I suspect the reason the prices are not shown is so that it is not easy to make a comparison. Many years ago I worked for a main Ford dealer, we were not allowed to give prices over the phone other than the full retail price. It was intimated to the prospective buyer that if they came in we would do a deal. I can see the logic behind this as it gives the seller a better chance to sell on service as well as price. Unfortunately, with more and more sales online, price is king.
Dealers prices
- Thread starter koi
- Start date
my guessing it could be a few things. The point when money was king and sales and service became 2nd would be a big factor. some places rather put "phone for price" so they can see if you already have a price and they will try to beat it. I would also think with most of the business going to the dogs its cheaper not having to update your web site everytime you get a price change.
I know one dealer who often doesn't list prices. He says it is because he doesn't want customers whose interest is just price...and despite some of the comments above, he doesn't need them. His profits rise every year, despite the recession, because he has first rate products and first rate service. His customers want a great system, not to save every miserable penny. (Not like me!)
The 'take it or leave it' approach reminds me of Oscar Wilde's comments about people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. We need demos, good advice and help. Relentlessly sqeezing every penny from a dealer just leaves less and less dealers. That isn't always a net gain for the rest of us. The recession might kill some of the most conscientious and able dealers..the 'market' is entirely blind, entirely indifferent.
After all, if the free market always leaves the best, how come we have the banks we have? Where they really 'the best'?
The 'take it or leave it' approach reminds me of Oscar Wilde's comments about people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. We need demos, good advice and help. Relentlessly sqeezing every penny from a dealer just leaves less and less dealers. That isn't always a net gain for the rest of us. The recession might kill some of the most conscientious and able dealers..the 'market' is entirely blind, entirely indifferent.
After all, if the free market always leaves the best, how come we have the banks we have? Where they really 'the best'?
It seems to me that dealers try to put their best foot forward to attract people... This could be that they carry a product or range, have some stock, offer demonstration/full service/etc. or are willing to offer a below average list price.
Depending on what buyers are looking for a different type of advertising will work.
£POA and similar tactics may attract people who hope for a deal and would be willing to make the effort to ask (I personaly find this a major turn off).
I'm not sure why one would list something with a banner saying 'sold', it may have to do with technical publication issues (not enough time to change advertisment), or to signal that they may have some more of the same or similar products...
Depending on what buyers are looking for a different type of advertising will work.
£POA and similar tactics may attract people who hope for a deal and would be willing to make the effort to ask (I personaly find this a major turn off).
I'm not sure why one would list something with a banner saying 'sold', it may have to do with technical publication issues (not enough time to change advertisment), or to signal that they may have some more of the same or similar products...
Due to the internet it is a hard time for dealers and everyone wants the lowest price . My dealer is excellent but I did ask if he could do anything on price , I hate doing this when I have had good service but I know someone else will badger the dealer for even more and probably get it . Also you may find it even cheaper on line but at least you are giving your dealer the money to hopefully keep them going , definately a hard time for them
Maxbertola
pfm Member
I found Mick's post somewhat demoralizing, because his description of a British audio dealer reminded me more of many Italian dealers I have known, while I have always been glad to buy from UK dealers because my average experience of them has been of kind, and not infrequently competent people.
I live in a small town 20 km from Milano, and I have two retailers more or less at hand who sell Naim, Sonus Faber, Klimo, Audiovector, Dynaudio... Good stuff, without being the Moon.
One knows little of what he sells, or perhaps knows and pretends he doesn't... The other is self assured, speaks by absolutes, shows a constant emotional involvement but is not one iota more reliable than the other.
Most of the time, through their affable but assertive behavior, I sense an insincerity, a personal >unattainableness< that leaves me doubtful of everything they say. Once a friend, audio retailer, told me that rule #1 is, >tell the customer what he wants to be told<, but then >sell him what you want to sell him<. Their attitude, in general, is like that of politicians, who want to convince you, sell you, have your consent. And don't give a s*it about you. It's very annoying.
I have never had such impressions with UK retailers, such as Alastair at Signals, Peter at cymbiosis (whom I have known just now). In general, either I am naive, or I am lucky, or my local standards are very low.
M.
I live in a small town 20 km from Milano, and I have two retailers more or less at hand who sell Naim, Sonus Faber, Klimo, Audiovector, Dynaudio... Good stuff, without being the Moon.
One knows little of what he sells, or perhaps knows and pretends he doesn't... The other is self assured, speaks by absolutes, shows a constant emotional involvement but is not one iota more reliable than the other.
