# Speaker mix up- opinion?



## daddybigbucks (Jan 30, 2011)

3 weeks ago i went into a well known home audio store (visions) and ordered some tower speakers. The speakers were total ~$1000.
I wanted them in cherry colour and they would come directly from the factory.
I had to pay up front for them and they said they would be in about 2 weeks.
3 weeks pass and no call, so i give a call to hear the excuse.
She says that my speakers are in.

Great, so i go into the store to pick them up.
They are bustling around trying to find my speakers for 45 minutes. 
In the end, they tell me that they inadvertently gave my speakers to someone else 5 days ago.
They said they will get him to bring them back tomorrow and I can take them then.
I said " whoa, i payed for factory sealed speakers. I dont know anything what happened here."
They said he just opened them to check that they were in there.
But to me, if he opened them and saw they were the wrong colour, why wouldn't he have phoned back?

Then they started saying they would give some discount and blah blah blah.
In the end, i said, i just want my money back.
They reluctantly did.

My wife said i was too harsh. 
any opinions how anyone else would handle this?


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

You should get what you paid for.

Mistakes happen........but it is their fault.........not yours.

They should have ordered you a new set of speakers and a gift card for your patience.

It would be an object lesson to the manager of the store and the employee who screwed up the order....mistakes cost money, and customers are too valuable to lose over them.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

daddybigbucks said:


> My wife said i was too harsh.
> any opinions how anyone else would handle this?


You want to prove your wife wrong? :chuncky:

No need to feel guilty [if that's how you're feeling]. 

You were already frustrated by the initial delay, and then the mix-up, so I understand your reaction. 

However, I would have taken the discount considering the new speakers were elsewhere for just 6 days [mistakes happen, especially at a busy holiday time].

And if I had worked for the store, I would have given you more options: put a rush re-order/what was suggested/and last but not least, offer your money back b4 you asked for it.

Expensive speakers!


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

I would have taken and inspected the speakers and taken the offered discount. 

I think you threw the baby out with the bathwater here and basically just caused yourself a lot of hassle and lost money. I don't get it.


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## praire_guy (Sep 8, 2011)

So what was the problem? Were they the wrong color? If so reorder the proper color. 

As for the mix up, take the discount. Also maybe shop at a new store in the future.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

daddy my vote says u did the right thing.

there's no sign you were impatient or impolite. The fact that you were willing to pay top dollar & even wanted the speakers in your preferred colour tells me that you were never shopping for any kind of discount in this instance.

it appears you wanted to buy a premium product fair & square. No haggling, no discount, no putting up with hidden damage that another customer might have caused during the 6 days he had possession of the speakers you had ordered.

what's more, from the getgo you were happy to pay the premium price. I think this store has likely lost a premium client. It's their loss.

turning now to your wife, fin du compte i suspect she'd much rather be married to a spunky guy like yourself than to a spineless milquetoast who'd meekly put up with any old shabby that came along. She might have been disappointed that it'll be necessary, now, to wait for another order to prove up.

ps sags is right, as usual


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

ps another aspect of the comedy is What's With the Other Customer?

as far as we are told, he, too, came to this store in good faith, purchased & paid for an expensive pair of speakers that the store willingly offered to sell to him. These he promptly took home. There could have been no confusion about the colour for him; it would have been marked on the exterior of the carton.

so 6 days later the store phones & tells him to return the speakers that he's paid for & is happy with? what kind of store would do that?

even more amazingly, apparently the other customer does. Return the speakers, that is.

now the store has 2 hi-value customers without speakers, each one ticked off & looking for another merchant. Meanwhile, store has an unsold, open-box, condition unknown pair of expensive speakers, but no buyers. Technically these are now "used" speakers.

truly it's the sales manager who should be shown the door, je pense


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

Wow, that escalated quickly.

Why does everyone have to go bat **** crazy immediately? What ever happened to talking things out, knowing that everyone makes mistakes, and the virtue of forgiveness.

