114 replies to this topic

[Fhrx]

Before we start I’ll offer an apology and disclaimer up front. The apology is for the post length while the disclaimer is that this post is not an angry tirade, is not a whining grovel nor is it intended as fear mongering or attempted sensationalising. It’s simply a point of view put up for open discussion. I could be totally off the mark here so considered feedback on my comments below would be much appreciated. Without further ado; onto my post:

For years we’ve been publically avoiding a discussion regarding the elephant in the corner of the room although we seem more than happy to grumble about it in private - the issue of why you (the consumer) should be buying local rather than taking your business overseas, especially when asking stores for unrealistic install pricing. I’ll break this post into four separate parts. The first part will concentrate on what local stores require from you. The second part will concentrate on what stores are actually offering you, the third part concentrates on the possible negative consequences for yourself while the fourth part concentrates on the negative consequences for us (the industry) when you take your business overseas.

Part one - What your local stores require from you.
Whilst this should be palpable, it only takes mere minutes of discussion with some people to become painfully obvious that it’s not. That is the issue of how stores work – not just audio but all stores. By their very nature, retailers and wholesalers make a living by selling products for a slightly higher price than they buy it. Most people seem to understand this basic commercial phenomenon but we still get person after person asking for everything to be done for next to nothing. Bear in mind the money you pay us for work undertaken is actually how we pay our mortgages, rego, insurance, grocery, gas, water and electricity bills and what have you. This is not to say you should always pay top dollar; all shops will discount prices, do package deals, offer group buys and so on, but you shouldn’t be asking your installer to do your planned $1000 install for $75. After all; try going to work tomorrow and telling the boss you won’t be requiring payment. Sure he’ll love you but how long will you last?

Part two - What your local stores are offering you.
When you employ a store to install a system in your car you’re actually buying a service, not just a product. I know it’s easy to have the mindset to buy everything online but this action is actually makes life difficult for stores, especially when they’re offering a premium service. In the fair dinkum department; if you’re just buying a simple product (like a microwave) then by all means, visit three hundred websites and make twenty thousand phone calls. But when it comes to installation you’re moving beyond simple product shopping, despite initially starting your audio venture at this stage. There is an old saying in the industry; you can price match but you cannot service or experience match. With this in mind consider what services your store is offering. I cannot vouch for all stores but some of the services we offer include:

* Constant re-tuning. Every weekend we have people everywhere down here using the oscilloscope and real time analyzer for tailoring their system tuning. We often help them do it, listening and explaining how ears work and what to listen for in the car. This is done free of charge.

* We constantly give people off cuts of sound deadening and cable for free when they need it.

* We help people find and solve system problems for free.

* We chase noise (hiss, whine) issues in peoples installs for free.

* We help people find and solve rattles for free.

* We let people trial new equipment if they want to see how it goes in their car.

* We write a lot for magazines meaning we get to audition many products we don’t hold accounts for. This means we can advise people of what products to use and what to avoid for any given budget.

* We offer free postage on just about everything. This includes when we send your components away for repair.

* We fit and remove products often for free after the initial install price is charged (if you upgrade your amplifier for example).

* We often buy products back off people if they wish to move sideways with a product (changing amplifiers for example).

* We often re-install dodgy system installations for a significantly reduced or free price because we’re of the opinion that you shouldn’t be charged twice for the one install.

* We work all hours of the night to fit into people busy schedules. Spare a thought for our girlfriends, wives and families who don't see us until well into the night each day.

* We answer email enquiries within minutes, not days.

* We offer free yearly battery servicing (discharge, test and trickle charging)

* We offer free bench testing of existing components.

* We offer free system and enclosure design if you’re not sure how to design the best enclosure.

* We run and fund sound offs.

* We pick people up, drop them off and not just to the local station either - last year I dropped a customer off at Jindabyne which is a thousand kilometre round trip.

*We often spend hours installing and tuning processors such as the BitOne into people’s cars just to show them what they do because you can only tell them so much verbally. Again; all for free.

Now they're just the labour side of things. Then there is the material side of store service. These are the products and miscellaneous items we often provide without charge (often to members here):

* We’ve given people replacement speakers free of charge in the past. The most recent example was when we gave Wayne a replacement Boston Z6 midrange when his amplifier died and damaged an existing one – that’s a $300 driver.