Most of the time, through their affable but assertive behavior, I sense an insincerity, a personal >unattainableness< that leaves me doubtful of everything they say. Once a friend, audio retailer, told me that rule #1 is, >tell the customer what he wants to be told<, but then >sell him what you want to sell him<. Their attitude, in general, is like that of politicians, who want to convince you, sell you, have your consent. And don't give a s*it about you. It's very annoying.
I have never had such impressions with UK retailers, such as Alastair at Signals, Peter at cymbiosis (whom I have known just now). In general, either I am naive, or I am lucky, or my local standards are very low.
M.
gary yeowell
pfm Member
Both excellent dealers by the way Max, Alastair and Peter.
James
Lord of the Erg\o/s
It's the consequence of a global market; the best prices are just a couple of mouse-clicks away. If you're a brick and mortar dealer, you'll never compete on price alone. Hence, the POA tagline.
Personally, I don't have a problem with this. I place some value on service and knowledge. But if that is not forthcoming, I'd rather pay a bit more elsewhere. I've bought enough from the lowest priced stores to know that the hidden cost of frustrated after-sales service and support isn't worth the two bob I saved.
Personally, I don't have a problem with this. I place some value on service and knowledge. But if that is not forthcoming, I'd rather pay a bit more elsewhere. I've bought enough from the lowest priced stores to know that the hidden cost of frustrated after-sales service and support isn't worth the two bob I saved.
Maxbertola
pfm Member
What's POA? Something with price and asking?
Thanks
M.
(PITA is clear, though)
Thanks
M.
(PITA is clear, though)
Maxbertola
pfm Member
Thanks.
Disbeliever
pfm Member
Midlandaudiox
Trade: Midland Audio X-Change
Where to start....
Having been involved with selling hifi for 35 years now i have seen a massive change in the way things are sold
As a young man i worked as a Saturday part time assistant in a well known chain in the 1970s , most of my day was made up of putting cartridges on turntables SP25 MP60 AR Dual , and we would have a queue of buyers waiting to collect there new systems, all for less that £500! Having a hifi system was a quintessential part of growing up and a major purchase for most.
Many look back on these years as the "good times"
People mainly viewed the hifi mags and made there decisions based on what was the flavor of the month, in those days you really had to show the prices to get people in your shop....
Then next thing that happened was they way that people started to buy hifi changed, Linn Naim Rega had revolutionized the way we listened to music and turned the market on its head.
This is where the pricing of products started to become more of a "Grey" area as then the mere fact that the customer was in the hands of a so called "audio Consultant" and was being told this what you should buy and if you cant hear the difference then you must be deaf! The price was a closely kept secret until the dealer made the customer feel so insignificant and that if he wanted to buy into this so called "Clique" the price was the price and no discounts.
We then saw this escalate even further buy the introduction of "Hi End" audio products being distributed buy various flamboyant characters, who in there own right put large profits on for themselves and made the mystique of owning a big lump of Americana hi fi a must.
At this point i must add we were given price lists that were put together by the distributors and given much smaller margins that we were getting off UK manufacturers, thus making it more difficult to discount goods at realistic levels.
Then the internet appeared and things started to change fairly rapidly for all concerned, when you could look at a website half way across the globe that were offering much more attractive pricing on these luxury goods, and i saw more and more customers buying stuff from overseas and importing it themselves.
This was the beginning of the "Audio Revolution" and more and more so called "Audio consultants" started feeling the pinch
Along with a new breed of Computer/ipod buyers and a recession ,interest has dwindled in the last 6-7 years
It made for sobering decisions to be made
Why have i got all this money invested in all this lovely equipment and no one wants to buy anymore?
Why have i got this fantastic facility that no one wants to visit anymore?
Do i become one of the many faces of the way hifi is now sold ?
Just on endless lists of garbage that most of them dont have in stock...
Well not my style im afraid, everything on my website is in stock! And is demonstrated in a professional way
And i pride myself in constantly keeping it up to date on products and in some cases pricing too!
We are in fact asked by some of our suppliers not to advertise prices
RRPs are shown by many out there as a guideline to what the price should be ,however in my experience the whole thing is a sham as deals are done offline anyway.
The products that i stock and represent in the main are not your typical "Click and buy" items
I can see that it would be frustrating that products that are deemed to be so, and on other websites are not shown with prices
But thats usually down to the shops not having a online sales facility.
Anyone who wants a price on a product that is not shown on our website please call and we will give you our price over the phone.
Or if you dont want to phone then email us.
Kind Regards
john
I did visita dealer who had a very extensive range of equipment with mostly full pricing so thought I would go along to check out all the gear . Well turns out not much in stock or available for dem but they can show you a picture on a monitor ! most stuff had to be ordered in . THis approach may be ok for mail order but not what you really want from a dealer
smoking-rob
pfm Member
Hah, since I never knew this I always assumed "Price on Asking" !