Was I Expecting Too Much


Hi everyone.  I'm looking for a heading check with a situation I encountered yesterday.  

Background:

I'm planning to upgrade my turntable later this year - Q3 is my target.  After my research, I've narrowed down to AMG and Brinkmann.  I was able to audition an AMG Viella yesterday, and was looking to audition a Bardo or Taurus for comparison.  I know my thought of trying to fit in a Brinkmann demo was last-minute, and some dealers are particular when it comes to appointments and allowing them time to setup their demo.  

The Situation:

So I called the local Brinkmann dealer and inquired to see if a bardo or taurus happened to be setup.  The salesman I spoke with said they had both, and he was going to check if a demo was possible.  After a few minutes, I get a phone call back from the owner who seemed rather dismissive of my request.  I explained that I'm currently doing my research and looking to hear some demos to help down-select, and that my purchase would be a few months from now.  He asked for my budget which I found strange as I already stated what I was interested in demoing.  Then the conversation turned to what gear I already own, which I understand sort-of.  Then the owner basically said it doesn't make sense for me to demo anything now and to call back when I'm ready to purchase.  

How am I going to know what I want to purchase without demoing the options?

Was I expecting too much by asking to hear equipment that I'm interested in?  My opinion is a sale isn't guaranteed and an audio dealer, just like any other dealer, needs to invest some reasonable amount of time to capture a sale.  You don't capture all the sales, but I didn't think I was being unreasonable in my request and certainly was not trying to waste anyone's time.  I was pretty transparent with where I'm at and I guess he was reciprocating my transparency by telling me to go away.  I felt "less-than" by this experience.  As if I wasn't worth investing any time into.

Thoughts?

 

cbl117

Their actions and poor customer service will end up putting them out of business. I grew up in NW-Arkansas the headquarters of Walmart, Tyson Foods, and JTL Jones Truck Line. I was a young engineering manager and a rotary member. Old man Don Tyson gave a talk one time at rotary as usual dressed in blue jeans, flannel shirt and really old cowboy boots. He related the importance of customer service in EVERY interaction by telling the following story. He had visited a Freightliner truck dealership in his old beat up ford pickup and was walking around the lot inspecting the various semi trucks. A salesman appeared and asked him to :not play on the vehicles" as they were brand new. He then turned and walked away. So... Don got in his old ford and went a couple miles down the road to the International dealer which politely answered questions and asked if Don would like to test one of the new rigs. Don said no BUT I would like to buy 100 trucks about a $30M purchase. To this day Tyson’s Foods uses International trucks exclusively. Oh did I mention that Freightliner pulled their dealership license from the other guy in the following months. News travels fast!

Some of the newer audio folks here might find it amazing that we used to be able to take home components to try in our own systems.   Since most stores were closed on Sunday to Tuesday at noon you had a few days to try digital and amplification products, as well as cables.   If you had a strong purchase history, you could try speakers up to modest floor standers at home as well.   While most dealers can’t afford this now. The cost of in store demo is basically a fixed cost.  If you know the product. That already establishes a knowledgeable customer.  If the owner thinks you can’t discern the difference, sell you another product that fits your system

cbl117, I've been researching a new amp/preamp combo over the last couple of months.  My experience was similar to yours when I explained that I was selling some real estate and that was under contract but wouldn't close until the beginning of May.  As soon as they were done qualifying me and found out that they might have to wait a couple months until the sale was finished they wrote me off and told me to call back when I was ready to purchase.  Now the helpful dealer or two I will get in touch with the end of next week.  I have a very long memory and those that were less than helpful won't hear from me again.  Big mistake as I will be dropping some serious coin.

Unacceptable.  I would send a note to the U.S. distributor.  They should know how their chosen dealers are representing their brand.  All should be accountable.

An interesting aside, I have purchased all of my recent gear either from an online dealer or directly from the manufacturer and have not had one single bad experience. To the contrary All the online shops have been very accommodating even when problems develop.