Where do you buy your equipment?

[ingramcaraudio]

Just because some local shops don't know what they're doing doesn't mean all are that way some of us do know what we're doing and aren't trying to screw people around. As far as selling mainstream stuff you have to sell alot of it because that's what a majority of people know and think are the best i know kicker isn't the best but it's hard to sell products alot of people aren't familiar with.

Sorry, but this is where I call bullshit.

When you have a customer in your store, it is your job to be an expert in all things audio. This is why they came to you to begin with. Yes they may have an idea of what brands they like because it's a name they heard or because their friends said it was the best. You have heard of a Geo Metro, but you wouldn't try to sell one saying it is a hotrod right?

Anytime you have someone in your store, 2 things are going to happen. Either you are going to sell them on what is the best fit for their needs OR they are going to sell you on what they think they know.

If you can't sell them on a brand you think would be best for them, then you either are no salesman or you don't believe in the product you sell.

I can count on my hand how many times people come in asking for more than a 2 fifteen setup. Most people just want decent systems in a tight budget. I would gladly sell other brands but if the owner won't let me push it my hands are tied. So i have to fit what we sell in their budget and fit their needs. And you can do that with some mainstream stuff because I never charge full price i'm always right around map.

[CJ18]

Jay,

While I agree with you that the industry has been destroyed by the onslaught of internet dealers, cross dock shippers, gray market products and direct sell companies I just can't agree with the blanket statement that a brick and mortar store will give the best overall sales and service experience.

Let's face it, today's stores have done nothing to continue the education in their services as a group. The sad fact is, retail stores got into a rut with not only their brands they carry but also the preconceived idea of the quality they think is okay to sell to their customers. The norm seams to be that it is okay for the customer to drive the price comparison while the store does very little to sell their services. Complacency in being the low price leader has shot most stores in the foot. They have no one to blame but themselves. I also think being suckered into large buy-in's as well as competition restrictions to carry said other brands is also an issue. Stores don't understand when they sign a "non competing product clause" to carry that whored-out brand they limited their options and locked themselves right out of the changing times.

The fact is, there are very few shops out in the market that do quality work anymore. Hell most can't even get the basics right anymore. You can't expect a minimum wage installer to understand how to set gains let alone expect them to even know what a scope is. The old rule of 3/4 up on the gain doesn't exactly work anymore when amps are putting out the power they do now. Yet, talk to an installer about setting gains, and more times then not, that is exactly the type of stuff that comes of their mouth.

Unfortunately, the retail vs DIY is a double edge sword, with the resources on the net today, a DIY guy has the potential to not only get way more bang for his buck, but also have the chance to build a quality that most shops can't provide. The other side of that is, there is a large amount of people that shouldn't touch a fuckin volume knob, let alone install their own system

I agree with this 100%! Where I live there are 3 decent size audio shops, but none do even half way decent work. The only qualified installers have been driven off by hack job asshole owners who think they know it all. I have learned everything I know about installing from THIS site. I am doing a build in a Dodge Caravan right now because the local Ascendant dealer that I bought my SMDs from is a shady mother fucker who was trying to charge $5 a foot for crap ass low grade 1/0 wire and was marking up subs and amps 100%. These are the people that are fueling the internet sales. Why am I going to go to a jackass that thinks he knows everything there is to know and pay him $800 for an amp I can buy online for $400?

