Would you pay to audition speakers

This guy is taking a whole new and creative way of driving himself out of business. Wasting Time?? Just how long is the line out his door and down the sidewalk. Is it a nude model doing the demo? When nI bought my last speakers I narrowed it down to three model/brands and they were at three different store. I would have been out 1000.00 at 2 of the stores. I am not getting married I am just buying audio gear. Maybe this guy should come up with a toll fee for his web site as well. If he has a sign prescribing this policy he is a fool. If he doesn't maybe markphd has a point. I do know a few dealers that have told me they have had to "fire" a few customersbecause they are pests and never buy. Or the audition takes place in his store and the individual buys here on AudioGon or some other internet outlet. I can't blame him for putting a stop to that. I am in retail sales myself and on 100% commission, I jknow what is to make the sale for someone else. This maybe an isolated policy enforcement for certain people that frequent his shop. That being the case I would say hmmm maybe he has a motive. But if it general policy for everyone. He's a kook and will be soon free to do many things that don't require money.

As a dealer I welcome people to come into my home and audition any and all of the speakers I have in stock.
If I have a good rapport with the client I would take a pair of speakers to the client's home to audition with his/her equipment IF the client showed me he was serious about purchase or had purchased other items from me.

IF it became a situation that I was investing a lot of time and trouble to bring speakers to the client's home and he was not buying anything then it would be proper for the client to pay for this service.

$500 to audition speakers sounds steep, but it could be a good value if one is considering a very high end speaker.

My last client who I took speakers to his home that he did not end up buying paid me $100 and I was fine with that. I asked him for $50 which did not even cover my time and/or gas, but he gave me $100 on his own goodwill.

I would never charge for demo in my showroom, but it is a lot of work to take a pair of speakers into a client's home and set them up for the client to demo.

It should boil down to the relationship with the dealer, and both dealer and client should act in a fair manner in my opinion.

If they are expensive speakers for in home audition, and they deliver the speakers to your home, unpack, set them up; than I think $500 is reasonable.

A local dealer here does the same thing like this:

You must buy them and audition for less than 2 weeks.
Return them if you don't like them for a refund
less 20% restocking fee.

Same song different day. I shop elsewhere.

Would you buy a car without a test drive?

Over the last 8 years I've bought 4 new cars. Each of these cars I took for a test drive and never was I asked to put down some money.

I tried some cars and didn't like them, others were great. The BMW dealer I stick to let me test the drive cars, even some I couldn't afford. He knew I was gonna buy one of the cars. I bought them there because the service offered was good.

A fee of $500 is ridiculous in my opinion. If it was $20 I might do it, but $500 seems outrageous.

This is why brick and mortar and many businesses are in trouble they forget about the basic fundamentals of selling. Its called "value". If you offer customers a good value by combining customer service, professionalism and convience you will build a sucessful business. Some customers are tire kickers, some will buy online. But many if they have the financial resources will prefer to purchase from someone who provides time saving service.

If you walk into a store and you know more about audio that the person in the store, then maybe they have not earned the right to be your dealer. On the other hand if you walk into a store and they are able to show you better ways to do things then they may be worth the extra money.

$ 500.00 black mail does not seem like a good way for a dealer to earn your business. I would look elseware. Or buy speakers here and resell if they dont sound good in your system. It will probably still be cheaper.

Tell him you are going to buy the speakers used on audiogon, and if you don't like them you will resell them and that won't cost anywhere near $500 if you are paying attention at all.

