Only interested in a sale?

[Dewey643]

I have never posted in this section before,or started a topic,so here goes. It seems to me,...and this is just my thought and opinion,....but it seems Rodgers dealers are only interested in a sale,and service means nothing to them. I'd say within the last six months or so,...maybe longer,...that twice I have tried unsuccessfully to obtain my service on my Essex 640.which is sounding off pitch/out of tune to me. The dealer shows NO INTEREST in servicing it,and neither does Rodgers/GOG. Just because I was given a Rodgers FREE about this same time last year did not make them SUDDENLY better than Allen,....which I STILL prefer. I'll give Rodgers credit in the fact they have a nice sounding organ,but is it TRULY superior to Allen? In my opinion,...NO! What I thought would be better,...if not equal to Allen,....is their customer service. I have found that to NOT be the case,...it's virtually non-existent as far as I'm concerned. I think they would RATHER you just buy a NEW organ than fix/tune the one you(meaning me in this case)have. I'm not sure if it's true with ALL Rodgers dealers,but it sure seems that the one closest to me is only interested in a sale,and to hell with customer service. Going back to Allen as soon as I possibly can! To hell with GOG/Rodgers,...I'd like nothing more than just see that brand die off!

[Piperdane]

A church in my region (Southwestern US) installed a new 3 manual Rodgers about a year ago. There are still problems from the installation that have not yet been resolved.

He contacts the dealer who keeps scheduling an appointment and then never shows up ... and days later gets a phone call saying they [dealer] got tied up with another installation and will re-schedule.

The church would rather not get tied up in a legal court battle because of the costs involved.

That was nearly a year ago ... they [Rodgers] keep blowing him off even though they legally are obliged to fix the issues covered by the warranty. It is apparent that Rodgers no longer cares about its installations and/or their reputation.

[Silken Path]

Have they considered a call to corporate, whoever that might be now? My guess is that the company would still send out a troubleshooter for a new installation that is still not working right.

[nullogik]

Yes, I would agree with Silken Path that a call to Rodgers HQ in Hillsboro should be the next step assuming that the church haven't done so already.

If that doesn't get them anywhere, I would be on the phone to Global Organ Group HQ in the Netherlands. I would imagine the Van De Weerds would not be too impressed to hear what has gone on. If it gets to this stage I would only want to speak to one of them!

https://www.globalorgangroup.com/

[Dewey643]

Maybe I should give GOG headquarters a try,and see if I get any response from them,...but would it be worth my time since the dealer and Rodgers show NO INTEREST in wanting to service/tune my organ!

[toodles]

The "new" Rodgers certainly isn't the "old" Rodgers.

I would suggest that you contact Rodgers and ask for the name of an independent service technician for your area. Often times these are just the dealers' service people but operating as an independent business. It is at least worth a try, but I suggest calling rather than emailing. The service staff might be willing to do this to make some money especially as it doesn't require access to spare parts (for a tuning).

[jbird604]

We were posting at the same time, toodles. I agree with your suggestion.

[jbird604]

Regarding your analog organ, I wouldn't bother with calling Rodgers or GOG. Support from Rodgers for their analog organs is nearly non-existent, but it's not really their fault, certainly not the fault of GOG. I "think" there may still be somebody working up in Hillsboro who goes back to the analog era, but if so, it's just one guy. I have at times talked to someone up there about an analog, but it's very unusual for me to need any help with an analog organ.

Truth is, the Rodgers company that built your organ doesn't really exist any more. That's not intended to be any kind of criticism of today's Rodgers, just reality. They have been through so many changes in technology since then, and changes in ownership, technical staff, headquarters and service location, dealerships, and so on -- little wonder that they really don't have much interest or resources for keeping organs of that age going.

Your best bet is to let the guy come that you have been in touch with. Make it clear to him that you want the organ to sound and function as well as it can. He should tune the entire two ranks of oscillators and possibly make some adjustments to stop levels, if needed. Beyond that, there isn't much that you can do to this organ. It should sound just fine if it's properly tuned and the levels correctly set. Assuming of course that the amps and speakers and other hardware are in good functioning order.

I always thought those 640/645 Rodgers organs sounded as good as anything from the 80's in the same price range, better than comparably priced digitals, which would have been the entry level models such as the 420. So once you get this one tuned up, it ought to make you happy for many years.

[Dewey643]

Okay,...hopefully once this COVID-19 pandemic is over,or at the very LEAST dies way down,...I'll get in touch with Lee Maloney about sending his tech down to look at it. That's the best I can do for now,...just hang tight!

[myorgan]

I would suggest that you contact Rodgers and ask for the name of an independent service technician for your area.

I second this suggestion. I know you've been in contact with another brand's service department who has offered to come out. You can also try here: http://www.mitatechs.org/service-locator/. I don't know of any, nor can I vouch for any of the techs listed there, but it's worth a try.

Best of luck with your service needs.

Michael

[Dewey643]

I'm going to book mark that page for future reference!

[Dewey643]

I found a guy on that site who is located in Anderson,IN. Lonnie Smith who runs LSAMPS. I just sent a message and waiting his response. He is a MITA member. I will still check with Lee Maloney's tech as well. I can't say for sure,but Lonnie Smith may know Lee!

[myorgan]

Look at that-now you have options! So glad you found someone.

Michael

[Larrytow]

Dewey643 , it seems like I have seen you post about this problem of yours, and the non response for your local Rodgers tech before ? I gave you the advice that time to find an independent organ repair guy - not the dealer. If that route does not work for you, you should probably learn about your instrument, and how to maintain, tune, etc. it. When one owns a vintage ( and yours is, like it or not ) organ, you need to be able to work on it yourself sometimes. It goes with the territory.

I'm not a Rodgers guy for the most part, but there are several here who could give Great advice in learning what to do, and how to do it. There is a Tremendous amount of archived knowledge here as well. Searching is the way to find out about common issues, as most of them have probably been discussed at some point. And that is something that cannot be done on FB !!!

[Dewey643]

I have been in contact with Lonnie,...he would be able to repair/tune the organ. Work has been quite busy with the COVID-19 situation(I'm considered an "essential"employee),so I haven't been able to find the best time for him to come yet.

[John Vanderlee]

Did it ever get fixed? We'd like to know. BTW, on an analog Rodgers tuning is not that difficult