Ive noticed that alot of people say support the local car audio shops

[mast240 10+ year member]

i have mixed feelings on the subject. i would like to support local shops.. but most are shit... but then again, you have to remember, that the LARGE majority of their buisness is usually window tint and remote start. i guess it just depends on the area you live in.. when i lived in miami, there were a couple good shops there, that actually knew what they were doing... but thats also an area where ALOT of people get custom work done to their cars, and have the money to pay out. now, living in the DC area... the shops around here are complete garbage. but then again, all they really do is tint and remote start. i guess the old rule of supply/demand really is the best way of explaining it. if a shop only gets an in depth install to do once every few months... of course their not going to have any idea what their doing.

one shop that i do miss, is the local we had in cleveland when i was growing up... cant remember the name of it (like 15 years ago)... but that was probably one of the best shops i've ever been around... not cuz they did the craziest installs, or had the most expsensive equipment, but because the guys there were genuine car audio enthusiasts ... you could tell that they loved what they did more than just to "make a paycheck". and everyone there, from the sales guy, the installers, and even the owner, were knowledgeable, unbiased (they never ragged on equipment they didnt sell), and generally cool guys to hang out with. that shop went out of buisness years back, of course... but i dont think it was cuz of how they ran their buisness, or any mistakes they made... i think it was more, 1. it was in cleveland, lol... and 2. the internet started taking off, which i think, in a way, killed alot of the good local shops that used to be around.

 

[Mookie 10+ year member]

Shops, lmao.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Yeah my local shop is just full of winners. One tried to tell me that he knew all about how much watts an amp would really produce...didn't bother to even ask him how he got this, but I told him I had a MA Audio HK602sx that is rated 3600watts rms...he says he's never heard of it. I lol a little bit because right after telling he's never heard of it he asks me about the fuse rating....he's lucky I looked at the guts already the only place you can see the fusing. I told him theres 6x40amp fuses. He punches some numbers on a calculator and winds up with the number 1700 he tells me this is what my amplifier will truly produce.....anyone know how his crazy mind/math came up with that retarded number? Anyway I lost some respect for the shop there. Then I told him I was looking at some custom fiberglass work for some 7" drivers. He gets the installer, I changed my mind a little bit about the shop cuz the installer seemed to actually know what he was talking to me about..when he said you need more midbass eh? I was like yay he gets that much then he wanted to discuss sound stage with me and after he said that I was like OK decent guy here. So I might go back there. I guess that can prove to ya the highschool kid behind the sales counter can be a super idiot and the installer can still be cool.

6x40 = 240 amps in fusing. 240 amps x 12 volts = 2880 watts. 240 amps x 14.4 volts = 3456 watts.

Factoring in for efficiency loss (usually figure about 80% efficient) then it would be 2304 watts @ 12v and 2764 watts @ 14.4v.

I dont know what voltage your amp was rated at to deliver 3600 watts, but the above calculations put its realistic potential a bit under that 3600 watts, but well above the 1700 he specified. I honestly have no idea how he arrived at 1700 watts, as that would mean voltage would have the be under 8 volts, which your batt/system voltage will never even come close to. Long story short, he was incorrect, but your amp's rating is a bit inflated as well (just not nearly what he claimed).

 

[bhsdriller 10+ year member]

out of the 12 or so here I'd maybe trust 3

One tried to sell me 0gauge Rockford ring terminals for like $10 each

 

[VWBobby 10+ year member]

A lot of the good shops were killed off when the internet came into the mainstream. A lot of people have been using the internet for research, but only in the last 5 - 10 years, I've noticed a big shift to buying online. I have seen at least 5-6 shops closed in the last 10 years, and none of them I would consider bad shops.

Now a lot of the remaining shops are usually the "rip off" type shops that have to charge double retail or lie to make a sale, unfortunately. The honest shops usually have to charge enough to make a decent profit, at least 25% more than buying online. Its just the cost of doing business and having to pay for a ~$1000-2500+ overhead depending on what part of the country you are living in. You can't blame the little guy for not being able to match or even come close to most online prices. Its the double retail or 50%+ retail I don't agree with. They can make their money off of the service past 25% or so. Point being, its a fact that you are going to have to pay more when buying retail, but you are supporting someone and their family. Plus you are helping to employ other people in your community. Not everything is about saving a buck. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

That being said, I am glad to see companies that will only allow Authorized online sites to sell their products. If they can control the retail price, they can keep their local installers in business and provide service to those who shouldn't be installing amps themselves. If they feel they can do it themselves, they can buy from an authorized site for the same price as local.

 

[Alexlivingloud 10+ year member]

keep_hope_alive. you seem like a very knowledngeble guy... I hate going to shops to, they are always trying to rip you off by selling you flea martket brands and then if you say ur looking for something better than that they show u some kicker or rockford fosgate and tell you those are the best their is. on one occasion I went to this one shop and the guy asked me what I was looking for and i tol him that i was looking for two tens and i was thinking of putting them in a ported box and then he said dont go ported in a car go with seal ull get better performance in a car. but luckly i found this shop not to far away and the installer, i think his also the owner, knew and answered every question I asked about the item I purchased.I was really pleased with their service.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Shops ****. Everything is overpriced vs the net and until they can compete with the net prices then they will all eventually fade away.

