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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Ever been disappointed for not having the desired item(s), as per the aggravating sales pitch of the salesperson? However, within days (maybe even hours), you would get a better deal for the same item (or better!) elsewhere. And then, come back to the sales rep that pissed you off, and brag about the great deal you got and rub it in his or her face. If you do ... feel free to share it here. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | With a twist: on the other side of this.
I've had low ball offers made for gear. Offers made with an attitude that they are doing me a favor and if i change my mind their offer was for a limited time only. Or that they had other financial obligations and couldn't afford market price, and would i do them a favor.
Some of these offers were for less than half of market price. I guess it doesn't hurt to ask, but i find them a bit insulting.
However, i never went back to any of them and "rub it in their face" when i sell eventually sold the gear at market price.
_____
gh1 |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | i get it rubbed in my face all the time. I think that is considered "sport" by many. |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | ooppss!! ... I forgot to factor the merchant's side of the story. Those stories count as well. :)
It doesn't have to be just limited to musical gear ... any item is fair game ... share away. |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | I'm not usually the haggling type, and I would usually grab a good bargain with no questions asked, when the opportunity comes into sight. Among them, a Martin DX1, which I paid $150 with gig bag at a yard sale last year.
Otherwise, I'm the type who would shop around and get the best quotes possible, and then compare the prices before making the purchase. That was the case with my HD-28 which I purchased last year. I'm fortunate to have 3 SAs, and 2 GCs within driving distance from my house, in addition to the independent music shops in the area. After making all the price comparison(s), I ended up getting a good deal at Mandolin Bros.
Unfortunately, my dad wasn't so lucky. During that time I'd been shopping around for the HD-28, he was interested in purchasing one for himself too, but the GC in his location would not give him a reasonable price. They claimed that if he saw a much lower price than what they sell, they would "beat it."
I visited my parents three months after I purchased my guitar. He even had the opportunity to play it, which increased his interest to really acquire one. This time, we both went to GC and we spoke to the same salesman that my dad spoke to. Still, he would not budge with his price.
When I showed him my HD-28 along with the sales receipt (which was $400 less than his asking price), he changed his pitch, and he would give us the exact price that I paid for. Just when I thought it was over, he added sales tax to the price, which jacked up the price again. I told him that I would not pay that price, because the one I purchased at MB included the sales tax, as per sales receipt. I also added that 3 months should not make much of a difference in the price of a guitar. He pretty much told us that it was his final offer, that we could either "take it or leave it."
Anyway, we left the store. One month after, my dad had given up on Martins altogether, but ended up with a Gibson SJ200 with mustache bridge, which was even $200 less than what I paid for my HD-28. It was a happy ending overall... |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | If you take the game of haggling too personally, you shouldn't play.
It's a game.
You don't like that game, get an hourly job.
Rubbing someone's face in it is poor sportsmanship.
Be gracefull and generous in winning.
Be strong and resilient in losing.
Or stay off the field. |
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October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | (Not for the Martin folks and, if that's the GC up here, Gil, that salesman is now the Manager because they're all like that and the only thing you can get in there is attitude and plenty of it. I go in there from time to time to play around but, if I'm buying, it's the small time, local guy around the corner who's been there forever who gets the sale. Man! Hate that GC.) |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 548
Location: Up North | In the bigger picture, these things we're talking about are luxury items. We're not talking about putting food on the table, or shelter from the storm.
If you have the disposable income to purchase a collector guitar, Good for You!
But to get a deal that cuts any resonable profit out of a sale and then go back and rub it in someone's face who held the line on their price to try and earn a living, what satisfaction can there be in that? |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | I honestly don't think that's what Gil was asking, Grif. I don't think he (or most anyone else here) would gain any enjoyment out of taking food off anyone else's table. Just the opposite actually. I think he's talking about a seller trying to take advantage of a buyer and the buyer getting a fair deal elsewhere, that's all. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 548
Location: Up North | I just don't see any point, If you got a great deal, then be happy! Why waste the time to go back to a place you didn't get the deal and try to rub it in their face? |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Actually, I don't rub my good fortune in other people's faces. Basically because she (good fortune) doesn't visit me too often and I hate it when people do it to me.
When I go into a store, I don't haggle, I just state my best offer, and if they don't take it, I leave and go elsewhere. No big deal. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 548
Location: Up North | Apologies to participants of this thread.
I didn't mean to throw a wet blanket on an entertaining discussion.
I'm going to go kneel in the corner for 15 minutes. |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Thanks Weas for clarifying that for me. My dad and I got a better deal elsewhere, and never went back to the GC. So we never got to rub anything into anyone's face either. And your right Weas, it is the GC in your area by Erie Blvd.
