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Heinz5757":d1254 said:
I bought a new version 2 Engl Powerball from Derek at Rocksolid Amps about 6 months ago. Before buying I asked if the amp was in brand-new condition several times. Derek assured me it was. When the amp arrived, I immediately noticed it had finger prints all over the front control panel, and there were 4 tolex cuts on the back and front bottom edges of the amp. Also the amp had a bad buzzing noise while on.
After calling Derek, I decided to take the amp to my local tech who replace 2 preamp tubes. This solved the hum. My tech informed me however, that the 2 tubes he replced were not stock Engl tubes. They had no "Engl" logo like the others in the amp. I called Derek again to complain and he then told me that the amp was a demo and was the last he had for awhile. I told him that I had paid for a new amp, not a demo, and I even asked him several times if it was indeed new. Derek said it was brand new more than once. It was not. When I pushed the issue, he admitted it was a demo unit. Derek lied to my face. Furthermore, he refused to pay for the 2 bad preamp tubes. I eventually wound up selling the amp on ebay as a "USED" item and was glad to be done with it. When I was in my local guitar shop a few days ago, I recently found out that Derek Bernier (aka owner of RockSolid Amps) has been bad-mouthing this store on this forum. So I decided to come here and share my experience with Derek and his home business.
If your story is true then it sounds like you had a bad experience. I've never done business with Derek before, but I have read dozens of accounts from other people who have done business with Derek on this and other forums. All of those experiences were positive. Usually when a person or a business is bad there will be plenty of negative stories about them. In Derek's case I've heard lots of positive stories and one negative story (yours). Maybe you and Derek just had a rare bad transaction.
Heinz5757":d1254 said:
Some Reasons Not to Buy from RockSolid Amps:
1. Derek has no store. He does business out of his home and demos amps in a spare bedroom. He stores the amps in a warehouse. Not professional at all. Since he has no store, or vested interest in this business, what's stopping Derek from closing down tomorrow with your money?
This is a legitimate concern. It's always good to check out the people you do online business with. In Derek's case there are a lot of positive references that vouch for him, so I would feel comfortable dealing with him.
Heinz5757":d1254 said:
2. Derek has a bad temper and does not know how to talk to customers. When confronted, he resorts to name calling and threatening people with physical harm. Read his other posts on this forum.
Again, it sounds like maybe you had a rare bad experience with Derek. Maybe he isn't the the most politically correct person or maybe he isn't as tactful and some, or maybe you just got on his nerves and he had a bad reaction to you. Once again, I would weigh the positive experiences of the dozens of other people, plus Derek's reputation with the manufacturers he represents, and say that I would be comfortable doing business with him.
Heinz5757":d1254 said:
3. His house looks like a crackhouse and is in a bad part of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The lawn is overgrown and the smell of weed hits you in your in the face as soon as you step inside. Derek himself has needle marks all over his arms he tries to hide with his tatoos.
How his house and lawn looks is irrelevant in my opinion.
If the smell of marijuana is prevalent in the house (and I don't know if it is or not) then I would think that Derek would want to address that because it might alienate some customers.
Your allegation of needle marks is a bit confusing. Did you closely inspect Derek's arms? Are you trained to detect track marks? Did Derek tell you why he got the tattoos that he has?
Derek Bernier does not have a criminal record in Florida. In my experience, most IV drug users (a) have established a criminal record by the time they are 37 years old and (b) would not be able to sustain a successful business.
I don't find this statement about track marks to be believeable, it sounds like you are trying to present Derek in a negative light because you have a problem with him.
Heinz5757":d1254 said:
4. Derek has been banned from several local music stores and has lawsuits pending against him not only for his actions on this board, but by other customers of his as well.
How do you
know these things?
Heinz5757":d1254 said:
5. Obviously Derek Bernier is a psychotic and unbalanced individual. Anyone considering buying an amp from him should stay away. Rocksolid Amps is bad news. Buyers beware!
Are you a psychiatrist who has seen Derek on a professional basis?
.
