Charging A Fee To Demo An Amplifier In A Brick & Mortar Store

How about some qualifying conversations before a demo of this sort? Is the buyer SERIOUS enough that he is going to buy them if they work properly? I am not a tube guy, so I don't know how much the "work properly" definition impacts the decision. If they are used and the performance is a big variable, I don't think there should be a charge, if the buyer is serious.

If I was ever (probably not) going to consider amps for $17K, I would want to hear them in my room in my system, and if they want to charge a reasonable fee for that, I'd probably do it. I bought an arm from a dealer who said buy it, take it home and see if you like it, and if not, return it within 30 days and get your money back. THAT is confidence in a product. It blew me away the difference. He knew my system and turntable and knew the difference it would make.

Are there really people out there who want to spend 3-4 hours listening in a store for the hell of it? BTW may car companies pay people to come in and take a test drive with no obligation whatsoever.

Every dealer I've ever dealt with has their own idiosyncrasies. Some refuse to touch used gear, some low ball trades, others will sell your stuff for you with a small commission, others want to charge huge commissions. Some discount, others refuse. Some are rude, and some are warm and fuzzy. Haven't found the perfect one yet. I spent a few grand on a pair of speakers with a guy who did a nice job unloading my old gear on consignment (especially these days), I thought he could be "the guy", and then he wouldn't take a $30 accessory back that didn't work the way they said it would because their policy is they don't take accessory returns at any time. I was shocked.

If you can deal with the manufacturer, you are much better off, because they want their customers to be happy. I was surprised that some will deal direct. I won't name one you surely know, but they are a household name. It helps to be within driving distance.

Sounds like this dealer is collecting a restocking fee, up front.

I worked in a High End audio store in Santa Barbara 40 years ago and we were always playing music in one of our rooms! If someone wanted to hear our best stuff we loved it ourselves and enjoyed the time! That was the best part, everybody was having fun kicked back cranking tunes! We sold a lot of product! Oh the good old days!

I tried to nuy a used 911 turbo early this year and they wanted to run credit and get a deal hashed out before a test drive. I drove 300 miles to see the car but they do that to weed out joy rides. Is this coming to high end audio?

I worked in a high end store in NY in the 1990's and we would spend a lot of time taking amps or speakers to a prospective buyers house that never was compensated.

I would actually pay for an in home demo myself but not an in store demo.

Fifty years ago, I worked for an audio retailer. Wow, how times change?

Today? I am in a pivotal role at a major global enterprise online service.

My professional attitude is that IF a product or service can be bought online, it SHOULD be bought online. From a professional point of view it is great that Brick & Mortars are charging, because that pushes more business to online enterprises where returns are a fact of life and not a big deal.

My audiophile attitude is that charging by Brick & Mortars gives me grief, because it is a straw on the camel’s back and a death knoll for their style of doing business. It places them on a danger of extinction list. That makes me sad.

Currently, I live in an area of the world, where there is only one High-End shop in the region, despite being the greatest concentration of post-graduate degree education and technology in the country. I always found that strange . . . very strange indeed. The focus appears more on quantity, than quality. Odd that.

:(