Woofersect.com and acaraudio.com....

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

so does this mean its not a very good choice to do some business with wooferect? planning to get some IDMAX there... being on the other side of the globe, its quite a hassle to send money/tt or items back and forth... is there any other reputable online dealer?

dude, this was posted like a year ago.

 

[administrator]

Let me clarify, we are not acaraudio.com, we are THE caraudio.com and have no affiliation with acaraudio.com, or woofersetc. They simply advertise on this site and I don't remember hearing any complaints about them so far.

 

[ss3079 5,000+ posts]

They simply advertise on this site and I don't remember hearing any complaints about them so far.

What about IkeSound?

 

[BlackMaxima 10+ year member]

sites that are not authorized by Zapco as dealers sell zapco amps cheaper than places that are authorized to sell zapco amps.

I know Woofers etc.. Ive been to their store front here in L.A.. Funny thing, the store front has a diffrent name than the website. Its like going to to a pawn shop or a flee market. but atleast they have a store front. its in downtown LA

ACARAUDIO.COM, just has a B.O.X., no store front.

PS: Zapco make a big deal out of this.

"Yes they are everywhere making claims. For example, http://www.caraudiosa in South Africa is not a Zapco distributor, and they are not a Zapco dealer."

BIG DEAL

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

problem i have with this is the consumer gets stuck in the end knowingly or not......so everyone made out except the guy who bought it....

 

[6spdcoupe 5,000+ posts]

Of course prices are going to vary from a retailer and an eseller. The eseller typically has no overhead. Do you people have any clue what costs are associated with having a Brick&Mortar shop? Insurance,electricity,Phones,Lease,etc...If we sold at or slightly above cost noone would ever survive.

With that being said, yes there are counterfeits out there a search will yield quite afew results, specifically with Focal and DLS. Someone asked if it was worth it to spend the extra money for a serial number and warranty, how bout the fact of knowing the person that actually took your money? OR knowing that its genuine equipment? OR the fact that theyre not taking your money and running (coughthezebcough)?

 

[BlackMaxima 10+ year member]

6spdcoupe, as long as im getting my speakers from you , i dont realy trust online store that sell Rainbow. like that website that has 4 year old speakers, i dont remember the website.

BTW, ive dicided to get the germs, and i gave up my maxima to my brother , im looking to get a 2007 camry SE, as soon as i get that, im on a waiting list at my local dealer. ill order the speakers

PS: you have ArcAudio amps too?

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

Of course prices are going to vary from a retailer and an eseller. The eseller typically has no overhead. Do you people have any clue what costs are associated with having a Brick&Mortar shop? Insurance,electricity,Phones,Lease,etc...If we sold at or slightly above cost noone would ever survive.
With that being said, yes there are counterfeits out there a search will yield quite afew results, specifically with Focal and DLS. Someone asked if it was worth it to spend the extra money for a serial number and warranty, how bout the fact of knowing the person that actually took your money? OR knowing that its genuine equipment? OR the fact that theyre not taking your money and running (coughthezebcough)?

i agree with you there but where i live zapco is known but noone carries it within 90-150 miles of me. if the web site doesnt say "no warranty" and the person doesnt check the zapco page i just find it discouraging that the manufacturer wont make exception. say and do can be 2 different things and im sure if they "open it up" they can tell if the amp is theirs and the person can provide a reciept they should fix it. more than likely zapco already made their money on the amp all they will do is lose a disgruntled customer if they dont. basically the customer will already think its a POS if its broke then in return zapco is saying "hey you need to spend more for this amp and better yet you need to drive 4 hours round trip to do so" after its left zapco the first time zapco got paid for it or lost it on their own terms either way it isnt the customers fault. i know they are protecting the dealers but they also have an image they should try to up hold

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

i agree with you there but where i live zapco is known but noone carries it within 90-150 miles of me. if the web site doesnt say "no warranty" and the person doesnt check the zapco page i just find it discouraging that the manufacturer wont make exception. say and do can be 2 different things and im sure if they "open it up" they can tell if the amp is theirs and the person can provide a reciept they should fix it. more than likely zapco already made their money on the amp all they will do is lose a disgruntled customer if they dont. basically the customer will already think its a POS if its broke then in return zapco is saying "hey you need to spend more for this amp and better yet you need to drive 4 hours round trip to do so" after its left zapco the first time zapco got paid for it or lost it on their own terms either way it isnt the customers fault. i know they are protecting the dealers but they also have an image they should try to up hold

its zapcos way of keeping their dealers loyal and keeping a good reputation. obviously there are some dealers that cant be trusted, since these products have made it to internet retailers. zapco makes a big deal out of the serial numbers being removed, because they can lead to who is distributing the amps to the internet guys, so it is there way of sticking it to internet retailers. if you are going to make a purchase that big, you might want to research it a little bit in the first place and not give money to anyone who claims to have the product. and if you dont have a dealer near you, you can buy direct.

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

I was told by Zapco specifically that it is against the law for them to service their own product without a serial #. Their words, not mine. It's not about the product as much as it is about the integrity of the company. It's not bad to buy anything unauthorized...Zapco included...but you are taking a risk and thats why it costs less. IMO buying a Zapco amp is like buying a car....you have to go to the dealer and get it done right. Unless you can find a used one.

Franky, I think this one of the reasons Zapco gets the prices they do. If you've ever owned one you know that they are build like the vault at the Federal Reserve....BUT there is nothing super fancy or exotic about them at all. That is compared to the European high end amps.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

just an excuse not to fix it. sorta like gift cards after 180 days reguardless if they have 2 cents or 200 dollars on it if not used its gone ...... when you are in bussiness for that long you get to know your dealers and how much they order they should have a pretty good idea where it comes from

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

just an excuse not to fix it. sorta like gift cards after 180 days reguardless if they have 2 cents or 200 dollars on it if not used its gone ...... when you are in bussiness for that long you get to know your dealers and how much they order they should have a pretty good idea where it comes from

you dont know where anything came from if it doesnt have a serial number to track it back to the dealer it was sent to. some dealers push a lot of product, and for the crooked guy it appears the same way.

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

oh, and if zapco doesnt fix it, then the buyer is going to get on the internet guys about why his amp doesnt have any serial numbers on it, the internet guys are going to get on their distributor who covered their tracks by removing the numbers, and it will most likely result in the downfall of authorized dealers selling to these guys which is what zapco wants.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

trust me if they wanted to "stop it" cold turkey it would be easier than what you think. its not like zapco is pioneer or even kenwood.....

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

trust me if they wanted to "stop it" cold turkey it would be easier than what you think. its not like zapco is pioneer or even kenwood.....

i know, i have met and talked to some of the guys from zapco in person. its a lot harder to track down a certain dealer than you think it is, especially when there are no numbers to trace them back to who they were shipped to originally. the dealers who sold to the internet guys paid close attention to covering their tracks. the second biggest zap dealer in the nation i know personally. he doesnt do crooked stuff, but every boat he does has multiple amps. i think his has six c2ks and like eight sets of zap components in it. that is just an example of how much goes into more than half of the installs he does.