hispls 5,000+ posts
CarAudio.com Veteran
That analogy isn't far off though. If he uses your unknown equipment from unknown source of unknown quality he is going to be on the hook for the results be it his fault or the "bad ingredients" going in. Also if you bring in something that he deems inferior now his name is being associated with what he feels is an inferior product.Food service is very different that car audio. .
Sticking to what he knows and dealing solely with companies with whom he has a relationship protects him on both ends AND allows him to offer full warranty because he is an authorized seller and retailer. If you saved a buck by buying Alpine online good luck with that warranty. I was talking to a friend this week (an old timer in the industry) who said that Alpine is very tight about who sells online.
Look, this forum is full of guys that buy online, buy used, bargain hunt, and DIY, we don't have a problem with that, but from where I'm sitting that shop seems really nice (I'd literally kill someone to own that woodshop), their work looks impeccable, and I suspect they sell premium brands. There's not a lot of room to run them down because they don't want to deal with online know-it-alls bringing them a hodge podge of equipment demanding they install it then returning once a week when they break things.