* We gave Doug a free Audison sub controller.

* We gave Zenafore a free dash kit because I had it sitting here taking up space.

* There are countless numbers of people on here that we’ve given earth upgrades too, just to show them how their amplifier works better once it can get serious current.

* We offer people free drinks when they’re here.

* We’ve given many people many small things like fuses and terminals.

* We’ve given people alarm items such as glass break and tilt sensors for free.

* We’ve done free amplifier repairs for people whose product damage wasn’t their fault.

Finally there are the various aspects of the install itself. Despite stores charging you a certain amount for the labour, we quite often spend up to four times the actual man-hours to get your install just right (without charging you a dollar more). I won’t go into all the various install techniques themselves as people can read all about them here. Alternatively, you can check out the various images contained in our section of this website.

So after reading through those lists you’ll hopefully appreciate that it can get a little despairing when people bring us boot full’s of equipment they’ve bought off online eBay stores and then ask us to put it in cheap or for free, all whilst expecting us to maintain a high standard.

Part three - What are the negative consequences for you if you’re not supporting the local industry?
When purchasing products off some online stores hosted within websites like eBay, you’re can run various risks. The most obvious is that the product you ordered in fact doesn’t turn up. However some of the less obvious ones are:

* Some of the products sold are fakes. We constantly see people buying equipment online, only to seem upset to find their brand new $1000 speakers they only paid $100 for aren’t the real McCoy.

* You might get evaluation, test or malfunctioning stock. If you have a look around various websites such as ARC Audio and Zapco you’ll see numerous warnings against buying online for these exact reasons. I cannot tell you how many times people have brought stuff online only to find it malfunctions when they install it.

* Lack of warranty. Many manufactures track their products via serial number and won’t provide any warranty if they’re not in the continent they were initially distributed too. To get around this many online stores simply remove the serial number. This will net you the same result – no support at all.

* You have no avenue for returns much of the time. If you get a new set of speakers and they don’t fit into your car, many local stores will gladly take them back. This is very rare if you’ve bought them online.

Part four - What are the negative consequences for the industry itself if you’re not supporting it?
Taking your business overseas doesn’t just impact on the local stores, but on many facets of the industry. Some of these include:

* Stores close down due to being forced to compete with prices under their cost price. Importers close down due to shops not asking for any stock. The only winners initially appear to be you. But who will you turn to for assistance once all the decent shops are no longer around?

* Information websites and forums like this one suffer because the funds they depend on (that come from shops and importers) cease to come in. This means less free information, advice and assistance for you.

* The product itself suffers. As more and more people simply chuck equipment in their cars on the cheap, sadly many have very limited knowledge about how to get the best possible sound from it. This means that the entire quality level of the car audio industry goes down as a whole. There is a good reason why specialist shops are called 'specialists'.

* Competitions suffer. Stores sponsor and run many of the sound offs we all compete at. Without stores it’s quite likely there will be limited (if any) sound offs.

* Publications suffer. When stores and sound offs start disappearing, advertising is no longer required and feature cars are in less abundance for publications. Therefore; what direction are the rags like INCAR going to go?

In conclusion.
Now I’m not a fool - I appreciate completely that you can save a lot of money online and whilst I don’t like to admit it sometimes, I tend to agree that if you can legitimately save thousands off your product(s) then you probably ought. But don’t buy everything online to save yourself fifty dollars and then expect stores to bend over backwards for you. We’re all more than happy to help you regardless of where your equipment came from (i.e. we’re not ‘that’ up ourselves) but keep two things in mind. The first is; just remember you might just be shooting yourself in the foot by purchasing overseas and killing off the local stores. Secondly; keep in mind we need to make a living by charging a fair price for your install (read; fair price, not exorbitant price). Why not at least give your local store a chance to price match the prices you’ve found overseas before you send all your cash offshore?

Edited by Fhrx, 04 July 2011 - 08:14 PM.

[audioquest]

Well said. You make your money locally spent it locally, unless it is only available from overseas. Or you dislike the importer.

[muzzy66]

With you all the way Marty - without guys like you, the industry would not be the same..and our hobbies would not be anywhere near as fullfilling.

