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Klipsch Purchasing/Prices (Web vs. Retail)


ericobrien

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In the dearth of any retail stereo shop in Minnesota, New Hampshire or Florida that sells flea powered tube amps with big old horns, these are the only forums to champion that magical solution. In fact, if it were not for the Doc Bottlehead and Klipsch bulletin boards and the knowledgeable posters upon them, I never would have researched the marriage of 2A3 amps and horns.

On the other hand, I also never would have had long listening sessions with Martin-Logans either ...

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I've read this thread, but I see that I can still puchase Klipsh's through Uncle's Stereo (shipped to Texas). They are still on the authorized dealer list - so would it still be considered a safe bet as far as the manu. warranty is concerned? I am going to purchase the RF-3's, RC-3, RS-3's, & KSW-12 and cannot get the local dealer to come even 5% off Retail.

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although Walmart is moving into larger markets these days, I read a report once (WSJ?) that when they put a store into a town, they replace an average of 15 businesses

although the Mom and Pop shops can not do it, I would like to see the high end chains show off B&Ws with Krell concrete blocks, Khorns with 2A3 amps and Martin-Logans with OTLs ... I bet all three would sell better by comparison

imagine a store where the women help select the music system, something that happens now on the car lots, how could the auto makers drive up the price and sales of autos at the same time? by tailoring the product to the other half of the consumer market ...

time for color co-ordinated Quintet systems!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I guess I'll add my opinion and experiences in dealing with my local retailer I'll make it short and sweet. Over the past year I've spent over $7,000 at my local Bryn Mawr Stereo Center. I bought the Syngery Series for myself and the Reference series for my Brother. Also CD changers, DVD players, cables and interconnects A/V Recievers, everything you name it. So when went in to order a pair of Klf-30's he told me i could'nt upgrade because my time had expired to upgrade, which is 12mos, I came in on the 14th mon. So I asked how much off the MSRP he could come he said $200. I thought that was a good deal, until he added taxes then $1700. I said can you do any better than that. He replied no! I had been a loyal customer and have also recommended several of my co-workers and Family to the store and they too have spent money there. I really feel they should have treated me better than that. Needless to say I was very pissed off. So in comes the internet where I purchased the KLf-30's for $1199, $1309 dellivered. No they are not an authorized dealer. I knew what I wanted so I didn't have to audition them. The company I got them from also had them in Mahogony I've had them 4 mos. know and couldn't be more pleased. Bryn Mawr just lost a loyal customer. Not because of the price difference, but because I feel I deserved better treatment. So yeah, I do believe in supporting your local dealer, but not at the expense of being made to feel like a sucker.

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Well I guess I'll add my opinion and experiences in dealing with my local retailer I'll make it short and sweet. Over the past year I've spent over $7,000 at my local Bryn Mawr Stereo Center. I bought the Syngery Series for myself and the Reference series for my Brother. Also CD changers, DVD players, cables and interconnects A/V Recievers, everything you name it. So when went in to order a pair of Klf-30's he told me i could'nt upgrade because my time had expired to upgrade, which is 12mos, I came in on the 14th mon. So I asked how much off the MSRP he could come he said $200. I thought that was a good deal, until he added taxes then $1700. I said can you do any better than that. He replied no! I had been a loyal customer and have also recommended several of my co-workers and Family to the store and they too have spent money there. I really feel they should have treated me better than that. Needless to say I was very pissed off. So in comes the internet where I purchased the KLf-30's for $1199, $1309 dellivered. No they are not an authorized dealer. I knew what I wanted so I didn't have to audition them. The company I got them from also had them in Mahogony I've had them 4 mos. know and couldn't be more pleased. Bryn Mawr just lost a loyal customer. Not because of the price difference, but because I feel I deserved better treatment. So yeah, I do believe in supporting your local dealer, but not at the expense of being made to feel like a sucker.

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Well I guess I'll add my opinion and experiences in dealing with my local retailer I'll make it short and sweet. Over the past year I've spent over $7,000 at my local Bryn Mawr Stereo Center. I bought the Syngery Series for myself and the Reference series for my Brother. Also CD changers, DVD players, cables and interconnects A/V Recievers, everything you name it. So when went in to order a pair of Klf-30's he told me i could'nt upgrade because my time had expired to upgrade, which is 12mos, I came in on the 14th mon. So I asked how much off the MSRP he could come he said $200. I thought that was a good deal, until he added taxes then $1700. I said can you do any better than that. He replied no! I had been a loyal customer and have also recommended several of my co-workers and Family to the store and they too have spent money there. I really feel they should have treated me better than that. Needless to say I was very pissed off. So in comes the internet where I purchased the KLf-30's for $1199, $1309 dellivered. No they are not an authorized dealer. I knew what I wanted so I didn't have to audition them. The company I got them from also had them in Mahogony I've had them 4 mos. know and couldn't be more pleased. Bryn Mawr just lost a loyal customer. Not because of the price difference, but because I feel I deserved better treatment. So yeah, I do believe in supporting your local dealer, but not at the expense of being made to feel like a sucker.

