whats the "good" about your local car audio shop?

[hamiltonaudio]

when you guys visit your local car audio retailer, what is your favourite part about the store? What do you guys consider makes a GOOD shop? Not just the brands they carry either :)

What traits, behaviours, etc make your visit memorable and cause you to want to return? Conversely, what of these piss you off and cause you NEVER to return?

bmoney

[matts]

the overall attitude plays a BIG part, customer service is almost equally important, and the work they put out is pretty high up there. the brands im not so much concerned about. i'll follow the brands i like, if no one i like can get them locally i'll go to the internet...prices are usually a little cheaper there anyway.

it's right the opposite to make me not return....i dont care if they sell the best stuff on the market at a discount price, if they're rude or i dont like their attitude, i WON'T go back. then it kind of trickle's down. if i see them do something that even i know better than to do that's a mark against them. if they dont carry brands i even remotely like i dont really have a reason to be in there, unless i know someone and am wanting to visit.

[Pte Socks]

Non-pushy salespeople. I hate that. I also look into their prices, but most are pretty good. I hate shops that push you into buying a stereo because they know your interested. A great tip my brother in law gave me was never spend big coin on a stereo setup the first day. Even if its a great deal, sleep on it, look into the setup and its pro's and con's. Then buy. It what I did for my stereo and I havent regretted it.

[Pete Ray]

I appeciate when salespeople ask questions because they really want to help, then make thier reccomendations, explain why and give me options while explaining the difference.

I prefer smaller shops because they seem to care more and have more experianced salespeople, often the owner or manager.

I can't handle standing at the counter while people finish thier 15 minute conversation about last night.
Smart as$$'s who say yes to every question you ask because they think thats what you want hear only to find out its not so.

Sell me what I need not what you want to get rid of or what you you want cause nothing else is as good as your preference.

If you are doing a stereo install on my car please treat it well for the 1 hour you work on it, I treat it well 365 days of the year, I don't want wire snips left all over or screws left out, missing, placing speakers on my trunk lid ect.

Get back to me if you don't know the answear or have to check with a supplier.
I have no problem with you making a mistake but please deal with it.

I will gladly pay you more and reccomend you to boot, just care and not only will I be back I will never go anywhere else.

If everyone ran thier business the same way they did when they first opened, ultra friendly, ultra helpfull they would always progress to what they dreamed of when they started.

Take Care, Pete

[Pete Ray]

One more thing, please price your inventory on the sales floor, if you are really busy I can shop and read and learn while I wait, I don't want to wait for 20 minutes to hear "its 500.00" when I want something for 300.00.

Take Care, Pete

[Bumpin1OHM]

not nothin.

shops around here blow ass. i have my own personal pro installer i go to.

[RickHigginsHtbr]

i dont think there's many, if any, local shops around here anymore. a lot of them went out of business doing the opposite of what Pete Ray said to do. When I bought my last set I went to Circuit City to check it out off a freinds recomendation. Everything came out to $40 less than eBay, so I bought them.

[car audio dave]

when i go into shops i pretent to know nothing. depending on their answers to my questions i judge them. if the recommend only the brands they carry and i dont like those brands then that hurts my opinion of them. also, i hear some of the funniest stuff from these sales guys. apparently Pioneer makes speakers for MB quart and JL audio. :lol:

beyond that, install is a big thing. they dont need to do magazine cars, but i like to see the cars that they work on. i like to see their wiring and fiberglass techniques rather than what is actually visual, since anyone can cover crap with carpet and make it look ok.

one shop i worked at made a display case where all fo their high end subs were displayed showing both the front and backs. they also have a sample of each sub in a box that people could audition in their cars. we sold mcintosh, dynaudio, zapco, US amps, kimber kable, and then the normal brands too.

[levey]

I know it's not right. And.....I know you don't want to hear this. But.....Ya gotta save a few bucks when you can. So.....My favorite aspect of my local stereo place is as follows.

The installers will do the install for cash. They will wait until lunch break (or after work).. when the managers are gone.They will do an install for cash. No receipt. And.... at a far reduced price. They stick the cash in their pocket. They also give you a personal business card.... in-case something goes wrong.
You know.....Contact them....not the store.
Again...I know it's wrong. But...whatever. If saving a buck is a crime.....lock me up.

[hamiltonaudio]

there will always be a black market for anything...just like after hours mechanics and so on. Is it right? who's to say. I can GUARANTEE that they'd be fired in a minute if management found out tho :(

A truly engaged installer takes pride in HIS SHOP. It may not belong to him, but the way the "family" is set up, it should certainly feel that way. If they are taken care of, you will NEVER see these little "sideshows"....

As a consumer worried about cash, I don't blame you one bit :)

bmoney

[car audio dave]

the problem with that is that the shops insurance wont car the car, so if the installer messes something up then you are SOL.

[matts]

but if it's a good reputable shop that is concerned with it's reputation they will fix whatever they break in an effort to make the customer happy. place i go has messed stuff up on peoples cars before, but they always make it right. and it's always been something really minor....scratched window tint, etc.

[Pete Ray]

Consumers also have to be smart and support the shops that do treat them right.

[gerald]

A good shop backs up their installs, if something goes wrong, they should want to be the first ones called.

Like Dave said, i go into the store acting like i know nothing, let them do the talking, see what they say, and judge off that.

[sudden_impulse]

The local car audio shop here is a family owned Radio Shack with their audio section added. The son of the owners is in charge of the audio and he has won a few bass contests, so he must know what he's doing. The company van is the vehicle they use for audio demonstrations, also the vehicle used for the contests. He's a friendly guy from what I can tell, and he's not pushy at all. He gave a recommendation on which speakers to use in a normal setup and which to use in an amped setup (Lightning Audio and Rockford, in that order, out of what they had).

[ancona46]

Originally posted by Bumpin1OHM
not nothin.

shops around here blow ass. i have my own personal pro installer i go to.

same thing here theres 2 shops around here 1 is a ripoff and chargse too much and the other one the guys there are complete retards

[hamiltonaudio]

its too bad that those independent retailers have to be idiots...there's lots of them around....

bmoney

[04alyGT]

i agree with the attitude, i like to feel like i'm walking into a buddies garage....you know, not too pushy sales people, i don't mind if they just wanna talk, but i don't like being dragged around the store unless i ask to be shown something
also the little things make a customer stick around, like offering directions (crutchfield does this), or other little stuff like that
good customer support is the biggest thing though
btw, i checked out your site, is it still being built?

[car audio dave]

Originally posted by ancona46
same thing here theres 2 shops around here 1 is a ripoff and chargse too much and the other one the guys there are complete retards

well thats good to hear since i plan to open a shop at some point (and ill be out there when i do it).

[hamiltonaudio]

Originally posted by 4576foxtrot
i agree with the attitude, i like to feel like i'm walking into a buddies garage....you know, not too pushy sales people, i don't mind if they just wanna talk, but i don't like being dragged around the store unless i ask to be shown something
also the little things make a customer stick around, like offering directions (crutchfield does this), or other little stuff like that
good customer support is the biggest thing though
btw, i checked out your site, is it still being built?

As any good website is, its never stopped...I know a few of the sections are pretty lean if not empty, but thats a time and effort constraint more than anything. The important stuff is there!

bmoney