[damosyzygy]

With you all the way Marty - without guys like you, the industry would not be the same..and our hobbies would not be anywhere near as fullfilling.

Great post
I work in music retail and it suffers the same way that car audio seems to.
Unfortunately, a culture has been developed over the last few years that price is all that matters.
Take any Harvey Norman or Rick Hart (!) catalogue and notice that the % discount is written bigger than the total price itself.
Its all about "How much can I get it for" and everyone wants to feel that theyve got a better deal than the next guy.

Now Im a professional drummer and I perform full services, set matching & repairs on kits, so there is a huge service aspect to my job aswell.

Customers think they have us fooled by telling us how much cheaper they can get it for online, but its aples and oranges, and admittedly, we've only just seen the beginning of where this is all headed should we continue to bypass Australian retailers for the sake of saving a dollar. We're in a beautfiul period for customers right now where they can buy online to save money, yet still go to the physical store down the road to try the stuff out first. What if that store was gone. Where would you try your gear before buying it?

I was reading some articles a few weeks back about online marketing - They were saying that:
- Last year, Aussies spend $23 billion online, and a whopping 44% of that went overseas. Thats a lot of tax Aussies arent putting into their country.
- There is a 9% increase per year in the number of people buying online.
- Australia is now being heavily targetted by overseas stores, knowing full well what customers are required to pay from a store here.
- Theres a projection that within another few years (10, I think) up to THIRTY percent of all sales will be net-based. (At the moments its around 8% for the US, and I think 3-4% for the UK.

I like to save money too, but not if it means my local store removes the brand I wanted because it doesnt make money for them anymore - or even worse - the store itself closes for the same reason.

Ill continue to pay a little more for a real person, a real product and real service.

[Fhrx]

Yes when you sit back in quiet contemplation, it is a phenomenal amount of business going offshore. Often for only small gains too.

Ill continue to pay a little more for a real person, a real product and real service.

Amen.

Edited by Fhrx, 08 July 2010 - 11:03 AM.

[Highkey]

Could not have put it better myself

[2013FOCUS]

Could not have put it better myself

+1

Mark

[shaky]

People need to sit back and realise there is so much more you get in the price of an item when you buy it from your local specialist store. It's not just the item but answers to your many questions from someone knowledgeable in the industry, the time taken to help you come to a decision about your purchase through demo'ing alternative equipment/solutions and ongoing support after your purchase should you need it. Now, I'm all for "getting a bargain", same as the next bloke, but I also see the value in supporting local industry as far as my purchases go. I have had good dealings with the guys at Phatt and Marty at FHRX where both have spent more than enough of their time listening to me blah on and answering any of my questions.

Look at the list of things Marty stated he/FHRX has done for customers in Part 2 of his original post and tell me where you get that service buying online or overseas. As a collective of car audio fans, we should all do our best to encourage people to make use of their local specialist stores, not only for these reasons, but maybe also to open prospective new purchaser's eyes to the wider variety of, usually better, brands of gear available from the specialist stores over and above online stores and even chain stores like JB (Don't even get me started on them!). Otherwise, once the majority of sales go online, we lose the service side of the industry and Car audio becomes another of those disposable/"replace it" industries like so many others.


Cheers,

shaky

[brzt]

Here Here

[sidecar44]

Great post Marty some good valid points.
Sadly the customer is a tightarse and will always look for the cheapest option.I worked at a Harley dealership and saw this prob continually.
Harley parts arnt the cheapest thing to buy,specially the accessory fitment crap and I would often have the customer walk in looking to buy the extra bits to fit it as they weren't aware it was needed ie fitting a sissy bar and gear rack setup isnt the easiest to work out in a Harley cataloge,but blindly they just go ahead and buy what they though was right.
I had a great line to throw at em and it was "a fool and his money are soon parted" and usually Id have em back for the rest of the fitout.

but now from the other side of the fence as a consumer,Im a tightarse aswell.
Whether its my mortgage,gas bill,power etc etc Ill always be looking to lower any bills and its the same with purchases.
Ive really noticed how much of a tighty I have been as Im building the coach,but I still have managed to get 90-95% of the fitout gear locally and still for a reasonable price that is still close to what Id pay bringing it from O/S.

