Rip off British Hi-Fi Industry

[awkwardbydesign]

Bought used have done for over 25 years. Not really interested if the industry has collapsed, I personally have no need for it..

But without new sales there are no secondhand products!

[awkwardbydesign]

Sooner or later I'll let someone hear them

Yeah, you SAY that.........

[Effem]

Long before "That's Life" appeared on TV with their fearless expose of rip offs, it was and always has been rife. I bet a cave man or two did a dodgy deal with wonky axe handles when it suited him What's lacking these days is the regulation and legal powers to stamp it out and some porridge might deter some rogues from chancing their luck. Anyway, everyone has a choice and SHOULD have a brain between the ears to use logic and common sense to avoid the rip off merchants.

I don't think the hi-fi industry is any more guilty of ripping people off than any other industry to be honest. I have had great service from the dealers I have used and begrudge not one penny I spent with them. I have bought hi-fi components in the past that had too much fresh air inside the case, but still sounded great. So what did I buy in that instance, a quality of sound I enjoyed or a total component count?

When the smarmy BMW salesman asked me if I would like carpets and a radio for the car I had just ordered and pay extra for the privilege, then I did feel very much ripped off.

As our "awkward" colleague has pointed out above, if nobody buys new where will the secondhand gear come from?

[guy]

Have you heard the one about the hifi nut so obsessed with direct sales as the only pure and true way to sell he thinks any retailer like tesco is corrupt and a rip off. So he gets his eggs direct from the local farm, his loo roll direct from the paper mill, and his comfort from his right hand

Even better, recognize this quote:

"In my naievity I had assumed a level of rationality when I first joined AOS. The process of adjusting to the levels of nonsense some people allowed the vote are capable of has been rapid and bewildering."

left or right handed, still a tosser

[User211]

Yeah, you SAY that.........

Well I did two bake offs and a lot of people round with the last pair. So yeah, I do

Some like them, some don't. Just like anything else.

[Oldpinkman]

Guy. Life is dynamic not an eternal perpetual state. It is the failure to recognise that and adapt which traps many and dooms them to introspective self-pity. The scales have fallen from my eyes more than once since dipping a toe into the world of hifi forums. (just can't get to grips with fora. Sounds like herbology!). And when you know and understand something you know and understand the false claims of others who don't. I don't fear the dark - the lights won't go out on me

[Macca]

But without new sales there are no secondhand products!

There are already enough products out there to last forever. Especially if you think that nothing has improved in the last 30 years. I've heard older amps, cd players, turntables, cartridges and speakers all outperforming their contempery counterparts, so I'm inclined to think that position caries some weight.

[Effem]

There are already enough products out there to last forever. Especially if you think that nothing has improved in the last 30 years. I've heard older amps, cd players, turntables, cartridges and speakers all outperforming their contempery counterparts, so I'm inclined to think that position caries some weight.

You are assuming of course that spare parts are always going to be available Martin, which nobody can guarantee. I think you will already find that a vast number of semiconductors have vanished off supplier's catalogues and custom made parts are already a nightmare to source.

I think what is driving this latest upsurge in buying older secondhand components is the lack of disposable income people are suffering from and when we have plenty of spare cash then we are more inclined to buy new. "No more boom and bust" said one famous politician but I think it's going to be a VERY long time before we see any signs of boom again

[Macca]

You are assuming of course that spare parts are always going to be available Martin, which nobody can guarantee. I think you will already find that a vast number of semiconductors have vanished off supplier's catalogues and custom made parts are already a nightmare to source.

So you do what I do and just buy two of everything. It only has to last me out, not last forever In my current system only the amplifier was bought new.

You may have a point about recession pushing people to look for bargains second hand though. Especially for something non-essential like hi-fi it is somewhere corners can be cut. The thing is, how many folk start out buying used because money is tight but will continue buying used even when their finances improve simply because they prefer it? And the box-swapper really has to buy used because if he bought new he would lose too much money when he sells on.

[petrat]

It's an age thing IMO. I teach business studies, so I usually end up chatting with dealers about their thoughts on the future of hifi retailing. Last year, one (successful, and highly entrepreneurial) owner asserted that 'all my customers are pensioners'. As a group, I guess retired folk have more time to consider their purchase and shop around to get a deal, as money may well be tight. They are also likely to be more sceptical of marketing claims, but, on the plus side, are more likely to be loyal to good service-providers. The two dealers I most often use have never ripped me off, or failed to go that extra mile to help, often at their expense. They don't push. They listen, I listen. I trust them. The bottom line is that I want them to continue to make a living, as they are good people, with an infectious enthusiasm and passion for this strange hobby. And, yes, I met a few 'rip-off' merchants over the years ... but they went out of business