restocking fees

There are many roads to success. Plenty of dealers and some manufacturers offer in home trials with no restocking fees. Others charge, and If you are willing to pay them that's great!

I completely agree.

On the other hand, I'm willing to bet that the majority of folks who protest a re-stocking fee aren't buying anyways unless they first establish that the product can be had at a significant discount. In this case, they are not the type of customer who can contribute to the growth of a business. They are good PR ONLY when they are given something for free.

We are not talking about taking a salesman's time. Most salespeople don't own the business, and they have nothing to do with steering the ship. We are talking about when the salesman OWNS the business. If a salesman isn't good at his job, two months of measly pay will force him to look elsewhere for a better paying job. However, if an owner gives away his time and product without enabling himself to offset his costs, he too will have to look elsewhere, with failed company in tow.

Understood. I would expect nothing less than a company owner acting in his best interest. In some cases, that may be finding a way to get rid of tire kickers. But the model for no obligation returns is out there. Circuit City, Sound City, Amazon, Crutchfield, Audio Advisor, Music Direct, J&R and countless others offer such a policy for on line electronics shoppers. While they don't all sell high end products, there policies make it less likely that high end consumers will be willing to pay a restocking fee.

From your initial post:

More high end manufacturers are selling direct and offering home auditions

Not one of the companies you mention in your last post is a high end manufacturer.

Narrod, off the top of my head I believe that Hawaii offers consumers something like 60 days to return non-customizable items with out a restocking fees unless the merchant clearly advertises a different time frame.

Boa2, My point is that those companies I mentioned in my last post create a climate that will make it difficult for high end manufacturers to demand restocking fees. I doubt that consumers willtake the risk when they have so many other options including products from other high end manufacturers that don't ask for a fee. In any case, the horse is long dead, and I'm going to stop beating it now. Thanks