What is the primary income for the site we are now on. Secondary sales of course of used equipment and some special low price ads for demos or close outs. Honestly I came back to audio as a hobby 7 or so years ago and was I was stunned at the price of components. When I left the hobby most stuff was priced for mere mortals and even I could afford much of it new at full msrp. Discounts and sales were in newspapers and there were plenty of come ons. Now it is completely different. When I awoke I asked friends where I could by a new amp. The answer was- what is an amp? and then those things aren't sold anymore.
Now you really have to ask why would you risk a piece being a lemon or damaged in transit if it were a matter of a couple of hundred bucks at most. Now your lucky to get a good (fill in blajnk for cheap thing) for a couple of hundred. I don't blame retailers but they are destined to fail. If I can save 4 thousand on a piece that would run 8K at full msrp I will do it. The most expensive piece I have bought is an amp for about $3700 I think? It was well used but still available new if you can pay list great for you but it lists for over $12K. I tried to buy it from a distributor and retailer but even his precertified stuff didn't approach affordable. I blame the manufacturers on up for stupid high prices.
It can be done right here in the good old US of A. My miracle of a preamp for instance listed for $500 brand new -the Cary sub brand AE. If the industry wasn't in part an appeal to demonstrate how much you can spend -things would never have gotten to this point. I predict whatever remains of this barely making it business, (NHT quit trying for cripes sake) will be an internet point of sale by the builders themselves. No other system can accomodate such silly extremely obscenely expensive stuff. I was reading about another 5K speaker cable and I just got disgusted. I don't care if you make the best cable that will ever be. I don't know many with that much cash to throw around. You need more than half a dozen customers a year to survive and I'm a convert already and really do think cables are important but Please Stop The Insanity.
I go to a reseller at least once a day on the internet but haven't set foot in a Brick and Mortor for over a year. Lending librarys are inevitable for a fee that is quite objectionable. But even though I read review after review if you don't know someone who has what you are considering you will be flying blind and just praying the buzz the press etc have your taste.

Can you name the dealer?

If not, what is the point of posting this ridiculous poll? I would want to know so I can avoid him and warn others about his policy when it takes into effect and then report the dealer to the manufacturers of the product he carries.
What would you think the manufacturer will do? Especially on the present economic climate, this idea of charging potential buyers for a demo is plainly absurd.

Why don't we boycott this speaker brand that the dealer is carrying and see who will cry in the end? No customers, no demand, no demo, no time wasted!

I might " rent to own" a pair of speakers for $300 a month to see if they work out long term (and with different electronics). Just a thought.

well.... I wouldn't pay a car salesman $500. to look at his cars. And, don't see why I (or you) should pay any other salesperson for the 'privilege' of looking at/listening to their equipment. Heck of an attitude for a retailer facing a market slump. This salesman is appallingly arrogant and more than a little delusional.
A deposit on an in-home demo, is another story, however, and a legitimate one.

I suspect it's only used against audiophiles. A "civilian" customer talks and acts differently than us veterans and the dealer can readily discern the difference. Nearly all the successful dealers I've discuss the subject with say they make no money on audiophiles.

I'm not too old to remember the day that customers came FIRST and salesmen were knowledgeable, courteous, respectful, and jumped at the chance to help...

Now-a-days salesmen are rude, bothered-to-help, and have no idea about what they are selling or even if they have it in stock...

And we are supposed to wonder why sales have fallen off the cliff -- well, it doesn't take a PhD to see. Vote with your dollar (ie -- go somewhere else).

I came across this with a dealer who sold a particular brand of amp. This was long before the internet age where people might take advantage of a dealer and then buy online. I believe the policy applied to models other than the ones he had on demo in the store and had to be brought in specifically for you to audition. His rationale was that once the box for a unit was opened, it had to be sold at a discount even though it was new. So he charged a nonrefundable deposit that could be applied as a credit towards the purchase if you subsequently bought. The manufacturer was aware of this policy when a disgruntled consumer informed them of the store. They didn't approve; however, they said they couldn't do anything about it other than withdraw their products from the store, which they did not want to do.

I think he just said that cause you have been wasting his time and it was his subtle way of giving you the arm.Many paths to salvation they say.YMMV,Bob

Would not even consider it .............. take my business elsewhere

A policy like that would be enough to push me out the door, on principle alone. Who'd want to do business with such a person.."wasting his time" - isn't his JOB to market and "show" speakers!?

And what is he so busy doing that customers are a problem for him?

You gotta love someone who is on the "customer service" (related) industry, but hates people....

John

It is kind of a crappy attitude, but I can understand why it is his policy. There are an awful lot of people who use the brick and mortar stores as their source for auditioning equipment, when the entire time they are planning on buying their equipment used on Audiogon or Audio Asylum (or where ever they like to buy used and/or demo equipment). Doing so is just plain wrong in my book, as it does indeed "waste his time", as you write, (and wear out his equipment as well).

However, for the $500 deposit, he should allow the client to audition the equipment in their home, since he now has an almost assured sale.

I won't pay $500 to audition speakers. They exist to let us audition different brands and we, as customers, should pay him at retail, unless he offers discounts. This has been the practice since day one until the internet came along. In any case, I rather put $500 deposit and borrow the speakers and try them in my home system. Huge speakers would be another story.

that's in something...

oh, right - "sane", it's inSANE.