Has "politically correct" killed the used audio market?

@jjss49,

’i tend to agree on all the above... especially the last sentence -- mostly but not always... and we all have the scars from being burnt those few, memorable times’

Me too. I remember buying a portable Minidisc player whose built in rechargeable battery was doa, and a micro system that was ’lost’ in the post, but I think that’s about it. The micro system seller did offer a full refund with no issues.

Now when it comes to buying a car, or a house etc you’re in a whole different game of communication.

With private car sales I’d say look at the seller just as closely as you look at the vehicle.

With houses it’s best to look at written measurements rather than the photographs which seem to be taken with wide angled zoom lenses (as opposed to a more honest 50mm) in order to give an impression of greater size.

It’s strange how the concept of honesty has changed as our ability to manufacture image has increased exponentially.

With the cosmetics industry individuals are now able to transform their image to almost unrecognisable degrees.

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it but it’s probably better to acknowledge it rather than deny it.

As John Wayne, or was it Sean Connery, once said when questioned whether it was their real hair, "Yes, I paid for it myself."

@audio2design,

"In my yearly or every other year call with my cell phone company where I "negotiate" my rate, I tell them at the start of the call, this is my offer based on competition and their public offerings."


I tried to haggle last Feb with my car insurance renewal. Unfortunately, the guy on the other end wouldn’t budge and I hadn’t done the research to check whether the other quotes were like for like eg excess, courtesy car, breakdown cover etc.

It’s definitely a skill worth having, but you’ve got to also put the preliminary work in and tone down any sentiment.

One of my colleagues is particularly good at the business of haggling. She claims she saves hundreds of pounds with all of her various renewals.

Although she’s reasonably polite and friendly on the surface, if pushed she can also get pretty ferocious.

Me, I would start to worry whether the person on the other end of the phone, usually some kid, is having a good day or not. It takes a lot to get me mad, but unfortunately when I do, it also can take a lot to get me calmed down again.

The life and times of a passive-aggressive control freak audio enthusiast?

Well, as they say, life is a lesson. And there’s always the music.

As we know (and politicians and sales people seem to know even better) words can be very slippery indeed.

It’s can also be a long and circuitous route from one person’s original thought and desire to communicate, all the way to another’s understanding.

And that’s when they’re presumably being honest.

Perhaps it’s even more important to determine the real meaning in these days of our ever increasing reliance upon just the written word.

There’s quite a difference between written and spoken reviews. And again when we can see the reviewer.

Yet still no easy way to measure honesty.

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Doublespeak, how to lie without lying.

https://youtu.be/qP07oyFTRXc