Asking for a discount without being an insulting idiot

[lpv]

some will say AVI sounds better for 1/10th of the price :clap:

 

[John Duncan]

some will say AVI sounds better for 1/10th of the price :clap:

Some will. Ask them if they've ABXed them.

 

[lpv]

some will say AVI sounds better for 1/10th of the price :clap:

Some will. Ask them if they've ABXed them.

... seems to be highly unacceptable practice

 

[chebby]

To be serious, at this level, you shouldn't expect a discount. You obviously can afford the gear, so any dealer worth his salt isn't going to come down, not the right market.

If you can afford a Rolex, you don't ask for discounts.

I don't agree. As the OP mentioned, deals on brand new cars are commonplace (and expected and factored in) at any price level.

Negotiations and deals are commonplace and expected when buying / selling houses at any price level.

Why should hi-fi be immune from this process? Why is it so special?

(And yes, the rich are the hardest bargainers out there. It's partly how they get and stay rich.)

If I spend £600 I am not helping cash flow much.

If I spend £60,000 then the guy's ground rent is paid for another year out of his 'cut'. (I just checked that with annual retail space rental charges for shops near our local hi-fi specialists in the same road and of similar size to make sure.)

One more £60,000 customer and one of his assistants is paid for the whole year.

His 'take' from my £600 will probably only pay for his lunchtime sandwich and coffee for a week or two!

Who will he more readily negotiate with on possible discounts? If I never come back he only has to pay for his own lunch. If £60,000 bloke never comes back ...

(This is not such a fantastic scenario given how many very well-heeled and loyal Naim customers he has. Some of them customers for 25 years or more.)

 

[CnoEvil]

some will say AVI sounds better for 1/10th of the price :clap:

(Probably) the best speakers money can buy, now can't be bought, thus leaving the gate open.

 

[WishTree]

High priced gear are subjected to more discounts, IMO. I bought Classe CP-800 on-demo for a month for half the price and brand new was offered at 70% of the retail price

I would say 60% - 65% is your start point. Feel free to talk around with few dealers so that you are not compelled to buy from one. Generally if the dealer gets a feel that you are going to buy right away then the best price comes out. On phone, it is not easy to get the best deals. When you drive to the dealer, he sees your commitment to buy and the best deals are out. Also ask out for the ex-demo equipment as generally you get a great deal on them. HiFi equipment is not like a demo car that gets abused, so demo pieces are a great value buy, IMO

25% discount, I would say is the minimum you should get on brand new.

Please remember that the dealer is as much in the business to sell as you are in the 'business' to buy (though it might be one time only for you). So feel free to go ahead and put up your side and any dealer worth his salt, and want to make a sale will give you a fair offer.

This is all rough ball park, I am saying based on my experience. However your current target system is beyond I ever bought. I might be buying a Devialet at some point of time but that is not in very near future

All this is my observations / impressions so let us not get into analysis of this!

 

[matthewpiano]

You miss the point. Do you think Brad Pitt asks for discounts on a Rolls Royce? Snob market, mate.

Probably the tightest people I know are the ones with shed loads of money...and thats why

Ask for discount and salesmen are there to be abused and insulted

If they didn't want to be they should have paid more attention at school

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

You miss the point. Do you think Brad Pitt asks for discounts on a Rolls Royce? Snob market, mate.

Probably the tightest people I know are the ones with shed loads of money...and thats why

Ask for discount and salesmen are there to be abused and insulted

If they didn't want to be they should have paid more attention at school

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

No sorry all salesmen/women are there to be abused because there job is to rip you off

 

[BenLaw]

some will say AVI sounds better for 1/10th of the price :clap:

Some will. Ask them if they've ABXed them.

You think they'll sound the same?

 

[matthewpiano]

You miss the point. Do you think Brad Pitt asks for discounts on a Rolls Royce? Snob market, mate.

Probably the tightest people I know are the ones with shed loads of money...and thats why

Ask for discount and salesmen are there to be abused and insulted

If they didn't want to be they should have paid more attention at school

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

No sorry all salesmen/women are there to be abused because there job is to rip you off

Wrong. Wrong and very conceited. Perhaps if you had paid more attention at school you might understand how to use 'there' and 'their'.

 

[BenLaw]

You miss the point. Do you think Brad Pitt asks for discounts on a Rolls Royce? Snob market, mate.

Probably the tightest people I know are the ones with shed loads of money...and thats why

Ask for discount and salesmen are there to be abused and insulted

If they didn't want to be they should have paid more attention at school

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

No sorry all salesmen/women are there to be abused because there job is to rip you off

Wrong. Wrong and very conceited. Perhaps if you had paid more attention at school you might understand how to use 'there' and 'their'.

Well he got one right, he must be half educated.

 

[Anonymous]

You miss the point. Do you think Brad Pitt asks for discounts on a Rolls Royce? Snob market, mate.

Probably the tightest people I know are the ones with shed loads of money...and thats why

Ask for discount and salesmen are there to be abused and insulted

If they didn't want to be they should have paid more attention at school

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

No sorry all salesmen/women are there to be abused because their job is to rip you off

Wrong. Wrong and very conceited. Perhaps if you had paid more attention at school you might understand how to use 'there' and 'their'.

probably more to do with the wine I've drunk not my education, corrected hope your little mind is happy now

 

[matthewpiano]

You miss the point. Do you think Brad Pitt asks for discounts on a Rolls Royce? Snob market, mate.