It is not my intention to offend anyone. My inquiry, however, was that "IF" anyone had that opportunity and/or experience, feel free to share it, that peeps like myself may learn from others. Hoping not to make the same, if not similar, mistake in the future.
As for the "rubbing in" statement, I understand that it is not the right thing to do. However, there are times when the occasion warrants it, and those are the stories that I was hoping to see in this thread. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3411
Location: GA USA | Well, GCenter haters, you might like this. We weren't in the guy's face, but GC was having its weekly blowout sale (labor day 2005). My son and I went to GC to check out basses. He'd been saving, I'd been selling stuff, and we almost had enough to get him the Marcus Miller Jazz he wanted, but not quite.
We walked into GC, knowing we weren't buying that day, and told the guy that greeted us so.
In the bass room, there were two American Jazz basses mis-priced at $499, half of what the sale price should have been. Immediately we walked to the counter with one, and the other shopper in the room grabbed the other.
At the counter, we had to wait a while as they figured out what to do with us. Our sales guy (the greeter) came to us and said they would honor the $599 price. I informed him it was really $499. "Oh, you're right."
The last thing he said as we were leaving was "I thought you said you weren't buying."
So we got a better bass with case for pretty much exactly what we had saved.
That was the same day I entered the Atlanta Air Guitar Championships just for fun.
BTW, I'm not a GC hater. I buy stuff there. |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Originally posted by Captain_Lovehandles:
BTW, I'm not a GC hater. I buy stuff there. ditto ... every now and then, I go there for accessories and stuff, so overall it's not always a bad experience going there. |
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April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Hmm...I go to an MC (Guitarstore intially but so Succesful that they`ve started to sell violins etc.)anyways,I allways talk to 1 person there whom I kind a know,who "skims" the prices (to me),however, there are others who gladly tell people that they can n`t reduce,not even a nickel,so it really is up to the person behind the desk, some are great,while others....!!
BTW, Nice Goin`Ignim ,of course we`re entitled to pick up a great scoop, Sure , EveryOne is Entitled to make a Good Livin` ,but some Do try to skin us...which reminds me..I`m skinned, and it`s the beginning of the month..better put some salestax on my next " performance ".. ;)
Vic :cool: |
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October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | I wouldn't say I'm a "hater" either but, with the local attitude, you could call me a "real pain in the ass" and be real close to accurate. |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Here's a story fit for this thread ... it wasn't intentional, but in some form or another the "rubbing in" action was appropriate.
Besides my GAS addiction, my love affair with the automobile is long gone. These days, all that matters to me is that it's clean, well maintained, and gets me from point A to point B (and vice versa) without any hassles. The engine size, horsepower, and 0 to 60 acceleration time doesn't mean anything to me.
In my household, my wife is enjoying the Subaru. As for myself [don't laugh], I drive a Kia Optima from my home to work and back. I must be lucky for this car hasn't given me any problems ... 2 years, and 50,000 miles later, it's still going and showing no signs of slowing down *knock on wood* What I didn't realize was that buying it would be a pain in the rear, and that's exactly what happened two years ago, with all the arm-twisting and aggravation in between ...
There's a Kia dealership just two blocks away from my house. I walked in there hoping to purchase a standard commuter car, when the salesman there introduced me to the Spectra. After the test drive, I was sold, but the salesman's offer was not what I wanted, so I told him that I would "sleep over it" in the meantime.
Then came the barrage of phone calls, which at times became annoying. One day I picked up one of his phone calls where he gave me an offer that was just too good to be true. I returned to the dealership two days after the phone call, only to find out that his offer doesn't stand any longer, and gave me a new price which was even higher than what was initially offered to me. He claimed that they their sale ended 48 hours ago, and the price he gave me was no longer valid, so I walked out once again.
One week later, he called me once again with a very good offer. This time, the offer stood with the condition that I should finance it through them. After making the calculations, it would turn out that I would be paying a whole lot more. I told them that I would rather finance with my credit union, but they wouldn't budge, so I walked out of there one more time.
I was about to give up, but decided to give it another try. To compare prices and get a second opinion, I went to a Kia dealership located in Bayside, Queens. When I went there, they gave me an offer that was just too good to pass, and this time it was for real. For the price initially offered to me by the dealer two blocks away from my house, this Bayside dealer would sell me an Optima instead of a Spectra, and I got to finance it with my credit union. I closed the deal immediately.
Because of the convenience of having a dealership two blocks away from my house, that's where I'd been taking my car for general, preventive and warranty related services. During the first two months of ownership of my car, I could still vividly remember the look at that salesman's face when I pull in their service department's lot. Shortly after that, I learned that he no longer worked there ...
Now my car will be all paid for this coming November and it's time to shop for another one. This time, my wife and I are going back to the car that we initially fell in love with -- a Subaru. |
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OT: go ahead and rub it in!