There is no Jesus.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

whatever has kwistianity got to do with shabby store conduct? like, it's a business situation, not a downtown lower east side salvation mission.

please notice, all is calm, all is bright, save & except for the usual suspect racing into b.s. religiosity.

none surely it must be time to launch into your trademark jerks! idiots! routine ...


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

I think you have made that redundant.


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## Taraz (Nov 24, 2013)

BTW, if you want built-in speakers instead, http://www.monoprice.com/ has prices way lower than the local box stores, and better quality, too.


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## PuckiTwo (Oct 26, 2011)

none said:


> What ever happened to talking things out, knowing that everyone makes mistakes, and the virtue of forgiveness


I think that is one of our today’s society problems - we try to solve everything by “talking things out”, we excuse every slip with “everyone makes mistakes” and we want to be forgiven all the time. Kids learn in school: if you make a mistake, don’t worry, next time you do it better - and next time is the same thing. They pass classes when they shouldn’t. 

I myself also like to talk things out (not sure about the virtue of forgiveness, lol). However, at one point there has to be a limit to being patient.and accepting sloppy service.

Many of our sales people are quite lackadaisical - a satisfied customer does not seem to matter anymore. Probably all of us have had similar experiences - isn’t it annoying when you don’t get what you paid for? 

We ordered separately three quite expensive household items that arrived without proper packaging, all three were damaged. The sales people shrugged, only one of them replaced the item without asking. The OP rightly refused the “now used speakers”, who knows what happened to them... what the other customer did to them? 

Maybe part of a kindergarden/school curriculum could be to learn that if one makes mistakes that there could be repercussions, that there are also responsibilities - and maybe apologies. In this case the OP can expect that his $1000 product is not only in perfect condition and in original packaging, in exactly the colour he ordered. He should have gotten a phone call that his product is in and that it is being held for him.


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## daddybigbucks (Jan 30, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> it appears you wanted to buy a premium product fair & square. No haggling, no discount, no putting up with hidden damage that another customer might have caused during the 6 days he had possession of the speakers you had ordered.


that is how i felt. These speakers should last 20+ years, so i wanted no BS. Just plain and simple.

I think i figured out why i got "bat **** crazy". It was that they treated me good when i was looking for a set of speakers. They played my music, let me try different models, etc. 
Then i paid upfront for the speakers. So i paid ~$1000 and all i got was a slip of paper and a promise.

Then my order came in, and then they didnt phone me, made me wait, gave me stories, told me come back, etc. 

So it seems, after they took my money, they were pretty much done with me.

oh well, i was expecting a phone call from them when i came home because i am willing to talk now. 
But they didn't so its time to "turn the page".

I do think your right, that manager should be punted.


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## PuckiTwo (Oct 26, 2011)

daddybigbucks said:


> Then i paid upfront for the speakers. So i paid ~$1000 and all i got was a slip of paper and a promise.


We do not pay full price on order anymore but hold back a substantial amount so that the sales person has to pay attention. They don't like it but they all want to sell - and of course, we pay immediately the full amount when we have inspected and tested the product.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

The salesman at visions prob makes 12.50 a hr,do you think he cares?
I'm not trying to say the company isn't at fault but I'm never surprised when a big box store makes mistakes(happens all the time)
It's all about volume and really you shouldn't expect much out of big box,screw ups like this is par for the course.
I'm not surprised,special orders from big box has to atleast bare a slight responsibility on the consumer choosing to deal with them.
If you were looking for higher customer service I think you should of dealt with a specialty electronics shop.
Not excusing visions but are you really surprised?im not.
Reminds me of when I have used home depot ect for specials orders(same thing)I've learned to avoid big box if you are shopping for items that are not "stock"
You get what you pay for and in big box the wages are so low nobody gives a ****-it's the truth.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

daddybigbucks said:


> These speakers should last 20+ years, so i wanted no BS. Just plain and simple.
> 
> I think i figured out why i got "bat **** crazy". It was that they treated me good when i was looking for a set of speakers. They played my music, let me try different models, etc.
> Then i paid upfront for the speakers. So i paid ~$1000 and all i got was a slip of paper and a promise.
> ...



there are elements of trust being betrayed here, which help to make the story strong. Daddy i'm glad you got your money back. In the next chapter, surely those dream speakers are going to materialize.

btw another practical reason for rejecting the returned speakers in their opened cartons, after they had spent nearly a week in someone else's possession, would likely have been that the warranty had been voided.

consumer protection acts in canada all provide that merchants & vendors must deliver goods in good working condition. But goose-stepping sideways via another party for 6 days offers a perfect "out" for a traditional warranty to be broken.

anyhow, all's well that ends well.


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## Ag Driver (Dec 13, 2012)

1) Customer pays for a specific, new product. 
2) Company has the ability, but fails to produce.

It's quite simple, and obviously piss poor customer service. I'm happy to hear you told them to stuff it. I think that anyone who thinks otherwise should NEVER work in retail .... ever.


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## daddybigbucks (Jan 30, 2011)

PuckiTwo said:


> We do not pay full price on order anymore but hold back a substantial amount so that the sales person has to pay attention. They don't like it but they all want to sell - and of course, we pay immediately the full amount when we have inspected and tested the product.


Very good idea.
What percentage to you usually give?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

I've recently come to the conclusion that you should not pay in full until you have received the goods you agreed to in full working order. I Donnie to buy things online, but only from retailers that provide good service. Many bricks and mortar ships provide poor service and perhaps actively attempt to pull fast ones on their customers, particularly once they already have their money. 'Accidentally' failing to deliver accessories or complete services.

I think OP was perfectly justified in requesting a refund.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

PuckiTwo said:


> ﻿
> 
> I think that is one of our today’s society problems - we try to solve everything by “talking things out”, we excuse every slip with “everyone makes mistakes” and we want to be forgiven all the time. Kids learn in school: if you make a mistake, don’t worry, next time you do it better - and next time is the same thing. They pass classes when they shouldn’t.
> 
> ...


Great post Pucki2!

Mediocrity is the norm these days unfortunately, and that's regardless of job/profession/salary. Did I get used to it? No, I never will. Do I accept it? No, but as it happens so regularly, and hence today's [tolerated] standard, how often do we have a choice? 

Many not only embrace, but defend mediocrity. As the title of a book says, we are 'Trapped in Mediocrity', and I don't see a way out anytime soon.

The times when I have encouraged others to not settle for anything but excellence, and to not forever give excuses and reward the poor behaviour/performance of others, I was told that I was too demanding, and that I needed to recognize and accept average is a big part of life, and yes, I suppose it is. 

DBB had every right to ask for his money back, and in fact, it should have been offered to him before he even asked for it.

The speakers in question may never have been used [how I interpreted the post], and how much damage one could do in 6 days? But sure that's not the point, however, if I had been in a hurry for them, I would have accepted the return after full inspection, and of course with a full warranty. 

Firing someone for the mix-up would have been harsh IMHO, unless such mistakes had been the norm rather than exception for the worker in question.

Speaking about kids and not worrying about their mistakes, I was reminded of the 'affluenza' defence that set free a 16 year old killer of 4. Just what was the judge thinking, really?!!


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

It was a screw up, but it's no need for everybody to get fired. If you've ever worked retail you know what likely happened. Speakers were ordered and delivered. They day they came in, the sales person that sold them wasn't in. So they sat until that person came in. That sales person was never told they arrived. So they sat.Two days later, the second customer comes in looking for speakers. A different salesperson (feeling the pressure to sell from management) sells them, having ZERO idea that they were promised to somebody else.

