Dealer Integrity

[graystoke4]

Hi, if say, you was at a hifi store looking seriously to purchase, let's say speakers, you really liked them and was committed to the sale, and the dealer knew there was a new pair mk2, of this speaker coming out in 6 months, which will supersede the pair you are looking at buying, should he inform you of that ?, or should he carry one with the sale, knowing in 6 months time your purchase,would be worth 50% of what you paid, or explain what the deal is, and let you make up your own mind, maybe wait, or carry on and buy the pair you have your eye on, this could be in the thousands ££, but this thread is about integrity and not the cost,

 

[Darren L]

I think it would be a nice gesture and the "decent" thing to do if the dealer was to let you know there was a new 'Mk2' on the way, however, the dealer may think he's under no obligation and may be concerned about losing the sale

 

[AndyU]

How would you expect him to behave? Me, I’d expect him to tell me there was a new pair coming out, and I could have his stock pair at a great discount because he wanted to make way for the new model. But then there’s dealers and dealers.

 

[graystoke4]

me personally, i definitely would want him to tell me, and would see him in 6 months, for a sale,

 

[cj66]

Depends a lot on the manufacturer's frequency of updating models.
If we're talking annual or near enough model changes then no, the dealer would not need to.
If however the frequency is more like five years then yes, it would be the decent thing to do.

 

[graystoke4]

who update's models every year, ??, if they did i would not touch the brand with a stick, they would be out of business, with a model like that, very soon

 

[YNWOAN]

You raise a very good question and I expect that it is why, when I dealt with manufacturers like Linn and Naim, they kept their new product plans/launches very close to their chests - even to their retailers.

 

[Rockmeister]

If you really liked them that much (so they suited your system and your room and your budget and made you smile and love your music again), then why are you worrying. The MK2's will be different, maybe less suitable.
Not everything new is better.

 

[Cav]

He has a business to run and a living to make.

Speaker purchase is, for me, a once in 10 year or more incidence. So a dealer would not expect much repeat business on speaker sales. Same goes for other items.

As was said up-thread, manufacturers do not always share new release dates.

 

[booja30]

The release of mk2 doesn't make mk1 any worse in absolute terms, and certainly won't make it obsolete.

So long as you were happy when you got them, and don't suddenly decide to sell because mk2 came out, you shouldn't be significantly impacted in the long run.

 

[Ponty]

They are a retailer, which means they will sell what’s on the wagon.

 

[david ellwood]

Given a mk3 and 4 will eventually be released you should probably hold off indefinitely.

 

[Heckyman]

Maybe, if the dealer is rich and you are poor. Otherwise no.

 

[booja30]

Maybe, if the dealer is rich and you are poor. Otherwise no.

Now there's a catch 22!

If the dealer is rich they probably didn't get that way with uncompromising integrity (at least to the degree the OP wants).

 

[graystoke4]

yes , but YNWOAN, they can't just show up with a truck of new models, at your shop, and also i would think they would want to push sales,so most of the older gear has gone,

 

[YNWOAN]

Well, they didn’t used to turn up with a truck of anything but they did just suddenly announce MK2 or new models totally out of the blue and expect you to order stock and demo models - and, as a retailer, most blooming annoying it was too!

In fact, I well remember Linn’s exceedingly irritating foray into the manufacture of amplification. At one point I had three generations (perhaps four) of their pre-power amp combo in stock - worth next to nothing and they didn’t offer any sort of discount either. In the first couple of years they updated the amps every other week!

 

[david ellwood]

in 1986 linn introduced the LK2-60
In 1987 they released an upgraded LK2-75
In 1988 they released the LK2-80

And they offered a discounted upgrade to LK2-80 for existing customers.

the LK1 was largely unchanged throughout

 

[Bob McC]

There’s a phrase for it OP.
Caveat emptor.

How much notice do you want?
6 months
A year
2 years!

it’s a ridiculous proposition.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Mk II's etc may not be as good as a MkI... you would be surprised how often such things are in fact due to a part used in the Mki becoming obsolete! I've designed MkII 's for former employers (non hi fi gear here) for just this reason... and of course the marketing dept will tell you it is vastly improved etc every time...

 

[Heckyman]

Let me add as someone who works for a (non hifi) manufacturer, it can be really hard to manage this. If your old model is still selling and you announce (or let it be rumoured) a new model 6 months before you intend to launch, you can end up selling nothing for a year if the new model ends up being delayed (which often happens given it's usually quite hard to make significant improvements and iron out teething problems).