Fee for home audition

If I happened to be a dealer of hifi gear…and if I voluntarily chose to have a policy of a 5% fee to demo a piece of gear in your home…. and if you rejected the offer…swinging by the shop to “rub it in the dealer’s face” would absolutely validate the strategy that was employed.

@ghasley Really? Paying $650 for an hour review doesn’t seem out of line to you? How about this — it was so egregious the OP actually did go elsewhere and got a much better offer due to this dealer’s insane policy. Defend it if you must, but from a customer’s point it’s completely out of bounds, and the dealer lost a big $$$ sale because of it. How much effort does it take to let a customer pick up a DAC and have him demo it for a day? Nothing. Nada. And certainly not worth $650 for an hour, new customer or not. You’re kidding yourself dude. Adapt or die.

Ghasley when I go to audio dealers if I feel Iam not welcome, I just leave.Why waste time with those dealers. 

@jayctoy

Ghasley when I go to audio dealers if I feel Iam not welcome, I just leave.Why waste time with those dealers.

That’s a rational course of action. Clearly the dealer in question has honed their business model to their preferred method of operation. Not everyone will want to do business with a particular dealer and not every dealer will want to do business with a particular customer. Its all good.

@soix

Really? Paying $650 for an hour review doesn’t seem out of line to you? How about this — it was so egregious the OP actually did go elsewhere and got a much better offer due to this dealer’s insane policy. Defend it if you must, but from a customer’s point it’s completely out of bounds, and the dealer lost a big $$$ sale because of it.

Listen, I’m not saying the policy is a rational policy for all. It is though a dealer’s right to decide how they wish to do business. They don’t typically decide to implement policies like these without empirical data they’ve evaluated. You characterize it as $650 for an hour and you find it outrageous. Cool. In the context of your world it likely is and I wouldn’t argue your point. I can imagine though that its an hour to get to the customer, an hour in the home (which it will probably exceed given the nature of the hobby) and an hour back to the shop to replace the demo unit in its rightful place. So, $200/hr plus fuel and wear and tear all around. I wouldn’t look up from my ipad for $200/hr but everyone is different. You describe it as a “gotcha” moment for the dealer that he lost a “big $$$ sale”…but for this dealer, $12,500 is more likely to be the sales tax of his average sale. There are only so many hours in the day and he has chosen how to allocate those hours. Is this dealer for everyone? No, of course not, but he has made a decision to not play in certain segments of the hifi market. Let’s just say his typical customer isn’t cross-shopping Gustard or Topping…they are more likely looking at a system approach, they want the dealer to deliver the highest quality system and price is secondary. As I previously stated, I believe I know the dealer and have done business with him and he is the farthest thing from arrogant or entitled. He is friendly, helpful, professional, communicates promptly and clearly, provides exceptional advice before the transaction and exceptional service after the sale. He may have just decided that he’d rather play golf on a Sunday afternoon than spend it providing free demos from which to be cross shopped. You miss a sale here and there but you avoid the time suck that many in our hobby unwittingly impose on others.

Do the 5% demo thing or don’t but at least the dealer is transparent and the potential customer can decide for themselves as the OP did and he chose the right path for him. The OP made the decision, found a dealer whose values aligned and its all good. He chose to pay shipping both ways and that particular dealer assumed the risk of shipping mishaps, etc. The OP did everything correctly for his circumstance and exercised his options. The dealer did nothing wrong and chose NOT to sell the leisure time he would normally spend with his family or church or enjoying an activity of his choosing rather than give away his time for free…They both successfully exercised their options appropriately for their particular circumstance. That’s the way its supposed to work.

Adapt or die.

