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In Reply to: Do audio dealers expect a free ride? posted by subdud on February 18, 2007 at 09:55:59:
in over 20 yrs, of shopping with local dealers.I have benifited far more from shopping with my local dealers then any other method of buying . Maybe you just live in an area with crappy dealers. Or you may be the problem?
Follow Ups:
A shop in Indy, now out of business, I walk in and notice a person at the counter, I must be invisible, he doesn't see me. I notice a salesman talking on cell-phone leaning against the door jamb of a door leading to display area. I walk toward him and nod he nods still talking to his chum. I exit this room stepping around cell-phone salesman and head back toward the way I came in but I notice something of interest in another room. I go in and look over the equipment thinking someone will assist me when they get time. I wait 15 minutes and decide to get their attention, so I head out to my truck and grab my cds, come back in and proceed to listen to the equipment. I listen for 20 minutes before cell-phone salesman ducks his head in to inquire if I need anything. At this point I decide the "service" here sucks and wouldn't feel good about purchasing from them so I leave. It was an hour’s drive each way just to listen to 20 minutes of music and to be ignored.I don’t expect to be fawned over but in this situation I was feeling very awkward and unwelcome.
I can give other run-downs describing my experiences of poor customer service after the sale, retched in-store set-up and rudeness if you’d like but I find it inappropriate to name names. So please tell me how you would have behaved in this situation, I’m open to suggestions.
you could introduce yourself to the salesman and tell him what you are interested in and did he have any suggestion as a starting point. This usually works for me.
The salesman was on the cell phone and didn't seem interested in helping me out anytime soon, I felt it would have been rude to interrupt his conversation, no. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but to me it seemed to be a personal call, but I suppose he could have been grooming one of those well-heeled customers or maybe I had just been "qualified" or perhaps I should say disqualified. The person who was near the entrance had disappeared by the time I exited the display room where cell phone salesman was standing guard.This experience was one of my early travels in rebuilding my old system and I had higher expectations. Maybe I was reading too much Stereophile, maybe I should have worn Dockers instead of jeans, loafers instead of tennis shoes or maybe I could have parted my hair on the other side. Or maybe cell phone salesman should have hung-up and done his job instead of letting the customer stew in his juices. Why do you put the onus on the customer. It was my day to be off work.
I wish I could just be left alone to listen music I brought with me on various equipment. I'd want to ask questions *after* that.
So please tell me how you would have behaved in this situation, I’m open to suggestions.What was the purpose of your visit? You claim you didn't want to be fawned over and it seems like you got to hear what you were interested in. What's sounds strange to me is that when the salesman finally got around to asking you if they could be of any help you decided to leave. Seems to me if you had wanted something from them this would have been the time to pipe up - but instead you claim it's the time you decided the service sucked.
If the dealer would have tried to sell you something what are the chances you wouldn't have cried foul dealer BS and hard sell?
I know one dealer who runs his shop mostly the way you describe. He does this because he is busy, doesn't want to be pushy and he figures if the customer want's or needs something from him he will ask.
What you describe doesn't sound that unusual to me - in fact if you would have hung with it you might have found yourself having a pleasant experience discussing and or listening to music for the whole afternoon. Apparently you were expecting something else?
Give me rhythm or give me death!
I've already answered your question: I felt ignored and unwelcome. I also felt that I should have at least been acknowledged, perhaps a "welcome to the store, would you like to browse or is there something I can help you with?". Or maybe the salesman could have cleared the doorway so that a perspective buyer would not have to walk around him. Perhaps this was expecting too much?
Just about everything you say in this response and in your response to BJordan has to do with your feelings and your suspicions.Most audiophiles who enter an audio salon are just looking even if they claim otherwise. I don't blame dealers or salespeople who favor the status seeking purchaser. Audiophiles, ie. cost concious sound quality shoppers, are much tougher sells and usually require several visits before they make a purchase.
I go to Best Buy or Sears with your expectations. I'm looking for much more from an audio shop and there's nothing in your scenerio indicating the I wouldn't have recieved it at the shop you had problems with.
I'm sorry you feel uncomfortable with how the dealer "qualified" you.
While I appreciate your sympathy that really isn't necessary. My reason for starting this thread wasn't to just vent but to make a point: The audio industry is in trouble, SOME audio shops could do better and are part of the problem-just read some of the other posts, and if they want to succeed then quit blaming the customer. If they fail to do this then I for one have no sympathy for them. Did I mention that this shop closed its doors? That means they failed and that ain't just a "feeling" it's a fact.I "feel" that a customer should be made welcome. Please keep in mind that I had entered this establishment without acknowledgement from anyone, left and reentered without acknowledgement, started-up a system and waited 20 minutes before being acknowledged. What if I had simply walked in, started a system and ignored all the sales staff? Is this acceptable behavior? Aren't there basic social expectations from both sides of the aisle or am I old-school?
One thing that I do agree with you is: "I'm looking for much more from an audio shop"
On what basis do you say that "the audio industry is in trouble?"
"On what basis do you say that "the audio industry is in trouble?"Year after year of declining hi-end home audio sales. Here are some links to articles which I admit give only passing reference to the decline. Sorry for not making it easier but I'm not familiar with copyright laws.
http://www.audiophileaudition.net/audaud/JAN01/cheney.html
http://www.stereophile.com/news/111405audioups/
http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/106awsi/
http://www.itfacts.biz/index.php?id=P5927
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_10_39/ai_64693935
Thanks for the links. Wow, I had no idea it was that rough. It's a real revelation. I've always believed that silicon economies and portable storage and playback have raised the low end a whole lot, but I wasn't aware how badly they've hurt the high end.I think it's hard to blame this on dealers. There must be all kinds of desperation out there.
Dave
Later Gator,
Crank up your talking machine, grab a jar of your favorite "kick-back", sit down, relax, and let the good times roll.
I once went to dealership that refused to give me a trade-in value. His reasoning was, "This is the first dealership you have been to, no one buys from the first dealership they go to". I was so confused.
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