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January 11, 2007 - 2:48pm
#1
Bel Canto "No Risk Purchase Plan"
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Keep in mind that most high end companies are pretty small and many are at CES. Bel Canto is a good company and will take care of you.
The restocking fee should not have come as a complete surprise. Their website states:
"Returns:
Bel Canto Design offers a 15-day money-back return policy for all products purchased directly from us. Please note that the product must be returned in "new" condition in its original box and include all original packing material, original manuals, and any accessories that came with the item. We reserve the right to charge a 5% restocking fee. Additional fees will be charged for any damage to the equipment or loss of packing materials."
Hope you get it worked out to your satisfaction.
You forgot to put the first paragraphs on your quote:
"No-Risk Purchase Plan
When you buy from www.belcantodesign.com or our authorized dealers you get a lot more performance and quality for your entertainment dollar. We know how best to build a system using our equipment. This added value knowledge can help you better reach your system performance goals and save you time and money in the long term.
Buying from the site you get to audition our equipment in your own home, with your own equipment, your own music.
In fact, we think this is so important, we've put together a No-Risk Purchase Plan*.
Here's how it works: No-Risk Purchase Plan
Step One
Work with the site and our in-house sales department and order the Bel Canto equipment that best fits your sound and budget needs.
Step Two
You have 15 days from receipt to try out your Bel Canto equipment.
Step Three
We are confident that your Bel Canto system will sound better, look better, and will be a better value than any comparable system. But, if you are not totally satisfied, simply send it back.
Try our No-Risk Purchase Plan today. We are sure that you will agree that Bel Canto equipment produces superb sound and represents an exceptional value.
*Available in the United States Only."
Full text at http://www.belcantodesign.com/sup_30day.html
I admit I should have read past this part to the part at the end. I still stand by the fact that this should not be advertised as a "No-Risk Purchase Plan" if they plan on charging a 5% restocking fee. I emailed them expressing these feelings on 1/2. I have never received any reply. I assume this to mean they are going to ignore me.
It is clear BC is engaging in misleading advertising and it does not serve them well.
It is insulting the way they leave to the end the small print about the restocking
fee.
Most other companies offer 30 day trials with no restocking fee.
BC makes a huge profit on their direct sales. In efffect they get the dealer profit as well as the wholesaler profit. That kind of large mark up makes a restock fee unecessary and somewhat insulting. With that kind of profit they should pay the shipping as well. Some other companies do.
BC has hurt it's rep with this and they should do whatever is necessary to fix their PR.
At the least they need to change the way they present their audition policy.
No Risk is deceptive.
Unless , of course, they mean no risk to BC :-)
I wrote this on another forum (to tomjtx, in fact!). Just thought it was important to put some context around Bel Canto here (and I will disclaim that I am a Bel Canto dealer):
Well, there are two things to consider here:
1 - I've never been of the impression that audio people are any good at writing things like marketing copy or promotional material.
2 - Bel Canto just started selling direct a few months ago, and the slow response to requests for refunds might simply be the result of their adjusting from being a manufacturer to being a manufacturer-retailer.
These aren't meant to justify the behaviour at all, but simply a possible explanation of why things are happening the way they are. As I said above, I've found Bel Canto extremely good to work with
How good does some one have to be at writing copy to know that a plan that charges a 5% restocking fee shouldn't be called a "No Risk Purchase Plan"? To quote someone from the slim devices audiophile forum," "no risk" means "no risk of losing money" What other risk could there be?
The manufacturer coming home to beat you up if you try to return the product? ;-D"