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Dealer Bias: Do They Really Add Value?

Many posts refer questions to a "dealer you trust", "get advice from a qualified dealer" etc. Maybe I have lived in big cities for too long, but these posts strike me as very naive or possibly written by local dealers masquerading as members on this board. Do you really think that dealers aren't biased, often ill informed or motivated primarily by profit? I dont' want to take away from the sincere people and genuine enthusiasts in the business, but I can't even count the number of times a "reputable high end dealer" has suddenly decided that Levinson is actually better than Krell, or Burmester blows Audio Research away, or we started having problems with Martin Logan, Audio Research etc. only months after they were touting the very same brands as the best thing in the history of the universe. Brands of equipment that work well together are often not sold by the same dealer, or even in the same state. I don't know but it seems that hotly competing lines are rarely represented by the same dealer. I agree that we should reward and give business to dealers who genuinely provide an excellent service, build long term relationships, give good advice and really go the extra mile, but all too often dealers seem to whine about , a shrinking market, customers who don't appreciate their service and value added etc when they need to look in the mirror and ask how much value they really add. I go OUT OF MY WAY to give business to people who try to get to know me and really take care of me, but when I perceive a mediocre, biased, commodity service, I am more than happy to get my advice from all of you and shop for my electrostatics, exotic cables and monoblocks on the internet at the lowest possible price.
cwlondon
perfectimage
406 posts
 
I agree with Trelja on a lot of points. Some of the best deals I have got are from a dealer. No that you cant do better most of the time on the net but I always got 20 - 40% off and sometime up to 65% off for demo cables. I never paid retail and sometimes if you want something specific you cant find it on the net. Then there is the possibility of shipping damages and getting ripped off

I was also able to demo equipment at home without putting money down. This alone saved me money in the long run. There were so many particular pieces I planned on buying and didnt after a home audition.

I feel both have there advantages and the perfect road lies somewhere in the middle but I also admit to have found a great dealer.
cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
i know a number of brick and mortar dealers here in Colorado and in several other states. a few are, indeed, as angela describes them. but they're the lucky ones with stores in affluent neighborhoods that attract folks who want to buy what they're told is "the best." most such sales are in ht rather than the 2-channel end of the market. there are, however, a few dealers like trelja describes. one such is a now close friend whom i met first as a curious customer. his name is john. john has a wide array of loyal customers all over the country. he carries products from the mid to highest ranges of the highend. he chooses his product lines carefully and knows them all very well. john can help a budding audiophile put together an all-tube analogue system or assist grizzled veterans who are buying their 8th or 9th set of ss monoblocs. john routinely discounts, allows in-home auditions of everything he sells, does complex setups gratis and has 4-6 open houses every year to introduce new products and the real people behind them. cwlondon, when you are exiled to the colonies, you should make your way to the rockies so that you can actually meet "a dealer you can trust," my friend john. good hunting. -kelly
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
I didn't mean to wind everyone up on price wars. My main idea is that there are all kinds of politics, relationships, and profit motives behind a dealer's lines which poison the task of delivering unbiased, value added service and advice. In the end, a single dealer is unlikely to put the perfect system together for anyone.
trelja
3,223 posts
 
Sorry to drift off point Cwlondon. I do agree with your points on dealers. I firmly believe that the audiophile should rely on his two ears, whatever lies between them, and his heart. Anything outside of these things is irrelevant. This is not a team sport. One should only concern himself with his own pleasure. Finding his own bliss, whatever that may be. A dealer will more often than not, pollute one's opinions. His tool for such pollutions is good old fashioned balderdash. This is especially true for a novice in this field. As time goes by, and confidence is developed, one hopefully learns to accept his own tastes, not apologize for them, and assemble a system to make him happy. Imagine during the dark ages of tubes(mid 70's to mid 80's), someone with the courage to stand up and pronounce that he preferred the sound of tubes to the absolutely AWFUL solid state of the era. The blasphemy! Solid state measures better(of course, we are not measuring it with music. Only 8 and 4 ohm resistors). Someone willing to trust his instincts. Not afraid to say a 35 watt Heathkit actually SOUNDS superior to that 1000 watt(remember those days?) solid state, Japanese receiver. Imagine the reactions he faced from the dealers. That guy listened to himself, and NOT the dealers. There stood a true audiophile.
bmpnyc
713 posts
 
Short story. My friend recently spent about $150,000 on two stereo systems. After buying the first system from one high end dealer we were having lunch across the street from another high end dealer that my friend had never been to. Strangely enough, I casually knew one of the salemen in that store who just happened to walk into the luncheonette. He used to work in a discount low end dealer (CRAZY EDDIE) over 25 years ago, and I recognized him, and even remembered his name! (now if I could just remember where I left my keys) Saying hello, I introduced him to my friend. After lunch my friend and I walked across the street to have a look around. We were "greeted" with sleazy nonchalance, begrudgingly shown a set of speakers, left in the room without the salesman asking one question about what it was we were doing in the store, or what we were looking for. After being ignored for so long that we became uncomfortable, we left, without the salesman so much as asking if we needed any help or a thank you, or a goodbye. Needless to say, my friend spent his money (another $75,000) elsewhere. Had the saleman taken the slightest interest in my friend he might have made a great sale and a lasting customer, instead of a terrible impression. Yes, some dealers do add value, but I think it is becoming ever more rare, and their aliegences do seem to change rather quickly. I have heard one too many putdowns of brands that a salesman happily promoted weeks earlier. Like friends, choose your salesperson carefully.
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