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Mcintosh lawyer harassing me - What should I do?

First off, I’ve been a long time customer and fan of Mcintosh equipment. I’ve owned many of their products and had positive experiences with their representative, Ron C. On several occasions, his customer service led me to buy Mcintosh. What happened to me recently completely changed my opinion on the company.

I recently purchased a pair of Mcintosh MC501 monoblock amplifiers. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, I decided to sell the unit. I posted an ad on Ebay specifying it was a used amplifier. A lawyer for Mcintosh contacted me requesting I add a paragraph of warranty information. When I declined, he under penalty of perjury asked Ebay to remove my ad under the VERO program. The VERO program is for counterfeit and unauthorized products. How is my product counterfeit or how did I lose authority to sell my own property? If I sell my car, do I need approval from a manufacturer and am I required to run a 1 page ad full of disclaimers? Ebay will suspend my account if I relist this item so Mcintosh has effectively prevented me from making a sale. Is this Mcintosh’s strategy to limit competition by harassing their own customers? This is SHAMELESS!

I have no intentions of misleading buyers (Mcintosh’s warranty does not transfer) but I do not want manufacturers forcing their agenda on me. I do not want their sales tactic amended to my classifieds. When I buy and sell, I do not want them monitoring my actions. I feel Mcintosh’s tactics are unethical and I consider it harassment. Has anyone else dealt with this? Were your ads revoked? What should I/we do?

As part of the consuming public, I will not tolerate this behavior. I will boycott any manufacturer who engages in this practice and hope you do too. I will never buy another Mcintosh product again.

Here are the supporting emails if you're interested:
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Hi. (Lawyer)

Please revise your ad to clarify that the unit will not be covered by McIntosh's manufacturer warranty. McIntosh warranties expressly exclude units that (a) are resold by their original purchaser (even if unopened), (b) are otherwise purchased from anyone who is not an Authorized McIntosh Dealer, or (c) are purchased over the internet or by mail or phone. Please revise your ad accordingly, so that bidders are not misled.

Thanks for your cooperation, and good luck with your auction.

Wayne Cooper, for McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
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Hi. (Seller)

Please revise your website to clarify that any sale of Mcintosh products on the used market will be subject to your mandatory admonition with or without the seller's consent. Unlike brands such as Bryston who believe in customer service and offer a 20 year transferable warranty, Mcintosh only cares about the initial sale and not the resale of their products. I will revise my ad once you revise your website.

Thanks for your cooperation and good luck with your business practice.

Ethan, Ex-supporter and customer of Mcintosh Labs
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Hi. (Lawyer)

Please read the warranty that was included with your MC501, and you will see that I am not admonishing anything that should come as a surprise. All I'm doing is protecting second hand purchasers who don't have the same opportunity that you had, to read the warranty before purchase.

Wayne Cooper
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Hi. (Seller)

All I'm doing is protecting initial customers like myself who are unaware that Mcintosh monitors the transactions of their products. As a customer, I would avoid manufacturers who use this practice. I believe most audiophiles like to buy and sell components without intervention. Obviously we disagree and it is for the public to decide.

Ethan.
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**PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT EMAIL REGARDING YOUR LISTING(S)**

We would like to let you know that we removed your listing:

3079067234 Pair of Mcintosh MC501 monoblocks amplifiers

because the intellectual property rights owner notified us, under penalty of perjury, that your listing or the item itself infringes their copyright, trademark, or other rights.

We have credited any associated fees to your account. We have also notified the bidders that the listing(s) was removed, and that they are not obligated to complete the transaction.

If you relist this or any other similar items on eBay, your account likely will be suspended.

If you believe your listing was ended in error, or have questions regarding the removal of this listing, please contact the intellectual property rights owner directly at:

McIntosh Laboratories/Parasound Products, Inc.
wcooper@fcblaw.com

eBay is available to answer questions, but since it is the rights owner that requested the removal of your listing(s), we encourage you to contact them first.

For more information on eBay's cooperation with rights owners through the VeRO Program, and a list of rights owners that have created About Me pages, please visit:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/vero-removed-listing.html
http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/vero-aboutme.html

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards,

Customer Support (Trust and Safety Department) eBay


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Topic - Mcintosh lawyer harassing me - What should I do? - Ethannnn 07:12:05 02/23/04 (253)


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