Heres a point that buying locally is far cheaper......
recently I have bought the grey and black water tanks for the coach,now all up for 3 x 250lt poly tanks it was just over $800 plus $100 for shipping from Qld to Melb....$900 total
to get the same things from the states it was close to $1250 plus shipping.
and they only took 2 days to get here to top it off.

and one last point is dealing with some great people,Mark(FCA) you definatley fit into that category as it was great chatting with you and that type of friendly service goes a long way to getting the customer back.
(Not sure for what just yet tho ) lol
and all the nasty people in my sig have already taken my money anyway.....

anyways must stop rant now

btw Marty again great post

Edited by sidecar44, 08 July 2010 - 05:52 PM.

[Fhrx]

Thanks for the responses guys, there have been some good points made thus far.

As shaky, sidecar44 and others have alluded too above; if one can save thousands then I don't think any of us could put our hand on our heart and honestly say that we too wouldn't do it. However if you stand to save only mediocre amounts then wisdom will hopefully dictate that it's better to give your local store that little bit more in return for that extra mile they'll no doubt go to when it comes to installing your system and the continuing service they'll offer post installation. At the very least; give your local store a chance to price match those of which you have found on the net.

Edited by Fhrx, 08 July 2010 - 06:06 PM.

[SQXPRT]

Like everyone who has responded so far, I have bought from overseas and got burnt.
I was lucky, the gear worked, but it took ages to arrive and was damaged cosmetically.
In that particular case, it didn't matter - it was an impulse buy - but I learnt my lesson.

These days, I know it costs a little more, but I just pop in to the local specialist store and order what I need/want/feel like at the time.
I know the price will be fair, and any problems are resolved without extra cost.

As Sidecar also pointed out - when you go to buy an accessory, it's not always clear that you need XYZ cable or ABC adapter to fit the parts together. Only a specialist shop will know this, and tell you up front.

The difficulty of explaining the technical details of why someone needs something extra, when all they need to do is to go local - so easy.

Fair enough, we don't all have a "Local" shop - but that's why there's phone numbers and email addresses. Correspondence directly with the shop will often be quicker than starting a new MEA thread, waiting for 10 incorrect answers, and then finally getting somewhere.
If the shop knows your car's particulars, they often have an answer ready - that's experience.

I don't blame people from going overseas sometimes though - there are a few 'bad apples' in every basket, and as an industry, specialists have to acknowledge this - FHRX does, and as Marty said "* We often re-install dodgy system installations for a significantly reduced or free price because we’re of the opinion that you shouldn’t be charged twice for the one install."
We've all seen pics from one shop or other which has needed a 'fix-up'.

oh, that was long-winded.

[268669♫]

While I agree about buying local where the market exists, there is one thread recently that will stop me buying local from particular importers/distributers. The MS8 from JBL dist in Aust who knew nothing of the product, did not want to help bring them in and didn't even respond to industry leaders in this country when emailed. Now from that I will not buy JBL products from australia, but source from OS. Also for the small minority of us that want gear thats a bit out there, like some IB subs for example, we have no choice but to buy overseas. But this is not from ebay or online shops, it is from bricks and mortar stores who will provide warranty in australia and help with problems. As for anything available locally, I always buy new from a local store/distributer and the experience of actually talking to someone rather than emails is always rewarding.

Ant

[Gobbledok]

I agree whole-heartedly Marty!

Nothing pisses me off more than when a store calls me asking a price, then says 'this guy reckons he seen it on ebay for such and such'
He can go get it off ebay, but 2 hard working employees that have done their job to get a sale have their time wasted by someone who's going to buy something they have never seen from a guy they will never meet and end up with a product they can never return. Meanwhile us distributors and our retail store customers only exist so these guys can walk in and insult us?

Don't get me wrong, there are still honest customers searching for a bargain, AND its also true that some distributors are losing touch with the industry resulting in some products never hitting our shores, but nobody can deny that its partly to do with a lack of interest from the consumers themselves.

[muzzy66]

While I agree about buying local where the market exists, there is one thread recently that will stop me buying local from particular importers/distributers. The MS8 from JBL dist in Aust who knew nothing of the product, did not want to help bring them in and didn't even respond to industry leaders in this country when emailed. Now from that I will not buy JBL products from australia, but source from OS. Also for the small minority of us that want gear thats a bit out there, like some IB subs for example, we have no choice but to buy overseas. But this is not from ebay or online shops, it is from bricks and mortar stores who will provide warranty in australia and help with problems. As for anything available locally, I always buy new from a local store/distributer and the experience of actually talking to someone rather than emails is always rewarding.

