Enter to Win: $100 off AV123 order!

[Dank]

Return policy. This is important along with consideration for shipping cost from the seller, and again if I decide to return the product. If I'm likely to be out half the cost in shipping I probably won't send back(for performance, if its broken I have to send back) and definately won't buy from them again.

 

[Patrickcarringt]

AV123 wants your opinion!

AV123 is giving away five (5) $100 off coupons to eligible forum members. Coupons must be used within six (6) months after the drawing date.

To be eligible to win, you must: 1) Be a registered Audioholics forum member, 2) Have USA or Canadian Residence 3) Answer the question in the forum below:

Contest Question: What is the single most important non-specific product related factor (such as performance, aesthetics, etc.) you consider when making a purchasing decision (such as return policy, name recognition, where products are manufactured, etc.)? Please be specific as to what constitutes a bonus and a what would hinder you from making a purchase.

Note this contest ends on March 31st 2007. Winners will be drawn shortly thereafter.

Have fun and good luck!

Access to Customer Support BEFORE and AFTER the sale of the item which is preferably made in USA, UK, Germany, etc. and not Communist China that has a 3-5+ year warranty. FAST returns of emails with answered questions is the best, too. If these are in place, the quality of the product is most likely HIGH and UNIQUE.

 

[Adam]

The most important factor to me is risk. If a company has a great reputation and will allow me to return an item free of charge, then there's very little risk in ordering from them. If the company has a good reputation but doesn't allow returns, then there's more risk. A company with a bad reputation, regardless of return policy, is too risky for me (because they might not honor their return policy). So, if I can order a product and know for sure that I'll only be out a small amount of shipping costs if I don't like it, then I'm willing to give it a try.

Made in the USA is a definite bonus. Multiple negative reviews of a company on customer feedback sites are a huge hinderance and will prevent me from ordering from them.

 

[BabelFish]

The company reputation (especially when it is an ID company) and return policy. That is extremely important to me.

 

[faustus]

bang4the$

I calculate a bang for the buck rating for every product I buy. Key factors are performance and price. I try to get the best performance for the budget that I can afford (and then I exceed the budget by rationalizing that I will appreciate the extra performance that I am purchasing).

turn-ons: substantive chassis with simple, clean design inside and outside that exudes quality;" high-grade components; superior performance characteristics with honest specifications; manufactured in USA or Europe.

 

[Mr. Lamb Fries]

Company reputation and return policy are both important to me for internet direct purchases. cost vs. performance is always the BIGGEST factor

 

[PAW]

Value - What is the product's performance in relationship to it's cost?

 

[trance]

Reputation as it relates to both product quality and customer service/technical support is most important to me.

Reading forum posts about disatisfied users (poor reviews, lack of firmware fixes for known issues, etc.) would hinder me from either not making a purchase at all or delaying a purchase until known bugs are corrected.

 

[BobBart]

The most for the money and how good the reputation is of the company.

 

[Shaftoe]

I would have to return policy is very important combined with positive customer experience found on the web. A return policy gives me the confidence to know I won't get shafted, while positive comments confirms others have had pleasant experiences.

 

[dwayland]

I usually consider the amount of speakers/sub woofers available within the same product line. That way, I can start out small to get a feel for the line, then work my way up to the big boys, all while maintaining the same look, feel and sound(albeit bigger) of the original purchase.

The main reason for this is "upgraditis." If there isn't enough breadth within a specific product line, I know that I will have to start from scratch every-time I feel the need to upgrade if I have no basis of comparison.

 

[jimmy13]

Looks like the majority rules in favor of company reputation - I agree. I think this is a given, and aside from this I look very closely at the quality of both the internal and external components of a piece of equipment before purchasing. If a component or speaker sounds good to my ears, the next thing I look at is the quality & construction of the component. Many decent a/v dealers will either have a component displayed with the factory cover removed (i.e. receiver/amplifier with a plexiglass cover to display the internal components). I will NEVER purchase any component for my main listening room without looking at what is inside. If a dealer does not have an open-cover display, I will request to have the floor model's cover removed. If the dealer doesn't want to comply, he obviously doesn't want my business and I'll go elsewhere. Since I studied digital electronics in college and I continue to study electronics at the ripe age of 30, I feel I have a good knowledge of what is a "quality" component - everything from a resistor or an inductor on a circuit board to a complete amplifier. Ever wonder why a Bryston or Krell processor or amplifier sounds better than the average component? The fundamental circutry in a good component is no different than the average component - it's the quality of the material that goes into the winning component that makes it really special and appreciated by audiophiles.

J.

 

[supervij]

The location of where a product is manufactured doesn't really matter to me. Brand recognition doesn't always matter, since very few people have heard of the the better a/v companies out there. Videophiles may love their Oppo DVD players, but the general public has never heard of Oppo. So it comes down to company reputation. If I've heard that a specific company is lousy at answering e-mails, doesn't return phone calls and couldn't care less when a return or a repair is needed, then the odds of my purchasing from this company is substantially diminished.

As an example, before I purchased my Athena speakers and my Oppo player, I e-mailed each company a few times to get answers to specific questions about their gear. And both companies responded quickly, thoroughly, and with more than just a form letter. They made me feel like I was talking with people there, rather than "just the facts". And so I felt very comfortable purchasing their products. And after I did so, both companies still responded to my e-mails when I had further questions. So they cared about helping those who had already bought their products, not just the people who were considering buying from them. That meant a lot to me.

cheers,
supervij

 

[auujay]

Reputation of product

For me the number one thing is the reputation of the product itself. It must review well. If I read/hear good things about a product, even if the company is otherwise unknown I will likely take the plunge.

 

[leetamm]

For me it would have to be the return policy. Let's face it, the only way to really know if a given product is going to work for you is to be able to demo it for a period in your own system. Product reviews can be helpful, but audio is so subjective that it's still quite risky to base a decision on positive reviews. In-store demos are better, but then you're still listening in a completely different environment with different acoustics and with different associated equipment.

 

[gagamaggot]

Contest Question: What is the single most important non-specific product related factor (such as performance, aesthetics, etc.) you consider when making a purchasing decision (such as return policy, name recognition, where products are manufactured, etc.)? Please be specific as to what constitutes a bonus and a what would hinder you from making a purchase.

Customer service from employees that have a sense of pride in their product.

 

[Algonite]

Performance at a reasonable cost. A fair profit is to be expected but don't get greedy. Poor customer service/support will drive me away every time.

 

[Marty Manich]

I think pride in what you do. This becomes evident in all aspects of the company, product quality, craftmanship, repairs, customer service. Any great craftsman sweats the details, from is this joint right, quality of raw materials, look of the finished product, answering question and of course repairs. Good reviews may affect ,2-3 people, negative ones affect 100's. How a company responds one disgruntled customer will tell you more than a 100 posative ones.