GIK Acoustics now has distribution in India!!

[mpw]

i have seen these ( Vicoustic ) at Dubai Audio. Quite nice.

saddened to see the stuff and the troubles which sidvee is facing.

hope the product gets returned and the full money refunded as soon as possible.

Am sure GIK would prefer a good honorable exit from this issue.

regards

 

[panditji]

Sad to hear how single customer orders are being shipped directly from the UK...What is the point of buying from the Indian dealer when they are not willing to stock up on the goods they intend to sell...If they are not sure whether the products are going to sell or not, how can we trust them ?

Also it is extremely stupid to get single orders shipped from the UK...GIK and other such audio companies should do away with the distributors and offer factory direct...Saves cost for consumer and the company makes more profit and also their reputation is in their own hands...

Have seen a number of distributors/retailers getting single speakers/amplifiers on order..The customer has to bear the brunt of the exorbitant shipping costs and also no after sales service since the retailer/distributor does'nt have faith in the products themselves...And then we get to hear distributors crying that people buy abroad...

Hard luck Sidvee ... hope it gets resolved soon...

 

[sidvee]

Hi Sidvee,

You can see their products Vicoustic - Acoustic Treatment and Isolation | Acoustic Panels
They are distributed by Babbler, Bangalore. The guys who are doing Q Acoustics.

Regards

Vasu

Thanks Vasu. I already have 4 of the vicoustic wavewood panels in my room on the wall behind the speakers. If fact I wanted to buy their diffusors as well but the difference between vicoustics diffusors and GIK gridfusors is that the GIK product has a lip on the panel so it can slip into a standard drop ceiling of 2' x 2' by removing the ceiling tile. This offers a neat look and easy installation. However the vicoustics skyline diffusor has to be stuck to the ceiling which wont work very well with a drop ceiling. In fact now I am regretting not using Vicoustics, I could have figured out a way to install. Instead I am dealing with this.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Thanks Mpw and Panditji,
Yes my antenna should have gone up when Innovative ordered the panels and gave my address directly as shipping address. I communicated with Santosh and told him this will create problems at Customs and sure enough the panels were stuck at customs for 3-4 weeks. Secondly when I order from an Indian dealer I expect him to supply a product from his location not from a factory overseas. That way he has checked the product for damage etc. Otherwise what is the point of the Indian dealer? Might as well order directly.
Anyways lesson learnt I guess. Sad to see GIK being represented so shabbily in India. I have had 6 of their 244 panels since they first started in US in early 2000's. I wanted to order a whole new set of treatment products starting with the gridfusors, some bass traps, some 244 panels etc. as they have new finishes and fabrics and retired all my old panels. I would ordered many multiples of the amount I spent now if their dealer provided proper service. However after this experience I probably will not deal with GIK again and definitely not Innovative Engineering. They are taking customers for a ride.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

I just received a mail from Glenn Kuras, the President of GIK. He has assured me that they will look into this.
Will keep the thread updated. One thing positive in this bad experience is that both GIK UK and USA have responded quickly to mails sent, which is a good thing (though I can't say the same for Innovative).
Anyways fingers crossed.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[santhosh-iedc]

Dear All,

Innovative Engineering is in continues process of keeping stock in India, for that we are in discussion from almost 6-8 months. Keeping bulk stock in INDIA requires lot of permission from the Foreign Trade. We were clearing some import documents and by the time we get the Import license for bulk import, the shipping season was almost off in UK due to summer during June to August and we were not getting container and good prices from the shipper. By the time Shridar placed the order I was in discussion with Mr. Dave about the combination of panels to keep in stock, but since we dint get good prices from sipper i placed order for Sridhar products directly through TNT Air, taking responsibility of spending additional 20k from my pocket as i was already committed to get it delivered in 10days.

I believed TNT is professional in terms of packing and clearing the customs, as i had very good previous experience with TNT when i imported wooden panels from Spain. To avoid the time to reach bangalore and from then here to Hyderabad, i directly gave the shipping address as Hyderabad.

What ever the cost i have sold the product is same as the price if had stock in India, Infact the same day we decided to refund the money to Shridar. Dave and Mine was in serious discussion about the quality of the products we need to maintain further when we have stock in India, Test it thoroughly, Repack and sell to customers.

I request you all to think that we dont take ride on the customers, we never do like that and we never work with huge margins and never tried to make lot of money out this products. Our intention is to give good service, and support for the customers. Please allow us to serve you better in the future as we have already put lot of efforts to come to this stage and get recognition, I request you all to stop the thread about commenting GIK products as in this case neither GIK nor Innovative is directly responsible for the damage caused for the panels. Please provide us chance to serve you better instead coming to conclusion just with one order.

I totally apologize for the inconvenience caused to Shridar, i have committed to refund the amount and also i have offered him to give a pair of diffussors at free cost once the products are in stock here. I have already raised an issue with TNT and TNT also commits the mistake happened due to the negligence in packing which caused all these problems. And i was travelling with limited internet access so couldnt respond immediately.

