Harris_M
Auditioning
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2002
- Messages
- 7
"rich_h" has said it was his last post on the subject, and that is clearly his right. However, there are some major league issues in Rom Fone's statements. He seems to want to have his cake and eat it too, but in the real world you can't have it both ways:
Ron Fone:
"...cables..a necessary purchase as none is included..."
>>Why is it "necessary purchase"? Presumably, many purchasers of the 950 or PT-7000 are using it to replace something else, and thus do not need any cables. Building a price comparison based on the inclusion of cables is poor logic.
>> What kind of cables is he including with the PT-7000? Are they similar in quality to the cables Outlaw is selling, or to similar products from other respected independent cable brands? How many pairs cables are included and what length are they? Are the cables something that have a retail value of $100? $200? More?
>> Even if the cables ARE included, it's probably a safe bet that most likely PT-7000 customers will be advanced 'philes who have their own idea on which cables sound best, and they would have no need for those supplied with the PT-7000, presuming that they are of decent quality in the first place.
Ron Fone:
"...We in turn expect them to provide a high level of service and commitment to our customers and I for one hope very much that they will sell our product as close to the retail price of $1500.00 as is possible."
"...my official rebuttal of the notion that our new PT-7000 will be sold at anything less than its suggested retail price of $1500.00."
>> If that's the case, why is one of his dealers (Granite) offering it in this thread as quoted here: "...For anybody interested in sherbourn, I am a sherbourn dealer in Las Vegas. I am taking orders..."
Ron Fone:
"We for our part are committed to the traditional (tried and trusted) way of selling our product through franchised dealers. Yes, our product at $1500.00 (complete with cables and delivered for free by the dealer who will also set up the unit for you and who will be on hand should you need further assistance)..."
>> If that's the case, and I suspect this shoudl be directed not at Sherbourn, but at Granite, will you deliver it anywhere for free and also install it for free and also provide after-sales service via phone and the web for free? Please correct me if this is wrong.
If that isn't enough, there is a flaw in Mr. Fone's arithmetic: If the Outlaw costs $899 and let's add his $50 for shipping, that's $949. Let’s go all the way and add four pairs of Outlaw’s 1.2m interconnects for $159+$13 shipping. That’s a total of $1,076. If the Sherbourn costs $1,500 and you live in a state with 7% sales tax (yes, some are less, some are MORE), that’s another $105. Thus, the total price difference between a 950 delivered to your door vs. a PT-7000 OUT the door is $529, not "$350-$450" as detailed in both messages from Mr. Fone. AND will Sherbourn assure us that ALL purchases include free delivery and set-up? If not, the argument being posed falls apart.
It just doesn't add up -- both the math and the sales policy. Perhaps there is a disconnect between Sherbourn and their dealers over web/net sales. (I guess that’s legal, but it seems to violate the policies stated by Sherbourn’s President). If not, then it seems that Sherbourn is looking the other way and letter dealers move goods via the web on one hand, while it insists on the other that it is, in their words "..committed to the traditional (tried and trusted) way of selling our product through franchised dealers."
Don't get me wrong. The Sherbourn verison of the 950 is probably a great product that will appeal to people who choose to take issue with the industrial design of the Outlaw. Further, their amps are well known for quality and appear to be a good value. The problem here is inconsistancy and illogical math. It just seems like they are trying to awfully hard to make people think that a price differential of $601 (MSRP to MSRP) is half that with parlour tricks rather than fact.
Ron Fone:
"...cables..a necessary purchase as none is included..."
>>Why is it "necessary purchase"? Presumably, many purchasers of the 950 or PT-7000 are using it to replace something else, and thus do not need any cables. Building a price comparison based on the inclusion of cables is poor logic.
>> What kind of cables is he including with the PT-7000? Are they similar in quality to the cables Outlaw is selling, or to similar products from other respected independent cable brands? How many pairs cables are included and what length are they? Are the cables something that have a retail value of $100? $200? More?
>> Even if the cables ARE included, it's probably a safe bet that most likely PT-7000 customers will be advanced 'philes who have their own idea on which cables sound best, and they would have no need for those supplied with the PT-7000, presuming that they are of decent quality in the first place.
Ron Fone:
"...We in turn expect them to provide a high level of service and commitment to our customers and I for one hope very much that they will sell our product as close to the retail price of $1500.00 as is possible."
"...my official rebuttal of the notion that our new PT-7000 will be sold at anything less than its suggested retail price of $1500.00."
>> If that's the case, why is one of his dealers (Granite) offering it in this thread as quoted here: "...For anybody interested in sherbourn, I am a sherbourn dealer in Las Vegas. I am taking orders..."
Ron Fone:
"We for our part are committed to the traditional (tried and trusted) way of selling our product through franchised dealers. Yes, our product at $1500.00 (complete with cables and delivered for free by the dealer who will also set up the unit for you and who will be on hand should you need further assistance)..."
>> If that's the case, and I suspect this shoudl be directed not at Sherbourn, but at Granite, will you deliver it anywhere for free and also install it for free and also provide after-sales service via phone and the web for free? Please correct me if this is wrong.
If that isn't enough, there is a flaw in Mr. Fone's arithmetic: If the Outlaw costs $899 and let's add his $50 for shipping, that's $949. Let’s go all the way and add four pairs of Outlaw’s 1.2m interconnects for $159+$13 shipping. That’s a total of $1,076. If the Sherbourn costs $1,500 and you live in a state with 7% sales tax (yes, some are less, some are MORE), that’s another $105. Thus, the total price difference between a 950 delivered to your door vs. a PT-7000 OUT the door is $529, not "$350-$450" as detailed in both messages from Mr. Fone. AND will Sherbourn assure us that ALL purchases include free delivery and set-up? If not, the argument being posed falls apart.
It just doesn't add up -- both the math and the sales policy. Perhaps there is a disconnect between Sherbourn and their dealers over web/net sales. (I guess that’s legal, but it seems to violate the policies stated by Sherbourn’s President). If not, then it seems that Sherbourn is looking the other way and letter dealers move goods via the web on one hand, while it insists on the other that it is, in their words "..committed to the traditional (tried and trusted) way of selling our product through franchised dealers."
Don't get me wrong. The Sherbourn verison of the 950 is probably a great product that will appeal to people who choose to take issue with the industrial design of the Outlaw. Further, their amps are well known for quality and appear to be a good value. The problem here is inconsistancy and illogical math. It just seems like they are trying to awfully hard to make people think that a price differential of $601 (MSRP to MSRP) is half that with parlour tricks rather than fact.
