Spiritofmusic, while I'm glad that you found a dealer that will meet your requirements, I think that your expectations are unreasonable for most dealers. You believe that an in-home demo for "a couple of hours" is fair and reasonable on a $6,500 purchase, but let's look at what is involved:
1- dealer needs to block out time for an in-home demo that could or should be spent in his shop
2-dealer needs to unmount the cartridge from whatever unit is is on, taking time and risking damage to the cartridge
3- dealer needs to travel to your residence (time is money)
4- dealer needs to mount the cartridge on your deck, risking damage to his cartridge and your tonearm. Additionally, this may require anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on a variety of conditions including you.
4- dealer has to sit around for "a couple of hours" while you evaluate the cartridge
5- Maybe you like the cartridge, maybe you don't. In either case the dealer now has to unmount his demo unit (risking damage to his cartridge and your tonearm). Assuming that you liked and purchased the cartridge, you will undoubtedly expect the dealer to mount the new cartridge on your deck for free.
6- dealer travels back to his showroom, home, or the nearest bar
7- dealer needs to remount the cartridge on his deck, risking damage yet again
So, let's say that all of this requires a full 8-hour day. At $75/hr, that equates to $600. Would you be willing to pay for this service, with the understanding that a partial or full refund should you elect to purchase the cartridge? And would you agree to indemnify the dealer if there was any real or claimed accidental damage to your gear during this process? If the you answer no to either of these questions, how could you expect anyone to do this for you for free?
1- dealer needs to block out time for an in-home demo that could or should be spent in his shop
2-dealer needs to unmount the cartridge from whatever unit is is on, taking time and risking damage to the cartridge
3- dealer needs to travel to your residence (time is money)
4- dealer needs to mount the cartridge on your deck, risking damage to his cartridge and your tonearm. Additionally, this may require anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on a variety of conditions including you.
4- dealer has to sit around for "a couple of hours" while you evaluate the cartridge
5- Maybe you like the cartridge, maybe you don't. In either case the dealer now has to unmount his demo unit (risking damage to his cartridge and your tonearm). Assuming that you liked and purchased the cartridge, you will undoubtedly expect the dealer to mount the new cartridge on your deck for free.
6- dealer travels back to his showroom, home, or the nearest bar
7- dealer needs to remount the cartridge on his deck, risking damage yet again
So, let's say that all of this requires a full 8-hour day. At $75/hr, that equates to $600. Would you be willing to pay for this service, with the understanding that a partial or full refund should you elect to purchase the cartridge? And would you agree to indemnify the dealer if there was any real or claimed accidental damage to your gear during this process? If the you answer no to either of these questions, how could you expect anyone to do this for you for free?