New buy, no return policy


I am negotiating a sale with a reputable, but small dealer for a pair of new Acora SRC-2 speakers. I have heard them in the showroom with comparable electronics to my own and loved the sound and design. The show room was only slightly acoustically treated.

I'm ready to throw down, but the dealer does not have any kind of return policy if, for some reason, they dont work out in my own space. I dont feel comfortable with this policy but wondering if I am just being too entitled?  Other dealers from which I have purchased new speakers  have had 30 or 60 day returns, no questions asked. 

I also have the opportunity to buy a used set of these speakers from TMR with a return policy (minus 5% ,restock) if not satisfied. Of course the used price is considerably cheaper but there is no factory warranty and although they are stated to have had own owner, their age and provenance are unknown.

Any guidance, opinions or advice?

mintakax

Showing 2 responses by larryi

     An honest dealer cannot take back a trial speaker and then sell it as new.  The cost of a returned item is high.  Most dealers don’t stock such expensive items so a return becomes a very expensive part of inventory that may take a very long time to sell, particularly if the item comes with a variety of colors/finishes.  There is also a risk that the item does not sell before a new model comes on the market.  
     Risk of damage in moving and setting up speakers for a home demonstration, particularly with large and heavy speakers is another disincentive for home trials.

Most dealers don't have ultra expensive floor demonstration models from a company's lineup.  If they do, it is still a big deal to move that speaker into a prospective buyer's system for a home demonstration--the speaker has to be packed for moving, it has to be transported and then set up for a demonstration.  The dealer is out of a demonstration model for the duration of the audition, the speaker has to be re-packed and transported after the demonstration, and the dealer is at risk for any damage in the whole process.  If there is a charge for this, or some assurance that the "buyer" is not a tire-kicker, I can see this working better.  I know a dealer who went through all of this trouble to set up a home demonstration which did not result in a sale only to be shown an on-line discussion where it turns out that the "buyer" borrowed gear from all around the town, held an audio party where friends got to hear various fancy components and no one was seriously interested in buying the stuff.

With most of my purchases, I have been offered the opportunity to do a home demonstration or I had return privileges.  But, I had previously bought gear from these  dealers and they knew I would buy what I liked.  Once, when I was shopping for a high end linestage, the dealer offered to bring in models from two companies for which he did not already have the flagship models I wanted to hear.  On a handshake deal, he agreed to buy both for a demonstration if I promised to buy one of them.  I ended up liking the first model he got in, which I heard in my own system, and told him he did not have to buy the other model for a comparison.