Facebook hifi groups - weird

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Im on a couple of hi Fi Facebook company groups that are set up by the amp and hi Fi firms to interact with customers.

On a few you tend to get overly brand loyal customers that are very friendly to the staff who participate in the group. I find it a bit odd if I’m honest, as if they want to work there. One guy attended a listening session with the firm at a dealer, meeting the staff members, only for him to send the company bottles of wine afterwards etc, for the staff member to then post pictures of the wine for the group. If anything the company should be giving him the wine, not the other way around. My point is they don’t realise it’s a commercial enterprise. Have I got to buy wine to keep kudos? Lol.

its like the staff are using these people in a commercial enterprise to be their brand floggers. It’s all rather odd, strained, and messed up. I’m not going to mention names but there is another guy who is buying a dealer beers when they bring speakers down to him in the south from Yorkshire, when the dealer was going down anyway. Give credit when it’s due but the dealer is making money off this guy not the other way around. Maybe I’m just a bit old school in customer relationships.

 

[davidf]

Some people like to show appreciation sometimes. And for others, it's a friendly get together.

 

[Vladimir]

I also hate when people have a good time without me. Pisses me off. *angel*

 

[Pedro]

My recent favourite on Facebook was a dealer interacting with people in another hifi shop's page.

Maybe I'm a bit old school regarding ethics.

 

[davidf]

My recent favourite on Facebook was a dealer interacting with people in another hifi shop's page.

Maybe I'm a bit old school regarding ethics.

I’m with you on that one. I think I’ve replied to someone else’s reply on another retailers post, but that’s because the guy I was answering is in the industry, and it was a music related post.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Some people like to show appreciation sometimes. And for others, it's a friendly get together.

i just don’t get it, as appreciation for what. You’ve paid your cash and they’ve given you a product. That’s appreciation in itself. A couple of them are more than a friendly get together, it’s more a self indulgent look at me with my pictures of my system. Very annoying but anyway I’ve de registered myself.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I thought there was a what hifi Facebook page ?

 

[jonathanRD]

Some people like to show appreciation sometimes. And for others, it's a friendly get together.

i just don’t get it, as appreciation for what. You’ve paid your cash and they’ve given you a product. That’s appreciation in itself. A couple of them are more than a friendly get together, it’s more a self indulgent look at me with my pictures of my system. Very annoying but anyway I’ve de registered myself.

Isn't a lot of Facebook like this anyway, that's why I am not on FB.

 

[jjbomber]

Isn't a lot of Facebook like this anyway, that's why I am not on FB.

It's licenced stalking. I don't get the whole Twit-Face thing either.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10208909002216939]

*new_russian*It was me that bought the beers for dale!!!! For your information Simon price I bought them as a thank you because they had a job in reading and they drove to Bristol to meet me first!! Bristol to reading is 2hrs+ on a good day. It’s called hospitality and gratitude but guess you don’t know about that. Carefull what u post as things have a tendency to bite back

 

[Gazzip]

When PMC let me/themselves down badly a few years ago, they sent me a case of Champagne down with their regional rep when he personally delivered my replacement speakers. Having watched him lug 4 boxes, with a combine total weight of 215KG’s, up four flights of stairs on his own, and then carry the case of Champagne in to my home as well, I was happy to give him a couple of bottles of the fizz for his trouble. I felt well guilty!

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

*new_russian*It was me that bought the beers for dale!!!! For your information Simon price I bought them as a thank you because they had a job in reading and they drove to Bristol to meet me first!! Bristol to reading is 2hrs+ on a good day. It’s called hospitality and gratitude but guess you don’t know about that. Carefull what u post as things have a tendency to bite back

Each to their own but I don’t really understand rewarding dealers like that as they are making 30-40 percent off you already, so off your £3k pmc 25-23 speakers, assuming you paid that, they made a thousand quid. They may have gone out their way but they probably thought that if they sent it by post it would have cost them more (as it would) and they probably went down from hull to a big job, and their day was already written off already. They were not going out their way where it would cost them, put it that way.

My attitude is very much a bit old fashioned in a commercial way -they get their end of the deal with the cash, so do I with the speakers. They’ve had reward enough. And further reward would be id buy again if the service is good. Now rewarding someone who finds my wallet with beers, absolutely.

And ive got a horror story about that dealer. I’d never deal with them again.

 

[chrisr1718]

it’s more a self indulgent look at me with my pictures of my system. Very annoying but anyway I’ve de registered myself.

Simon Price, isn’t that a bit hypocritical as your profile picture is of your system. Odd!

And you’re still on the PMC Fb page, so not deregistered from that one then.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

You are probably right. Maybe change it.. it’s the only hi Fi picture I could find.

 

[jonathanRD]

*new_russian*It was me that bought the beers for dale!!!! For your information Simon price I bought them as a thank you because they had a job in reading and they drove to Bristol to meet me first!! Bristol to reading is 2hrs+ on a good day. It’s called hospitality and gratitude but guess you don’t know about that. Carefull what u post as things have a tendency to bite back

Each to their own but I don’t really understand rewarding dealers like that as they are making 30-40 percent off you already, so off your £3k pmc 25-23 speakers, assuming you paid that, they made a thousand quid. They may have gone out their way but they probably thought that if they sent it by post it would have cost them more (as it would) and they probably went down from hull to a big job, and their day was already written off already. They were not going out their way where it would cost them, put it that way.

My attitude is very much a bit old fashioned in a commercial way -they get their end of the deal with the cash, so do I with the speakers. They’ve had reward enough. And further reward would be id buy again if the service is good. Now rewarding someone who finds my wallet with beers, absolutely.