Ant

This is a valid point, and there will always be specific circumstances where you have no choice but to buy from overseas - perfect example being times when you are looking for a very specific product which isn't locally available. In this case, it's understandable.

I think the point that Marty is trying to make though more concerns the type of people who we at my work like to refer to as "time wasters". These are the people who come into the store, take up an hour and a half of your time recieving as much information and advice you can possible give them, and ask you for a price with an intent to buy - only to run off straight afterwards and buy the exact same product from overseas (even worse, ebay) just to save a buck.

I'm the type of person who usually knows exactly what I want, and will shop around to see who has it for the best price - however if there is a certain local store that is particularly friendly to me, goes out of their way to help me, or generally makes me feel welcome, I will more often then not buy from that store even if they are 5% or 10% more for the product itself.

Perfect example is computer parts - there is a certain computer parts store in Aus that sell parts reduculously cheap (mentioning no names), but their website is a joke, their service is mediocre, their product range is very limited, and because they are so cheap I find they are often out of stock when I need something. There is another computer shop which generally charges 10%-15% more for parts, however they have almost every part from almost every brand you could imagine so I have the convenience of being able to get everything in one place. They almost always have stock, and if there is something I need to buy I canbe 90% sure that they have it available....so I almost always from them regardless of the higher price.

There are three types of customers:
- Type A is the type who will go to a shop looking for a deal, yet places great value on intangibles such as good advice, good service, and being treated in a friendly and respectful manner

- Type B is the type who is interested in price, and nothing else. They are essentially window shoppers - they will call/visit several stores, ask for a best price, and leave. They will buy from whichever store offers them the best price, simple as that.

- Type C is the shifty/irational type. They will sit and argue with you for an hour to try to intimidate you into giving them a price that is well below cost, they think anyting less then 50% off is an insult, and they will drive for an hour to save $20, and will play stores (and even salespeople from the same store) against each other to try to trick people in to giving them a better price. They will do sneaky things like fake prices to try to trick you into selling them something cheaper then you normally would/should.

Edited by muzzy66, 09 July 2010 - 11:30 AM.

[sidecar44]

Like everyone who has responded so far, I have bought from overseas and got burnt.

sadly I to was burnt but from a local 'reputable' store....live and learn I suppose.

[xMplar]

While I agree about buying local where the market exists, there is one thread recently that will stop me buying local from particular importers/distributers. The MS8 from JBL dist in Aust who knew nothing of the product, did not want to help bring them in and didn't even respond to industry leaders in this country when emailed. Now from that I will not buy JBL products from australia, but source from OS. Also for the small minority of us that want gear thats a bit out there, like some IB subs for example, we have no choice but to buy overseas. But this is not from ebay or online shops, it is from bricks and mortar stores who will provide warranty in australia and help with problems. As for anything available locally, I always buy new from a local store/distributer and the experience of actually talking to someone rather than emails is always rewarding.

Ant

Ifinate baffle or free air subs are available locally it just means you need to do more homework there are three brands i can think of rite now that do such subs who all have local distributors and offer warrentys etc

there is a lot of gear available thats out there and a bit off the norm but sometimes its not the distributors fault that the retailers dont stock it as alot of retailers will only stock stuff that sells continually but im sure marty at FHRX and other reputable stores would be more than willing to track down such special orders if they were asked for them i have had a few emails from retailers asking for specificv things that we dont nessesarily keep in stock but can get in without too much trouble so other stuff from some rands can be difficult to get a fix on

but time and if the customer is willing to wait for what they want is often the cure to that

i think at the end of the day it comes down to if you want the best deal you have to ask yourself whats involved in that is it just price motivatied or are there other factors contributing like those eluded to by marty above

i myself love dealing with local guys who know their stuff and 9 times out of 10 most distributors well i cant say that lets say for myself im happy to help out customers whereever i can as long as they dont go to a retailer get a price then come to me and ask for a better price this is in my book a big no no as it just puts up a middle finger to the retailer without whom none of the industry would survive


i hope none of that offends any1 iam trying to be insightful which is hard when im not drinking vodkas but i beleive what marty has said to be true

mind you if there is sumthing you decide you want that no one locallly imports etc then the onis is on you if its no good or you get ripped one of my pet peeves is when ppl buy from overseas get ripped then come to the distributor or retailer to try to get the problem fixed

Ren

[xsnoiz]

Marty, well said. It does get frustrating having to explain to some customers why we can't match the pricing from overseas, or why we can't get certain products, but I will also quite happily install it for them at a fair price. Hopefully the service and expertise imparted is enough to swing the same clients to deal with me next time.

