Was I Expecting Too Much
Hi everyone. I'm looking for a heading check with a situation I encountered yesterday.
Background:
I'm planning to upgrade my turntable later this year - Q3 is my target. After my research, I've narrowed down to AMG and Brinkmann. I was able to audition an AMG Viella yesterday, and was looking to audition a Bardo or Taurus for comparison. I know my thought of trying to fit in a Brinkmann demo was last-minute, and some dealers are particular when it comes to appointments and allowing them time to setup their demo.
The Situation:
So I called the local Brinkmann dealer and inquired to see if a bardo or taurus happened to be setup. The salesman I spoke with said they had both, and he was going to check if a demo was possible. After a few minutes, I get a phone call back from the owner who seemed rather dismissive of my request. I explained that I'm currently doing my research and looking to hear some demos to help down-select, and that my purchase would be a few months from now. He asked for my budget which I found strange as I already stated what I was interested in demoing. Then the conversation turned to what gear I already own, which I understand sort-of. Then the owner basically said it doesn't make sense for me to demo anything now and to call back when I'm ready to purchase.
How am I going to know what I want to purchase without demoing the options?
Was I expecting too much by asking to hear equipment that I'm interested in? My opinion is a sale isn't guaranteed and an audio dealer, just like any other dealer, needs to invest some reasonable amount of time to capture a sale. You don't capture all the sales, but I didn't think I was being unreasonable in my request and certainly was not trying to waste anyone's time. I was pretty transparent with where I'm at and I guess he was reciprocating my transparency by telling me to go away. I felt "less-than" by this experience. As if I wasn't worth investing any time into.
Thoughts?
@raysmtb1 Your justification is garbage. It's no justification at all. Fact is you premeditatedly defrauded the dealer by stealing his time when you knew you would buy the product, but not from him. Shame on you. But you are right. In a world where more and more people are dishonest. You are in good (bad) company. |
I'm sorry this happened to the OP, it is a real kick in the pants to be treated poorly. As someone who has been on both sides of this equation (customer and dealer) I understand and sympathize with both parties here. When I was in my early 20s I walked into a showroom for a store with a solid reputation and asked if I could check out their turntables. The salesperson, who was involved in a discussion with fellow salespeople about some sportsball event responded to my request with a casual thumb jerk, stating "turntables are over there" while barely pausing his conversation about bad calls by refs and other related pressing matters. I had saved about $10K and was excited about getting into this "hobby" for real, and it really took the wind out of my sales to be treated like a schlub. A year or so later, I was looking for a "basic" job while I was completing my time in the old college meatgrinder, and applied at the same audio store. I got the job, and was thrilled to not only be gainfully employed, but actually getting paid to listen to and recommend audio products, the sole purpose of which was to bring some joy into clients' homes. The guy who had dismissed me still worked there, and I reminded him of the event. He didn't remember it (funny how things can have such an impact on one person in a transaction but none on the other) but was embarassed by it and it made an impact on him when I relayed the story. I, on the other hand, now understood why someone could be so cavalier toward a potential customer. I still recall the first time I spent time with a customer who wanted to hear a system with this DAC, then that preamplifier, then with this phono pre, then with that IC loom, and so on. After about 2 and a half hours, he pulled out a sheet he had printed at home with an online dealer (who I had never heard of) and asked that I match the price of about 40% off retail for the phono preamplifier. This was in the late 90s, so the internet was still a bit of a novelty, especially for shopping for high end audio. I was rather curt with my reply, and offered a discount at around half of what was being asked. The customer declined and said he'd buy it online. That customer become persona non grata in our store after that, and I would guess he went on to burn bridges at other dealers after wandering around our showroom and being treated like the schnorer he was. Having said all that, to this day I treat every customer with the same level of respect, regardless of fashion sense, age, or gender. By giving everyone the "benefit of the doubt", one will (almost) always get the same treatment in kind. So the problem isn't JUST online dealers or online-buying tire kickers, it's the willingness of consumers to trade bargains for service. The Walmartiziation of the world resulted in a warehouse culture that is more interested in market share than client relationships. It's a vicious circle. |
@clearthinker hey man ——you. I was being honest when I shared that with you guys. Who are you to judge me man? very uncool.. what good does it do to chastise somebody after they’ve been completely honest? Honesty should be rewarded. I think you should reconsider how clear you really think.h |
@mdalton my point is my point. You don't have to listen to everything before you buy nowadays...whether it be 5 figures or not. There are pretty liberal return policies today. If you don't like, you return it. It is also near impossible to listen to everything you buy today. Not a lot of dealers (not Like the old days) and half of them don't even have everything in stock or on the showroom floor. My other point is that most turntables sound pretty darn good at a certain price point. Yes, they sound different maybe, but they all play records and most do a good job at that. Welcome to today's world. |
