Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Discussion: A brief notice regarding recent forum changes

No ringing endorsements so far, though only a fraction of the total membership have commented.

I think it's fair to say, though, that I'm sure we all appreciate the behind-the-scenes efforts of those who have been involved in discussions with M over a long period, which have led us to this point. There wouldn't be a forum without those people putting the work in. As far as they are concerned, I can see that it appears they've done what they think they had to do for the best.

If we do continue to see an enlightened approach in attitude, communications and support from M, whether via the front or back door, we will owe them our gratitude. I wouldn't want any of them to think that we forget that when we criticise a change that has been effectively forced upon them for the greater good. Of course, I'd also hate to think that we'd have to be afraid of making constructively critical comments for fear of such support being withdrawn.

I had good contact with premium UK dealers and Reuben in the past.

Too bad these interesting offers are not longer to be found here.

And I can hardly believe Meridian will do more on the forum, but they might surprise me

I come from the old days of Meridian, where sending them a mail on arcane or any other query would elicit a reply from Robert or Dave Hall. That level of dedication and service kept me in the fold.

I don't particularily like the Meridian I see now, soulless corporates who palm you off on some lifestyle dealer.

At any rate, I think this forum is extremely useful DESPITE Meridian, not because of them.

I have no particular opinion re the marketplace ads as I come from South Africa, no chance of buying anything cos shipping kills it, however I don't see why the heavy handed tactics.

The "promise" of better Meridian communication is probably good, but it remains to be seen.

I would have imagined Meridian would have gained a lot more leaving the status quo as is and just quietly contributed.

I may be wrong, in the long run I hope I am, but the only winners I can see here are the Premium Partners who have eliminated an advertising medium for their competition.

I don't see them rushing to answer the problem posts currently on the forum.

If they don't see it that way then why was it agreed?

Neil

Hi Everyone,

As the owner of a PP, RS AV Solutions based near HQ in Conington, it is vital that as PP's we take more time on the forum, for one thing or another I would be the first to put my hand up and say we haven't in the past but this has to change. We are all very loyal and enthusiastic about Meridian and I firmly believe that things are going in the right direction at HQ, we have had some great product launches in the past 18 months and will hopefully see some more coming.

We as a company have discussed the forum and look forward to participating in future discussions (very lively ones at that sometimes ), hopefully we can be of help.

There are also some exiting times ahead for me personally regarding Meridian which should be finalised in the next few weeks, which I hope will have a positive effect on the forum and the relationships we all have with each other (more news to follow).

Rob.

Hello administrators
Let me add my name to the list of forum members who struggle to see this as a positive development. What's next, no advice on problems with Meridian equipment unless it comes from a PP? I'm being facetious, but only slightly.

It would be interesting to have answers from the administrators to the following questions:
Was the decision to cut off independents unanimously agreed by all forum administrators?
Was the move requested by Meridian HQ, or by one or more PPs?
Whoever the request came from, what reasons were given? Was the logic purely commercial ("we don't want the competition") or were there other reasons (e.g. complaints about independent retailers somehow diluting the customer experience)?
What tangible benefits are meant to accrue to the forum and forum members as a result of the decision? And over what timeframe are these benefits expected to manifest?

I think the administrators generally do a superb job with the forum, but I believe the decision here is one that sacrifices both an important principle and an underlying practical feature of a site such as this.

For the record, I've bought both from PPs and from Reuben, and was actually introduced to a PP I didn't know existed by Reuben when he was unable to fulfill a particular request.

Regards
Dom

I'm locking this topic. Many of the concerns posted above are valid and, as pointed out, only time will tell. However, a line has just been crossed (posts removed) and I am, frankly, livid that it has. This is not what this forum is about.

Having slept on it, the mods have agreed that re-opening this thread is the right thing to do. We do not and will not suppress forum members' views if they are articulated thoughtfully and respectfully. We feel it is important, as always, for the community to have its say, but please bear in mind that you may not be in possession of all of the relevant facts (some of which we can't announce yet).

As moderators who are all based in the UK, we cannot monitor threads on a 24/7 basis. We may temporarily lock this thread again during certain times of the day if we feel the need to do so; and we will consider locking this thread permanently if it proves simply to be an outlet for malcontent and further disrespectful remarks aimed at Moderators, Premium Partners or other forum members.

I have reproduced below the addendum to Duncs announcement that I posted a few minutes ago:

To the HH community:

We, the moderators / caretakers of HH forum, recognise that the nature of Meridian support, its dealers and relationship with HH have changed over recent years. It might be an understatement to say that this has not always been seen as a step in the right direction.

