That’s really bad to be treated like that. A course in customer service or a new occupation for that salesperson would be in order.
I’ve noticed on a few occasions being treated entirely differently when I’m wearing a suit to when it’s t shirt and shorts. Any shop that does that doesn’t get my custom.
At least you have found a good dealer now. People are strange.
I’m hoping for a knighthood next year for my contribution to the economy during lockdown.
Sir Eoink…Please rise and take your new garter with you😉
That is a really awful experience. Personally, there is nothing wrong with the equipment you used to have, and certainly no need for the dealer to be so critical of it. Alarm bells for me would have really started to ring when the dealer didn’t demonstrate the product which you’d actually gone in to listen to. That just smacks of someone trying to sell you what they want to sell you, not what you actually want. That’s the number one thing I hate about dealing with sales people, followed by pressure selling.
The experiences people have highlighted here really do make me wonder how some dealers stay in business. Are there really enough people interested in purchasing hifi who would also respond well to these tactics? I know for one I certainly would not.
I had more or less the same experiences here with a dealer after twenty five years. Some folks have gone all weird since the lockdown period. Anyway, cut a long story short, like yourself, i went further afield. Good job too as the service i’ve received since has been second to none. They’ve definitely got my future custom.
Could be worse…
Thanks @SeasonsEnd and @anon4489532 it does make you wonder as to how they manage to get by, I go past often and rarely see anyone in there - it’s not like there’s massive footfall - I’m guessing that the mark-ups are quite significant or they’re selling statement systems left right and centre!
Years back, I used to work in shop outlet with a choosy door policy, I very quickly learnt that some of the scruffiest customers had the serious money (not that I’m classing myself in that bracket, by any stretch) and there’s definitely an element of this in some of the places I’ve gone into.
Many years ago I went car shopping, having driven a Honda Civic wagon for 8 years and being able to afford something better. I stopped at a Mazda dealer to look at an RX-8, and the sales guy told me that my Civic was ‘a college kids car.’ (I was about 35 at the time.) I took the insult and my business elsewhere, immediately.
I have little tolerance for pretentious sales reps (or people in general).
I remember a friend of mine telling me he was in a Porsche dealership in Germany to look at the then just out Cayenne. A group of school kids came in and wanted to sit in a 911, which the sales rep had no problem with. When they left they were all allowed to take glossy brochures with them. When my friend asked about it, the rep simply said that their experience today will influence their desire to become future customers. That story has stuck with me for years.
You might want to just browse a Muso brochure today today but the experience could very well affect your decision tomorrow, when a Statement could be on the cards.
HH, I suspect you and I are of a similar age, and like you I would be straight on the phone. However there are some folks, particularly the younger generation who prefer email, or iMessage or whatever. Email does have the elegance that the recipient can read and respond at a time of their choosing. A phone call is much more intrusive in this respect.
Cheers, Paul
I am not sure age has anything to do with it. Convenience certainly does, while many people, whatever their age, suffer from shyness or anxiety (or whatever specific mental condition) ) that make it it very stressful initiating a phonecall (or direct conversation) with strangers, And in some cases even with friends or family. Although generally the shyness or whatever it may be may generally reduce or become more manageable with age, it may not go away and for some it remains into old age. For such people alternative communication media such as email are a godsend (before email there was good old-fashined pen (or typewriter) and paper - but that was cumbersome.
OT but as the topic is occasionally veering into “my weirdest shopping experience”, here is mine:
Went couch shopping with a female friend and went to a fancy upscale furniture shopping mall. There was one shop who had kind of a rocking couch, like a rocking chair but upholstered, lower than a chair, and for two. So out of interest we sat down and tried to make it rock back, which it did not. My friend waved to a sales guy and he walked over. My friend asked totally normally if we were doing something wrong as it was not rocking back even though we both tried to lean back with our weight. The sales guy said:
“Well, I guess your breasts are too small”
Knowing may friend, I just looked at her 
(The sales guy had picked the wrong person, in the past my friend was a research assistant with Judith Butler at Berkeley 
)
Are you saying that an enquiry by a customer by phone is an intrusion on the salesperson? If the timing is inconvenient, or the salesperson wants to give his or her full attention then an alternative time can be arranged for the call, or the sales person could call back.
I don’t get it!
I’ve been on both sides and there is nothing more annoying to a ‘very important person’ than saying down the phone “I’m with someone, I’ll call you back” 
Nothing wrong with that, as long as it is not an avoidance tactic.
I have sometimes called my dealer when he is either out on installations or genuinely with another customer, and he has always called me back. In fact I would be worried if he was always free to speak to me, as it would suggest he is never busy, and there could be a reason for that!
I can understand those who are shy or suffer anxiety with phone calls and e-mail might suit them better. It would however be far more fruitful in the long term if a dealer can foster a level of trust and comfort, allowing conversations to ensue.
It is impossible to perform a demo by e-mail!
You are of course right. It is always about developing trust from the start.
True…but would a demo over the phone be better? 
Depends on the quality of the phone line!
You can of course use phone or e-mail to arrange a demo. 
A brilliant reply!
So in the case of a dealer who is genuinely busy there really isn’t much difference between a “I’ll call you back…” and sending him an email to which he can respond when available.