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Ever feel like a "low dollar" customer that your dealer doesn't think worth their time?

I'm a careful researcher for audio gear and I also understand the value of brick and mortar stores. I am not OCD and I am not an irascible haggler. Indeed, I have told my local stores that if they carry something I like, I will buy from them and not try to find it cheaper on the net. I have purchased major pieces of gear from them.

Nevertheless, one local shop is erratic in how it treats me. Emails can take a long time to get acknowledged, and often exchanges take several back-and-forths to get clear questions answered. This shop sells gear at my price point and up to 10x more (think Wilson speakers, $7k power cords). I often feel I'm more like a fly buzzing around their heads than a valued customer trying to establish a customer-dealer relationship. I am trying to be loyal, but it makes me want to shop online. I could be reading the situation wrong, but this is definitely a pattern.

Has anyone else had the sense that they were too much of a "low dollar" customer to be worth the dealer's time?
128x128hilde45
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cleeds
5,913 posts
 
oregonpapa
... never judge a prospect by their appearance. I’ve sold homes to millionaires who drive old cars, wear thrift-store ties, and who are late on their haircuts more than once.
That’s what most millionaires do; that’s how they acquired wealth. And that’s what Thomas J. Stanley learned while researching The Millionaire Next Door.
lwin's avatar
lwin
569 posts
 
@stereo5 I know the store you are referring to & have purchased gear there in the past . The owner is a good & fair guy. One time I pulled into their parking lot at the same time as a guy in an arrest me red Ferrari. I was dressed in a suit & tie & he was dressed very casually.  When we went into the store the sales force obviously didn’t know who had the Ferrari so a couple sales people pounced on me until one got the nerve to ask if the Ferrari was mine. When I said no they quickly left to find the guy with the money.
limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,303 posts
 
Good Service  should be expected when your putting down 30k.But I have never experienced that .I remember when I was a teenager I worked the summer .and now said let me get a nice pair of speakers. I saw in the paper a place on Madison Ave in NYC had a sale on Fisher Speakers.  XP something, buy one get one Free.$99 plus tax.I took the train in and bought them.I loved them,hey this was 1968 .Fisher made good stuff.LOL .I had them until I bought a pair of Bose 901s in 1973 .I gave the speakers to my brother in law he was 16 .Did I get good service ? well he put cord on the boxes so I could carry them on the train ,I remember. They were Heavy.
devilboy
1,176 posts
 
Years ago, something happened to me and I wrote in to The Absolute Sound and Stereophile and they both printed my story. Now, I share it with you...

I called a brick-and-mortar store and asked them to listen to a turntable that I was interested in purchasing. The turntable, tonearm and cartridge altogether retailed for around $2,500. The guy on the phone actually told me that he would not take the time to set up that combination. He would, however, set up something for me to listen to if I was spending around $10,000.

NO BS!!! TRUE STORY.

Needless to say this put a very bad taste in my mouth. But I guess karma is a b**** because he was associated with some shady business deals and had to close up shop shortly thereafter.

Still...WTF?
mitch2
3,901 posts
 
No, I never do because I wouldn’t waste my time on people like that.
Any retail outfit can decide which customers they want to cater to and any customer can decide what type of people they want to deal with.
You are what you tolerate.  Go find a better dealer.
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