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Why would VooDoo Lab make a switcher, when their switches suck?


NappyDugOut

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Originally posted by JoshFiden
Aski


3. It was implied that we provide better service for artists than we do for the "regular guys". Okay, that's true. Duh. However, anyone that has dealt with us for customer support knows that we stand behind our products 100%. Our warranty is 5 years. And we often repair products at no charge even though they are out of warranty. No one has ever been stuck with a defective switch unless they just didn't bother to tell us about it.

I did have a problem with the switch going bad on my VL Analog Chorus which was unexpected because I had bought it new and this particular pedal was never gigged and certainly never abused. However, I contacted VL about the switch and they were very friendly, replaced it free of charge, paid for return shipping, and turned it around fairly quickly. Didn't even ask for a receipt or whether I was the original owner. So, the bad news was that the switch went bad but the good news was that their customer service was good. I can live with some bad as long as a company is willing to stand behind their products and make everything right in the end.:thu:
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2. The failure rate of mechanical switches used in Voodoo Lab pedal effects was nowhere near what you might think reading H-C. The vast majority work fine and have worked fine for years. Nonetheless, it was much higher than what we consider acceptable. Since we're using the same manufacturer as some of the best of the boutique pedal builders, and they were not seeing the same failure rates, we brought this to the manufacturer and asked "why?" They suggested a design modification being used by others (thanks for not telling us sooner) and we've been using this improved design since early this year. So far we have not yet seen a SINGLE switch failure with the new design.


This issue no longer exists.


 

 

Here are the facts as I see them(My reality)

1. I have three VL pedals, SparkleDrive,SuperFuzz,and MicroVibe.

 

2. They all have crapped out(ALL!)

 

3. Sent them to VL to be fixed

 

4. One month later they all crappped out again

 

5. Sent E-mail to VL to Report problem(Again)

 

6. E-MAIL IGNORED THREE TIMES (NO REPLY)

 

7.Bought Keeley FuzzHead,Keeley BD-2, and MXR EVH-90

 

8. HAPPY!!

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Originally posted by NITEFLY182

Points began to quickly disappear as he railed on the people who didn't like his products. I give this customer service action a B-



Yeah! what's up with that?:( That explains my E-mails being ignored:( If the pedal were bad I wouldn't care about the switches, but the pedals are kick-ass and I'm pissed that they don't work. That's all I'm saying:freak:

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Originally posted by NappyDugOut

Here are the facts as I see them(My reality)

1. I have three VL pedals, SparkleDrive,SuperFuzz,and MicroVibe.


2. They all have crapped out(ALL!)



Ummm...how much do you weigh? Just askin'...:D

I've only ever had one switch go on one pedal since 1984...Had other stuff happen though, boards, tubes, cables, etc...Sounds like you've had enough bad luck for everyone.:cry:

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Originally posted by Jaymeister

Ummm...how much do you weigh? Just askin'...
:D

I've only ever had one switch go on one pedal since 1984...Had other stuff happen though, boards, tubes, cables, etc...Sounds like you've had enough bad luck for everyone.
:cry:



I weigh 230lbs, but I don't gig or take my equipment out of the house. Hell, most of the time I reach down and turn my pedals on/off with my hand(I'm sitting on the couch).

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Nitefly182 asked: "When is the Wahzoo coming out?"

As soon as it's perfect. We've been working on the design for quite a while now, and we think we're nearly there. We expect you'll see it in stores in early 2007.


NappyDugOut reported:

"Here are the facts as I see them(My reality)..."


Wow, that's pretty terrible. We did have more switch failures than we wanted to see for a while there, but I can't think of another person who has had as bad a time of it as that. Of course we seem to have overcome the switch issue; so we could still fix those pedals for you if you want.

As far as why your email was never answered, I can't say. That 's quite unusual. Did you call us too?

Anyway, please feel free to call us or email us anytime. I doubt you'll have such an experience again. We have added a couple of people to our staff in recent months, and these days we are generally successful at quickly taking care of poeple's Voodoo Lab gear when it needs attention.

If anyone has more questions or comments about Voodoo Lab stuff, please contact us here at the factory. All the contact information appears on the web site:

www.voodoolab.com


Thanks,

J

John Aycock
Sales
Voodoo Lab

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BTW... The mysterious "Jerryesque" is John Aycock, our sales manager. (His likeness has been often compared to Jerry Garcia--hence the name).

I can't explain 3 emails going unanswered. It certainly was not a conspiracy or intentional. My best speculation is that they may have fallen victim to our spam filters. Occassionally an email gets blacklisted for no apparent reason. It is a constant battle with public email addresses to eliminate as much spam as possible while still passing all "real" messages.

I know that these days if you email a company and don't get a reply within 24 hrs (preferably less) this is considered bad customer service. I feel the same way. What you may not realize is that Voodoo Lab is a VERY small company. There are only 14 of us after adding 3 new people this year. Everyone who is not building stuff has to wear a lot of hats. In other words, "operators are NOT standing by!" Sometimes we get behind in email, although not so much anymore. Unlike some other companies our size, and larger for that matter, we always answer the phone and we always return phone calls. If you think you're not getting the help you need, give us the benefit of the doubt and call.

Our policy has been, and always will be, to replace any defective switches (or anything else, for that matter) for free under warranty. Unless the pedal is physically damaged or you destroyed it trying to fix it yourself, we don't care if you bought it used. If we made it, we stand behind it, no questions asked. As I stated in my previous post, we now have a switch that we've seen zero failures. So any pedals repaired at this point should be a permanent fix. I understand that it is still very inconvenient to have to send something back for repair. We are doing out best to make this right for anyone that got something less than perfect.

Questions?

Thanks,

Josh Fiden
Founder/CEO
www.voodoolab.com


Originally posted by Jerryesque


As far as why your email was never answered, I can't say. That 's quite unusual. Did you call us too?


Anyway, please feel free to call us or email us anytime. I doubt you'll have such an experience again. We have added a couple of people to our staff in recent months, and these days we are generally successful at quickly taking care of people's Voodoo Lab gear when it needs attention.


If anyone has more questions or comments about Voodoo Lab stuff, please contact us here at the factory. All the contact information appears on the web site:


www.voodoolab.com



Thanks,


J.

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I have a Sparkledrive that the switch went bad in about 2 months ago. I emailed them with no response, but when I called they were nice as can be and fixed my pedal for free with no questions asked. They told me at the time alot of peoples emails were getting stopped by the spam filters.

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Originally posted by therhodeo

They told me at the time alot of peoples emails were getting stopped by the spam filters.

 

I can just imagine...

 

Subject.....

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your bank password has expired

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request #2...my pedal switch is broken

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There's a lot of mass and semi mass produced pedals that get bum switches


I've had to fix a few dunlops, a few procos, and few chan selectors for various HUGE brands.

I'm thinking it's like this..

A batch of switches come into VL, they all test well, the batch ends up in a few hundred pedals. They order another

in the meantime, without VL knowing, the switch company cuts a corner in the manfacturing process; probably something like using cheaper metal for the contact points causing them get worn out and go intermittent quicker

When VL gets the crappier stomps, they might be mixed in with some old stock or test well for the first dozen bypass/wet cycles.

then nappy gets a bad box an gets pwnd by a spam filter :(

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