Audio shop rip-offs

[ChevyRidinLow]

Isn't audiobahn out of business now anyway? Last I heard, they filed for bankruptcy.

they did, he thinks audiobahn is like the caddy of audio. but alphasonik bought them out and now have their crap with audiobahns crap name on the market once again

WWW.AUDIOBAHN.COM

 

[tipnitty 10+ year member]

There are a bunch of places around my house and they are all sketchy as a mother. I would go hang out at this one shop that was about 2 blocks from my house. Pretty legit guys. Actually got to talk to Nelly and check out his truck (Back when Nelly was cool). ******* Range Rover with 4 13.5 W7's, big ballin back in the day lol.

 

[DonWan 10+ year member]

there is only one shop in the town I live and the swear by they're minstream crap. They are all about JL which is decent equipment but the prices are to high. everything in there store is way over priced and I think they charge 60 a hour. We have a place that sells sundown audio in Indiana but it's like 3 hours away //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif I would like to drive up there one day just to check out the shop..

 

[ChevyRidinLow]

these are the audio shop options in binghamton ny,

Boom audio-sells low end crap...the guys an idiot

Audioman-mainstream, jl,rf,mtx,pioneer,kenwood and a little bit of re. good guys though

performance autosport-memphis-alpine-kenwood. these guys arent just an audio shop though they do everything related to cars and they actually know what they are doing 99% of the time. great guys too.

but we got slim pickins out here

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Car audio is a luxury industry, so its obviously going to take a big hit when the economy is tanking. That, plus the internet sales biting into local business, means many less-than-honest businesses out there are going to ramp up their attempts to swindle whatever they can out of anyone who walks through their doors. Stay alert guys.

But, with that being said, a shop charging retail prices is not really underhanded. Local shops have overhead to pay for. But this added cost to their customers means, presumably, that their customers are receiving support/service they would not get if they purchased cheaper from an online source. Stay alert, but try to be fair in your assessment of local shops.

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

I was taken by someone I know who works at a local audio shop in 2007. I paid close to $700 for them to add a Memphis Power Reference 10 to the stock system in my 2007 Accord Sedan because I was too lazy to do it myself. $550 of that was for the Memphis Power Reference 10, the 16-PR2.75, enclosure, LOC, and wiring with the remainder being install and tax. Why they charged me for a LOC when my amp had high level inputs, I'll never know.

Then again, I can't complain because when I totaled my car, the wrecker yard wouldn't let me pull the system, BUT it was damaged in the wreck anyhow. My insurance cut me a $500 check for the gear and the insurance of the person who totaled my car cut me another check for the gear, medical bills, and pain and suffering. In the end, I came out ahead financially.

 

[ChevyRidinLow]

I was taken by someone I know who works at a local audio shop in 2007. I paid close to $700 for them to add a Memphis Power Reference 10 to the stock system in my 2007 Accord Sedan because I was too lazy to do it myself. $550 of that was for the Memphis Power Reference 10, the 16-PR2.75, enclosure, LOC, and wiring with the remainder being install and tax. Why they charged me for a LOC when my amp had high level inputs, I'll never know.
Then again, I can't complain because when I totaled my car, the wrecker yard wouldn't let me pull the system, BUT it was damaged in the wreck anyhow. My insurance cut me a $500 check for the gear and the insurance of the person who totaled my car cut me another check for the gear, medical bills, and pain and suffering. In the end, I came out ahead financially.

holy hell 500 something for a pr 10?!

 

[Magnus 10+ year member]

I wish my local shop would burn down. They are the biggest crooks/********* I've ever seen. I remember going in there a few months back and getting into an argument about their low quality mainstream subs. They claimed that my subs were junk because they have never heard of the brand (Cadence ZRS) and that they were the loudest around with their 10 year old JL subs.

 

[Magnus 10+ year member]

I love when guys at shops claim they are professionals when they have no idea about Sundown, DC, Audioque, 2/0 gauge wire, 300 amp alternators, etc. Makes my day.

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

holy hell 500 something for a pr 10?!

I can't find the copy of the invoice, but I know the sub was "on sale" for $99, which I think was WAY overpriced. Sadly, I got nailed for full MSRP and then some on everything else. Come to think of it, the PR2.75 was sent off twice in the 6 months that I owned it.

Anyhow, 2007 was the first time I had purchased ANY car audio gear since January 2000, so the prices didn't seem that out of line with the last setup I purchased from a shop. Of course, I joined a few forums after the overpriced Memphis purchase and realized how bad someone who I thought was my friend screwed me.

EDIT: More recently, as in December 2010, that Memphis dealer was the only shop in town that had a PAC SOEM-T in stock. Fuсker wanted $65 for it so I decided to wait for one to arrive at my door via mail for $22 shipped. I understand their need to make a buck, but holy **** on their pricing WAY ABOVE MSRP.

 

[R34P3R 10+ year member]

Yeah the shop around here is pretty sketchy aswell. Any spare parts you leave for installation are never seen again (wire, component grills, replaced equipment), but pricing always seems decent. They are the only game in town so its kinda them or nothing. They are also a JL ONLY dealer, so if you need anything besides JL you're out of luck. As always, anything you own, JL has done it better, with them.

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

I was at a shop in Florida, asking the owner about his box builds, and he told me that he only uses MDF. When I asked why he had never used Birch he told me that birch has a horrible sound and makes your subs work harder than they would in a MDF enclosure... HAH!

Needless to say, he recieved no business nor credibility from me...

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

I love when guys at shops claim they are professionals when they have no idea about Sundown, DC, Audioque, 2/0 gauge wire, 300 amp alternators, etc. Makes my day.

300A alternators do not exist:fyi: for my particular vehicle

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

What most local shops can be found guilty of is naivety. They know what they are taught. Doesn't mean they can't be able to do their job. I enjoy having an abundance of shops. When I feel lazy, let them take apart my car and put it back together. Especially in the winter months. No heated garage for me. Though, you pay for the convenience, as with everything else.

To me, the most important things are experience at the task I want performed, and being a good person. I'd rather have a naive, friendly guy than a knowledgeable jerk.

If you make friends, some shops may even do favors for you. Employee pricing, use of their tools and install bay, etc.

 

[1rockford1 5,000+ posts]

i never got anything othere then a jbl 15 and some speaker wire.