No obligation home demos?

[onlyconnect]

I see both sides of this. The dealer has to balance the benefits of looking after loyal (or potentially loyal) customers with the costs of providing free loans to folk who have no intention of buying, or if they do, will buy cheaper elsewhere eg from an online retailer who does not have those costs.

For myself, I decided some time ago that I cannot afford the luxury of local dealers with home demos, home installations etc, and therefore don't ask for the demos.

Tim

 

[spidertooth]

Sigh - I wonder why I bother contributing to this forum - it certainly is not to provide fodder for ridicule and unreasonable criticism by those who apparently do not even have the courtesy to read, in full, what they are lambasting.

Had they made the effort, they would have noted that a) I was a previous customer and b) I did actually buy the demo'd piece from the dealer, but on a shorter timescale than originally intended. The dealer was fully aware of my financial position and timescale yet pushed for an earlier demo. I also dilligently returned the demo unit promptly in time for a booked demo for another potential customer.

Quite how this qualifies me as a tyre-kicker I have absolutely no idea, except perhaps in the minds of armchair critics who seem to have little to contribute except the apparent desire to create controversy out of nothing - something which seems to infect this forum (and many other audio forums).

What is it about this "hobby" which attracts such narrow-minded and ignorant people?

Don't bother to answer, because I won't be reading.

 

[LOTUS HIFI]

An interestimg thread for me as i've just begun doing home demos. From a personal perspective I am a great believer in the extended home loan and have never been too keen on shop demos.

The big Allnic went out yesterday. Value is into 5 figures but the customer is an existing one, trustworthy and also lives close by so happy to let him live with it for 2 or 3 weeks or so. For customers I didn't know or who lived further away, I would certainly be looking for a bit more security perhaps in the form of a simple CC pre-authorisation.

I agree though that customers should get their money back almost immediately when items are returned. If something has to be checked over then fine but do it ASAP. There is nothing more frustrating than when someone has your money and delays returning it for no real good reason.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

Sigh - I wonder why I bother contributing to this forum - it certainly is not to provide fodder for ridicule and unreasonable criticism by those who apparently do not even have the courtesy to read, in full, what they are lambasting.

Had they made the effort, they would have noted that a) I was a previous customer and b) I did actually buy the demo'd piece from the dealer, but on a shorter timescale than originally intended. The dealer was fully aware of my financial position and timescale yet pushed for an earlier demo. I also dilligently returned the demo unit promptly in time for a booked demo for another potential customer.

Mmm.

I did make the effort to read the post, and nowhere in it do you say that it was the dealer who pushed for an earlier demo, in full knowledge of your financial position. Nor do you explain that you returned the unit promptly for another dem.

On the basis of what you wrote in your post, I'm happy to stand by my original comments. Had you said there what you are now saying, I probably wouldn't have posted the comments I made.

And it wasn't 'ridicule' nor 'unreasonable criticism', still less 'lambasting'. The tenor of my post was, genuinely, apologetic at the point I felt I had to make. If you're not happy with comments on forums such as this, the problem might lie closer to home than you suspect.

But anyway, you're not reading this are you, or is it going to turn out that I misunderstood that comment in your last post, too.

 

[John R]

Fair enough...In this case a big thumbs up for my buddy Nic Forbes and the boys at Audio T (formerly Audio Excellence) in Swansea.

Been dealing with the shop for nearly 30 years, always obliging when loaning equipment etc- First class all round

Totally agree with your sentiments - excellent welcome and service from the Audio T team in Swansea.

Regards

John R.

 

[arcam_boy]

Do dealers for a home demo actually take the money from the card for the item and refund upon its return or just scan it for the details in-case the item isn't returned or damaged?

 

[Si74]

Glad to see lots of happy people but I'd never darken a dealers door again.
Should I win the lottery, I'd approach the manufacturers direct and if they didn't want my money, I'd go elsewhere.
I've heard 3.5K speakers I'd kill for but from the shop, the 6.5K price just makes them ridiculous. How they can live with the dealer having a way bigger margin than the people who design and make them? Zu appeared to have seen sense , then screwed it up by inflating their prices to dealer prices, having their cake and eating it?
It now appears hi-fi is a luxury item with prices spiralling ever upwards and hopefully people will eventually realise they are taking the piss.
Amps the price of a Ferrari, lol.

 

[JTC]

It now appears hi-fi is a luxury item

T'was ever thus, Simon.

