HIFI DEALERS - MISS TRUST OR JUST PARANOIA ???

audioaddict

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Hi audio lovers as from my last post ( bw cm1 delivery tuesday ) I got to thinking that maybe hifi dealers are not always as trust worthy as they should be. When I ordered my cm1s last saturday they said delivery tuesday, when I got their tuesday, they said the delivery had been sent to cambridge as opposed to norwich. So feeling disgruntled, I was not gonna wait for yet another couple of days, so I said to the salesman?boss (sevenoaks norwich ) that Id seen a pair of cm1s on their clearance site for £429 and if he would give me the demo pair id heard on saturday for that price Id be happy. He then said he cldnt do that hed let em go for £450 and hed said that they were selling those because they were most probably damaged and just wanted rid of them ( which I just cldnt believe as they advertise on the site how much of a bargain they offer on these ex demo items ) so my next move was for them to recommend a pair of stands which he did ( the atacama nexus 6 ) so I said ok i will take the demo pair and the stands for the £500 that id paid for the speakers, which I think is a good deal, but I still cant help wondering if I had waited for the new ones would they really have been new ? Or could they have sent a clean ex demo pair. Now I feel im being paranoid, but after he said the ex demo pir for £429 were just basically crap and something they really just wanted rid of, this has really got me wondering. I was also told that the cm1s do not come with the tweeter protectors, which one salesman in the same shop offered me as compensation - is it just me or have oter people been taken on whilst buying hifi ??
 

relocated

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The best thing you can do is cancel the order because by the look of the above even if the speakers are perfect in every way you will convince yourself something is wrong. They have breached their contract by not delivering when they contracted to which automatically entitles you to a FULL refund.

Don't take any B.S. and go buy something you have fully researched and auditioned from someone you DO trust.
Best of luck.
 

chebby

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I assumed from your other thread that you were happy with them a couple of hours ago...

audioaddict said:
If thats true what you say erwin then me paying five hndred pou ds has given me a speaker that compares to ones costing doubke that too becuase they sounds stunning. I also got a FREE PAIR OF NEXUS SIX STANDS IN THE PRICE TOO.

and...

audioaddict said:
thanks guys im lovin em

So they were a bargain (especially with the free stands that you especially highlighted) and they were "stunning" and you were "lovin em".

What happened in the last two hours to make you unhappy?
 

audioaddict

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aw im happy with the speakers and the deal on the whole is good its just made me wonder if the hifi business is something similar to the dodgy car business or something but on the whole yes happy with the speakers and stands
 

camcroft

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Bought my RX1`S recently from Sevenoaks in Norwich and I must say what excellent service I got they were really helpfull and not pushy at all. I think that you will find that they are franchise dealerships so what is on the main Sevenoaks sites is not always available from certain stores.
 

toyota man

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Hi all I bought My mf m6i from seven oaks and I noticed that it was noisy and after first talking to them and them telling me that it was normal. I popped into shop listened to 2nd mf m6i and to my and the managers surprise found 2nd unit to be silent and without any fuss he exchanged the unit,also I only paid 2k for the amp as it had been incorrectley priced and I also got a set of chord xlr cables thrown in £140 so I can only say good things about seven oaks Norwich
 

SteveR750

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You *might* arge that all retailers of all things are "on the make" and of course they are. Some have different business models which involve impeccable honesty, others don't. Caveat emptor still applies.

+1 for sevenoaks though, my only complaint would be the limited range of demo stock in any one branch, but in fairness that's not unique to them
 

Ben123

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Good dealers have close links with their suppliers so things shouldnt get delivered to wrong stores. I made sure that i understood what level of service i would get before placing my order for some cm1's at music matters. B&W dispatch next day so there shouldnt be any delays really. Should be 2 days max to deliver.

The cm1's are easy to check if they are new as my piano gloss black finish shows up the slightest finger print. I checked the packaging and it looked, felt and smelt new.

The only difference is i paid the full price (500) and didnt drive for a bargain as i wanted brand new. They offered me ex-dem but i declined, which pretty much tells them im a fussy customer. From trawling the forums ive found people rarely get great deals on B&W kit and even second hand kit commands a good price.

As for trusting dealers, take your time, do your research and only buy when your confident your going to get what you want.
 

RobinKidderminster

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Yes dealers make a profit. Few are charities. I have bought from box shifters and hifi specialists. In most cases I have been pleased with their service. A different service from each but a quality and value service too. Both sectors have their benefits. Advice and individual service is never free but often invaluable.

Me done. Have a good day all.
 

Frank Harvey

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Unfortunately, these things do happen. Not regularly, but every now and again. At one point, we stopped 'promising' products for specific days, and instead started using phrases like 'all being well' and 'should be" - maybe not particularly confidence inspiring, but it's just to cover ourselves. It's the same as if we're dealing with something we actually have in stock. If someone places an order for delivery for next day delivery, we never promise it will be next day. It should be, but unfortunately the factor we cannot control is the courier. What if that courier lets us down? Yes, we get reimbursed what we paid to have it delivered next day, but the customer then feels it is us who have let them down, not the courier. this is one reason why we no longer offer Saturday delivery - more often than not, parcels weren't delivered, customers wasted their Saturday staying in, and we'd end up refunding delivery costs.

In audioaddicts case, it was a manufacturer error which caused the delay. We've had a number of things delivered to us that were meant for other hi-fi stores (and even non related products), as well as deliveries for ourselves that have ended up hundreds of miles away.

