Beware Superfi - missing and damaged goods twice!
Hifi Gear:Yes it is possible but of questionable ethics in my view. Don't expect the same shop to fall for that trick twice
Phil,
Signature modded to comply with House Rules.
I was in my local Sevenoaks on Saturday when a man came in with an Arcam AVR600 which was faulty and demanded that Sevenoaks deal with it and send it back, he then demanded a replacement amp whilst his was away. Well it transpires that this person had a demo AVR600 for two weeks at home courtesy of Sevenoaks, he then handed it back and then purchased from a completely different online retailer... unbelievable! Oh and he actually got a replacement amp aswell...!
iainl2005:I was in my local Sevenoaks on Saturday when a man came in with an Arcam AVR600 which was faulty and demanded that Sevenoaks deal with it and send it back, he then demanded a replacement amp whilst his was away. Well it transpires that this person had a demo AVR600 for two weeks at home courtesy of Sevenoaks, he then handed it back and then purchased from a completely different online retailer... unbelievable! Oh and he actually got a replacement amp aswell...!
Well,I'd guess he's either a very good customer of sevenoaks or that sevenoaks have some kind of agreement with arcam. Alternatively,the staff in that branch are complete morons.
Or they know how to bring an ex customer back into the fold.johnnyblue:iainl2005:I was in my local Sevenoaks on Saturday when a man came in with an Arcam AVR600 which was faulty and demanded that Sevenoaks deal with it and send it back, he then demanded a replacement amp whilst his was away. Well it transpires that this person had a demo AVR600 for two weeks at home courtesy of Sevenoaks, he then handed it back and then purchased from a completely different online retailer... unbelievable! Oh and he actually got a replacement amp aswell...!Alternatively,the staff in that branch are complete morons.
Ravey Gravey Davy:Or they know how to bring an ex customer back into the fold.
johnnyblue:iainl2005:I was in my local Sevenoaks on Saturday when a man came in with an Arcam AVR600 which was faulty and demanded that Sevenoaks deal with it and send it back, he then demanded a replacement amp whilst his was away. Well it transpires that this person had a demo AVR600 for two weeks at home courtesy of Sevenoaks, he then handed it back and then purchased from a completely different online retailer... unbelievable! Oh and he actually got a replacement amp aswell...!Alternatively,the staff in that branch are complete morons.
Indeed,although,perhaps,not a good one.
I would say a bit of both... haha they will kill me if they know I said that. They are a registered Arcam dealer so they probably do have some form of agreement.johnnyblue:iainl2005:I was in my local Sevenoaks on Saturday when a man came in with an Arcam AVR600 which was faulty and demanded that Sevenoaks deal with it and send it back, he then demanded a replacement amp whilst his was away. Well it transpires that this person had a demo AVR600 for two weeks at home courtesy of Sevenoaks, he then handed it back and then purchased from a completely different online retailer... unbelievable! Oh and he actually got a replacement amp aswell...!
Well,I'd guess he's either a very good customer of sevenoaks or that sevenoaks have some kind of agreement with arcam. Alternatively,the staff in that branch are complete morons.
i have bought from superfi online on 4 occassions, i have never had any problems
with them only a very good service and fast delivery so a thumbs up from me.
Can I just set the record straight here so you can all get off your high horses and leave the bullying to the kids in the playground?
I did not suggest that I visit demo rooms before buying online.
I merely (and god how I regret it now) suggested that perhaps the OP had in fact auditioned the kit before buying it.
Some people one here were very quick to condemn the OP for having the audacity to buy a piece of hi-fi equipment without first listening to it.
What a sad little world some people live in.
Not everybody has an extra £300 (n.b example only) to throw at their desired amp so that could buy it from the high street and audition it first as opposed to online (myself included, nor would I want to).
