speedbump Posted July 6, 2001 Share Posted July 6, 2001 Hey all, I just got back from my local "Authorized" Klipsch dealer in Indianapolis (Ovation). They had nothing but the Synergy series, some RF3's and a few beat up discontinued models (RP3, etc). Not even any of the old Legends or anything. They had them stacked in the open next to Bose and other low end options, and none were hooked up to any quality amplification. I guess this just bothers me that in the second "home town" for Klipsch besides Hope, that Klipsch is this poorly represented. If I had my corporate headquarters in this town, I would be kicking some *** if my "authorized dealer" presented my product in this fashion. BobG, you guys want to put a little pressure on the Ovation crowd or what?? At least get them to put some of your high end stuff in with the ML's and Thiels. I wanna hear some RF-7's with some good amplification. Sorry for the rant, but Klipsch should be better represented in your own hometown. Speed ------------------ Klipsch Chorus I Fronts Klipsch KLF-C7 Center Klipsch Heresy I Surrounds Mitsubishi WS-55807 55" HDTV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornEd Posted July 8, 2001 Share Posted July 8, 2001 Hey, Speed, I hear you. After seeing the response to my "HornEd sees Red!" post in this section... and now this in the "Klipsch Capitol" beyond Hope... I am getting even MORE RED!!! As a retired businessman I understand that dealers have to do what brings a return in their market... but as a person with a set of "Klipsch Ears"... I find it hard to believe that NOT having a quality 5.1 Klipsch set up is good business... particularly when BobG, PhilH and JimG have given the new Refs such a glowing endorsement. Could it be that they are waiting for the new K-subs to emerge? I doubt it! I think I am going to be sick... Bosers beware! Now, that's better... at least this board proves that there are Klipsch consumers far and wide that care enough about the speakers they buy to stand up and be counted here... and on the showroom floors from Indy (Speed) to (maxg) Athens... why the ire even reaches the audio discriminating hot bed of (Sic 'em, Seb!) St. Elmo, ay! I can understand the logic of not having the "sale blowing" experience of soundroom K-horns in a volume store where their average consumer spends far less for a typical "cubic" sound investment... but Klipsch is MAINSTREAM (as BobG, himself, proclaimed), so why all the backwater treatment? Why do we have to be treated like the sales person is doing us, demented Klipsch fanciers, a BIG favor by taking our money? I mean the "Cider House Rules" of my local authorized "Good Guise" says that I have to put a non-refundable 50% of MSRP down to order a RC-7 to be able to hear one... after I buy it. Now, I believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny (And even in boomer9911 and JMON)... but somewhere I have to draw the line! It just shouldn't be that hard to be a customer and to support my local authorized dealer and the production lines of Hope! Somehow we have to get more "PWK-Lovers" and "HornBlock'eds" to stand out in the consumer herd. HornEd This message has been edited by HornEd on 07-08-2001 at 11:42 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 The Ovation in Indy is one of the poorest quality retail stores I've been to. The sales reps are snotty and the manager is far worse. I went in there about a month ago, and asked if they knew anything about the new reference series stuff. The rep said, oh yes, we have those in stock, and proceded to show me the "new" RF-3's. No one is the store had heard anything about the RF-7's or the RSW-15's (I was hoping to find out when they'd have the sub's). Less than a year ago I purchased a set of RF-3's, an RC-3, and a set of satallites. At the time I didn't know anything about Klipsch's "out-of-state-no-warrenty-no-price-matching" policy. I asked one of the reps if he could meet the price of an authorized dealer in NY. He said that he couldn't match them, but he could come down. I don't remember how much, probably $50 on the pair of RF-3's. Later when I came back to buy them, I dealt with the manager, who informed me that they would not give me the price the sales rep quoted me at. He also told me Klipsch would not honor the warrenty when a dealer ships to a customer out of his state and that he could not sell for anything under his price. Klipsch demands that he sells above a certain price and if they found out that he did, they would write him a check for all his stock, and he would no longer be a Klipsch dealer. He was quite rude about it. Unfortunately I was in "Must have speakers today!" mode and I bought from them. I sent an email to Klipsch and never heard back from them.Textc> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 on the plus side, i stopped in my only real local k dealer in the immediate KC metro area & they were in the process of setting up the rf-7, rc-7 & rs-7 home theater complete w/ hdtv & nice equipment right in the front room. they also have a pretty good amount of klf, synergy & ksw subs on display & even hooked up. dealerlady made a good point in that they ordered the rf-7 in cherry & klipsch is doing their production runs by finish type, which is a good thing business/cost wise for them & us. cherry seems to be the last finish run, & probably the most popular for dealers to order & show. wish at least every metro area like u guys are in had some better k representation like this. hopefully things will get better for u there. