Would you buy from a firm that has a policy about not accepting phone calls


Personally I would not. Call me old school but to me communications are the most important thing in handling business situations. Sure e-mail, faxing and texting are all great but nothing makes up for personal service you receive from getting a phone call. 

taters
Think about it, Amazon does not take phone calls. Many companies have adopted such a policy as putting a human being into the order flow is highly unprofitable.

'No soup for you'.....is a phrase most of understand.

it's an iconic reference to the idea that not every business will kiss the *ss of every customer. some products are worth a bit of conflict.

so the question is whether the benefit of whatever this company offers is sufficient for you to compromise on your communications expectations.

I run a large automobile dealership. and the reality is that we do have to basically be everything to everybody.......and make sure we connect on all levels. it comes with the territory.

but as a consumer of specialized and unique products to me it's refreshing to see companies be who they want to be and let the chips fall where they may. people can vote with their wallets.

Absolutely, as long as I can communicate I'm Ok with it.  Actually I prefer e-mail, I can think about what I want to say and put it as clearly as possible.  Phone calls are great, but many high end companies are small and don't have the staff (or funds) to have a dedicated person to answer questions on the phone.

I'm an email guy as well.  As a long time auditor, I like an an audit trail in case there is a misunderstanding in the future.

As for he O.P.'s point, hopefully the firm has a rational basis for their decision to lose a certain type of client in return for savings in support.
Actually, if you request by email, Amazon will call you within minutes...I was pleasantly shocked ! Many companies will only take initial communication electronically, but will talk to you afterwards...
I we were to gauge friendships based upon returned phone calls, my grandkids would be my worst enemies. They return text messages in a flash, but phone messages? ... not so much.

Taters ...

Time to enter into the new world, lad.  It's all digital now. *lol* 
And that is what is wrong with our society. It's become so in personal. We wonder why we don't know our neighbors anymore. 

I don't believe its a good way to do business, not accepting phone calls, but I'm after the sound not the communication although both would be nice. Happy Holidays
Absolutely not,...made that mistake once,...NEVER again. Personally, like ebm, "no human contact (via phone), no sale".  Candidly, NO audio designer/firm and their products is so special that their products and quality allows them to stay aloof and disconnected from their customers. Not even having a front-end customer service number to call is a statement of underlying ego and attitude that I will gladly do without and spend money elsewhere.  Many of them don't understand that there are multiple options for any given product at any of the levels and we do NOT need them; they need us as customers.  Same comment by the way for audio stores (one or two come to mind in New York City, Boston and CT.) whose ego obviously got the better of them. 
Some firms are simply too small to have someone answering phones, but do call when you message them your phone number...or like Amazon, are big but only return calls to messaged numbers...these are quite different than firms that refuse to talk to you
Zephyr24069,

You make a very good point. "They need us as customers, we don't need them" 



I have been reading a lot about after market fuses on this website so I decided to try and contact an online retailer that carries them. I wanted to ask what specific fuses would work best with the equipment I had. When I went to the website they did not give a phone# and specifically said they don't take calls about the equipment they carry. They said if you wanted to order something you could do it on their site. I can buy accessories anywhere. If I can't get service why do I need to order from them. Luckily I found another company that was happy to discuss my needs. As audiophiles we have many options nowadays. I want to give my business to someone that is willing to provide me with service. 

A small operation that doesn't take calls has probably learned they cannot conduct their business because of endless, unanswerable questions about which plug or cable will work best with an amp.  The owner would rather field questions via email, where he can control the length of the exchange in order to have time to fulfill orders. Chris at VH Audio gets my orders to me in < 72 hours, gets back to my questions via mail and solves problems with orders just as well as if by phone. You should not have a problem with this business model. A real problem would be the seller or buyer on this site who doesn't like to talk via telephone regarding the risky purchase of a used product, sight unseen. There's a transaction that will not occur.