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To say that Klipsch supports dealers rather than customers is a bit off the mark. If there were no dealers, and Klipsch only sold over the internet, the only place you'd ever be able to audition a product would be a the home of a friend. That wouldn't satisfy anybody. You have to see, hear and experience the product some how, some place.

Yes, it is true that the mix of brick and mortar stores with low price on line sources affords the consumer an opportunity to see, hear and experience AND get a low price from another source, but it would be tough to claim that that was fair to the b&m store.

If the b&m dealer is no good, then you should tell the owner. There is no reason to put up with bad service and the more we do, the more we encourage bad service.

On the other hand, if the fundamental issue is price, that is not bad service. It truly does cost that brick and mortar dealer a lot to run his store, bad service or good. I am not trying to defend bad dealers or bad service, but the reality is that costs of business are high, it's tough to get good help and A/V retail is a high risk endeavor. Now, the dealer could add to his bottom line by shipping goods to distant customers at low prices and that would be good for his profit. No service, no warranty to deal with, just credit cards and ship-to addresses. Ask yourself if you would do business that way if the price was exactly the same as your local b&m dealer. Well, you might if the local dealer gave you really bad service, but no way other than that. It would be a very unlikely situation where you would go to a distant dealer who you don't know and who might just be a garage operation, with no service or franchise for the brand - except if the price were lower.

So in truth, it's all about price. If the other guy is enough lower, then nothing else matters. Does it work the same for whatever YOU do for a living? Are you happy when the job you do goes off shore if you are in manufacturing? How about when a part timer says he'll do the job for half the price? Make you happy? Is it all about price in your occupation? Probably not.

Imagine the world where you can't hear or experience any product. Ready to buy shoes you never tried on? A car you could not test drive? Would you buy the speakers from a guy in a van on the corner?

Folks, we all NEED local dealers. Without them we're worse off by far. Deal is, we need Good dealers. Then, we need to pay them for their good service. Yeah it's expensive. Not much can be done about that. I just NOW got off the phone with Trey who is trying to help a guy who bought from Insane Irv (or something like that) who was told to go stuff when he called them for service. He also purchased an expensive receiver and that company wouldn't even speak with him when they found it was Insane Irv who made the sale.

Do not put up with or pay for bad service. Demand good service. But you have to be willing to pay for good service and good product. Otherwise you merely perpetuate a situation which ultimately is not good for you, the consumer.

I'll get down off my soap box now.

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after reading all these posts on this, i think it come down to 1 basic strategy:

Klipsch developes & implements a uniform internet based system for the dealers to use to cover their areas.

all or most dealers will not do this themselves to klipsch's liking. to think they will is sticking one's head in the sand.

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Your's truly is developing a strategy to get Heritage product on display at dealers around the country. It's completely radical and will just kill if we can pull it off. Think it's going to work. Take at least 6 months to roll out but watch this space...

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BobG - I'd be happy to let you use my house as a demo center for some Belle's or LaScala's (if you provide them, of course smile.gif). No good corners for Horn's, though.

Re the whole Internet thread -- seems to me that the natural forces of a free market would somehow solve this if left to its own devices. You know, Adam Smith's guiding hand and all that stuff. The thing is that it might be painful for a while, and there's no way to know how it will end up. I don't envy you Klipsch folks trying to come up with a policy that will please everyone. Might be tough!

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I must applaud Klipsch for sticking to their guns, and going ahead with what they feel is ethical. I too, have been had by shysters over the internet, and am more cautious than ever. Well written, BobG. As we learned much to our chagrin that the microwave oven wasn't the end-all kitchen cooking device back in the late 70s, neither is purchasing goods over the internet the end-all buying experience. But the microwave still has its place, because we discovered that it did do some things extremely well. The same is true for internet purchasing, and what it does so well is service buyers who are unable to get to the Brick & Mortars. Notice the ads for Yahoo! shopping on the TV; they are no doubt targeting the folks who live in very remote areas, and showing them that they too can have a jacuzzi and protect themselves from falling satellites as easily as the guy living in the big city! This is where I think Klipsch needs to place their internet focus. I almost bought a KLF-C7 from an Insane Irv type place to save a few bucks, but got scared when I knew Klipsch wouldn't honor the warranty. As well made as Klipsches are, they're still made by human beings; why else would they have a warranty in the first place? I wanted that security, and it was worth it to me to spend a few more bucks for the peace of mind. And why should I complain? My friendly neighborhood Klipsch store is five miles from my house! Other loyal Klipsch lovers aren't so lucky. They may live hundreds of miles from the nearest retailer, and may have settled for another brand of speaker, simply out of convenience. What about Klipsch selling directly from Hope? The obvious aggravation and expense would be shipping, so build solid wooden shipping crates rather than cardboard, and let the low-cost freight companies handle the delivery! OK. I've gone too far. All I'm saying is maybe Klipsch should consider a compromise. Allowing only the B&Ms to sell their product online, and forcing them to ship the product in one of their own vehicles won't help the music lover who lives beyond the delivery range of the nearest e-tailer.

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