For at least twelve months, we have been actively engaging and building � rebuilding in fact � good and constructive dialogue with Meridian about how to improve this and make the HH experience better. Through long, detailed and often difficult deliberations, we made the changes we did, which directly affect a very small number of UK-based individuals. These individuals have not been banned or booted off the forum; those that want to buy from or sell to these resellers can continue to do so. These guys do put their sales up elsewhere and can operate via PM directly to forum members here.

We also recognise that the HH community is international, diverse, and covers a broad spectrum ranging from those who have strong relationships with Premium Partners, through to those with no reliable dealer in their country, and to those who bargain hunt at the bottom end of the Meridian product ladder. All are welcome.

We hope you understand the difficult positions that we, as forum moderators, sometimes find ourselves in. We struggled over some of the recent changes, but do genuinely believe that they are for the best and will, in the long run, benefit the HH community, all Meridian owners, and the wider Meridian ecosphere internationally, and not just in the UK. The changes were agreed unanimously by the mods.

Please remember that Duncan personally runs and finances this site with NO financial input from Meridian or its dealers; there are no plans to change this. HH was originally set up by George Mills to be a help and support forum; the Restaurant area was a later addition, albeit a natural extension. However, if maintaining the Restaurant proves to be too troublesome, it might just be simplest to remove it altogether...

Yesterday was a difficult day for all the moderators and a number of forum members. We anticipated some negative feedback to the changes that Duncan announced, but not some of the emotive and/or unhelpful "humorous" posts which were directed at Moderators and Premium Partners and amounted, irrespective of intent, to personal criticism. As stated above, this is primarily a help and support forum. We are happy to see dialogue and discussion on topic of these changes, but we are not happy to see it expressed in personal terms or without respect to those that are trying to make this forum better.

Of course there are no guarantees that the changes are going to work out, but we're going to do everything we can to make it work; and we will review it on an on-going basis, taking into consideration the views of the community. As rightly pointed out in the thread, there's quid pro quo here, and Meridian and the Premium Partners need to deliver; but please be patient: things will take a while to bed in and for everyone to be "on message".

Finally, please note that all moderators are open to receiving PMs regarding any concerns you may have about the running of the forum. In fact, we encourage you to do so and will take any constructive criticism seriously.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

(This text was discussed and agreed to by all the moderators.)

To the mods:

Thank you for putting in the time and effort to run this board. It's been a help to me in the past and I'm sure it will be again in the future.

I hadn't realised there wasn't any funding from M any more; I thought there was a bit of arms-length cash coming in to defray Duncs' costs.

Please put in a Google or Paypal donate link. I will send cash.

Regards

Mark

Mark, thanks for the thought. Duncs is far too modest to do that.

Interesting you thought there once was funding. AFAIK there never has been.

I don't know if I agree or not with the changes. That's the Moderators ultimate choice. And this thread is proof they want to listen as painful as it is.

I have not had to moderate for a long time and there might have been some issues that are not always public or too time consuming to moderate for the volunteers. So that might be why it was decided privately between moderators.

A lot goes on behind the scenes that's not always appropriate to make public. Sometimes even legal issues come up. So don't hold that against them.

Having said that.

This site always had to walk a fine line.

Between folks that are very well to do, can buy the newest gadget Meridian releases but still want to be involved in the community and understand what they have. They are not looking for a way to squeak it up a level through a good deal.

Because Meridian is a fairly elite audio system, it attracts many folks (slightly) less well to do. All levels of income, that want a piece of that Meridian sound at what ever level they can afford. There are many folks here that have never walked into a "Premium Partner" shop.

And this site was just as much for those folks as the frequent Premium Partner visitors. It's tough satisfying both camps and all parties involved.

I've always been in favor of anyone selling anything being up front of who they are. If you are some private used reseller, just clearly make it visible. If they have something to sell wouldn't it be helpful to post it here for members to see rather than send them off to eBay or craigslist. I thought so. Even if they didn't contribute. They allowed someone in on a tighter budget.

We always wanted Meridian participation, but we also wanted to be distanced for DIYers, and hacks like Revolution Adapter, +3dB. So Meridian kept their distance. Understandably.

This change makes the site feel more Premium Partner-ish. Something that might turn some folks away. Mostly because they don't have those kind of bucks or can't justify them. It feels the site moved the needle in that direction because one avenue to stay in game, has been removed. Yeah they can still go to eBay and Craigslist for these resellers but they feel safer dealing here. eBay gets a cut and Craigslist is full of scams.

Just My 2 Cents. Good luck either way.

I think having more contact with the factory and their preferred dealers is a good thing, so don't shoot the messenger when I point out that there was nothing stopping them from doing so previously.

Having said that, I can understand and sympathise that if you are a premium dealer and a member of the forum and only get the opportunity to check the forum once a day, often someone else has answered the question a few hours earlier so there is no need to post.