And ive got a horror story about that dealer. I’d never deal with them again.

Depends who is making the £1000 quid, and it's not so easy as saying the day was written off already so lets add another 3 - 4 hours of driving to our journey. Of course we don't know the full story, but it's natural for many of us to want to show our gratitude to people who have helped us by going out of their way, even if it is only our perception that they have. How you deal with people is important, and in the long run does reap it's rewards. I must add that I'm not always this nice, but generally it helps to be so. *smile*

 

[davidf]

i just don’t get it, as appreciation for what. You’ve paid your cash and they’ve given you a product. That’s appreciation in itself. A couple of them are more than a friendly get together, it’s more a self indulgent look at me with my pictures of my system. Very annoying but anyway I’ve de registered myself.

Appreciation for what they’ve done for you. Many sales staff aren’t on great wages, and some aren’t much above minimum wage (plus, the majority of the benefit of the sale goes to the business owner and the company), so something like this really can make someone’s day. Think of it like surprising your missus occasionally with a bunch of flowers...

I once had a gentleman off a forum send me a bottle of his favourite whiskey. And he’d bought nothing from me...

 

[seemorebtts]

I think most good hi-fi dealers enjoy what they are doing and that will come across when talking to them.i don't know many people that like hifi so never really get to talk about it with someone but at my local dealer it's all we talk about and lots of listening. IV only spent about £200 in there but every time I go I'm treated like royalty.

 

[insider9]

I don't think it makes any difference whether they got paid or not. It's usually easy to tell if someone is genuinely nice and treats you well. These kind of people deserve the thanks and the good treatment even if they got paid as well.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

i just don’t get it, as appreciation for what. You’ve paid your cash and they’ve given you a product. That’s appreciation in itself. A couple of them are more than a friendly get together, it’s more a self indulgent look at me with my pictures of my system. Very annoying but anyway I’ve de registered myself.

Appreciation for what they’ve done for you. Many sales staff aren’t on great wages, and some aren’t much above minimum wage (plus, the majority of the benefit of the sale goes to the business owner and the company), so something like this really can make someone’s day. Think of it like surprising your missus occasionally wi5 a bunch of flowers...

I once had a gentleman off a forum send me a bottle of his favourite whiskey. And he’d bought nothing from me...

ive very rarely had sales staff go above and beyond. Actually tell a lie, some people in richer Sounds in Brighton are fantastic. Talk to you for ages. But I tend to find most audiophile dealers don’t add value. I know what I’m going in for, I listen, the dealer sets up various choices and I buy or not.I don’t believe in rewarding people just as tips if they haven’t added anything. But I know these people are in the business of getting commission and lots of the big hi Fi dealers do well enough as it is, including staff.

If I bought from you David, I had a network issue with a product that was dubious if this was the products issue, or my network, but you said what the hell and you are an hour drive away, but you came over, and say I was a loyal customer with you, I’d almost certainly reward you in this way with something. Because it’s going above and beyond and adding value. But just bringing speakers down to me on a seperate job they are probably earning thousands on, where it’s probably cheaper for them to do this than ship to somerset, I don’t think I’d reward them no. Nor rewarding a dealer just for buying something off them in a shop. Commercial acumen comes into it.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

I don't think it makes any difference whether they got paid or not. It's usually easy to tell if someone is genuinely nice and treats you well. These kind of people deserve the thanks and the good treatment even if they got paid as well.

My attitude Insider is they are nice to you and they treat you well for being a customer, or they should, that’s something you always expect, and should get. If you don’t get it, I can go somewhere else like Hi Fi lounge where Paul is genuinely pleased to get new business.

 

[insider9]

I don't think it makes any difference whether they got paid or not. It's usually easy to tell if someone is genuinely nice and treats you well. These kind of people deserve the thanks and the good treatment even if they got paid as well.

My attitude Insider is they are nice to you and they treat you well for being a customer, or they should, that’s something you always expect, and should get. If you don’t get it, I can go somewhere else like Hi Fi lounge where Paul is genuinely pleased to get new business.

I absolutely agree. Vote with your feet. However if you meet genuine people treasure these relationships. If anything some beer or wine is only a smart move in such a case, who knows next time a dealer might manage to get you a better deal.

 

[Vladimir]

This is a hobby and we are hobbyists. Those men have the keys to our toys. Its a different relationship than how I would treat a plumber or a bank teller. With them I just want to get what is advertised (expected), pay, say thanks and be done. But when I enter a hifi shop its christmass and an amusement park at the same time. I want to ask stupid questions, bother the staff, spend time there, bribe them with drinks so they put up with my excessive enthusiasm. I want them to invite me when high end kit is available for auditioning. I want them to do special orders or other perks. I don't want the sterile formal relationship I have with the bank teller.

Well, not really. But I don't mind if others do so. Each to their own.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

More of the enthusiasts who can be relied upon on forums are like you though Vlad, in your quirky kind of way..

btw Fanthorpes driving to someone who lives in Somerset, who has never been to their Hull dealership I’d guess. A bit underhand for other local dealers. Tom Barron at pmc told me you can only get pmc speakers home delivered if you stepped into the dealer to place the order, and dealers can’t do this home demos and orders over the phone, so dealers like Fanthorpes don’t undercut others on price.

Fanthorpes now trying to drive another pair of fact speakers to someone in the West Country, bypassing loads more local dealers. Dodgy.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10208909002216939]

Look at me with my system annoying???? Says you with your YouTube video and your reviews on the twenty 5-23 lolol on the pmc page!!!! I really think you need to try and get laid

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Abuse reported.