This is an unfortunate mindset to have, but it's hard to fault you for it. Product prices should not be the #1 concern of a customer doing business with a brick and mortar business that provides services. It's not your job to realize the lowest price isn't the best for you. That's the job of the salesperson, who should be promoting the ways their store adds value to the sale. I work in a family owned electronics store and I'm the car audio salesman and installer. I can't price match Internet prices, but I can make my price worth the difference.

The customer who wants to buy their gear for Internet prices and install it on their own is not the bread and butter of a shop. They're better off letting you walk out the door without buying something than handing out discounts. This is part of survival as a brick and mortar business.

 

[ChiTownLincoln 10+ year member]

This is an unfortunate mindset to have, but it's hard to fault you for it. Product prices should not be the #1 concern of a customer doing business with a brick and mortar business that provides services. It's not your job to realize the lowest price isn't the best for you. That's the job of the salesperson, who should be promoting the ways their store adds value to the sale. I work in a family owned electronics store and I'm the car audio salesman and installer. I can't price match Internet prices, but I can make my price worth the difference.

You shouldn't match anyone elses pricing. Someone elses business model can't dictate what you charge and how/when your bills get paid. Like you said, you are a physical B&M location where people can actually touch product and get service. When Amazon can offer that you can worry. Until then, let the DIY guys buy their stuff online and save your schedule for customers who need/want to use your services.

The customer who wants to buy their gear for Internet prices and install it on their own is not the bread and butter of a shop. They're better off letting you walk out the door without buying something than handing out discounts. This is part of survival as a brick and mortar business.

Everyone shops for better prices online. More and more people join the ranks each day. Its natural to 'google' something and all of us love the idea of getting 40-50% off on something. This works out perfect for DIY guys because they get great hardware for a fraction of the cost and they can install it themselves. But just because internet sales exist many assume they should get the same price at the retail location and then they still expect the same level of attention/professionalism.

Its better to have your bays empty in the shop and have your guys spend their free time learning more about the business vs keeping them busy and fully booked on projects that don't bring in the correct amount of money. Maybe you will lose customers but maybe you wont need to hire as many people also. Focus on your clients and let Amazon focus on theirs.

 

[rangerboy101 10+ year member]

My local shop sux. I tell people all the time to stay away from there. Their prices are ridiculous and its run by a bunch of dumbasses.

Same here. My local shop charged a buddy of mine $850 to run 1 run of 4g, then put in a distro. block with two runs of 8g and run speaker wire into the doors and hook up his speakers. What's even worse, we had all the interior panels taken off already and I had all the adapter plates for the speakers run AND had all the wires soldered up on the speakers and tweets. Not to mention, 1 run of 4g into a distro block with 2 runs of 8g to the amps? Retarded...

 

[ktraughb 10+ year member]

I own a very small car audio shop. We also offer detailing and window tinting. Only three employees, and possibly a fourth in the future. And while we are growing, my shop will certainly never fit the ops description. I take care of every customer as if they're my ONLY customer. I've been given bad service and worked for shops big and small that overpriced and ****** at life so I learned from experience and made my shop much different. Don't get me wrong, its rough at times. There are deals where I lose money, but customers leave happy. My other installer is master mecp, but we can't control everything and mistakes happen and products fail. The difference is that I take care of it. No run around. And customers appreciate that. Again, were small, but this is my life and I need it grow, but we will stick with low markup and fair install prices forever. And with my other installer and window tinter there is no lack of FREE knowledge. You only pay for products and service, even if you talk all day about your subs //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[ktraughb 10+ year member]

A wise, successful business owner and friend of mine has taught me a lot of my guidelines on business--college helped--but most is just from listening to him and others and learning from experience. I would say that most of my time os spent influencing people that mindset doesn't have to be a stereotype. Word of mouth keeps me in business, and that takes a lot of effort behind the scenes, but it maintains a good reputation and customers will tell their friends. I own a business and need to make a living, but I don't need to strike it rich. I just love car audio and I get to live it every day. Not much more to ask for. Except new bays with air conditioning. Lol

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

I support my local shops by being louder and clearer at their shows than the installs that they did.

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

***** to be all of you (thread is tl;dr so maybe there is hope and I didn't see it), my shop does wonders. They build good custom boxes dirt cheap, try to educate people as they ask questions (they will not install remote gains, and try to tell people they need more help than a capacitor if they have voltage issues) They tell it straight to customers/potential customers and try to save people money (often selling well below retail). They are impeccable with warranty repair, and are all around cool guys.

shout out Audio Magic Car Audio (Audio Direct for those of you that have been in the game a long time)

 

[xmakeafistx 10+ year member]

Audio Connection here in Kenosha is alright, the one time I went to the shop the owner was pretty cool to talk to. Stuff there is kinda over priced imo.. but I guess they have to make their money somehow. Can't really say anything bad though, just indifferent. I'd rather stick to online.

 

[d77543020 10+ year member]

Signs of a good shop to me is 1 happy to answer my questions 2 don't mind when I come in just to hang out and 3 Have prices on the equipment I hate to have to ask how much is this on everything and 4 be happy to install something I buy off the Internet you would be surprised how many shops in my area that turn down install money cause the product was not bought from them