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front), KLF C7, Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Monsterbass 400 sub interconnect & Monster CX-2 biwire & Z1 cable Marantz SR-8000 receiver Sony DVP-C650D 5-disk cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Technics dual cassette deck Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 digital cable box Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3 (front), RC-3 Monster MCX Biwires Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics SL-1950 turntable/AT LS500 cartridge rock on! This message has been edited by boa12 on 08-01-2001 at 03:37 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 Howdy, My dealings with Indy Ovation has been limited. I asked about price matching (June 2001) on the KLF 30's and they said "no way" because it was special order and they couldn't budge a nickel on price. The overall tone of the conversation was just unfriendly, like I as the customer was just bothering the salesman. I've had good luck (although not a whole lot of interaction) with the Ovation in Lafayette, an hour north of Indy. Although they don't have big Klipsch in stock they do know about the product, will work on price and provide good service. So, what the heck is up in Indy???? There are over a million folks in the metro area...Shouldn't at least the larger Ovation store have a nice "big Klipsch" set-up with several decent speakers (RF-7, KHorns, Belles, Scalas... something!!)??? Heck, maybe Klipsch themselves should have a nice showroom there at the office building! Work a deal with Ovation where they'd take care of the sales end. Just my $0.02, Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc1091 Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 It sounds like Audio King (Local name of the chain Ultimate Audio)in Woodbury, MN (suburb of Minneapolis/St Paul) is much like Ovation in Indianapolis. Klipsch speakers are always in terrible beat-up condition. Have recently only been connected to poor quality equipment in a second-rate listening room with extremely thin, unshielded electrical wire. I have also noted this at the Audio King in Edina, MN (another suburb). The Audio King in Minnetonka (a western suburb) had the RF series speakers in their high end listening room, but were not connected to the video system, or to the Krell amps(although the top of the line Adcom preamp and amp sounded great with these speakers). The Ultimate Audio (same chain) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa also had the same problem. Poor connections, difficult to connect to any quality amplification, poor listening environment. Klipsch should stop handing out the "Authorized dealer" monniker to any dog that comes by, and start establishing some standards by which their speakers must be demoed under. Klipsch speakers are the most revealing of flaws in electronics as almost any speaker on the market. If you connect Klipsch speakers and Bose speakers to the same electronics using poor gauge wire, you will be able to hear the distortions caused by the poor electronics and wire better through the Klipsch speakers. If someone with little knowledge of sound equipment were atempting to buy speakers, he might interpret this information as the Bose speakers sounding better, when in reality, the Bose speakers only hid the interference better. Please Klipsch, at least require quality wire in the path from sound source to speaker. Perhaps Klipsch could bolster this program by allowing people on this BBS with at least 100 posts or so, to report if a local dealer is not fulfilling its part of the agreement. a report would sponsor a review by the factory of this "authorized dealer". Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prana-Bindu Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 Some words that may explain a side of the story that may shed light on the current gig: Klipsch would not be around if it did not have a network of dealers to distribute its products. Switching off a dealer brings Klipsch closer to not being around; especially a dealer big enough to be able to afford poor customer service and chowder-head morons as salespeople. The bigger the dealer, the closer it gets to impunity.... Perhaps an adequate compromise would be to focus all this critical energy at the local level: a dealer getting bitched at by Klipsch has a breaking point that leaves Klipsch without another marketing resource; a dealer being harrassed by customers gets the job done right at the breaking point. I say go all out on those incompetent bastards! Make a scene, raise your voice, demand results.... Make a total *** of yourself until the imbecile behind the counter gets the picture! You get the picture.... I understand that to a great extent Klipsch is responsible for the actions of those who act as agents for Klipsch. However, do we want the burden of that responsibility to break BobG's and PWK's backs? Myself, I'd rather see the boob behind the counter suffer for his/her inadequacies.... Peace!! (please, no flames) ------------------ May the bridges we burn light our way.... This message has been edited by Prana-Bindu on 08-02-2001 at 08:06 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted August 2, 2001 Share Posted August 2, 2001 Textc> I actually almost raised quite a scene, when I was there. Voices were raised and faces were red. However, the manager appears to be good buddies with the head guys at Klipsch, which allows him to give poor service, lie, and genneraly be an @ss. Which is basicly what he told me. When it comes time to order that RSW-15, Muncie will be getting my