[Lumpydonut]

Subs, amps, speakers and the like i buy online. Decks, wiring kits, misc. wire, crimps, etc. I buy from local shops. That way i kinda support both

[tonedeaf]

I live three hours from what you would consider an actual decent audio shop. There are two in my immediate area. One is tied to a pawnshop and the other is the 'go to' shop around here. This same shop told me how the DC and AA audio subs I was looking at couldn't touch the 'new' alpine X line. For a mere $600 per sub I could have one hell of a sealed enclosure sub that would beat the shit out of those subs. They only push what they have because they are commission based and are just looking for the cash. Even their main tech/installer with who I used to work with and be friends with didn't know what T3 audio was or what the point of the big 3 is. But they can do a hell of an install on a rear view camera. -.-

Price to offerings of what they have, none of it is worth it. They are easily 30% over MSRP on everything in store and rape on installation pricing. I was there the other day for some real speaker box carpet when a guy came in saying the alpine component sets that they installed a year ago for him was acting funny. The driver side door kept fading in and out. Guy clearly knew nothing about what might be the problem, but they offered to help him for a $100 fee. That loose wiring really is one hell of a doozy. Don't get me started about general knowledge on HO alternators. They suggest you use your stock one and have it rewound. No need for a true HO alt.

If my local dealer wasn't full of idiots who knew their head from a hole in the ground I would probably have no problem spending the extra coin to buy there. Hell, saves me the inconvenience of waiting for shipping. Sadly internet will keep my business for now.

[ChampN252]

A sad but true story here. There was a shop around that I used to love to visit. It had two owners..well owner and co-owner. A white guy and an arabic guy. I was mad cool with the white guy. Hell, he invited me to cook outs all that good stuff. The arabic guy (the actual owner) was not so cool. I hate to bring this up, but that guy was mad racist. Majority of his customers were black, but he hate us with a passion. He was always talking in arabic around black people so you never knew what he was saying. The white owner told me he heard that and talked to one of the installers about what he said. The installers were his nephews. He was calling people all kinds of monkeys, n***** and whatever you could thing. I think the word got out and he had to leave the location. He also fired the white guy, because I guess he thought he had something to do with it. Stuff like that makes you not want to deal with shops.

[kingsuv]

You can't group ALL shops into the "idiots" category. There are a number of shops that do good work.

You also can't expect to walk into a shop and expect to stand there and bullshit about how great a product is that they DO NOT carry. You are being a complete dick if you do. That's like going into a Chevy dealership bragging about wanting a Toyota. Either you go into the shop to BUY something, or you don't go. If I'm a salesman and you want to waste my time on something I can't make a few bucks on then I'm going to be a dick to you too.

[Jbabycsx]

I think it is clear why people do not buy from their local install shops. The lack of experience from their installers is the main reason. I do not mean lack of building experience, I mean lack of the will to try new things and the willingness to use products that actually work. The shops around my house can build a decent box and their installs are pretty good. Before I started using non-mainstream products they were the place to go if I wanted something done. Now that I realize what you have to do to get a quality system built, I will NEVER pay someone as narrow minded as a local shop owner to work on or sell me something. They refuse to tell someone they need a bigger alt or more batteries, they use inferior brand products that are mass produced and built out of the country and they over charge for every single product they have. Thats enough for me to stay away.

[ChampN252]

true that, I hope to be a shop owner one day myself. I don't want to be thought of as a dumbass because I don't use sites like this as a guide or carry the latest internet brand. I would stick with what I know and try things every now and then. I can only imagine how hard it must be to run a shop.

[Gotloud555]

A sad but true story here. There was a shop around that I used to love to visit. It had two owners..well owner and co-owner. A white guy and an arabic guy. I was mad cool with the white guy. Hell, he invited me to cook outs all that good stuff. The arabic guy (the actual owner) was not so cool. I hate to bring this up, but that guy was mad racist. Majority of his customers were black, but he hate us with a passion. He was always talking in arabic around black people so you never knew what he was saying. The white owner told me he heard that and talked to one of the installers about what he said. The installers were his nephews. He was calling people all kinds of monkeys, n***** and whatever you could thing. I think the word got out and he had to leave the location. He also fired the white guy, because I guess he thought he had something to do with it. Stuff like that makes you not want to deal with shops.

I know what it like been in that situation. Everywhere you go, there are peoples who are like this. I usually buy stuff online because of prices. The shop always charge expensive because it business.

[sonic purity]

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