That's where the forum comes in as a useful tool and surely also where the what hi-fi reviews come into play?
amarocknrollstar:Can I just set the record straight here so you can all get off your high horses and leave the bullying to the kids in the playground? I did not suggest that I visit demo rooms before buying online. I merely (and god how I regret it now) suggested that perhaps the OP had in fact auditioned the kit before buying it. Some people one here were very quick to condemn the OP for having the audacity to buy a piece of hi-fi equipment without first listening to it. What a sad little world some people live in. Not everybody has an extra £300 (n.b example only) to throw at their desired amp so that could buy it from the high street and audition it first as opposed to online (myself included, nor would I want to). That's where the forum comes in as a useful tool and surely also where the what hi-fi reviews come into play?
Also I would add that it is sometimes not practical for people to audition equipment due to the distance they may have to travel.
laserman16:amarocknrollstar:Can I just set the record straight here so you can all get off your high horses and leave the bullying to the kids in the playground? I did not suggest that I visit demo rooms before buying online. I merely (and god how I regret it now) suggested that perhaps the OP had in fact auditioned the kit before buying it. Some people one here were very quick to condemn the OP for having the audacity to buy a piece of hi-fi equipment without first listening to it. What a sad little world some people live in. Not everybody has an extra £300 (n.b example only) to throw at their desired amp so that could buy it from the high street and audition it first as opposed to online (myself included, nor would I want to). That's where the forum comes in as a useful tool and surely also where the what hi-fi reviews come into play?Also I would add that it is sometimes not practical for people to audition equipment due to the distance they may have to travel.
I couldn't agree more - and I shop with small retailers as much as possible. I found some of the posts quite sanctimonious and I thought the one that said people were lazy for not auditioning a bit smug and quite offensive.Different strokes for different folks.
johnnyblue:
laserman16:amarocknrollstar:Can I just set the record straight here so you can all get off your high horses and leave the bullying to the kids in the playground? I did not suggest that I visit demo rooms before buying online. I merely (and god how I regret it now) suggested that perhaps the OP had in fact auditioned the kit before buying it. Some people one here were very quick to condemn the OP for having the audacity to buy a piece of hi-fi equipment without first listening to it. What a sad little world some people live in. Not everybody has an extra £300 (n.b example only) to throw at their desired amp so that could buy it from the high street and audition it first as opposed to online (myself included, nor would I want to). That's where the forum comes in as a useful tool and surely also where the what hi-fi reviews come into play?Also I would add that it is sometimes not practical for people to audition equipment due to the distance they may have to travel.
I couldn't agree more - and I shop with small retailers as much as possible. I found some of the posts quite sanctimonious and I thought the one that said people were lazy for not auditioning a bit smug and quite offensive.Different strokes for different folks.
That's as maybe but it's still not a good idea, especially if spending a lot of money (which is what most hi-fi purchases could be defined as). I can't understand anyone contemplating spending hundreds, if not thousands of pounds on something without seeing or hearing it for themselves. Just because a magazine says something is good it could still be completely unsuitable for someone else's application. We see it often enough here for sure. Just the hassle of having to send something back to an online retailer would be enough to stop me doing it.
As for the bullying suggestion, nonsense, if someone made a suggestion that it would be ok to nick something from a shop do you expect people to quietly stand around and say nothing? No. Granted the suggestion made isn't illegal but, as has been pointed out, it's no less unethical in many peoples eyes and as a general point always raises the temperature in here as most of us can see a future when the fantastic dealerships we like to use no longer exist, which, I hope everyone would agree, would be a very sad day for all of us.
