recorder. It’s a great little box and it will be used for most of my remote work, now. I love it. It can also emulate a Mackie mixer for DAW work, with some limitations.
Now, I have a solid and large X1204U on my desk and the R16 in my mobile kit. Back to podcasting work. I have to catch up and get episodes ready to go. Missed this week’s deadline, but will do all I can to get on schedule.