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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
devilboy
1,176 posts
 
@rushfan71 I also called a speaker manufacturer once with questions about some of his products. He also sounded as if he didn’t want to be bothered and answering my questions was the LAST thing on Earth he wanted to do.

AND he has speakers that look like they have many tweeters... So interesting indeed.
isochronism
2,893 posts
 
Herbie Hancock went to the Ford dealership just to see a car his friend told him of. The car was the new 289 Cobra. The salesman seeing a young black man wearing a t-shirt and jeans, said "that car is too expensive for you" or similar. Little did he know Herbie had been in the studio recording with Miles!! Also, he made recently made some good bucks from Watermellon Man. So... Herbie came back the next day with cash just to show the guy up!! He now hold's the record for the longest original owner of an original Cobra!! True story.
rsf507
2,345 posts
 
@stereo5 I know that place in Framingham, MA all too well. About 2 maybe 3 yrs back went there to buy, yes to but a pr of Vivid Giya speakers they had as demos walked in and asked to see and have a quick listen. Guy points me to main back room and never followed up. The speakers were stacked way in the back, salesman never came back and after 20 plus minutes I walked out. No one really cared there. Never gone back don't know how they have survived. 
pehare's avatar
pehare
835 posts
 
poor as piss and potato rinds all my life but Kevin at Upscale has never $teered me wrong 20 yrs +
big_greg
6,664 posts
 
The main reason that Echo Audio in Portland is my favorite audio dealer is that they are always very responsive to all the questions I have, whether it's about a $25 dollar headshell, or something costing thousands.  I've been talked out of making purchases, and I've been treated the same as other customers that were clearly "high rollers".  No question has ever been "dumb" (even when they were).  More than once, Kurt has invited me to just sit and listen with him to some of the high end systems they've put together, knowing that they were out of my price range.  If he was trying to make a sale, I couldn't tell.  It seemed more like he was one of us, showing off his latest system.  He loves listening and freely shares his experience and enthusiasm and is never high pressure or snobby. 
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