I chuckle at this comment. On the surface, it sounds good…its a nice sound bite. The reality is that this dealer DID choose to adapt. He maximizes his available time and focuses his efforts where it makes the most sense for his business. You may or may not agree which is cool but again, if its the dealer I’m thinking it is, he’s been in business 15 years, has a brick and mortar location, stocks product, provides service, promotes local and national charities and is a joy to do business with for those willing to step over the small hurdle initially and establish a relationship. The OP seems to be a great person and he chose a path most of us might have chosen. The other side of that coin is the OP had never done business with the dealer in question (again, I’m assuming its the dealer to whom I refer) and he’s been in business for 15 years in the same community! So there’s that…maybe this dealer isn’t looking for a one and done customer…

So many of us in this hobby believe every dealer or manufacturer owe us something, which is unfortunate. Adapt or die????? I might suggest that this dealer made a decision to “swipe left or swipe right” on his own terms and its working wonderfully for his business and work-life balance.

And before you say to yourself “another greedy dealer “stealer” at play” I happen to know this dealer stepped up big time for the family of a manufacturer loved for many years in this forum and the audio community at large. Like many small manufacturers, this terrific guy was perpetually under capitalized and financially unprepared for his own untimely passing, leaving his family in the lurch. This dealer quietly stepped up to ensure they were taken care of and that an orderly transition would be possible for the family. So, he chose to invest a considerable amount of time and his own money for zero gain because it aligned with his value set. Toss generic popcorn from the bleachers if you will…but choosing how you do business and having it work out well, keeping your freedom, taking no crap  from anyone and pursuing your passion as a business is kindof the goal for us all isn’t it?

The customer is always right worked out very well for Sears (Amazon before there was an Amazon) didn’t it but the whole statement should be “the customer is always right, until they aren’t”. There is a barrier to entry to many of the finer things in life. We can choose to play or not to play but I repeat, if you find the policy offensive and refuse to ever consider doing business with this particular dealer, then his policy accomplished its goal: to filter some great potential customers (like the OP likely would have been) in order to filter the potential perpetual tire-kicking, time-sucking person more interested in discussing the mixing board at Woodstock and the good old days when he could spend every Saturday afternoon hanging at the audio shop without ever buying anything.

It’s been said that the magnitude of what happened during the first second after the Big Bang is greater than what happened in the billions of years afterwards. I wasn’t there, so I have to take someone else’s word for it.

I’ll like to suggest that the first mintute of your encounter with a someone representing the dealer is the most important. Were they "nice" to you? And, oh yeah, were you "nice" to them? It’s an "interview" by both parties. Sizing each other up, based on some initial reactions to make a (sometimes rapid) determination of whether to more forward, or hit the "exit" button. Next dealer!! Or, next customer!! And, what’s the next step in this "courtship" to reach a mutual objective?

The dealer is IN the business. They should know what to ask, and when to ask it. So, all things being equal, it’s the dealer’s responsibility to make it go right. But, this isn’t always the case. Afterall, these probably weren’t naturally born "audio guys". They were astronauts-in-training as a child, who preferred English Lit in college, only to discover the lucrecisity (is that a real word?) of stated profession caused an unplanned detour into "something else". They loved music and technology, adopted an audio vocabulary, and showed up to work at the Hifi shop on Day One with a pretty good collection of their own demo materials. So, here they are, standing in front of a potential customer trying to salvage some degree of respect and dignity. And, yes, that first minute matters to them, too.

Being degraded to the status of "broker" is frustrating and, frankly, humiliating to the salesperson. Bickering over model #s and price is far less appealing than an accessment based on needs and wants. But, the dealer also has the opportunity to "humanize" the relationship -- if the potential customer will give them permission to do so. If they miss this opportunity, then shame on them. But, the potential customer can fill in the blanks as well. "Why did you get into the audio business?" Or, "What was the most memorable concert you ever attended?" will get you on the right path of a relationship built on respect and trust. On the other hand, you are a guest in their "home" and should be treated as such. How you handle the first minute will make the difference between a being treated as an invited guest, or a time vampire.

As a consumer, I often find myself having to "train" others on how to sell to "me". If we can leave our egos and the front door and focus on OUR objectives, salesmen who are rough around the edges or full of themselves can be "fluffed out" a bit and converted to an asset if you're willing to try. You might just help push their careers in a positive direction while getting what YOU want in the process. A win, win.

So, OP.  How about that first minute?

Find a new dealer.