Don can you delete my post here and this one i quoted for ignorance.

 

yea i would, but it would be pretty hard to tell which ones are stolen, or actually used. dam i guess ebay and electronics arent a good combo

 

Don yes i purchased my alarm offline but from a reputable site and i dont need professional installation becuase me and my freind had did it numerous times...

 

OK, then Ill simplify things. Call DEI, first ask them if its ok to buy online because you think it was "reputable" Their answer will be: Absolutely NOT. Secondly tell them YOU can install it, because you did a few, again...Absolutely NOT.

Like I said even READ the box it came in... AUTHORIZED RETAILER INSTALLATION REQUIRED.

Keyword: REQUIRED

 

So Eclipse is for sale on Crutchfield. So I would assume thats legit.

 

Etronics is an actual business in new york city. I know this because I bought something and went in to pick it up. They've been around but they're still in the shady canal street area.

 

Being an actual store is irrelevant. They can have 25 actual stores, still doesnt make them legit to sell online.

 

I guess you have to weigh your options. If i can get it for less than half the price online, I will still end up even if I have to replace EVERY piece of equipment once.

Are there telltail signs of counterfeit audio products? With most things it is quite easy to identify them.


::edit:: I weigh this question in because I'm doing my install as a learning experience. I don't want to just bring it into a dealer and have them do it and I don't want to be throwing money away on expensive equipment if I screw something up.

 

There are no specific "telltale" signs that Im aware of. As it could be quite difficult to find with everything being internal. Typically the counterfeits just use less quality products in building.

MTX and Zapco actually stepped up to the plate announcing issues with online sales...

 

http://stores.ebay.com/PHOENIX-GOLD-DIRECT

just got an email from PG about this...interesting is all i have to say.

 

this info is very helpful

 

question. I am aware and have been aware of companies not supporting internet sales. but how does that apply to stores that carry there products that just merely have a website with all of their inventory? cant think of one off the top of my head but I have seen several like this

 

Its fine to show what you carry and even the prices of them (within reason), just not permitted to actually sell the products via internet,phone,etc..

 

I heard that as long as an authorized dealer has an Ebay store...........then they are allowed to sale the merchandise with warranty.......

 

You heard VERY wrong. Tell your source their full of ****.

 

Just so you are aware... any place that pales at the mention of the BBB is ignorant of their abilities (or inabilities, as the case may be). The BBB is in absolutely no position to force a company to do anything... the best they can do is add a scamming company to a black list of sorts. You can see if a specific company is listed before working with them, but the BBB has no legal power whatsoever. They can make some pretty threatening looking letters on some great BBB letterhead, but no harm will come of a company that simply tosses it in the trash.

FYI...

 

Anyone ever order from onlinecarstereo

 

This is a thread to advise Against purchasin online, not for recommendations if a site is good or not.

As far as who you asked about, they as already mentioned in this thread numerous times are Not authorized for the majority of what they sell.

 

thats exactly why when u want to send in ur unit for warranty.. they will only except it if its from an authorized dealer... i think Crutchfield is the only one that is an online authorized dealer.. so just keep that in mind when u buy online.. another thing about the warranties is that most of the companies say the warranty is only valid for the first time buyer.. so even if u buy a unit with warranty left on it... you may not get it becasue u are the second buyer.. but im sure there are ways to work around that

 

most of those sites offer a warranty through them not the manufacturer. Etronics is a good buisiness, I bought from them b4. I bought a h/u and it was f'ed up when i hooked it up, I returned it and they sent me another, I didn't like it, sent it back and got a diff brand, didn't like that one sent it back and got a full refund. crutchfield and cardomain are the only two legit online dealers i know of, anybody know any others. h/u and amps are the two things i buy authorized, everything else though is from places like etronics and i have yet to have a sub or speakers blow except for user error.

 

Ok. So after reading this thread... I still have a question in the back of my head... How is Etronics offering 1 or 2 year replacement plans for products they sell after the manufacturers warranty if they aren't even authorized?

 

well my experience is you can save a lot of money buying online. and as stated befor, if you build the system for less than half of what the store would charge. even if you have to buy 1 or 2 parts again. your still ahead of the game. and many online stores offer there own warranys. but on another note, if you buy high quality stereo eq and you install it properly you shouldnt have to worry about it brakeing. my advice, look for store warranty, store repution, and buy everything with a creditcard. if it brakes and there like no warranty, quick call to your creditcard company and you can stop payment. then argue it out (had to do that with a computer component and after i told them unless they exchange it they arnt geting there money, they caved) that and if its a fake, you can almost always tell, but if you cant, hey you got a high quality fake and nothing wrong with factory refurbs, most the time they replace everything in the unit anyways. but with anything you run a risk. take my local shop, 100 dollars for a 1sqf box, everything HIGHLY overpriced and ****ty installs. your choice.

 

update i honestly jinksed my self i bought a kicker zx700.5 and i worked for 2 days and blew up. had to ship it back for 20 dollars and then pay shipping return for another 20 dollars. but they sent me a brand new one so i paid 315 for the amp. still cheeper than retail. has been 1 month of waiting (from ct to cali, so that aparently they could ship it out somewere else, then 1 week return shiping). but all the other components have been perfectly fine. even got the sub from evil woofersect. only because image dynamics lists them as one of there authorised internet retailers. but then again you cant judge a retailer by the quality of a brand item.