[spc]

I think we're acting as if the majority of people out there require specialist service.

I agree that at a high level, the FHRX guys offer above and beyond what is to be expected. (EDIT: ive been the recipient of some great service, hours of patience with my ridiculous questions and some free wire and speaker grilles). Most people on this website are not average consumers and respect what this store offers in all aspects.

The problem is, most people just dont care! Joe Blow doesnt need his 'finely tuned' Sony Xplode system installed with precision and expertise.

As long as FHRX remains a highly specialised store, and there remains a culture of specialised car audio, then people will buy locally through them. I think when you reach a product that is not as specialised (music, electronic goods, or identical goods ie ipods, or just low end car audio) then the overseas market forces will prevail. If you cant hear the difference between a well installed system and a crapty one, why pay for it?

As i said though, youve picked your market and they've picked you, which is the main reason you wont suffer anywhere near as much as JB Hifi and Strathfield will.

Ps who needs warranty when you can buy two of them for the same price?!

Edited by spc, 09 July 2010 - 05:58 PM.

[muzzy66]

On the contrary, specialist stores can potenially suffer more.

Chain like JB and Strathfield have massive buying power, which allows them to items cheap enough that they probably get relatively close to online / overseas pricing.

The specialist stores i'd imagine (being speciaists) would tend to order stock more or less on an 'as needed' basis rather then stockpile masses and masses of gear. For example, I can't imagine a store would sell 20 LRx amps in a week, so if you order too many its going to be dead stock that you're not getting your money back on. I'd imagine you'd be order those type of products when needed (i.e. per install), and thus you wouldn't get those rediculous cheep bulk pricings' that someone like Stratties would.

Also I believe that distributers are more strict when it comes to specialist / premium gear - more restricting on who they distribute to, profit margins, etc...they need to be so as to not cheapen the image of their brands. When people see fake / dodgy components adverised only as Focal, DLS or Dynaudio it draws more attention, because the products are often less then half the price of the authentic stuff...which is why people take the gamble.

Stuff like cheap Boss audio garbage is probably goikng to be less of an issue in this regard, because the stuff is already cheap - buying online of on ebay could save you what...$30-$50 once you factor in shipping?

I can see how the specialist stores can be potentilly hurt even moe then the high volume stores in some regards.

[xMplar]

I agree with above recently after one of our brands stopped producing products and changed a few things around i noticed alot of fakes turn up on egay and they werent even good ones they were nothing like the originals in look or power or well anything but they had the logo of our products

and also as stated for more of the niche market products distributors are more piccy about whom they have selling it so as not to become a XPLOD or a RAMPAGE type name

personally id always support local stores and local dealers wherever possible as at the end of the day its those guys who are responsible for creating aloto fo the great sounding vehicles you see around now

if i had a choice between two subs at 100 each or 1 sub with support for 200 bucks well i personally would pay the 200 bucks just for safty sake then if sumthing ever did go wrong there is a actuall possibility of getting the situation fixed

but also as stated above the local yokels who really dont know wat they are looking at and cant really tell the difference between a 1000doller set of speakers and a 250doller set as all they want is doof doof and rattling mirriors well you cant really do anything about that except try to get them more knowledge which is why this forum and others exist to inform the uniformed of what is good and bad

also things like car shows and audio comps etc i dont think it will ever be the case were all things are available to all ppl its just not that easy but id say that as long as the local industry members do their best to help out the new up and comers in this sport/hobby then it will slowly but surly swing the way of ppl buying local rather than over seas but there will always be the minority who want something thats not available here in oz its just the way it is

i think there has been sum great points made in this thread and i also think its important to realize that while not al products are avaiable in oz there is always something similar available and sumtimes its even better than what they were looking at to beguin with

its just trying to get this knoledge out to joe bloggs andf his backwards hat wearing mates thats the issue

Ren

[shiny_car]

Marty, you're definitely to be commended for your post, and your business model. You've undoubtedly helped many people through-out Australia, in particular MEA members, including myself.

