F.Q.A. AND F.A.Q.(FREQUENTLY QUESTIONED ACTS & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
- WHAT ARE "GRAY GOODS" ?
- ARE GRAY GOODS INFERIOR ?
- SHOULD I BUY GRAY GOODS?
- DO YOU SELL GRAY GOODS?
- HOW CAN I IDENTIFY GRAY GOODS ON OTHER SITES?
- WHAT ARE REFURBS?
- ARE REFURBS A GOOD BUY?
- DO YOU SELL REFURBS?
- WHAT DOES "FACTORY AUTHORIZED DEALER" MEAN?
- HOW CAN I TELL IF I’M DEALING WITH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER?
- ARE YOU AN AUTHORIZED INTERNET DEALER ON THE LINES YOU OFFER?
- SHOULD I BUY FROM UNAUTHORIZED DEALERS?
- WHY DO YOU POST YOUR PRICES ON MOST, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE PRODUCTS YOU SELL?
- WHY DOESN’T YOUR INTERNET SITE GO BY THE SAME NAME AS YOUR RETAIL STORE?
- THEN WHY DO YOU REQUIRE CONTACT WITH YOUR RETAIL STORE FOR SOME PRODUCTS?
- WHY DON’T YOU GIVE AWAY FREE DASH KITS LIKE ONE PLACE DOES?
- HOW COME OTHER SITES DON’T HAVE LONG, BORING INFORMATION PAGES LIKE YOU DO?
- YOU DON’T HAVE AN "ABOUT THE OWNER" SECTION. WHY?
- WHAT ABOUT THE SITES THAT TELL YOU HOW HONEST THEY ARE?
- DO YOU SHIP YOUR ORDERS RIGHT FROM YOUR OWN INVENTORY?
- WHAT ABOUT THE SITE THAT SAYS " WE PACK WITH GOOD TAPE AND NEW STYROFOAM"?
CLOSING COMMENTS
1. WHAT ARE "GRAY GOODS" ?Gray goods are products that the manufacturer intends for use in a foreign market. If the manufacturers cost of doing business in that country is substantially less than it is here, they may make their wholesale prices lower on products intended for that country. Sometimes those products are made available through unauthorized distribution channels for use in this country.
2. ARE GRAY GOODS INFERIOR ?Not necessarily. Sometimes they are identical to their counterparts sold in this country. However, manufacturers seldom warranty gray goods and are not legally obligated to do so.
3. SHOULD I BUY GRAY GOODS?
They are usually cheaper, so weigh the risks vs. the benefit Are the specifications the same ? Who will repair it if necessary ? Will parts and schematics be available to a repair center?
4. DO YOU SELL GRAY GOODS?
As of this writing (10/21/98) no. If we ever do, we will make specific mention of that fact, so that you may make an informed choice.
5. HOW CAN I IDENTIFY GRAY GOODS ON OTHER SITES?
An honest dealer won’t hesitate to tell you. Here are some clues: Does the model # correspond to Models #’s offered for sale in the U.S. ? Are the instructions and the packing entirely in other languages ? Is the price too low even for the internet?
6. WHAT ARE REFURBS?
Refurb, remanufactured, factory reconditioned, refurbished, and renewed all mean the same thing. These terms refer to defective units which have been repaired, are presumed to be in good working order, and are now for sale at a reduced price.
7 ARE REFURBS A GOOD BUY?
Again, weigh the risks against your savings. In general, our experience shows that refurbs will have a slightly higher failure rate than new merchandise.What is the warranty? Is it the same as on a new unit ? Is it physically impaired as well, or does it look new? Back to Top
8. DO YOU SELL REFURBS? The only place we will offer them is in our "specials" section. We will clearly indicate if an item is refurbished. We go by our experience with a manufacturer before even considering offering their refurbished goods on our specials page. It is against the law to sell refurbs and represent them as new. Please report unscrupulous dealers to the authorities if they have misrepresented refurbs to you as new product. Back to Top
9. WHAT DOES "FACTORY AUTHORIZED DEALER" MEAN? A factory authorized dealer is one who has entered into an agreement with a manufacturer. This agreement stipulates terms and conditions under which a dealer may sell that manufacturers product, and in exchange, receive the support of that manufacturer to represent their products in the market place. These agreements usually call for territorial and other restrictions upon the dealer. Back to Top
10 HOW CAN I TELL IF I’M DEALING WITH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER? Unfortunately, on the net, you usually can’t. Most manufacturers who bring dealers into an "authorized dealer" relationship refuse to sanction ANYONE as an authorized dealer on the internet. This problem is compounded by unscrupulous dealers who lie about their status. Your best protection is to contact the manufacturer of the product you are interested in. Ask them if they authorize ANY internet dealers. If they say yes, ask them for a referral . If they have no authorized distribution on the net, and you see a dealer claiming authorization, think twice. Back to Top
11 ARE YOU AN AUTHORIZED INTERNET DEALER ON THE LINES YOU OFFER? For the most part, no. As we’ve said, most manufacturers will not authorize ANYONE to sell their products on the net. We have the consent and support of a few of our manufacturers, many have no position - either for or against, and some manufacturers are outright opposed and hostile to anyone offering their products for sale on the internet. Back to Top
12 SHOULD I BUY FROM UNAUTHORIZED DEALERS ON THE INTERNET? It all comes down to money. The manufacturers trying to "protect" their lines want to keep the price high. Fortunately for you, the law requires them to give a warranty on their products regardless of where they are purchased. The only real risk is born by the internet based dealer. Many manufacturers will try to locate the dealers distribution source for the purpose of cutting them off. Back to Top
13 WHY DO YOU POST YOUR PRICES ON MOST, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE PRODUCTS YOU SELL? Some manufacturers who refuse to support internet sales are mainly opposed to the publishing of low pricing. By respecting the manufacturers position in these instances, we can be assured of a steady supply of quality goods to offer to you at great prices. Back to Top
14 WHY DOESN’T YOUR INTERNET SITE GO BY THE SAME NAME AS YOUR RETAIL STORE? The dynamics, the overhead, the customer support system, the operational procedures, and the staff are different for these two operations. The one thing they come together for is increased buying power. We try to keep the identities separate for the benefit of our customers, so that their inquiries can be handled most promptly. You’ve had the experience of being kept on hold while a company tries to figure out who is supposed to help you. We won’t do that to you. Back to Top