 

I think that a majority of these online shops do have legitimate storefronts and that these online sites are just fronts to make more money...However, manufacturers do make it known that online sales are prohibited...they even have area reps that come to set up accounts and verbally state that. These storefronts knowingly set up these online sites by naming it completely different with intent to set it apart from their storefront (in other words they know they are doing a bad thing) and voila...as for warranty, they probably claim it under their storefront and send it back to manufacturers as such...but for you, the online customer, your primary concern is to have it taken care of and when they do you are happy...unfortunately, manufacturers get dinged because they have no way of knowing it was sold online and they assume that the business is upholding their end by not doing online sales....I have a feeling that this is how they get around the warranty issue.

 

A warranty through the website doesn't do much good if they just up and vanish one day.

Caveat Emptor

I have nothing against trying to save some money, just be forewarned. Buying from shady/unauthorized/ebay/etc. places is no big deal if it's a cheap item, but I wouldn't suggest it for anything you want to keep and enjoy for a long period of time. The higher the price, the bigger the risk.

 

Im glad to see that some people still have some common sense and care about where their money goes.

 

Always remember - Unauthorized dealers cannot offer an extended warranty on a product that never had one.

 

I have heard of online companies offering warranties through Best Buy. People will do anything to get your money as always buyer beware.

 

Wow, you guys made this so complicated.

Its so black on white.

If a place/company/website/retailer/your mom. Does not have authorization to sell brand "X" its not backed by the manufacturer.

Its as simple as that.

This stuff can get very expensive. For example, im about to purchase a set of 3 way Dynaudio components. You bet your life i'm gonna find the best deal. From someone authorized to sell them.

MSRP is 1300+. Theres some on e-bay for about 1k....and online for a bit less than that. They could be fake... No warranty? No thanks. That 300 bucks that I "might" save, will go towards my insanity when that "good deal" craps out.

If you buy a 100~200 dollar item, and you enough expendable income to throw into the wind, by all means go for it. You probably wont care if it breaks anyway.

 

when i buy stuff online i get it from cruthfield, they even sell jl audio now

 

not for nothing, but if i went to alpine right now and asked them for 1000 subwoofers for resale, they are going to give me a discount for it, hence cheaper online prices. Now since they do not authorize online retail, you cannot be an authorized dealer and the products hold 0 warranty.

Im not too familar with the whole resale thing, but if you are internet and no specs have been set forth by the manufacturer, cant you still sell?

Only issue that i can see is if you are lying and stating you are an auhorized retailer.

In etronics case, they have store front in NYC and in most cases from what i have seen have not stated they are authoized retailers for alpine and such and in most cases are smart enough to not even post pictures of items.

 

Yes they would give a discount provided you are a 12V dealer and are an Authorized one for Alpine. They will not do that for the general consumer as they are a manufacturer and sell to distributors and dealers only.

99% of manufacturers put it in the contracts that dealers sign that explicity state no web or phone sales. Bearing in mind these are legally binding contracts. They take the chance its a fairly large one.

 

what would etronics be considered then? distributor i would assume. You are dumbd to violate a contract like that. People are so stupid. I lease apartments and ppl get soo pissed at me for **** that they didnt read in their leases. YOU ALWAYS READ THE CONTRACT IN FULL. it kind of sux though. Alpine doesnt make or lose any money from internet retailers. Their prices always go out from the warehouse at the same price or depending on the deal they have with their customer. Anyone who buys from the internet should always be warey about the responsibility u take. If your electronics break, most do so within a year of operation. If it's expensive enough, you should be smart and make sure its authorized so you get the proper warranty. Anything else to me is considered overhead losses.

canal street is so shadey btw lol. But the women love it, ****ing bag sellers

 

Companies like Alpine, Pioneer,Kenwood,etc will all look the other way. Granted they wont honor warranty, but they wont do their best to stop the transhippers. They need the revenue and they do make more money by looking the other way, not by individual, but rather in quantity of sales.

 

^^ So what about those third party organizations that give out warranties.....or would it be more of a hassle JUST TRYING TO get them to even honor a warranty on car audio parts

 

Was is it that the third party 'warranty' is giving you? Pay for shipping both ways? Will it be repaired or replaced? How long is the wait time? Will they be there still in business tomorrow to help you with this so called 'warranty'? All and then some are things to be considered prior to making a purchase.

 

Its not worth it....

Unless you have a warranty from a big box store......but then again your paying retail prices and with fully warranty too.

I usually want the cheapest deal. But I did decide to buy my Alpine w505 from crutchfield due to the cost, and complications with the unit if it breaks. It is cheaper on ebay...at about 849 or even less. I paid 999.99.

But I dont want this thousand dollar unit to be a paperweight.

 

I am a ghey spammer !

 

Thats why you need a certain lawyer currently in Ft. Lauderdale to write a letter to said B&M.

 

that's exactly it. I spoke with a rep from woofersetc.com yesterday about an alpine pdx amplifier. He stated that though the website was NOT an authorized retailer, the store front is. If I run into a problem with the amp under warranty, simply contact them and return the amp to the website. They will inturn send it through the store front to alpine for warrenty. Sounds shady, but they are $200+/- cheaper than anyplace else.