We think alike
Have just bought an ex demo Uniti Star .
Thanks to all those who offered supportive comments and suggestions.
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I tend to rate a dealer/service by how they respond to an email. On the whole Iâve had good responses.
The reason I prefer email is, very often when you ring these sometimes small independant businesses the phone can ring endlessly (yes even Naim/Linn dealers) and not get answered. This is mainly as they are busy with people in the showroom. Yes I can leave a message, but then I may want to go out etc. The email allows the retailer time to answer, when they are able.
I recently experienced great service from a dealer, whom I emailed intially and had subsequent conversations with, and completed a purchased of speakers.
When I was choosing an estate agent to try and sell our house, how quick they responded to their own email contact form partially dictated who we went with. Why have email contact if you canât be bothered to respond.
To compound things further part of my reluctance to use a phone comes from years of dealing with customer complaints on behalf of a motor manufacturer where you never knew what your next call would entail. Many customers were fine, but there are many who werenât, even when you had resolved their issue/s.
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Who are responsive to emails in my experienceâŚ
For those of us with mental health issues just picking up the telephone and calling somebody takes a lot of effort in dealing with the anxiety, where as sending an email does not cause this.
Out of common courtesy it does not take much effort to respond to an email, you never know when you are âSpeaking with an Angelâ. Also âGood manners maketh man/womenâ.
I imagine the dealers have to decide about making a commercial desicion over whether to respond to an email or not. It may lead to a sale and an on going relationship that evolves into hundreds/thousands of pounds worth of sales with the sender of the email and then potentially with other people as the sender recommends them by âword of mouthâ. They do say the best form of advertising is word of mouth.
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Maybe there a VAT implication too?
Pleased got sorted Letâs hope going forward itâs all About the music
Yeah, what I wanted to reply. Plus, demo machines are rare, it is not as if a dealer has 5 per year. So if one becomes available, of course they will prioritise a steady customer who told them he would be interested. And there is always Hifi shark and eBay etc
Metaphotically in this electronic age!
True, but Naim is also not responsible for the behavior of independent dealers who happen to carry Naim. Sure, they will be interested if the dealer gives wrong info or is bad, but not responding to an email?
Not being a user of social media I do tend to do most things the old fashioned way.
It is at times like this I often wonder what Alan Bennett would say! 
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Well MotherâŚwhat a palaver,
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Another cup of tea, Thora?
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Iâm not going to pass judgement on the OPâs approach, but thought it was worth sharing my thoughts and experiences of interactions with dealers.
In the past, when purchasing HiFi, I have made first contact with a retailer via both email and via telephone. I have used email when contacting a retailer about a specific, one off product, such as a second hand amplifier I purchased a couple of years ago when living in Manchester from a dealer in Scotland. Their website only had one picture of the amplifier, so I emailed asking whether it was still available, and whether they could send some more pictures and a more thorough description of the unit, any accessories it had, etc. They replied pretty quickly, I was satisfied with the information they provided, so I called and completed the purchase. Another time, after moving house, I was in need of some new, longer speaker cables. I called a local retailer and spoke to them on the phone, obtained a good deal (without expressly haggling with them, I must add), and again completed the purchase. I am young, and live a busy life working in consulting, so interacting with these two retailers in this way was a vastly more convenient approach for me than travelling considerable distance, or dropping into a shop where they may not have had time to deal with me there and then. Given the current tough trading conditions, and wider (albeit forced) societal shift to virtual interaction, I personally donât think any retailer should be choosy about following up on potential sales leads, despite them coming in via email, text, etc. It is 2020 - businesses, where possible and appropriate, need to keep up with how people today communicate and purchase things. If they donât, they and the products they sell, will not reach their target audience.
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Send three and fourpence.
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We are going to a dance.
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A question about ex-dem equipment is perfectly legitimate.
It certainly is but if it is sent to a dealer who you have never bought from or developed a relationship with over the years then do not be surprised if there is no response. As someone else pointed out above dealers will get lots of emails from people looking for bargains and will have no idea if they are serious or not
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I have recently spoken with some small Independant dealers who have said that if they focused on responding to the emails they receive from all corners of the planet they would have no time to speak with customers either in person or by telephone. The conversion rate from phone or face to face is far higher than through email and it is worth noting that many independents are one or two people only. I appreciate that some people may worry about speaking with others and find email more comfortable but in my experience the Independant retailers are very friendly and delighted to have a conversation about their passion for HiFi. As as been said it is good to talk - donât know who said that?
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Canât see anything wrong with your approach to be honest.
If there are too many emails and not enough resources to deal with them the dealer should perhaps not give a contact email but I canât see thatâs the case.
Given the strange times in which we live I think you probably have to cut dealers some slack in terms of ability to respond and more importantly being able to update their websites frequently enough.
Perhaps simply follow-up/make note of those who reply but donât dismiss the others out of hand.
Challenging times for everyone, dealers included, but if someone has read you query email it would be trivial time wise to respond simply saying no current ex-demo stock or similar.
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