They guy is gaslighting you. It's their problem, not yours.
When a used gear purchase goes wrong
- Thread starter tuga
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Only used Emporium once. The northern branch.Odd set up. Drove to collect and it was the fellas house/apartment and it was quite clear he had just got up, his bedroom door was open and the bedding unmade, curtains closed in his lounge/ demo room, he was virtually in his pyjamas. He set them up in the dark to demo. It was just wierd but maybe I expect too much. The items were good and reasonably priced to be fair but it was obvious he hadn't really checked it over closely and maybe didn't understand the mindset of the average hifi buyer.
Then you deal with the likes of Definitive, 2ndhandhifi, Deco and Moorgate and its just a different kettle of fish.
Then you deal with the likes of Definitive, 2ndhandhifi, Deco and Moorgate and its just a different kettle of fish.
I've been keeping out of this so far as I didn't have enough information to judge the situation, but I think it's clear now. I echo the above post and if the owner is unhappy with the situation they need to accept their business model (I get the impression it's high volume second hand dealing with, shall we say, a "light touch" testing of goods put up for sale) leaves them at risk of such situations, and have a process of dealing with it that supports the customer and ultimately abides by the law.As you purchased from a retailer of used goods you are perfectly entitled to a refund fella. Whether Nick is happy to or not, his problem not yours!
LINK
I'd use their template to write a formal letter and if he still doesn't comply then off to small claims court. Your fee is around 5% of claims but if you win, this is awarded to you, if I remember correctly?
Best to use Citizens Advice in this instance, just be careful to follow their advice otherwise you'll trip up.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/small-claims/making-a-small-claim/
Emporium are being tossers about this now, telling you your expectations are too high! Yeah, like we should all be buying knackered goods! Idiots...
I'd judge this as now you want to win above all else, this type of seller response boils my p**s..
Good luck, don't give up. I once had to threaten an insurance company by suggesting as a member of a Satanic cult I would be cursing them! It worked, I'm not by the way, just determined to win if I'm in the right!
Yes and it stays on the internet for years. A few bad reports can be very damaging for business. Really they should taken them back and given a refund. Then sorted them out properly.
Impressive looking speakers, shame about the defects. Thanks for bringing awareness here on the forum, I often look what they are selling actually. A lot of the time you can see it’s a bit of a pile of #, but it’s good to know who you are dealing with.
Trouble with Internet sales I suppose, although if you buy off eBay, right or wrong they usually side with the buyer. Which does give buyers a safety net if nothing else.
Trouble with Internet sales I suppose, although if you buy off eBay, right or wrong they usually side with the buyer. Which does give buyers a safety net if nothing else.
I was seriously looking at a few of their speakers, and doing my research with a view to buying on sale or return under the 30 day rules. Think I'll give it a miss now and book a holiday instead of new speakers. Or those H2 on HFFS or new shiny bike.
Bad publicity as someone said above. Google finds these forum post easily
Bad publicity as someone said above. Google finds these forum post easily
It’s not ideal, but it’s just something you have to factor in when you buy from dealers like this. They are just about quick turn over and customer service isn’t usually a priority.
I’m sure they often have decent stuff they’ve got hold of which will find good homes if it’s sold as good value for money.
Trouble is, a lot of these people selling stuff are fine when things are in one hand out of the other. It’s when they’re thrown an obstacle or something they just didn’t account for, they can’t handle it as a good dealer can. But you often pay too much for a ‘good dealer’ and they can be far from great either when things don’t go well. Plus, they are also finding it hard to stay alive due to the competition and the internet marketplace.
I’m sure they often have decent stuff they’ve got hold of which will find good homes if it’s sold as good value for money.
Trouble is, a lot of these people selling stuff are fine when things are in one hand out of the other. It’s when they’re thrown an obstacle or something they just didn’t account for, they can’t handle it as a good dealer can. But you often pay too much for a ‘good dealer’ and they can be far from great either when things don’t go well. Plus, they are also finding it hard to stay alive due to the competition and the internet marketplace.
Secondhand dealers can offer a convenient service, for several reasons...
They are offer a wide choice without you having to trawl through various forum classifieds / eBay.
They take card and Paypal payments. Particularly useful if you want to use the associated credit facilities.
They are experienced at shipping, including larger items. And, they carry the risk of shipping - if an item is damaged in transit, there is no argument about who bears the loss and who does the admin related to insurance claims (don't underestimate the time involved).
Most offer a warranty on orders over a certain value - usually 3 months, but you might be able to negotiate a longer period.
They accept returns - minimum 14 days by law, but most offer 30 days.
They offer trade-in facilities.
However, such convenience, quite reasonably, comes at a price - the dealer has to pay for premises, staff, utilities, card processing fees etc etc. And, they are allowed to make a fair living.
