I have a word for this particular individual. It starts with a "d" and ends with an "ouchebag".

I've never met a salesman with that attitude, and am thankful I haven't.

Anyone who is THAT negative about Paradigm isn't worth talking to at all, imo.

The new S6 is a gorgeous piece of audio art, and I can't wait to hear it.

Alex,
I think you have highlighted one of the reasons many hi-end shops go down the tubes.

Car salesmen can get away with that longer but you don't need a stereo to get to work.

OTOH there are some stores that flourish because they don't keep sales people like that around.

I was recently in the store where I bought my Linn TT 15 years ago and the owner asked me to bring in the TT for a tuneup, which they do for free.

That is a good dealer.

My dealer takes care of the Linnies, too.

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I have a word for this particular individual. It starts with a "d" and ends with an "ouchebag".

I've never met a salesman with that attitude, and am thankful I haven't.

Anyone who is THAT negative about Paradigm isn't worth talking to at all, imo.

The new S6 is a gorgeous piece of audio art, and I can't wait to hear it.

Yes. I know the guy who designed the Paradigm speakers (up until a few years back), Najeeb. He's a really decent human being, with alotta smarts. He's personally not responsible for the constraints and vagaries of the specific place that Paradigm positions itself, in the industry and market. Paradigm is an excellent speaker for the money involved, and is well received for those reasons...which is all a manufacturer can hope for.

Yeah- As a former part-time sales person at an audio store I find that guy's behavior inexcusable and just stupid! Two rules ANY decent sales person knows is find out the customer's budget and treat it and them with respect. He did neither. I personally would not shop at a place that is so myopic and snooty! I'm grateful that most of the high-end stores have been pretty cool to visit and buy from, but I have encountered that attitude at other kinds of stores. Of course you expect a 'tude from the grungy guy at a used record store, but for someone to say you need to increase your budget three-fold? That's ridiculous and won't ever get him a sale. Dumb on his part.

And anyone who doesn't mention Vandersteen is an idiot!

AlexO, I have never encountered anything like you describe.

I admit to being a little incredulous.

If true, that means there are people out there who have customers walk up to them, ask for an opinion on how to best hand over some money, and they sort of say, "No, thanks. I don't want your money."

And you were even talking 'retail' prices!

Would you be willing to post which store? It would be interesting to check their website or search the web for others' experiences.

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I have a word for this particular individual. It starts with a "d" and ends with an "ouchebag".

I second that

Is there a special school they have to goto to become like that. Holy Hell. $25k for speaks? - How much is the whole system - $120,000 ??? -- I could buy an orchestra for that.

It is really amazing a store would allow that behavior to happen when audio
forums , internet sale and designers selling directly are providing so much competition

Many excellent manufacturers support websites like AudioCircle and others that provide a wealth of useful info.
All these guys offer 30 day in home trials which is much more useful than an in store audition.

Great stores like Rennaissance Audio and Audio Concepts thrive in Dallas because of their customer service and knowledge of audio.

The shops that cop an attitude will likely not last.

Hi Alex,

It seems that you and Jan Vigne are a tight race to see who will be the next
DUP. Since my vote is going to JV I figured that I'd help to lend you some support regarding asinine audio sales people.

For a picture of the king of obnoxious audio salespeople one needs look no further than one's copy of Stereophile. Look for the ad from a New York based audio salon who's name rhymes with humdinger. The owner of that salon passes himself off as some kind of audio god who's pronouncements about audio equipment are as valuable as the ancient scrolls. Truly the model on which all other rude and overblown audio salespeople base themselves.

And yes, I live in the NYC area and have even bought an item or two at that store but not for many years and not since they moved to their present location.

Unfortunately Alex's tale is not an isolated incident but occurs much more often than we audiophiles would like to admit. And granted there are plenty of really excellent audio dealers out there but the few bad apples have a way of ruining the entire bushel.

An audio salesperson should be there to provide information and assist one in making a purchase that best suits one's needs and budget, anything else is just plain uncalled for.

Man, I am totally dismayed.

Go back and tell him about this forum!

I wonder how a place like that can survive?

AlexO, your experience there puts your hostility toward dealers in a different light.

On some days, I can make the Unabomber seem like a paragon of sartorial splendor, and even then I've never been treated like that.

Jan, what city or cities did you work in? Did you know any salespeople like that?

I can't believe this is typical, even for New York, which does have its share of salty personalities. I can believe a salesman would turn on a "potential customer" if they sensed they were being hosed or their time was being wasted. It might not be good for business, but it would get the dead weight out of their store.

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I did not take any of his time. My friend was the one auditioning the equipment and he was seriously considering plopping down 15k for a preamp. This was a question I asked the guy on the way out. Perhaps he saw the $15k dollar signs and couldn't quite switch back to a mere $5k range.

Kind of dumb of him. 20% of nuthin' is zero plus zilch.

Humdinger is one of the worst.
I was in NY for the art opening of a good friend and one of my other friends(a well known audio dealer) went with me to humdinger.

Even though hum and my friend were on a 1st name basis, hum treated both of us very rudely and reeked of arrogance.
The guy is a true A-hole. I can't understand why anyone would buy from the guy.

I'm not excusing the salesman's behaviour--I just wonder if he's leaving soon and trying to make that last big score on a commission before bailing out.