No, Jcbtubes, rest assured it's not only your opinion. You've saved me the trouble of reiterating several of your points. All I want to 'add' is to make explicit the connection between your accurately-observed comments, "All I've read are the rationalizations of people who want to be patted on the back for not having paid retail" and "Those who feel guilty about this conduct [using dealers' expertise, facilities, and time auditioning and selecting, only to go buy used or on the web], should [feel guilty]".
Rogocop, what else are we supposed to conclude about you? You offer multiple insincere gratuitous rationalizations (the burn-in nonsense, Carl and Bubba, the fact that a few of the people you dealt with were not up to snuff, the fact that the first price a shop wants to get is MSRP). You pretend to solicit input about your actions after they have been taken, then attempt to defend yourself by blaming others. The only reasons I can imagine why someone would even post a thread like yours is out of guilt or pride, or likely a combination of the two in your case.
I mean, have you honestly asked yourself why you are telling the forum about this? Do you really think it's going to be news to anyone here that one can buy gear more cheaply on Audiogon, or that dealers want to get a premium for their services? This thread reminds me of nothing so much as a certain one from several months back (which shall go unamed - those of you who were there will know to what I refer) wherein a member (who seems not to post anymore) posted an after-the-fact 'query' seeking justification and kudos for having threatened their dealer with the return of an amplifier if the dealer didn't cough up a free aftermarket power cord, since the member alleged that he was 'outraged' that he 'just discovered' from the dealer that he would 'have to' spend another few hundred bucks to upgrade an 'inferior' stock cord if he wanted best performance, after having just spent thousands on the amp (the kicker was that he had previously posted more than one thread seeking advice on power cord choices, in conjunction with asking about different amps). It's always amazing, even if not surprising, how the prospect of spending money can make even those who have it act like children. At least that guy didn't totally waste his dealer's time, just ours - you've done both.
Yes Rogocop, maybe the dealers played it wrong by first giving you full-boat bids and then seeking to recontact you afterwards, presumably to try and 'earn' your business through a price break. But I know from experience that the only way this would have happened is if the customer appeared not to mind the prospect of paying retail. Many shoppers enjoy projecting the image of someone to whom price is no object until the critical point in the deal is reached, at which time they will lay down their demand and walk away, leaving it to the dealer to try to rescue their large ticket after having put in all their work under the impression that a deal was in the offing. It's a buying strategy that salespeople dislike but expect (although they don't really know if it's coming or whether the customer is actually willing to pay retail) - only you didn't call the bluff or lay down your cards, by refusing to make a counter-offer or take their calls. I am sure that had you acted more like an average customer, and made some mentions of price and/or that you were shopping around, during your auditioning interactions at the shops, you would not have gotten back full-boat bids. Any business owner is perfectly well aware that one of a customer's primary motivations in soliciting multiple bids on the same or similar products and services is to get the lowest price, and since you declined to let them even try, I have a hard time believing you now when you say that it wasn't your intention to leave and buy used all along. Sorry, but either that makes more sense than your story, or you're too naive to be a man in your position - and I don't believe that.
You have nothing to be self-righteous about and nothing to brag about, save for your new system, so enjoy it; I can only hope for your sake that your own business' customers are better as such than you were, or that you and/or your salespeople are better as such than those you dealt with (or at least as forbearing). But you'll probably feel better about yourself if you own up honestly to what you did and reform your shopping habits in the future (hint: either skip the dealer entirely, or give them an even chance at your business). That's your 'reality check'.
P.S. - Edesilva, you da man!
