Fee for home audition

@svenjosh I don't think you should've told a story like this. You should've just asked about the industry standard and keep it simple. 

While I appreciate good courtesy of dealers going out of their way to accommodate. I would not put anyone on the spot like this. He's spending his time, his gas, and his effort on you. He should get something in return. This is at the end of the day, a business meeting, not a casual friend meeting. 

I side with the dealer. There's no such thing as a free lunch. I go out to eat and I get charged 20% tip. That's why I don't go out to eat anymore. 

You have to ask yourself. What would you do if there was no dealer? You buy from a place that hopefully has a free trial and you pay back and forth shipping. Which one is better? That or the 5% fee in the story where he brings it to your room?

Full transparency, I only side with the dealer based on what you initially said. I'm not a fan of the 15% restocking fee or whatever hidden fee awaits me. 

@samureyex I appreciate your input. I was just trying to find the norm in these situations rather than decide who is right. I actually now purchased the Grimm Mu1 from another dealer. So all good

Just fyi, there are a good number of dealers who send in a demo to your home for 2 weeks with only return shipping paid by the potential buyer. This will be waived if you end up buying the product. Most are in the west coast or Midwest. If anyone is interested, PM me.

@svenjosh Congrats. 

Just an update, I now have the Nordost Odin AES/EBU coming later this week. I already have the Shunyata Omega and Mogame cables. I will also get the Sablon soon. I am trying to get the Jorma cable too. I am unable to get the Ansuz. I know there may be others but these are the ones I am interested in. My goal is to see if there is a significant difference between these cables. If so, how much of a difference and how do they change the sound character. I will post the findings in a separate thread. I am not sure if these cables will sound the same in your system but at the very least you can get a general idea.