Bad Cat - WTF customer service!

R

rng52465

Member
I have a BadCat Unleash V1 that I hadn't used in a while and finally brought it out to put between my Hiwatt head and cab and use it's effects loop for delay and reverb. Well....it was shot. No sound at all. So I emailed customer service and here was their reply:

Hi Robert,

Unfortunately, we aren't taking Unleash repairs at this time.

photo
Sarah Saffari
Bad Cat Amps
818-268-1086 | sarah@badcatamps.com
www.badcatamps.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/badcatamplifiers
1010 W 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
​
 
That sucks. I had something similar with my jeep recently where the dealership said we are only doing oil changes right now. No repairs... crazy world we live in nowadays.
 
MetalHeadMike said:
Sucks! I had Steve Henning tell me no...wouldn't work on one of his amps because I bought it second hand. That was despite my understanding it would obviously not be warranty, but offering to pay whatever he'd charge.
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Which Henning did you have? I used to have a Cherry Bomb
 
If someone doesn't want to work on your gear, you don't want them to work on your gear. They're either busy, don't have the resources or don't give a shit - so it's in your best interests to look elsewhere.

Find a good local tech, build a relationship and you're set. A good tech can fix almost any almost analogue device, and many digital ones. Support a local business and the turnaround time/cost is usually far less than dealing with the manufacturer.
 
ZEN Amps said:
If someone doesn't want to work on your gear, you don't want them to work on your gear. They're either busy, don't have the resources or don't give a shit - so it's in your best interests to look elsewhere.

Find a good local tech, build a relationship and you're set. A good tech can fix almost any almost analogue device, and many digital ones. Support a local business and the turnaround time/cost is usually far less than dealing with the manufacturer.
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Agreed, but unfortunately I live in Rural MT and there aren't many techs let alone good ones to my knowledge.
 
braintheory said:
Which Henning did you have? I used to have a Cherry Bomb
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Bottle Rocket. I was SUPER bummed because outside of the issue I was having, I think that amp would have been something special. I got lucky to have bought from a great seller and he refunded me, but I was kind of put out Steve wouldn't let me send it to him instead of my returning it to the seller. The seller got it back and took it to a local tech and they found nothing wrong. Baffled me...must have been a loose connection or solder joint that moved during shipping.

I would buy a brand new one, but Steve really rubbed me the wrong way.
 
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ZEN Amps said:
If someone doesn't want to work on your gear, you don't want them to work on your gear. They're either busy, don't have the resources or don't give a shit - so it's in your best interests to look elsewhere.

Find a good local tech, build a relationship and you're set. A good tech can fix almost any almost analogue device, and many digital ones. Support a local business and the turnaround time/cost is usually far less than dealing with the manufacturer.
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The scary part is mine is getting super old . I need a new tech
 
My local shop is no longer carrying bad cat, not sure of the issues, but that is what I was told.

I think Covid has overwhelmed many amp techs. I am taking a break from repairs for a while, just got burned out and want to catch up on my own stuff. It’s a side job for me, tough to make a living on amp repairs alone and still tough to get parts.

As far as trouble shooting, the first thing I would do is to figure out if the issue is in the load or the SS power amp.
 
thegame said:
That guy is a major jackass. I’m glad he ended up huffing and puffing his way out of here.
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Didn't realize he'd done that. He hired my sound clip guy to do all of his clips on his site with Scumbacks. Then he tells everyone they're G12H30 Anniversary speakers. He lost any and all respect or contact from me after that about (Edit) 3 years ago. Doesn't surprise me about the customer service issues some of you have experienced. All I can say is it's too bad. Gives the industry a bad name.
 
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Scumback Speakers said:
Didn't realize he'd done that. He hired my sound clip guy to do all of his clips on his site with Scumbacks. Then he tells everyone they're G12H30 Anniversary speakers. He lost any and all respect or contact from me after that about 4-5 years ago. Doesn't surprise me about the customer service issues some of you have experienced. All I can say is it's too bad. Gives the industry a bad name.
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So he used your speakers for his amp demos but instead of giving your speakers props and throwing some business your way, he proceeds to tell people that he was actually using Celestion G12H-30 speakers?

What in the blue fuck is his problem????
 
NaturalBornBoy said:
So he used your speakers for his amp demos but instead of giving your speakers props and throwing some business your way, he proceeds to tell people that he was actually using Celestion G12H-30 speakers?

What in the blue fuck is his problem????
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Imagine my surprise when I found out 3 years ago, although I'd heard rumors going back further. I verified it with two different sources. Too bad I heard about it after I cut him a great price on one of my NAKED demo cabs loaded with Scumback BM75's in 2018. I got a call from him yesterday. I was talked down to like I didn't know what had happened and that I hadn't followed up to know what he told others. He tried to re-write history on that phone call. I barely got a word in edgewise and I told him not to insult my intelligence. Then he said he had a right to do that over this "miscommunication". Right. I hung up on him. I know what I was told by my sound clip guy. Then I had someone else verify that same info when they called him about his clips on the site, then they called me and told me what he said. I call that being responsible.

I got a 3 page email from him later that afternoon. I haven't read it. There's no need. It's not like we were good or close friends, or that his email would suddenly make up for what I know happened. Other amp companies have done this as well, so it's not a new situation. So I just wrote him off, end of story. Life is too short to figure out why companies/people do this stuff.
 
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