It's great that you are taking a stand on the matter, and have pointed out exactly what many people - distributors, retailers, and consumers - must have been thinking for years, but never put into so many words.

I believe a lot of the problem arises from the culture of Gen-Y. This younger generation have grown up believing they 'want it now, want it without inconvenience, deserve it cheaply'. They are used to shopping online, whatever time of day it suits them, and spend less time interacting with a retailer.

Of course this is a generalisation, and there's many individual Gen-Y people who are different. However, I'm certain it is a trend. Whilst they do value (ie: want) the time, knowledge, and service imparted by quality retailers, they are not always willing to give back in the form of patronage and purchases. It's too easy to visit a store for ideas and demonstrations, then turn around and buy online or elsewhere at bottom-dollar.

As has been acknowledged, this is natural, and some would argue prudent. But potentially at the expense of the local industry, and therefore selfish and short sighted. Is anyone not guilty of this?!

Perhaps this could become a very philosophical discussion, because there is no right or wrong. Maybe over a beer and BBQ.

Keep up the good work Marty. I hope you open the eyes of more people and help them appreciate what a specialist store can offer. Plus I hope more stores follow your example, and strive to improve their level of service.

[peaandham]

Great post Marty excellent read.

I remember when i first got into car audio and i had my first car, the closest place to me was Reynella Strathfield and i bought alot of my gear from there, and then i wanted them to fit 6.5inch Coaxils in my door (stock was on the dash so metal needed to be cut in the door) and Strathfield cut my trim, cut the door skin a little and did everything needed for one flat fee of $66. That wasnt the only good thing about them, i wanted to install a second amp )which i did not buy from them), and they were more than happy to give me $15 RCA's for $2 and gave me some offcuts of 8gauge so i didnt have to pay for some. Although i do all my installs myself now i was more than happy with the Service Strathfield at Reynella gave me and unfortunately they have now closed down.

I think thats a perfect example of someone bending over backwards for me.

[Q-Dance]

Very well said Marty!!
:good:

[eron]

I'll happily pay for FHRX's services. Unfortunately, I'm in Melbourne and don't know anyone who offers the level of professionalism and service to their customers.
What I see is sub-standard services offered at industry rates.

[~Spyne~]

try going to phatt or frankston car audio - both are MEA Specialist Retailers who offer excellent levels of service and workmanship.

[Fhrx]

We too endorse and recommend both Phatt Audio Concepts and Frankston Car Audio and tend to refer all of our Victorian customers to them.

Edited by Fhrx, 05 October 2010 - 06:10 PM.

[jas]

also if you buy O/S just remember that if its damaged the insurance may not cover it at all.....that goes with australia post too that only covers loss not damage.

i have looked on ebay right now with the great aussie dollar the deals are still bad. JLaudio can be had here cheaper here than from USA if you count shipping (which you must!!!).

for example i can buy JLaudio 650C5 components cheaper from a local dealer yes cheaper than ebay!!!!.....so beware of ebay apart from counterfiets its NOT as cheap as you would think.

i buy O/S for 2 reasons. Second hand units like Oldschool round kicker solobaric..wow i would love one of these NIB or products that are not imported like audiotechnology or genesis 3months before they had a distributor here (note that direct from genesis was only slightly cheaper than buying RRP from a store).

Edited by jas, 05 October 2010 - 10:27 PM.

[Mr Charisma]

I can definitely vouch for Part 2 and FHRX's service.

My post would be as long as Marty's original one if I listed down the times the team has gone above and beyond for me.

The team has made my audio experience a very positive one over the last couple of years!

Service like that is hard to find in any industry.

[muzzy66]

I can definitely vouch for Part 2 and FHRX's service.

My post would be as long as Marty's original one if I listed down the times the team has gone above and beyond for me.

The team has made my audio experience a very positive one over the last couple of years!

Service like that is hard to find in any industry.

That's Marty for ya!