This is how NOT to speak to a prospective customer over the phone

Hungryhalibut posted:

25kgs, wow, I can imagine why you feel so much better. A brush with illness or death is certainly a wake up call. We are in Montmartre on a lovely warm evening, sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by. It could be worse. 

with a view of the whole Paris i guess?  

Yes, the view is great. 

Don't forget that Chinese hi fi is getting so much better nowadays. Won't be long before they get up to Japanese standards, and prices.

Alonso posted:

So this is the dealio; I wanted to demo the SCM40 actives against the passive version (with a NAP250) - So I thought to myself..., that can't be too hard?  I'll check out who carries both Naim and ATC in my area and drop them a line, which was something along the lines of:

"I am wondering if it could be possible to book a demonstration of ATC’s SCM40A and SCM40 with a Naim NAP250.  I am particularly interested in this speaker / power amp combination. You can choose the source/pre you deem fit" 

2 dealers got back to me; dealer A and dealer B

Dealer A replied first "We are sure we can help you, perhaps it would be useful for us to have a chat about your system plans" - To which I thought, OK, you could've said, "Yes, we have the kit you want to demo, or we don't" but fair enough ...  So I give dealeroo A a ring.

The guy was pleasant and very polite - You know, that middle-class / middle-age salesperson demeanour, the type that makes you feel all warm inside and finds everything you say funny,  yeah... that type.

Anyway, the first thing he said after I described my system and explained (again) what I wanted,  was "Oh I have a power supply that will make your NDX shine". When I said it was not an NDX that I had but a ND5 XS, he said it might not be a good enough source for the SCM40 - (fair enough, he's entitled to his opinion)  This was followed by him telling me he did not have the speakers I wanted to demo in stock, and that I would really struggle to find a hifi dealer that had both passive and actives SCM40 for demo. Fair enough, but the bit that took the biscuit  was "we could use a pair of SCM11 because they'll give you a good idea of the 'ATC sound"  - I was a bit taken aback to be honest... His solution (when I said that the SCM11 was not what I wanted) was to suggest that maybe he could ask Naim for a pair of Actives as demo "If I tell them that I will sell them"

Is this the way most dealers do business? He basically broke every rule in the book 

Dealer B got back to me a few hours later, his response?

"Yes, have both speakers in stock as well as a NAP250. I'll use a NACN272. When would you like to come?" No, opening pleasantries , no 'kind regards' at the end. The dude didn't even put his name on the email, but guess which one I'll be visiting....

[RANT OVER]

Streuth! Just read this. You haven’t spent a single penny with A or B and you see fit to rant about them? 

What will you be like when you actually purchase?...I feel for retailers currently, I really do.....

I have not read all the posts in the thread.  Dealer (a) tried to be helpful with limited rescorces.  Dealer (B) was like drug dealer supplier, he knew Alonso's needs and he had the fix, no need for niceties when the answer is there.....

Dealer (B) was like drug dealer supplier, he knew Alonso's needs and he had the fix, no need for niceties when the answer is there.....

...it's only a muso....I can handle it....I won't get sucked into anything heavier ...I've just got a bit of a cold at the moment...snifff snifff

JoexNaim posted:

Streuth! Just read this. You haven’t spent a single penny with A or B and you see fit to rant about them? 

What will you be like when you actually purchase?...I feel for retailers currently, I really do.....

Ok! Ok! I get it! we don't get nuance...

So when I said;

"Yes, have both speakers in stock as well as a NAP250 ... When would you like to come?" No, opening pleasantries , no 'kind regards' at the end. The dude didn't even put his name on the email, but guess which one I'll be visiting....

please add the following to the above paragrah

"I will be visiting dealer B!"

I've learn my lesson.... MEGA explicit next time - Pinky promise

And because people don't read, I've copy pasted what I said about 3 times... I was praising the second dealer for cutting to the chase, regardless of the lack of pleasantries, and offering a demo.

But Lesson learned, what I thought would be a nuanced praise, got lost in translation so to speak...

Dealer A? - Dealer A was just being a salesperson I guess...  I've been one, and when I did the research for my PhD on the topic (of customer/salesperson trust in retail contexts), this is the sort of thing cropped up, .. but what do I know, I am most likely biased. 

Anyway.... I'll be unsubscribing from the topic... it's getting too many people's knickers in a twist .... 

....it’s pants! No, not the thread, what I’m wearing.....lol

JoexNaim posted:

....it’s pants! No, not the thread, what I’m wearing.....lol

I'm currently not wearing anything.  OK, let's hold back the stampede, I'm just saying.

As a consumer you have two choices of response if your unhappy with your experience of retailers: EXIT or VOICE.

You managed to do both ie you decided to curtail the chance of any transaction with the dealer you didn't like and then came on the forum to complain about him.

Ray

thebigfredc posted:

As a consumer you have two choices of response if your unhappy with your experience of retailers: EXIT or VOICE.

That's one choice, and I really don't see why one shouldn't be allowed to complain and exit - this is a Naim forum after all, and the name of the retailer was never mentioned. I honestly don't understand what the fuss is about.

My local dealer is terrible - unlike Alonso, I did tell him and went to another.

james n posted:

Thanks to SJT for reminding me. Just like the Streaming section of the forum 

If I just got interested into HiFi and depended on the goodwill of the Streaming section of the forum it would put me off the hobby for life, the above sketch is a good warning to any one who dares to enter that particular forum

i recognized Mr Bean. I must be an erudite.

Romi posted:

james n posted:

 

... the above sketch is a good warning to any one who dares to enter that particular forum

Just don't mention using Twonky or cat5e cables, unless you enjoy being treated with disdain/mirth/pity* (*delete as applicable)

As an aside the worst hi-fi dealership I ever entered (by some considerable distance) was the one in Salisbury (just off the Square).