So then daddybigbucks calls. They check the computer, and "Yep, here they are" so he roles in to pick them up. Turns out, they aren't there. Why? Nobody knows because neither of the two two part time $10.25+commission sales people are in.

That's probably how that happened. What happened next was the problem. The manager should have offered a full refund, a higher quality in-stock item for the same price, or a discount on the re-order. Then you sit down with staff and go over the supply chain. Knowing full well that in six months, the people you're talking to aren't going to be working there anyway, and it will happen again.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

daddybigbucks said:


> Then they started saying they would give some discount and blah blah blah.
> In the end, i said, i just want my money back.
> They reluctantly did.
> 
> ...


I would have done the same. As you said good speakers can last some 20+ years and some people believe they have a break in process. I'm not sure about that but they could certainly be abused when they are brand new by "trying them out" or with a bad amp or who knows what..

If you are still shopping, some of the best tower speakers at that price range are Canadian brand Paradigm. I hate to be materialistic about "things", but I'd part with pretty much all of it before my Paradigms. As already mentioned Monoprice has great prices (I buy wires etc there but not speakers)


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

I got my husband Paradigms for his home theatre for our 10th anniversary and he's very satisfied with them.


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## daddybigbucks (Jan 30, 2011)

m3s said:


> If you are still shopping, some of the best tower speakers at that price range are Canadian brand Paradigm. I hate to be materialistic about "things", but I'd part with pretty much all of it before my Paradigms. As already mentioned Monoprice has great prices (I buy wires etc there but not speakers)


After i got my money back from visions, i looked around and saw Klipsch rf82 on for sale at london drugs.
I originally wanted the Klipsch but i heard Klipsch is now made in China so that i why i was switching over to Polk.
But with the 1/2 off sale and the fact my ears love klipsch, i went into LD to buy them.

Wouldnt you know it, when i said i'll take the speakers, the salesman said he only has a set of "opened box" speakers that someone returned and he would give me a discount on it.
First i looked around for the candid camera then i politely said " no, please order me a new set".
Surprisingly, they had a new set in the back and he told me the manager said that the opened box set should not be sold, they are damaged.

But I got the sealed set home and watched my first movie on them and i am satisfied. It was a bit of a horror flick and i got to say i was gripping my seat in suspense with the clarity and power of the sound.

alls well that ends well.


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## PuckiTwo (Oct 26, 2011)

daddybigbucks said:


> Very good idea. What percentage to you usually give?


Great that things worked out for you at the end. At least you can have a good feeling about it now. To answer your question above; I don't have a set percentage - it depends a bit on how big the item is. The last time we held back $1000 on a $6000 item. But I would think between 20-50%, depending if you can trust the shop. It has to be enough that the shop pays attention but not so much that they think they will not get their money. In your case I would have probably paid an installment of $500. My concern is always that you pay in advance and while the item is being ordered the shop goes bankrupt (especially with smaller, individual shops). 



Toronto.gal said:


> Mediocrity is the norm these days unfortunately, and that's regardless of job/profession/salary. Did I get used to it? No, I never will. Do I accept it? No, but as it happens so regularly, and hence today's [tolerated] standard, how often do we have a choice?


I think you do (have a choice). If you think as you do you owe it to yourself to not accept mediocre behaviour. The difficulty is how does one provide guidance without being patronizing. In some cases one can express dissatisfaction, with others one may have to resort to not to deal with the business in future. 

Some problems can also be solved by laying down the terms and conditions under which the purchaser is buying a product from a certain business. If the store knows that I will only a accept a factory sealed product then hopefully the product will arrived sealed (but I learned that only after 3 major purchases, lol).

One remark to Crazyjacksca post upthread: you are right, it is not only the sales staff which often does not pay any attention to the customer. If the sales staff stands around and finds it more important to talk about the fun they had the night before than paying attention to a customer it is the responsibility of the manager to change the situation and educate staff accordingly. As T.Gal says, mediocrity does not stop at certain levels.


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