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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Before late last year, I lived in a city which was at least 3 hours away from a B&O store. Now that we're in California, the distance is significantly reduced, but because of Southeran California's notorious traffic, it is still an hour away -- so I want to make the most of my time.
I'm always hyper-aware of my conduct and how it affects those around me, hence the following questions:
What's the proper customer etiquette at a B&O store?
That is, I'd like to get thoughts based on my preconceived notions that since many people just stop in the store and don't buy anything, sales people may not be so engaged and be resigned to a poor experience.
Although I'm very interested in a purchase, I might only be there for a demo, and not pull the trigger for a while after the visit.
How long do potential customers stay in the store, exploring, auditioning, etc? Do B&O salespeople understand that since the pricepoints of the items are high, the purchase is not something to be taken lightly and truly care to build a relationship despite the fact that they may not get the sale at the first visit?
How long do you all spend in the store when you're considering a purchase? Do you visit the store often? What is the most respectful way to engage in this process?
I'm sorry of my questions sound a bit silly, but I'd rather be an informed and respectful customer (maybe overly so), than make a poor decision. As this purchase will be building a relationship with a new store / salespeople / service, I want to be sure I'm off on the right foot.
Again, I'm sure that tenor / tone will differ from store to store, but your opinions are greatly appreciated.
I recall when I purchased my last B&O item (a BV8) from a store back in the Midwest, the purchase itself was a great transaction, unfortunately everything afterwards was abysmal. Besides, the pricepoints of the BV8 and a BV11 or an Avant are light years apart.
Thanks so much; looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
There's no such thing. You are the customer, when I go in to any B&O store I act just the same as I do in any other stood. Last time I was in CA, I sat in the La Jolla store for 2 hours and didn't make a purchase. I like to talk to the salesmen and gauge their knowledge, etc. Frankly, I think the salesmen usually like to be engaged as I've found most of them to be pretty passionate about the brand.
I would not suggest that you owe the store anything, you should look at your leisure and take however long you want, if they didn't want you at the store it would be a custom install only with no storefronts.
I'll be in the La Jolla store Thursday and plan to sit for several hours should I so desire.
Which store are you going to?
mjmedlo: There's no such thing. You are the customer, when I go in to any B&O store I act just the same as I do in any other stood. Last time I was in CA, I sat in the La Jolla store for 2 hours and didn't make a purchase. I like to talk to the salesmen and gauge their knowledge, etc. Frankly, I think the salesmen usually like to be engaged as I've found most of them to be pretty passionate about the brand. I would not suggest that you owe the store anything, you should look at your leisure and take however long you want, if they didn't want you at the store it would be a custom install only with no storefronts. I'll be in the La Jolla store Thursday and plan to sit for several hours should I so desire. Which store are you going to?
I'll be planning on going to the Pasadena store at some point.
I'd just act as you normally would, it's the store's job to treat you well, if they don't find another store since you have more than one in CA. Last time I was in the B&O store nearest me (which ain't that near) I spent over an hour there, and the owner was happy to let me connect to his network with my cell phone and play my music on a variety of things. I had told him I'd like to hear a lot of the stuff as I hadn't had a store near me for over a decade where I lived before and would really like to hear the new stuff, which was about all of it including Play stuff. We had a good time, very nice and helpful, we talked about the brand and the challenges of selling it.
Of course, less than 10 min into this my wife informed me, in front of the owner/sales help, that the entire world would come crashing to an end if I didn't immediately buy her a pair of H6 headphones in camel, so he knew we were already buying something.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
@Sal
Hey old friend/neighbor! It's nice to see you back on the forum. I still have the Avant that I bought from you ages ago, but I've replaced it in the bedroom with a Beovision 10-40 - which I highly recommend if you can find one. I hope you're doing well in California!
You're in So. Cal., so the proper greeting would be 'Hey dude, wassup?' But seriously, most of the time they're lonely and just enjoy having the company. You'll be fine.
Great thread!
In brief, the etiquette is theirs... not yours!
B&O products are V1-32, BS2, H95, E8 and an Essence remote.11-46 now replaced with Sony A90J 65”, Sony HT-A9, Sony UBP-X800M2 and Sony SRS-NS7.
I've always had superb service from bno Knightsbridge .
Benoit in particular has been awesome and deserves a knighthood. :)
Some great responses here, thanks for engaging in the discussion. My last visit to the Pasadena dealer was pleasant, but I wasn't there more than 30 min, and only stopped in because I stumbled across the store while we were being "touristy" in the area.
Regardless, I truly appreciate the perspectives here, and even though the message is clear: I'm the customer and the dealer should accommodate, it sometimes doesn't feel that way.
The_Beonic_Man: So in brief Sal, the etiquette is theirs... not yours! Simon.
So in brief Sal, the etiquette is theirs... not yours!
Simon.
Thanks for that, Simon, when the time comes to seriously go and demo (when my mindset is in the right place to audition and pull the trigger), I intend to take my time, be patient and end up with a long term investment as well as a relationship with the dealer.
Great news! That's how it should be. All about the dealer/customer relationship.
beojeff: @Sal Hey old friend/neighbor! It's nice to see you back on the forum. I still have the Avant that I bought from you ages ago, but I've replaced it in the bedroom with a Beovision 10-40 - which I highly recommend if you can find one. I hope you're doing well in California! Jeff
Hi Jeff! I'm glad you still have the Avant. Hope you're doing well. It is nice to be in a metropolitan area close to B&O dealers to restart my addiction. I'll keep you posted. I'm curious what your setup is like now.
Yes, the only one that need worry about etiquette is the dealer!
We don't have huge footfall, and like a potential customer to take their time whilst exploring the product range - few dealers expect you to make a large purchase on the first visit, typically it takes approx 3 visits before a purchase is agreed?
In the instance of a TV purchase, the norm is an initial visit to see what is available, then maybe a bit of research followed by a weekend home demonstration, then assuming the dem works for the client, a purchase.
That's generally how it works for us. It's simple really - I put myself in the customer's shoes...
Thank you for the insights SHEFFIELD. The uninformed stereotype that one might have for a typical B&O customer is money is no object and they walk in and buy things without much fuss or deliberation.
The idea that a B&O customer does his or her research, comes back for multiple visits, and takes their time before making a purchase isn't intuitive.
It is comforting to know that dealers don't expect the "normal" customer to come in and purchase an entire HT kit in one fell swoop at the first visit to the store.
Thank you!