Then, we have to be realistic about what is achievable for a dealer who is handling scores of items each month. They will do a basic visual inspection and check that everything powers up correctly. Even the best dealers will have a limit on how much time they can spend, determined both by economics and available hours. Dealers need to 'turn' items without delay - aside from price, the less time it takes for items to go out the door, the more items they can buy, the more profit they can make.
Buying from a dealer does give you certain protections but you still have to be aware to possible concerns - the OP has done an excellent job to identify and report issues quickly.
Buying privately is a whole different list of pros and cons, of course.
They are offer a wide choice without you having to trawl through various forum classifieds / eBay.
They take card and Paypal payments. Particularly useful if you want to use the associated credit facilities.
They are experienced at shipping, including larger items. And, they carry the risk of shipping - if an item is damaged in transit, there is no argument about who bears the loss and who does the admin related to insurance claims (don't underestimate the time involved).
Most offer a warranty on orders over a certain value - usually 3 months, but you might be able to negotiate a longer period.
They accept returns - minimum 14 days by law, but most offer 30 days.
They offer trade-in facilities.
However, such convenience, quite reasonably, comes at a price - the dealer has to pay for premises, staff, utilities, card processing fees etc etc. And, they are allowed to make a fair living.
Then, we have to be realistic about what is achievable for a dealer who is handling scores of items each month. They will do a basic visual inspection and check that everything powers up correctly. Even the best dealers will have a limit on how much time they can spend, determined both by economics and available hours. Dealers need to 'turn' items without delay - aside from price, the less time it takes for items to go out the door, the more items they can buy, the more profit they can make.
Buying from a dealer does give you certain protections but you still have to be aware to possible concerns - the OP has done an excellent job to identify and report issues quickly.
Buying privately is a whole different list of pros and cons, of course.
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Personally, I wouldn't touch 'em with a barge pole after this debacle of Tuga's. There are too many other, reputable sources to acquire gear.
The least I would expect from a second dealer would be to test all equipment prior to listing it for sale, to allow for accurate listings.
Absolute nonsense. I'd be driving to there offices with the offending articles & not leaving without a refund. No matter how far I had to drive.
Understandably, some may not want to do that - but small claims court would be my next course of action.
Really, cannot believe they haven't sorted this to your satisfaction. Reputational damage is very difficult to undo these days (unless you are P&O, that still appear to have lucrative Govn' contracts, that is).
The least I would expect from a second dealer would be to test all equipment prior to listing it for sale, to allow for accurate listings.
Absolute nonsense. I'd be driving to there offices with the offending articles & not leaving without a refund. No matter how far I had to drive.
Understandably, some may not want to do that - but small claims court would be my next course of action.
Really, cannot believe they haven't sorted this to your satisfaction. Reputational damage is very difficult to undo these days (unless you are P&O, that still appear to have lucrative Govn' contracts, that is).
Some excellent responses here, many way more professionally written than mine! However, as a dealer / trader etc you have to make it right. Even if it costs you in the short term, you gain massively longer term; through word of mouth, or an accassional post on a forum. Rarely do individuals praise, but boy are they way keener to complain and in this case, rightfully so.
Emporium have been quite amateur in how they've dealt with this, in my limited knowledge of facts and my own opinion.
Emporium have been quite amateur in how they've dealt with this, in my limited knowledge of facts and my own opinion.
There do not appear to be too many large scale secondhand dealers in the UK. I am aware of maybe only two others. Choice HiFi is just typically personal adverts and not really a dealer and 2nd hand hifi. MAX is much lower volume. Who might the others be?
I bought some vintage JBLs from emporium this year
They went back as one had very bad voice coil rub on the woofer.
Now the refoam job was a bit messy, so i would have expected someone to check for voice coil rub.
On the negative side, they should have been checked before being sold.
Whether the fault was known or not, it's a very bad look for them.
On the positive aide, collected and refunded very quickly.
Quite ok to deal with.
They went back as one had very bad voice coil rub on the woofer.
Now the refoam job was a bit messy, so i would have expected someone to check for voice coil rub.
On the negative side, they should have been checked before being sold.
Whether the fault was known or not, it's a very bad look for them.
On the positive aide, collected and refunded very quickly.
Quite ok to deal with.
I've always wondered could it be that there are actually more dealers but just they are fairly incognito on e-bay.
That said, it'd be great if there were more, especially if they had shopfronts. Audiogold in North London springs to mind as an example.
Yes some use their shop name or brand in ‘plain sight’ as it were; others use a deliberately different name.
I encountered this when looking at dCS gear a few months ago. An authorised dealer used a different name for their eBay outlet, maybe to avoid the impression they sold on the cheap. I only twigged because of the street address.
I would count Elite Audio as amongst those who have fair volumes on eBay and a store in Scotland (far too remote for me to visit). They are also very good for service and keen prices.
An old friend, who sadly has Parkinson’s, had Emporium buy his Naim and Linn kit, and was delighted with both the price and the service. It seems they can be ok, but that doesn’t redeem the sorry tale above.
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