I think there are a number of different points here.the_lhc:That's as maybe but it's still not a good idea, especially if spending a lot of money (which is what most hi-fi purchases could be defined as). I can't understand anyone contemplating spending hundreds, if not thousands of pounds on something without seeing or hearing it for themselves. Just because a magazine says something is good it could still be completely unsuitable for someone else's application. We see it often enough here for sure. Just the hassle of having to send something back to an online retailer would be enough to stop me doing it. As for the bullying suggestion, nonsense, if someone made a suggestion that it would be ok to nick something from a shop do you expect people to quietly stand around and say nothing? No. Granted the suggestion made isn't illegal but, as has been pointed out, it's no less unethical in many peoples eyes and as a general point always raises the temperature in here as most of us can see a future when the fantastic dealerships we like to use no longer exist, which, I hope everyone would agree, would be a very sad day for all of us.
johnnyblue:
laserman16:amarocknrollstar:Can I just set the record straight here so you can all get off your high horses and leave the bullying to the kids in the playground? I did not suggest that I visit demo rooms before buying online. I merely (and god how I regret it now) suggested that perhaps the OP had in fact auditioned the kit before buying it. Some people one here were very quick to condemn the OP for having the audacity to buy a piece of hi-fi equipment without first listening to it. What a sad little world some people live in. Not everybody has an extra £300 (n.b example only) to throw at their desired amp so that could buy it from the high street and audition it first as opposed to online (myself included, nor would I want to). That's where the forum comes in as a useful tool and surely also where the what hi-fi reviews come into play?Also I would add that it is sometimes not practical for people to audition equipment due to the distance they may have to travel.
I couldn't agree more - and I shop with small retailers as much as possible. I found some of the posts quite sanctimonious and I thought the one that said people were lazy for not auditioning a bit smug and quite offensive.Different strokes for different folks.
Is it ok to demo at a shop and they buy online because it is cheaper? I don't think so,
Should you demo every piece of equipment? In an ideal world perhaps, but it depends on the component. I really don't think it is necessary to audition a PVR or blu-ray player if you do your homework first, I doubt anyone will be complaining to What Hifi because they bought a Humax PVR or Sony 370 without an audition. I would suggest it is preferable to demo the amp and speakers together (the speakers are the most likely not to be to someones taste or work badly in a particular environment) but if you don't have the time or local dealer and choose a recommended combination you will probably be fine. For a lot of people on this forum HiFi is a hobby which is great (better than train spotting), but for others it is simply a means to an end and they would rather spend time listening/watching than spending time & money travelling round the country to sit in HiFi shops or continuously mucking about with their cables.
hammill:I think there are a number of different points here.Is it ok to demo at a shop and they buy online because it is cheaper? I don't think so,
Should you demo every piece of equipment? In an ideal world perhaps, but it depends on the component. I really don't think it is necessary to audition a PVR or blu-ray player if you do your homework first, I doubt anyone will be complaining to What Hifi because they bought a Humax PVR or Sony 370 without an audition. I would suggest it is preferable to demo the amp and speakers together (the speakers are the most likely not to be to someones taste or work badly in a particular environment) but if you don't have the time or local dealer and choose a recommended combination you will probably be fine. For a lot of people on this forum HiFi is a hobby which is great (better than train spotting), but for others it is simply a means to an end and they would rather spend time listening/watching than spending time & money travelling round the country to sit in HiFi shops or continuously mucking about with their cables.
And I'm one of those people, it's a rare day when I change anything in my setup but I'll be auditioning the next pair of speakers I buy or amp. I didn't bother with the blu-ray player to be fair but I just needed a certain specification (multi-channel analogue outputs) and the choices weren't that huge and with the prices of BDP hardware now I'd suggest they aren't really "major" purchases, unless you get to the sort of level of hardware that Professorhat bought for example.
I did audition the TV though, that sort of money I was sure as hell going to see it in action first, even if it was "the best TV ever made"!
But that's an entirely fair summing up I'd say.
Hammill,
well said.
Oh.
Well,I've never done it myself and in a perfect world it would never happen,but that's retail.In my opinion it's no worse than really pushing a small retailer hard for discount that you wouldn't get from a large retailer,just because you know they need your trade.In fact,in some ways I think that's worse,because if someone goes off and buys something online at least the chances are you don't know about it.