cash. They are a small store, with few demo's, but when I had a problem with my Promedia's I brought them back. The people there actually recognized me and handed me a new box, no questions, and they weren't rude. Klipsch should deffinately dump Indy. They will lose more money in the long run than they will make from a store like that. People like me will soon grow tired of driving two hours out of the way to avoid a poor dealer, and will start mail ordering a different brand that will honor warrenties, let dealers sell at their own prices, and make sure it's dealers are honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted August 2, 2001 Share Posted August 2, 2001 Batman - Not disputing anything you are saying, but just reminding us all that what your dealer is saying to you MAY not be entirely accurate, as far as what Klipsch demands of its dealers. It's easy for him to pass the buck to someone that you don't really have access to in order to check out his story. He could be 100% on the mark, or not. Doug This message has been edited by dougdrake2 on 08-02-2001 at 01:44 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted August 3, 2001 Share Posted August 3, 2001 I realize that much the B.S. that retailers feed us is probably incorrect, but it becomes correct when retailers act as though it is. Even if Klipsch doesn't put pressure on retailers to sell above certain prices, they might as well do it if retailers are pretending they are. Allowing retailers to lie about pollicy, make false promises, and offer poor service is the same as doing it themselves. The end result is the same, customers get screwed and Klipsch as well as retailers profit from those customers, at least in the short term. Just for reference purposes I'm refering the the ovation on 82nd, just south of the Castleton Mall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wired1 Posted August 3, 2001 Share Posted August 3, 2001 Im starting to believe that this is the Klipsch "experience.." ------------------ wired1@ameritech.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOOMIS914 Posted August 3, 2001 Share Posted August 3, 2001 Prana-Bindu---You are right on. People should rip their dealers a new one if they don't set up and offer adequate demo's for their customers. Fortunately we have two higher end chain stores in Metro-Detroit, that, IMO, do a fantastic job of offering demo's of all new and current stuff. The Indy situation is simply unacceptable. Klipsch sales reps should be held partially responsible for how their product is displayed in each store. Just as the Pepsi and Coke guys make sure their displays are PERFECT everyday at every store. Great product plus poor marketing will rely heavily on the current loyal Klipsch audience and will rarely bring new customers. Whereas, poor product plus great marketing will bring the masses.... dare I say BOSE!!!!!!! Klipsch marketing needs to work on the balance of these two items as the product side is an icon in the industry. ------------------ My main Klipsch system: KLF-30's Bi-wired KLF-C7 KSP-S6's KSW-15 Front Sub KSW-100 Rear Sub Monster cable 14 gauge in-wall cable Audioquest interconnects Niles SPS-4 speaker switch box Niles wall plates Niles in-wall volume controls Marantz SR-8000 Toshiba SD-4205 5 DVD changer Pioneer PDF-1007 301-CD changer Mitsubishi 35" TV Mitsubishi VCR Pioneer VSX-608 Multi-room amp for Outdoor deck Polk All-weather AW2's deck speakers Panamax DBS-8 Surge Protector Klipsch IC-525's in Master Bath 13" Sony Wega in Master Bath 1 Lava Lamp for Ambience Fridge full of beer and plenty of Don Julio, Jagermeister and Jim Beam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted August 3, 2001 Share Posted August 3, 2001 After being in retail for 13+ years I've found that a salesperson would rather sleep with Jean Kirkpatrick than answer a question with the words "I don't know". ------------------ Tom KLF-20 Mahogany McIntosh C33 Rotel RB-1080 Yamaha PF-800 Turntable/ Sure V15 Type V Cartridge Ortofon VMS-30 mkII Cartridge Stanton 999SS Cartridge Carver TL-3100 CD (but seeking a McIntosh MVP831!) Yamaha K-1020 Cassette dbx 1231 EQ H.H. Scott 830z Analyzer Monster Interlink 400mk II Monster Interlink 300 mk II Studio Tech U-48RW Cabinet Monster Power HTS-5000 Original 12ga. Monster Cable Enough empty boxes for a fire hazard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buylow Posted August 4, 2001 Share Posted August 4, 2001 Tom --------- You are so correct. The words I long to hear (and never will) are " I don't know, but I'll sure find out". My favorites though (especially from someone under 25) are " I have one of these at home". ------------------ Mains: RF-3 Center: RC-3 Rears: RS-3 Sub: KSW-12 A/V Receiver: Yamaha HTR-5250 DVD Player: Yamaha DV-6280 CD Player: Yamaha CDC-506 VCR: Toshiba TV: Toshiba 55" Projection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BobG Posted August 5, 2001 Share Posted August 5, 2001 Thanks for the comments about bad display of Klipsch product. This gives us a bit more ammo in discussing the situation with the dealer. As Klipsch does not 'own' the space on the dealer's floor, (this may be different with grocery store brands) we cannot dictate how the retailer does business. I Assure you that the 'policies' described above are NOT Klipsch policies - that would be illegal for one thing. I was in retail for a very long time. I have some sympathy for the difficulties involved, but I have no sympathy whatsoever for obnoxious sales people, bad attitudes and bad business practices. It's really hard to keep store displays