Here in the UK if you want to buy a new Ketron keyboard the only option is Ketron UK.
For the past couple of months I have had the cash waiting to purchase a Ketron SD9.
I contacted them to ask a few questions before purchase as I had had issues with one of the first SD7s that came out which I returned to them because of freezing and other problems.
They have not returned my emails or followed up my calls at all.
Below is a copy of the latest email I sent without the courtesy of a reply.
Please read this and let me know your views.
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Dear Ketron Italy
I was excited about purchasing a Ketron SD9 because I think the live guitars and the launchpad and style creator features are fabulous.
As you are aware Ketron UK is the only available outlet here in England so I contacted them a couple of months ago to discuss a couple of points before purchase as I had previously returned one of the first SD7 keyboards because it kept freezing and making weird noises.
Below is a copy of the email I sent them a few days ago without even the courtesy of a reply.
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Dear Ketron UK.

I am writing to you to say how disappointed and angry I am at the lack of response from your company.
As you are aware I have contacted you by way of several emails and by telephone calls to both to yourself (name witheld)
and also to (name witheld) over the past couple of months in respect of purchasing a Ketron SD9.

You have totally ignored my efforts to contact you (apart from one forwarded internal email) and not contacted me back.

If this was a complaint on my part and you ignored me it would be marginally easier to understand (not right.. but easier)
but I was trying to get information regarding buying one of your products.

Now to the reason this has happened and I can only assume one thing.

Because I returned one of the first SD7 keyboards to you because of numerous problems it seems to me you
do not want my custom.

If this is the case then you should have told me up front and not just ignored me for over two months.

The problems I had with the SD7 such as freezing up and other things were the justified reasons why I returned it
because as a gigging musician I could not rely on it.

The conversation we had at the time was that I loved the Ketron sound and I would wait until some time in the future
and repurchase a Ketron instrument.

Please don’t tell me that you have been very busy because we are talking months here not days.
If I ignored my business contacts the way you have ignored me I would not be getting any work.

I think people should know if they upset you by returning a product they should not try to buy another one.

I will reluctantly look elsewhere as you are the only source of purchase in the UK.

Regards.

AJ is not a superhero and can't keep support alive by himself forever here in the US. In the past I received product support from regional dealers in Colorado in the west and NY in the east. Now those options are gone. I'm a fan and user of their products and don't want to bash, but with a product like the SD9 quickly catching on I don't see why more resources aren't directed to support around the world. I understand they are small, but they do charge a premium for their products. This is not a new problem for them or heard by us. Sorry for hear of your difficulties.

Sparky,
You are right. I own 2 Ketron SD7 keyboards and without AJ we would all be SOL with our Ketron products. He has been wonderful and I hope he can continue to help when needed.

Deane

I know I don't post here a lot but I do take a great interest in the forum and I am a bit suprised with the lack of comments.

I have bee a pro musician for many years and in that time I have purchased may thousands of pounds worth of equipment from many different companies and can hand on heart say I have never been treated this way before.

I wish that AJ was here in the UK as I do not think this would have happened.

Best wishes to all on Synthzone

I will now be entertaining my audiences with my new keyboard.... a Yamaha Genos.(my second choice)

So Ketron ... Thanks for nothing.

As a USA Ketron owner, I find this rather unsettling. I am so greatful to have access to AJ's Ajamsonic support. I think that AJ is as frustrated with Ketron as we are. I have not even tried to contact Ketron Italy because of the bad PR that Ketron has received by many Synth Zone members.

My only contact with Ketron is thru AJ. I get the impression that Ketron almost does it's best to ignore AJ as well. He has, single handedly, done so much to make Ketron one of the best keyboards in the world.

Let's not forget about Tonewheel Dude. Awesome resource for Ketron support.

I occasionally receive an email from Ketron Italy announcing an upgrade to the OS of Ketron products. I, as well as many other Ketron product owners, are aware of the reliability of Ketron products. I guess we should be grateful of that. But still, it would be very reassuring to have a safety net of customer support from Ketron Italy directly.

It mystifies me why Ketron behaves this way....

I am more than happy to be corrected but I thought Tonewheel Dude was connected with Ketron UK.

Personally I have had no correspondence with Ketron Italy but I have with Ketron UK.

When I purchased my SD7 via Ketron UK it could not have been easier. I ordered the board but forgot to order a volume pedal so a quick phone call rectified that problem.
I then ordered some styles which I downloaded but because of my brain, I cocked it up. Once again a quick phone call sorted the problem.

I have dealt with AJ and I can only say what a lovely guy. We had a few problems with payment (Paypal) but a couple of emails soon got it sorted.

I have seen a lot of negativity about Ketron in general and I thought it only fair to give my opinion. Maybe I have been lucky but I love the keyboard and it really goes well with my Tyros 5.

Bit late but Happy new year to everyone

Alan

It is sad for me to see more of this negative news about Ketron. I bought the Audya 76 when it first came out from Frank. Soon there after, I upgraded to the Ajamsonic at AJs. Both of these gentlemen have helped me through the years with minor things that turned out to be self inflicted. I now have the SD40, as well as my trusty Audya, that work perfectly. I am only sorry this puts a sort of cloud on AJ's endeavors, as he doesn't deserve it.

On the other hand, I remember thinking long and hard about the Audya purchase, as the Audya 4 was having bug problems at the time, but decided on trusting the above gentlemen in case of a problem. I was right.