Vancouver Dealers

[braxus]

I live outside Vancouver BC. In Vancouver there are two dealers according to Mac's site. Im aware of the one place I deal. The other dealer is familiar and Ive heard of them, but never been there. The one is a Premiere Mac dealer, while the one I normally deal with is just the regular dealer of Mac. Is there any advantage to going to the Premiere dealer over the other? Im used to dealing with my main store normally, but its good there is competition in town to possibly haggle on pricing.

 

[mattj]

Hi Braxus: the new, not-Premier Mc dealer in Vancouver is Hi-Fi Centre. They just started selling Mc. I don't know what kind of Mc selection they have (I live in Victoria), but I do know that they are a very well-regarded store. Fair and knowledgeable and not idiots. I used to deal with them back when I lived on the other side of the strait.

matt

 

[braxus]

Yes thanks- I was aware it was HiFi Centre. Ive delt quite a few times with them (first time was early 90s) in the past and just last year bought another amp and speakers off them. I got a great deal on the amp (demo). I wasn't sure if it was safe to mention store names on here. The other dealer (Premiere dealer) is Sound Plus. I was just wondering what advantage being a Premiere dealer would be compared to the normal status HiFi Centre is. I wont be buying any new equipment for quite a long while now (years maybe?), but I'd like to hear what these new stereo units are like. HiFi Centre says they can't keep any Mac gear in stock to even listen to. People come in and say they want this such and such unit (without even auditioning it) and taking it home. Their demo never stays in stock. Doesn't sound good for making deals with them, since they may say they're are in such demand they can ask full price for them. Im kind of wondering what they'll say about tube units now, since they called them passe (no longer needed today). Now that they sell them again, Im curious to see what their tune is now on tubes. As for the dealers thing- I was hoping Ron would mention what the difference in dealers would be. But I just called Sound Plus and they are no longer a retail dealer, so that leaves HiFi Centre the only dealer in Vancouver now. Ron- you might want to update your store list on the Mac site. So much for competition and seeing who has a better price. But Sound Plus seemed to have a few extra dollars on their list price, so maybe HiFi Centre would be cheaper anyways. Even though in reality I probably shouldn't be spending this kind of cash on stereo equipment, as there are other needs out there. I guess I haven't gotten rid of my old ways yet.

 

[howiebrou]

Not sure about Canada but over here the Premier dealers usually keep stock of more stuff and they don't let out the really high end stuff. So normal dealers only get to see things like MCD201, 2275, integrated amps, dvd players etc. The premier dealer holds onto the C1000, 1201 and of course mc speakers. I guess if you were going to spend a lot you don't go to best buy :scratch2:

 

[exracer]

Braxus, yes my favourite store has shut its doors for retail and is focussing only on installations only, which is where 80% of their business has been. I understand the owner wanting to deal with people who give them a 50,000 budget to install a home/stereo centre in their 2 million dollar home than you or I spending 10 hours on a 1000 dollar purchase.

you even stated you wanted to look for a better price or deal... now who would he rather want to deal with? these very rich people will pay 10% above suggested retail to get their installation done 1 week earlier....

I understood rent for the store alone was 25,000 a month... now thats alot of mc amps and linn cd players, and even more when we want 20% off,...

But I hear you, and a dollar saved is a dollar-fifty earned, and its your hard earned money, and I feel the same way, but it is sad to see them go- and I really miss the cappucinos....

Ebay etc. is awesome for the consumer but sometimes we regret the result:tears:

 

[exracer]

I was considering travelling across the border to Seattle? and dealing with the possible border duties or whatever....

alot of times its cheaper for us anyway because some products are still priced with our dollar at 65% of the greenback...like some travel agents charging 50% more if you pay in Canadian dollars than if you pay in U.S. Dollars, alot of people are not aware of this gouging...

 

[braxus]

I looked into getting speakers across the border and it worked out it wasn't such a great deal. After duty, taxes, driving there, exchange, and whatever else- I didn't think it was worth it. If the thing should break and need service, I dont want to have to drive back to the US to deal with it. If I ever buy more equipment, I'll give HiFi Centre my business as they have been good to me in the past. I do however wonder about some facts they like to give in terms of information though. Some of it sounds like something they'd tell you just to make a sale in their store. Example is their view on tube amplifiers and their turntables vs mine. They are fair however in the terms of the pricing and discounts, so that keeps me going back to them.

 

[exracer]

yes, unfortunately they are just salespeople, and they are trying to get paid. Try to speak to the owner there, or his son, as they dont care as much about getting money today. They like to push Naim though, not that that is so bad, but when you go in and ask for something specific, like Mcintosh, they steer you in some other direction, because of course they want the money today, not next month... I hate that- damn salesman...