There are many aspects of your business that rely on other companies, and your service as far as delivery times are concerned can only be as good as they are. Unfortunately, hi-fi retailers are only in control of what happens within their store.

I know this is covering the other aspect of what audioaddicts has written about, but if the manufacturer hadn't initially made the mistake (B&W are very efficient, and are next day delivery), the dealer wouldn't have been put in the position that he had been in the first place, and this wouldn't have led to audioaddicts' post.
 

CJSF

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Sadly, part of life . . . it happens.

No one ever says how good things are??? I have recently had a spate of ordering a number of items on line, all, without exception have arrived on or before the estimated date. I have a dealer 10 minutes around the corner, I would trust him with my life, he trusts me . . . he loans me kit to try, no deposit, we have known each other for less than 6 months.

Life is too short, look on the bright side . . . CJSF
 

Ben123

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Its worth noting my dealer experience wasnt perfect. I had to return my CM1's after 3 weeks due to hearing a very slight distortion sound at a certain frequency. The dealer wasnt convinced there was a problem but i was adamant so they had to go back to b&w to be tested in a anechoic chamber. B&W found a faulty tweeter and was replaced under warranty.I havent let that debacle put me off dealers though, as its just one of those things. I would rather pay more and demo the kit than buy from online retailers and have to put it on ebay because i dont like it.I use both real shops and online retailers and both have their place.

Its worth noting my dealer experience wasnt perfect. I had to return my CM1's after 3 weeks due to hearing a very slight distortion sound at a certain frequency. The dealer wasnt convinced there was a problem but i was adamant so they had to go back to b&w to be tested in a anechoic chamber.

B&W found a faulty tweeter and was replaced under warranty.

I havent let that debacle put me off dealers though, as its just one of those things. I would rather pay a little more and demo the kit than buy from online retailers and have to put it on ebay because i dont like it. My dealer is round the corner by the way. I use both real shops and online retailers and both have their place. All i know is i have bought the right speakers for me and im enjoying the music! :cheers:
 

relocated

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Dear Moderators,

I realise, of course, that you have a difficult job maintaining standards of behaviour on this forum.

BUT please, if you are not compelled, don't interject to protect me from rude or offensive forumites. I absolutely live by the 'sticks and stones' ethos and if pea-brained morons have to resort to such rudeness etc. I say let them show their true colours and be thus appraised.

Thank you for listening.

:wave:
 
A

Anonymous

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Well said.

The phrase 'hi-fi dealer' just makes me think of dodgy drug pushers.

God bless online ordering and its murdering of independent physical stores. Keeping retail crime off our High Streets should be applauded.
 
A

Anonymous

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Personally I think there are 2 types of dealers

1. Those that want to sell you anything, that makes them the most profit of the day

2. Those that are in it for the long term and want to sell you the right equipment, which normally means not making a sale that day, or possibly longer. They want to see you happy, cos they know you'll then come back for me (and boy aren't we suckers for always upgrading :grin: )

I've been fortunate to deal with those in camp (2), but then I know what I want and won't get brain washed by a dodgy dealer trying to sell me gear that I don't need. I also think those in (1) are in the minority, but like in any walk of life, there are all sorts.
 
A

Anonymous

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Dr Lodge said:
Personally I think there are 2 types of dealers

1. Those that want to sell you anything, that makes them the most profit of the day

2. Those that are in it for the long term and want to sell you the right equipment, which normally means not making a sale that day, or possibly longer. They want to see you happy, cos they know you'll then come back for me (and boy aren't we suckers for always upgrading :grin: )

I've been fortunate to deal with those in camp (2), but then I know what I want and won't get brain washed by a dodgy dealer trying to sell me gear that I don't need. I also think those in (1) are in the minority, but like in any walk of life, there are all sorts.

Do you find looking like Michael J Fox makes people treat you fairly?
 
A

Anonymous

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Obiwone said:
Do you find looking like Michael J Fox makes people treat you fairly?

Well I never heard that one before, I'll take it as a compliment!!

To answer your question, no. I'm often taken for a ride (or at least they try), I must have the word "gullable" written across my forehead.
 

Helmut80

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Ben123 said:
Its worth noting my dealer experience wasnt perfect. I had to return my CM1's after 3 weeks due to hearing a very slight distortion sound at a certain frequency. The dealer wasnt convinced there was a problem but i was adamant so they had to go back to b&w to be tested in a anechoic chamber. B&W found a faulty tweeter and was replaced under warranty.I havent let that debacle put me off dealers though, as its just one of those things. I would rather pay more and demo the kit than buy from online retailers and have to put it on ebay because i dont like it.I use both real shops and online retailers and both have their place.

Its worth noting my dealer experience wasnt perfect. I had to return my CM1's after 3 weeks due to hearing a very slight distortion sound at a certain frequency. The dealer wasnt convinced there was a problem but i was adamant so they had to go back to b&w to be tested in a anechoic chamber.

B&W found a faulty tweeter and was replaced under warranty.

I havent let that debacle put me off dealers though, as its just one of those things. I would rather pay a little more and demo the kit than buy from online retailers and have to put it on ebay because i dont like it. My dealer is round the corner by the way. I use both real shops and online retailers and both have their place. All i know is i have bought the right speakers for me and im enjoying the music! :cheers:

if you could hear it, surely it would be reasonable to expect the dealer to be able to hear it
 

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