FrankieD
Auditioning
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2003
- Messages
- 11
Hey all, let me apologize first before I continue; I’m sorry for venting. My story…..
For weeks I have been reading and posting for ideas about a new speaker system. I finally decided to go with Paradigm speakers. Well I kept switching between all three of their lines, one day it was their Monitor line, the next their Reference, and then combos between fronts and rears with a mix of Performance and Monitors, etc. It was time for the all important demo to solidify my system. Armed with several CD’s, a list of tracks I wanted to hear, and questions, I found my nearest dealer, an outfit in South Florida. I walked into the place. The guy behind the counter, (either the store owner or a top manager), looks and me and says “What do you want?” I explained my story and asked to demo some speakers. He stood up and walked towards the back, I followed, (no “come on, this way” just turned and walked). Over his shoulder he said they don’t have the “cheaper” Paradigm speakers for demo, just the Monitors and Reference lines. We arrived at a nice setup with all Monitor speakers, I handed him my CD and told him I wanted to listen to the Mon 7 without any subwoofer. I explained that I will be buying one in the future and didn’t want it to interfere with the speakers. He asked which one I was looking out and I said an SVS. He made a comment about a “no name brand” and I should get all Paradigm speakers including the sub for a “true” system. My stomach began to sink. I then asked him a question about the center speaker and his answer was another smart A@# response about choose your fronts first and get the center to match. That was NOT my question. He then put on my CD. As I listened I walked about the room, looked at the speakers, rear connectors, sat down, etc. He followed me like he thought I was going to stuff a speaker down my pants and run out. Just before the first track ended, of the first song of my demo tracks, he turned the sound down and announced if I was ready to listen the Studio 60’s. I was dumbfounded. He popped the CD out and headed into a different room. He all but tossed a chair into the middle of the room, and put the CD on, didn’t point out the 60’s or anything. No joke, within the first 20 seconds of the music track he began saying how much cleaner, crisper, and better these 60’s were compared the Monitors. At this point I couldn’t tell if I was listening to the music I brought with me or one of my son’s Wiggles CD’s, I was so pissed off. I tried to ask about Paradigm’s ADP surrounds or using their 20’s as rears with my room configuration and the Son of a B#@$ laughed and said the 20’s would sound terrible and that “you have to go with the ADP’s for a true matched system”. At this point his cell phone rings. He pops my CD out, hands it back to me and walks out of the room. There was a mirror in the hall; I looked myself over, (clean cut, shirt, shorts, sneakers, deodorant, etc….), and thought “What the Hell just happened”. Here I was willing to drop probably over $2k for speakers and this clown treats a customer like dirt. Maybe he thinks $2k is chump change for his “usual” clients, but $2k is $2k. I guess he has so much business he doesn’t need to try, (needless to say I was the only one in the shop on a Saturday afternoon). Oh well, there is another dealer some miles north of me. I’ll try it again the next free Saturday I get, (3 weeks or so). Again, sorry for venting and the long post, but I am still in shock.
Frank…
For weeks I have been reading and posting for ideas about a new speaker system. I finally decided to go with Paradigm speakers. Well I kept switching between all three of their lines, one day it was their Monitor line, the next their Reference, and then combos between fronts and rears with a mix of Performance and Monitors, etc. It was time for the all important demo to solidify my system. Armed with several CD’s, a list of tracks I wanted to hear, and questions, I found my nearest dealer, an outfit in South Florida. I walked into the place. The guy behind the counter, (either the store owner or a top manager), looks and me and says “What do you want?” I explained my story and asked to demo some speakers. He stood up and walked towards the back, I followed, (no “come on, this way” just turned and walked). Over his shoulder he said they don’t have the “cheaper” Paradigm speakers for demo, just the Monitors and Reference lines. We arrived at a nice setup with all Monitor speakers, I handed him my CD and told him I wanted to listen to the Mon 7 without any subwoofer. I explained that I will be buying one in the future and didn’t want it to interfere with the speakers. He asked which one I was looking out and I said an SVS. He made a comment about a “no name brand” and I should get all Paradigm speakers including the sub for a “true” system. My stomach began to sink. I then asked him a question about the center speaker and his answer was another smart A@# response about choose your fronts first and get the center to match. That was NOT my question. He then put on my CD. As I listened I walked about the room, looked at the speakers, rear connectors, sat down, etc. He followed me like he thought I was going to stuff a speaker down my pants and run out. Just before the first track ended, of the first song of my demo tracks, he turned the sound down and announced if I was ready to listen the Studio 60’s. I was dumbfounded. He popped the CD out and headed into a different room. He all but tossed a chair into the middle of the room, and put the CD on, didn’t point out the 60’s or anything. No joke, within the first 20 seconds of the music track he began saying how much cleaner, crisper, and better these 60’s were compared the Monitors. At this point I couldn’t tell if I was listening to the music I brought with me or one of my son’s Wiggles CD’s, I was so pissed off. I tried to ask about Paradigm’s ADP surrounds or using their 20’s as rears with my room configuration and the Son of a B#@$ laughed and said the 20’s would sound terrible and that “you have to go with the ADP’s for a true matched system”. At this point his cell phone rings. He pops my CD out, hands it back to me and walks out of the room. There was a mirror in the hall; I looked myself over, (clean cut, shirt, shorts, sneakers, deodorant, etc….), and thought “What the Hell just happened”. Here I was willing to drop probably over $2k for speakers and this clown treats a customer like dirt. Maybe he thinks $2k is chump change for his “usual” clients, but $2k is $2k. I guess he has so much business he doesn’t need to try, (needless to say I was the only one in the shop on a Saturday afternoon). Oh well, there is another dealer some miles north of me. I’ll try it again the next free Saturday I get, (3 weeks or so). Again, sorry for venting and the long post, but I am still in shock.
Frank…
