Ultimate Cables - Out of business?

[duficity]

I purchased some cables from Ultimate Cables based on recommendations here and on other websites. I ordered off their website and paid through paypal. This was in early March. A week later, their website disappeared. After filing a paypal dispute, I got a response, in late March saying the cables were being finished that week and would be sent out immediately. Still no cables, and no response to multiple emails to every location I can find.

It has been over six weeks since my order. Are these people out of business, or is this their normal lead time. After relying on a number of recommendations, I am really surprised by the lack of followup and performance. I guess I'm out $375.

[josephazannieri]

Yo duficity:

This is beginning to look bad. My memory is that I had about a 3-week wait for my cables, but I did get them. I had to send a reminder email, but they did come. I also was having cables shipped across border to U. S. from Quebec, and my experience with the Quebecoises, based on my experience with Solen, was that they would not speak English, at least to me. "Parlez-vous Anglais?" says I, "NON!" says they. But Carl Barbieri, sent nice respectful emails in English, which surprised me, because I am told that the Language Police are very passionate there. The Canadian customs, always on the lookout for contraband, spends several days to several weeks on the music CD's I send to my cousin in Victoria, B. C. That guy Mozart is a real pornographer. And that guy Stockhausen is even worse. And Erich Wolfgang Korngold... Well, enough is too much!

But this is getting out of hand for you. They should cough up the cables. Can you go to the Canadian police? This begins to look like fraud, if they don't send the money back. Too bad. The cables were really good, and quite reasonable in cost, and they didn't charge for shipping.

And good luck from that easily satisfied old guy, who appears to have just slid in under the wire,

Joe Z.

[ronaka]

I ordered one Grace phono cable on March 17 and received it April 3. However, I had to notify Carl Barbieri that I would have to register non delivery with Paypal. They arrived before I did. You may find this thread at another forum of interest:

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/31422-my-experience-with-ultimate-cables-ebay-name-carlsc/page__hl__%20carl%20%20barbieri%20%20ultimate%20%20cables

My experience is detailed toward the end of it. I found Carl was more receptive to returning phone calls. You can reach him at 514-892-0736.

Wishing you luck with your purchase. When I did receive the cables they were good.

[WAPFU]

Yup he would appear to be getting old - possibly wrongly addressed your packages to somewhere else or even just up the street. I purchased from ebay sometime back and the original package took 3 months to arrive. The replacement took 1 month after the claim. I got refunds and he did send them, only wrongly addresed by four houses - how he could do it I'll never know - anyway i did repay him again for the very late arrivals. Not only did he send other packages to the same wrong address 3 times - replaced three times and repaid 3 times. I did ask him to really really check where he was sending them too as he would eventually loose money if he hadn't already. He had some storey of theft of his cables, and not being sent, and how many times did he have to replace lost items, that he was saying I was ripping him off, when I said after 1 month the parcel had not arrived. Yup I think forgetfulness finally caught up.

[Tedrick]

Real shame to hear. I bought a tonearm cable from Carl a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with it. I was so pleased with the quality and service that I've recommended his Ultimate Silver Series C4 tonearm cable on numerous occasions. Hope he gets his problems worked out soon.

[duficity]

So I called the number above and left a message. Still no response. Also more emails to him, the sales department and service department. If I look up my order on the now existing website it still says its being processed. Funny, 3 weeks after he says he shipped them. this isnt rocket science. Put an end on a piece of cable and mail it. I have ordered items from China, England and Canada before without any issue.

[wroman214]

I purchased a din (Female Cardas)to rca phono cable from him and and asked to change the order four times withing a two day period. I never heard back and then I noticed the website was down. I received the cable a few days later and it was a Grace (male) din and since I had no reply earlier I contacted PAYPAL and initiated a dispute. They contacted him and the he contacted me and asked to send the cable back. I contacted him twice to inform him to make all requests for action to go through paypal as they requested. He never contacted paypal and my money was returned. I now have what looks to be a very nice cable worthless to me.

[duficity]

Does anyone have an address for Ultimate Cables or Carl Barbieri, perhaps from some prior dealing or a return address from a package they have received from him. Still no response to emails and telephone calls. I tried a reverse lookup on his phone number but no luck.

[ronaka]

All I have besides his phone number is this:

P.O. Box 24087
Montreal, Quebec, H1A 4Z2
Canada

He is still listed on Canuck Audio Mart:

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/userprof ... er_id=1903

[duficity]

Well, got an email today after I left a phone message about going to the authorities. Says he mailed 2 weeks ago. Didnt give me a tracking number. Didnt explain why no response to my prior emails and phone messages.

[WAPFU]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm - heard that one too. Wait and see.

[WAPFU]

Wait and see - hopefully he has put the correct address - yes he has sent it - may take a little longer - hopefully the correct address. 2 weeks from Canada to Florida - mmmmmmmmmmmmm - that's a shocking postal system from the worlds most advanced countries. Can get things quicker out of China to New Zealand and even out of Europe and the UK to down under - now that's a long way more than Canada to Florida. Experience tells me he has sent it - but to where?

[duficity]

Yeah, he was supposed to email me yesterday after he checked. Of course, no email.

[pogo]

Well, their website is up now, but I'd have to ask based on this thread (even the folks who were happy in the end) why would anyone do business with them? Is their stuff so wonderful that it's worth putting up with? Hint: Businesses that only accept Paypal ain't real businesses.

For my pal Joe Z. I'm not sure what Canadian customs enforcement has to do with Quebec's preference for French. (They speak English in BC.) My experience has been that the Canadians enforce US export restrictions fairly rigorously. Who's the composer of the music isn't relevant. What is relevant is whether the publisher/distributor of the CD has a license to export it and whether it might violate a US copyright.