looking and working at peak level. Mostly from boredom, and the inability to see with fresh eyes. When we attempt to pressure retailers, they can tell us to take a long walk, especially if there is no better alternative. To all of you who care enough to tell the dealer they are doing disservice to Klipsch, themselves and most importantly, the customer - THANKS. It truly upsets me to see audio stores doing a bad job. Especially when they want to complain about the rise in popularity of the mass market stores and the internet. Give your customers no reason to look elsewhere, treat them like gold and they will be loyal. Do otherwise, and you can wave them good bye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted August 6, 2001 Share Posted August 6, 2001 Bob, Perhaps some sort of suprise litmus test for 'dealers'? I do remember having "mystery shoppers" come in our store about twice a year. A simple phone call to the dealers may be just as effective. ------------------ Tom KLF-20 Mahogany McIntosh C33 Rotel RB-1080 Yamaha PF-800 Turntable/ Sure V15 Type V Cartridge Ortofon VMS-30 mkII Cartridge Stanton 999SS Cartridge Carver TL-3100 CD (but seeking a McIntosh MVP831!) Yamaha K-1020 Cassette dbx 1231 EQ H.H. Scott 830z Analyzer Monster Interlink 400mk II Monster Interlink 300 mk II Studio Tech U-48RW Cabinet Monster Power HTS-5000 Original 12ga. Monster Cable Enough empty boxes for a fire hazard! This message has been edited by tblasing on 08-06-2001 at 10:07 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted August 7, 2001 Share Posted August 7, 2001 Well...to shed some light at the end of the tunnel (oh hell - it's a train!! ), I'll pass along an incident that happened last week that might bring a smile to the LLC and possibly make some of you envious. <whew - what a sentence Tom> The phone rings and it's my salesman friend from my local Klipsch dealer and he says, "OMG Tom, I've just heard your dream speaker. How fast can you get over here?" Of course I ask him what he's wigged-out over and he says that he's just finished 15 minutes worth of listening to a new pair of RF-7's. "Tom, you really need to come by here and bring music - plenty of music. You won't believe these things. OMG, they're amazing!" Three days later I stop in and the RF-7's are out on the open floor being fed by a Nakamichi receiver. I tell Mark that won't do and he asks what I want them hooked up to. I tell him I wanna hear them on that bad boy CinePro in the backroom. So Mark says cool, gets a hand truck, and relocates them. My point is that I'm very fortunate not only to have a dealer with product in stock to listen to for free (sorry, couldn't resist HornEd ), but a sales person willing to satisfy my request knowing full well I'm not gonna buy the things. Too bad this attitude can't be packaged and shipped to Ovation in Indy. Tom Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2disturbed Posted August 7, 2001 Share Posted August 7, 2001 I was curious which Ovataion location you were referring to?? I live on the west side and bought some discontinued Klipsch speakers from the store on 38th street. The salespeople here have put up with a complete newbie(me) coming in every day after work with different cd's to listen to the speakers, and demoing different receievers. Since all of the speakers i picked up were discontinued, i didnt expect great service, but i was surprised by their willingness to put up with my endless questions... I have heard that the north store is run by a bunch of uptight people, and even the manager at 38th admitts that. so far i have been happy with their service, and have been glad to get a foot in the door with some discontinued, but still excellent speakers. sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbump Posted August 7, 2001 Author Share Posted August 7, 2001 I was referring to the Ovation next to Casleton Mall. 82'nd street I beleive. I cannot imagine why a dealer with Klipsch's corporate offices in the SAME TOWN would not want to try to push that product. It seems they would be first in line for service, support, etcetera. I do not understand why Klipsch would tolerate a dealer in their own hometown to represent their product in this fashion. Sure they could tell you to take a walk, but with the second most popular line of speakers (RF3) made, they'll think twice before taking that walk. Maybe Klipsch wants to help an ambitious Kokomo boy open up a nice little Aragon/Klipsch store where their products will get top billing...and the proprietor is a loyal customer as well. I will also give a little credit where credit is due. Classic Stereo in Marion, although I have never made a purchase from them, have been very accomodating when it comes to my questions, and ordered a set of KLF-30's in for me to audition (not buy, audition). The salesman remembered my name when he answered the phone. Little things DO matter. I would have no issue with buying from them if they were ever to order some of the new Reference series in. ------------------ Klipsch Chorus I Mains Klipsch Academy Center Klipsch Heresy I Surrounds Mitsubishi WS-55807 55" HDTV Playstation 2 for games/DVD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Adams Posted August 8, 2001 Share Posted August 8, 2001 >I do not understand why Klipsch would tolerate a dealer in their own hometown to represent their product in this fashion.< You know speedbump - the flip side to this is that the dealer must have a very large set of b**** to act this way in a manufacturers backyard. Tom Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.