 

[Avonessence]

Zu appeared to have seen sense , then screwed it up by inflating their prices to dealer prices, having their cake and eating it?
It now appears hi-fi is a luxury item with prices spiralling ever upwards and hopefully people will eventually realise they are taking the piss.
Amps the price of a Ferrari, lol.

Most probably prices were inflated after undue pressure from the dealers to give them what can be termed by them as a reasonable margin on the product.

Are genuine enthusiastic dealers being given a dis-service with such comments/posts? Do genuine enthusiastic dealers still exist? or are they pressurised to turning over volumes of product at whatever level of quality it happens to come out of the factory, doing what they can to ensure a sale, or even more difficult a return from a customer for a refund?

Zu did make sense, but I know what you mean, the issue here is there are now too many mouths in the distribution chain to feed, and the distribution chain most probably complained that the factory cannot sell direct at RRP's lower than the dealer RRP's, the dealers wouldn't sell any as the customer would go direct.
Is there a way out of this for Zu, most probably not, they have had to join the extortionate distribution chain, which could make or break their company, I for one hope that they continue (as I see them as enthusiasts who had no choice but to swim with the sharks), I don't envisage myself buying anymore of their products/upgrades due to the current RRP's.

I think the biggest question is, do dealers and manufacturers really give a fig about what is said (customer feedback) on forums?
IME they are more likely to try and bury such posts/comments if they have come too close to the truth, if this is the case then all I think we can do is vote with out feet.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

I think we should remember that for every 'dealers are ripping us all off' post, there is (if you care to look) a 'I got really good service from a dealer' post.

Like most things in this world, it's not black and white. Some dealers deserve to fail, others deserve to prosper. Given the low volumes hifi sells in, these days, dealer margins have to have a bit of fat on them. If people buy direct, or off the internet, the good dealers get hurt as much as the sharks.

 

[avole]

Mmm.

I did make the effort to read the post, and nowhere in it do you say that it was the dealer who pushed for an earlier demo, in full knowledge of your financial position. Nor do you explain that you returned the unit promptly for another dem.

On the basis of what you wrote in your post, I'm happy to stand by my original comments. Had you said there what you are now saying, I probably wouldn't have posted the comments I made.

And it wasn't 'ridicule' nor 'unreasonable criticism', still less 'lambasting'. The tenor of my post was, genuinely, apologetic at the point I felt I had to make. If you're not happy with comments on forums such as this, the problem might lie closer to home than you suspect.

But anyway, you're not reading this are you, or is it going to turn out that I misunderstood that comment in your last post, too.

I thought it clear the OP bought the item, but earlier than intended.

Reads like a bit of self-justification there, tweeter old son. Perhaps a 'sorry' would have sufficed.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

Nope.

I did apologise, in the actual post, for putting forward a view which the recipient probably wouldn't enjoy, but which I felt was fair. So no, I'm not sorry. Saying so would be disingenuous.

 

[Minstrel SE]

I learnt the lessons very early on with my hi fi buying. An ex demo £700 Sony video 8 player and a Rega Planar 3 plonked in a box as new.

I stormed back in over the Sony unit but for some reason I let the Rega go probably because it was a fair drive to return it. I was young and accepted it even though the plinth was marked and the arm was covered in tiny white dots. The dealer had also been laying it on thick that they were hard to get hold of. It was clearly an ex dem unit maybe tarted up with a new lid. I didnt want an ex dem unit.

Its theft never mind sharp practice and has unfortunately taught me that you cant trust anyone without double checking (unless you have built up a bond of trust).

If I pay new prices I obviously want new!

I wouldnt now do home demo or buy on an internet trial because there is too much out of my control.
I would have to build up a long period of trust with a dealer. I know there are good dealers out there but because I have been ripped off in the past I feel awkward now asking to see security sealed boxes after testing the demonstration unit.

 

[garysan]

Its theft never mind sharp practice and has unfortunately taught me that you cant trust anyone without double checking (unless you have built up a bond of trust).

It's not theft, it's fraud when someone sells something used that's purported to be 'New'.

I feel awkward now asking to see security sealed boxes after testing the demonstration unit.

That's your over-active 'cringe' gland at work there I'm afraid

But you're right, it is awkward and if you trusted the dealer, you wouldn't have to ask...

I run a business on eBay (for about 10 years) and sell high-value items. The mantra that I've read time and time again and also told people who may have been a bit twitchy about spending ££££'s on something through eBay/Internet is 'Buy The Seller'. I think this saying has as much weight in Hi Fi as it does in my area of specialisation.