15 THEN WHY DO YOU REQUIRE CONTACT WITH YOUR RETAIL STORE FOR SOME PRODUCTS?
In order to buy certain lines direct from the manufacturer, we had to sign agreements with them prohibiting the posting of their products for sale on the internet. Purchasing these items from our retail store does not violate that agreement. We simply use this site to advertise that these products ARE available at our retail location. If we marketed these lines directly on the net, we would be jeopardizing our future ability to continue to purchase from these manufacturers.Although we prefer to make our transactions simpler for you and for us, in this case we have to add an extra step. We hope you understand what we are saying. Back to Top
16 WHY DON’T YOU GIVE AWAY FREE DASH KITS LIKE ONE PLACE DOES? We assume that internet shoppers are at least moderately more intelligent than the predominating izzitfree ? mentality . We assume that you know how to add. We’ve seen "free" hardware worth as little as $8 used to induce a customer to spend $100 and more above our prices for a single radio! ( If you’re willing to pay us the extra $100, we’ll throw in the kit, the harness, the shipping, and a years subscription to Car Audio Magazine - and its all FREE, FREE FREE !!!!!!!!!! and we’ll mail you a FREE 2 dollar bill for participating in this incredible offer!!!) Back to Top
17 HOW COME OTHER SITES DON’T HAVE LONG, BORING INFORMATION PAGES LIKE YOU DO?
We’ve asked ourselves a similar question. How can so many site operators get away without posting terms, conditions, and shipping fees? Is it because they want to surprise you with their kindness? Or is it because they want to thwart your attempt to calculate your bottom line. PLEASE !!! We know it’s hard to turn down a deal that seems so good, but if you get burnt by hidden charges, please tell your friends who did it to you.Back to Top
18 YOU DON’T HAVE AN "ABOUT THE OWNER" SECTION. WHY?
O.K.- here it is. I was made a saint in 1805. I am God’s gift to the human race. I love small animals. I invented food.WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ? Wouldn’t you like to write your own biography and have thousands of people read it each day ? What would you say ?........... "I have a bladder control problem and I wear plaids w/ stripes" ? Of course not. We’re not going to insult you with that nonsense. Back to Top
19 WHAT ABOUT THE SITES THAT TELL YOU HOW HONEST THEY ARE? You fall prey to the same problem here. Many sites ARE operated honestly, but do you think the hustlers out there are going to post a note saying "We’re dirtbags, buy from those other guys who are honest." ? It’s more likely that they will be screaming louder than anybody "we’re so honest". "check us out" is often coded language for "we hope you’ll be so impressed by our plea to ‘check us out’ that you never bother to. Back to Top
20 DO YOU SHIP YOUR ORDERS RIGHT FROM YOUR OWN INVENTORY?
We’ve seen this used for boasting purposes also, and we don’t get it. We ship from our own inventory too, but so what ? Are they saying they made their own Kenwood radios and Kicker woofers right there in their warehouse ? It all was shipped from the manufacturer at some point. So why would anyone brag about how long boxes sat on their shelf . We’d rather take a radio directly from a manufacturers master carton and place it in your box the same morning. You’ve probably heard of this business standard. It’s called "just on time" inventory.Back to Top
21 WHAT ABOUT THE SITE THAT SAYS " WE PACK WITH GOOD TAPE AND NEW STYROFOAM"?
We use quality packing materials too. But so what ? Are there guys out there shipping stereos in old pillow cases or something ? We do admit to not using new Styrofoam. We use recycled packing wherever possible.
THE ENDYes, we got a little silly at the end. We hope we gave you a smile. But we also hope we made you think a little. We want to operate the best site we can, and we’d like to continue presenting ourselves without a lot of hype. We’d like to have your thoughts as well, so fell free to drop us an E.Back to Top |