Regards,
Santhosh
Innovative Engineering

 

[prana]

There are quite a few indian manufacturers who manufacture international standard acoustic panels and similar materials, then why depend on foreign brands?

 

[sidvee]

I got a reply from Santosh last night. He will be refunding my money early next week. I will update when that is done.
To be fair to Innovative and GIK I received communications from their US, UK personnel and Santosh as mentioned above, with commitments to fix my issue yesterday evening. And yes Santosh offered 2 free panels as well - which is an excellent gesture of goodwill.
Anyways hopefully this will help the readers & FM's understand what has transpired and that Innovative has promised to deliver customer service. My only regret was that they should have done so before I posted on the forum.
Regardless I am still fond of GIK acoustic treatment products.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[panditji]

Dear Santosh, an import export license takes 1 week these days and there are no permissions required from Foreign Trade for keeping bulk stock. You start importing as soon as you get the IE number...

And if it takes you 8 months to just think of getting bulk stock, it does not inspire confidence in us...overall I do not buy your side of the story and but I am happy that you have atleast decided to refund the money as that goes a long way in inspiring trust....

 

[square_wave]

Why do people who have a very casual approach to retailing get into dealing in specialist products ?

 

[audiodelic]

I am a fan of the company and will be willing to buy some bass trap/corner bass traps once you start fully stocking in India.
Actually i have used TNT before and lot of my shipments came without any damage.

 

[panditji]

As Sidvee mentioned, it was bad packing by GIK and not TNT's fault...

 

[sidvee]

I have decided to accept replacement panels and have been in touch with David Shevyn of GIK Europe. I requested him to have the panels double boxed and fully insured with UPS. Additionally David Shevyn has this statement for our FM's.

"GIK Acoustics have been made aware of some issues with the introduction of
Innovative Engineering and Design as a distributor for GIK Acoustics in
India. Most of these problems were related to obtaining an import license
and they have now been resolved. GIK Acoustics prides itself worldwide on
our products, innovations and above all else our customer service. This is
something that Innovative Engineering and Design will also be bringing to India. Should
anyone have any queries, comments, room advice, or other thoughts about
GIK Acoustics I am always happy to receive an email at
[email protected]. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Innovative Engineering and Design president Santosh M.S and
his team will now be stocking their India warehouse with GIK Acoustics
Europe products and will happily take orders at this time to be shipped
with the stock.
Thanks everyone so much for your patience so far and I look forward to
finally being able to bring our products to India

David Shevyn
General Manager
GIK Acoustics Europe

More about your local team

Company name
Innovative Engineering and Design Consultants - Santhosh M S
+91-9900716198, 9886059991, 9986058089,
Stock office: +91- 821-4246664

Our Indian team :

Santhosh M S - General Manager
Anita Santhosh - Accounts Manager
Vinay D - Techno Commercial Manager
Ravi - Sales Manager"

I am quite happy at the quick resolution to my issues. I will update the thread once I receive my replacement panels.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Thanks to David Shevyn and the team at GIK Europe and India. Replacement panels were delivered yesterday in just under a week. I was also told that a sea shipment of panels has been sent to Santosh and team at Innovative, so future GIK products will be in stock and sold by Innovative so any FM's interested can place their orders through Innovative.
Very happy the way GIk handled my concerns.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[GeorgeO]

Good to hear this-so their positive attitude towards customers has been underlined by their actions.

 

[santhosh-iedc]

Hi guys,

Finally we got the panels in stock, today the first stock arrived at chennai & one more stock i am expecting by this month end. Sridhar, your panels will be checked and sent by next week, i will keep you posted. Guys, please let me know your requirements. I will share the list very soon.

Regards,
Santhosh
Innovative Engineering & Design Consultants
Bangalore.
+91-9900716198

 

[sidvee]

Hi guys,

Finally we got the panels in stock, today the first stock arrived at chennai & one more stock i am expecting by this month end. Sridhar, your panels will be checked and sent by next week, i will keep you posted. Guys, please let me know your requirements. I will share the list very soon.

Regards,
Santhosh
Innovative Engineering & Design Consultants
Bangalore.
+91-9900716198

Thanks Santosh.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[kaptan]

I have a dedicated ht room, but not treated. I really like the sound. But bass traps would improve the low frequency. May I know how much the bass traps would cost.

Not: I am from chennai.

 

[SwaroopKS]

I have a dedicated ht room, but not treated. I really like the sound. But bass traps would improve the low frequency. May I know how much the bass traps would cost.

Not: I am from chennai.

+1

I am from chennai as well and recently got a stereo set-up. The sound is amazing but there is the slight echo as the room is bit small and walls are bare which i want to correct.

Please share the products and details with cost.

 

[nn_in]

What are the India mfr options for absorbers and diffusers?
Is GIK still available in India.

Thanks