Would you pay to audition speakers

I saw a pair of speakers online so I called the dealer and asked If I could audition them. He said I could but he required a 500.00 non-refunable deposit before I could hear them. I asked why he did that and he said he's tired of dealing with flakes and he can't waste time with people that aren't serious. How do you feel about this dealers business practices? Would you ever pay to audition audio equipment?

 

The guy's an idiot! Take your business elsewhere!

 

Can you please post the dealers info? Would really help to weed out the a**holes. Thanks so much.

 

um, that's five HUNDRED dollars? what a tool.

 

You should help this dealer by "advertising" his name so that everyone can avoid his store.

 

I'd say the dealer has no store. You'd be turning up at his home or warehouse, and it's an inconvenience.

Welcome to audio in the internet commerce age, as they say.

 

Yes. If the price was reasonable. At least this would make the situation clear towards the dealer. I am paying him for this service, and I'm under no moral obligation to buy from him if I can get the equipment cheaper elsewhere.

 

If those were $200,000 Wilson Alexandrias or something, maybe, but not for down-to-earth stuff, especially if they're in stock and not that hard to move.

Is this place in Encino? The last time I dealt with Shelly's Stereo out there, they were a little problematic.

 

I can't really fault the dealer for this policy. If you want to audition them for free, then go to where they're located. If you're seriously considering buying them and then subsequently don't, consider the $500 loss as the cost of changing your mind. So, just how serious are you about acquiring the speakers?

 

It's not Shelly's audio and video.

 

The dealer does have a store.

 

So you'd be happy to pay this would you? Well it's your money I guess! But if this guy has a store as he does, and people walk in off the street or decide to visit his store on their hifi buying quest, and they're told 'if you want to listen to any gear, I shall require a non-refundable $500 deposit' mmmmm....I wonder how long his business would survive!

 

You may wish to re-read the original post about speakers "online" before jumping to any illogical conclusions.

 

I checked around and this guy has been in business close to 10 years. I don't know how he does it either. Meanwhile good B&M stores are going out of business everyday. Sometimes life Isn't very fair.

 

So, what is it? Five hundred bucks for you to go and listen to them where they're located or five hundred bucks to have them shipped to you so you can audition them in your house?

 

If the speakers need to be shipped to you and then shipped back then of course that is going to cost money. If the speakers are worth more than $500, who would ship them on the chance they may never be returned? Is the guy asking for full purchase price plus the non-refundable $500 if you don't buy them? I could wear that if the speakers were very pricey and better to lose $500 if you don't like them instead of possibly thousands - it really depends on all the circumstances!

 

Yeah, right.

 

500.00 cash to go listen to the speaker locally.

 

Would he have to break the factory seal on them in order for you to audition them? If so and you didn't buy them, then he's lost the "new" retail value of the speakers and they'll only then command "demo" or "used" value. IOW, he's shifting the loss in value to you if he broke the factory seal and you didn't buy them.

 

Maybe that hifi store is just camouflage for some other type of business, and sexy girls start pole dancing and stripteasing when you put on your favourite demo CD

 

These are demo speakers so no seal is broken. He currently has them on his selling floor.

 

No.

I do understand the dealers point. Folks audition gear and ask questions of the dealer then go home and shop Audiogon or an online retailer. However, in the end that is the reality of the retail world. The best model going is Eugene HiFi where they don't have a storefront and the overhead it creates. They sell and audition from their home. They carry only what they want and aren't slaves to their storefront.

 

Wow, talk about "qualifying a sales lead"- this guy has taken that concept to the extreme.

 

If that's the case, pay him with Monopoly money.

Who is this seller and what type of speakers are these?

 

That's just silly.