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Anyone else experiencing the rude highend retailer

I was recently following a thread because I was interested in buying a CD Player and contacted the retailer.
WOW! I thought I was the customer?
Everything I said was wrong and everything he said had to be gospel.Come to find out he was wrong and did not have complete knowledge of the product.
I then figured I'd go to a local shop and see what if any
new product lines they have.As soon as I told the gentlemen what I was looking for it was "why would you want to check out a cd player made in Italy".He continued to bash everything made outside the US(He is a Krell dealer).I am as Patriotic as they come(my dad was a lifer/Army Ranger's)But come on don't tell me everything else sounds like !@#$.Needless to say I won't be going back there.
I then took the plunge.I went to BEST BUY to look at an HD
Plasma(mine is an older ED)I could't even get any help there.
I know it's the XMAS season,however,I was literally the only customer there in both occassions.
Now,I go back to looking for a pre-owned unit and contact a few Audiogon members.I now get the the type of service I would have hoped for.I get to talk to someone on the phone who is not talking at me,but with me,I get info from folks whose product knowledge far exceeds the folks at the so called "high-end" store.
What would we do if Audiogon didn't exist?
The Highend retailer rolls his eyes if you even say the word Audiogon,however,in my opinion it is they that has allowed this gentle monster to grow due to their own greed and arrogance.
I know there are some fine HighEnd shops still out there,just not enough of them.I know of at least 3 smaller
shops in my area alone who just couldn't compete with the guys with all the money.Because of course that's where the Manufacturer wants his product line(more money means they can buy more)The small shops that educates,qualifies and helps the customer in a courteous manner does not have the space or money to display or stock the required amount of gear to be a dealer.So they are left with in some cases 2nd tier lines that in this day of hype just do not sell.
What a mess this all is ACCEPT FOR AUDIOGON that is.
Essential feedback welcomed,just not from Essential.
hiernote
rives
953 posts
 
There are certainly still the arrogant high-end retailers. Fortunately, due to competition I think they are dwindling. I would hope that high-end retailers that understand they need to provide higher service would grow, but they need a decent sized market to make that reality. In otherwords, you're not going to find too many in Omaha, there's just not a big enough market.

Your comment (and echoed by a few) about Best Buy surprises me. I've always found Best Buy to have some of the best trained sales staff out there. Okay--are they the most knowledgeable, probably not, but they are well trained. On every occasion I have been in Best Buy, I have usually been asked if I was finding everything okay or if I had any questions. The sales staff was always polite and never pushy. If I had questions and the person didn't know the answer, he didn't make something up. He would say, I don't know, but let me get "mitch" he'll know the answer to that. I've always felt that high-end retailers could learn a lot by how the sales force operates in Best Buy.

There are high-end retailers that understand the above and do have a great sales staff and excellent customer service. I am hopeful that it's an expanding trend and do think there has been improvement in this area over the last 10 years and for good reason--the competition created by the on line stores.
ellery911
549 posts
 
one of our more esteemed members discussed a great way to handle rude dealers in

this thread response

enjoy.
prpixel
876 posts
 
In addition, if you’re not dropping 20 or 30 large, then they don't have the time of day for you. It's like they want to make their nut for the entire month in one quick sale.

On a side note, I was over at BB yesterday, and wandered into the new Magnolia HiFi "store". There was a young lady and man behind the counter chatting away. So, I walked around and browsed a little. They didn't have much; a few pairs of entry level Martin Logan, Mirage and klipsch speakers, a few Denon receivers and an entry level Sony 720P projector. In addition, they had moved all the large (60"+) plasma/LCD TV's into the Magnolia area.

So, after walking around for a few minutes, I walked up to the counter. After about two minutes, the guy interrupts his conversation with his female coworker, and asks me, with attitude, if I need some help. So, I asked are they going to carry any other manufacturers, any higher end M-L speakers and any separates. His reply to the first two questions was no and I spent about two minutes trying to explain to him what a pre-amp, power amp and surround sound processor is. So, I turned to the girl and asked her about separates. She just shrugged her shoulders and went back to flipping through her fashion magazine. So I said "thanks and good luck" and walked out. I give them about a year before they rip out the Magnolia areas and put in new displays of big screen hi-def TV's. As I said to my buddy that owns a custom install business: "People don't go to Best Buy to buy high-end electronics; they go to buy home theaters in a box and sales paper 'bargains'."
tarsando
578 posts
 
It's funny, in the Magnolia section of BB I am ignored. In the whole rest of the store, xmas or not xmas, someone always comes up and politely asks if I need help finding anything.
dgarretson
2,597 posts
 
I've had a few conversations with BB/Magnolia sales staff about their business model. To boil it down, their idea is similar to Walmart moving upscale in select affluent markets. The well-healed shopper who frequents expensive boutiques for luxury goods, still generally cuts corners with the rest of amerika by shopping the Big Box for commodity purchases. The BB/Magnolia idea is to grab up this affluent and mostly uninformed buyer and his wife (neither of whom have yet discovered high-end audio) while rutting in the weeds with the discount merchandise. Mr./Mrs. Toll Brothers will be persuaded to make an impulse buy of a $10K-$20K HT turnkey system based on combined elements of style/status/ease of purchase. Apparently the formula works often enough. The salesman I spoke with mentioned that after selling a complete system to a customer, the customer bought a second HT receiver to put in his den--without any speakers attached-- just because he liked the way it looked. Perhaps pretty soon BB will merge with Toll Brothers and package the whole HT thing with the mortgage.
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