If a store doesn't offer a 30-day trial, would it be unwise to buy from them? What if the new equipment doesn't match favourably with my current setup? How much of an issue could this be?
i absolutely would not buy from any store if they didn't offer some sort of money-back guarantee. it doesn't necessarily have to be 30-days...i've seen 15 days...but it better be something. and i'm not talking in-store credit either. i mean, 100% money back guarantee with no restocking fees. any audio store worth it's salt knows that gear sounds different at home. i don't care what excuse they give you...if the gear doesn't work for you you shouldn't be stuck with it.
This is usually one of the first questions I ask any store; What their in home demo policy is. The ones I continue to do business with are the ones that have a decent lending policy. It typically means you pay the whole price for an open box unit to demo at home for a week or so, with no questions asked when the unit is returned, as long as the unit is still in the same working order, and a full refund is given. Stores that won't lend with a policy something similar to this aren't worth my time or money.
I agree with everyone else on this one. I was looking at purchasing new speakers a few months back and I was allowed to demo some Energy Cr3's, C1's and C7's. After a week I returned the speakers and went with a different company a week later (Def. Tech's). These were nice speakers BUT I dont think I would be as happy as I am right now. ALSO some of these stores have SO MUCH MONEY invested in their demo rooms that it makes perfect sense to take them home.