Probably the tightest people I know are the ones with shed loads of money...and thats why

Ask for discount and salesmen are there to be abused and insulted

If they didn't want to be they should have paid more attention at school

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

No sorry all salesmen/women are there to be abused because their job is to rip you off

Wrong. Wrong and very conceited. Perhaps if you had paid more attention at school you might understand how to use 'there' and 'their'.

probably more to do with the wine I've drunk not my education, corrected hope your little mind is happy now

Little mind? Merely showing you how face-value judgements like the one you have clearly made about all sales people are a complete waste of time.

It is perfectly possible to sell something to somebody without ripping them off. Good advice and expertise do have some value.

 

[cse]

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

[/quote]

Yet another occasion when you mention your qualifications.

 

[matthewpiano]

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

Yet another occasion when you mention your qualifications.

[/quote]

Oh, not you again. It wasn't me who raised the issue if you could be bothered to read my comments in context.

 

[BenLaw]

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

Yet another occasion when you mention your qualifications.

I believe his dissertation was in learning how to quote properly on forums.

 

[BrianRostron]

Many thanks for the responses guys, some good advice and a few laughs in there too!

I have no problem asking for a discount, at this price level you would have to be bonkers not to. So good to have a few hints as to how to pitch this. As for playing one dealer off another, yes, a good plan for establishing lowest price. There is a huge "but" though, I have had very good service from the dealer who put me onto the Blades in the first place (Oxford Audio Consultants), so going somewhere else to save a few quid is a little questionable. I would rather give the good dealer the business, it's a bit like if everyone got an audition at a decent dealer then bought on line, soon the dealers would be gone.

And .... I can afford a Rolex but wear a Swatch because I couldn't care less about watches. There are a lot af material things I'm not bothered about. (hence leading to having some hi fi cash spare I guess) This would be a big purchase for me, I don't even like hi fi that much, for a start just buying the stuff is a huge amount of hassle. An old cliche but its all about the music, which is one of my few pleasures in life. A few grand off the Blades would buy a lot of 180g vinyl........

And finally, I haven't even decided to buy the Blades yet, this is one decision to be 100% sure of. Going for a second audition tomorrow, which kind of leads me back to the good dealer bit.

 

[matthewpiano]

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

Yet another occasion when you mention your qualifications.

I believe his dissertation was in learning how to quote properly on forums.

Well it certainly wasn't in wasting time correcting other user's quoting errors.

 

[matthewpiano]

Many thanks for the responses guys, some good advice and a few laughs in there too!

I have no problem asking for a discount, at this price level you would have to be bonkers not to. So good to have a few hints as to how to pitch this. As for playing one dealer off another, yes, a good plan for establishing lowest price. There is a huge "but" though, I have had very good service from the dealer who put me onto the Blades in the first place (Oxford Audio Consultants), so going somewhere else to save a few quid is a little questionable. I would rather give the good dealer the business, it's a bit like if everyone got an audition at a decent dealer then bought on line, soon the dealers would be gone.

And .... I can afford a Rolex but wear a Swatch because I couldn't care less about watches. There are a lot af material things I'm not bothered about. (hence leading to having some hi fi cash spare I guess) This would be a big purchase for me, I don't even like hi fi that much, for a start just buying the stuff is a huge amount of hassle. An old cliche but its all about the music, which is one of my few pleasures in life. A few grand off the Blades would buy a lot of 180g vinyl........

And finally, I haven't even decided to buy the Blades yet, this is one decision to be 100% sure of. Going for a second audition tomorrow, which kind of leads me back to the good dealer bit.

Great, balanced post. I hope you get a good deal on whatever you buy. Certainly part of that 'good deal' should include a substantial home demo to ensure the Blades will work well in your listening space. I really don't think that is too much to ask at this price point.

 

[BenLaw]

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

Yet another occasion when you mention your qualifications.

I believe his dissertation was in learning how to quote properly on forums.

Well it certainly wasn't in wasting time correcting other user's quoting errors.

I feel like I'm collateral damage. My comment wasn't aimed as criticism of you MP.

 

[matthewpiano]

You are completely out of order. I work in sales and I'm certainly not there to be abused and insulted. I also paid plenty of attention at school and reached Masters degree level in my education. I'm in sales because I enjoy it, I'm good at dealing with people, I know my product inside out, and I have the skills to co-ordinate the various facets of our operation. Not all sales people are Arthur Daley characters and many of us are good at what we do and make an honest living from it, so keep your offensive comments to yourself.

Yet another occasion when you mention your qualifications.

I believe his dissertation was in learning how to quote properly on forums.

Well it certainly wasn't in wasting time correcting other user's quoting errors.

I feel like I'm collateral damage. My comment wasn't aimed as criticism of you MP.

Sorry Ben, I didn't really take it as such. Sorry if it came over that way! :cheers:

 

[BenLaw]

No worries.

If it wasn't clear I'm with you re the salesmen, or more generally the prejudicial stereotyping of any group, which this seems to be an example of.

 

[BenLaw]

To the OP, I personally go with the approach of asking what the lowest they can be sold for is and working from there. At this level, if you get a no then it'll be a genuine one, for the reasons Chebby said.

I also agree you need a home demo with this sort of purchase. You also need to demo widely IMO at this price point. Try to listen to a variety of solutions, including planar speakers and some big actives, like ATC.

 

[Anonymous]

No worries.

If it wasn't clear I'm with you re the salesmen, or more generally the prejudicial stereotyping of any group, which this seems to be an example of.

Ok I apologise only 99.9% of sale persons are as I described.

 

[CnoEvil]

.....who put me onto the Blades in the first place (Oxford Audio Consultants).

I thought that was me :shifty: .........and I'm very easy indeed to pay! :twisted: