Richard Monroe
Well-known member
You know, we have this "Good Guys List", which is helpful if you are dealing with someone you don't know. I was looking to write a post about my dealings with a dealer, in this case, Sweetwater, and I realized there was no place to post up your experiences, good, bad, or in-between, with a dealer, something that is relevent to us all. Maybe this will lead to a sticky, and this seemed as good a place as any to put it. I'll deal with 3 dealers, all of whom have impressed me in one way or another:
First-Sweetwater. I've heard about these guys a lot on this board, and I recently had to make a (very small) order from them. I needed a couple of wind screens for a pair of C2000B's, and I couldn't find a thing that would fit at my usual suppliers. At Sweetwater, I found a screen for the Shure KSM series. I checked the external dimensions, and Ha!- the C2000B is 1mm smaller than a KSM44-cool. I needed them in a hurry, so I paid extra for 2 day shipping. They called me on Saturday,the day I placed the order, basically to chat with a new customer. Of course, I was out of town, missed the call, and didn't pick it up until yesterday. Oh no, I was now cutting it very tight. I called them immediately (3 days late), and was told, without even asking," No problem. We'll ship them to you overnight at no extra charge. They are being loaded on the Fedex truck as we speak." Well, I got them this morning, and they are a perfect fit. Yay! There's no doubt that Sweetwater's prices are almost never the best, but at least they actually deliver the whole 9 yards of value-added service that justifies paying a small premium. If you are a person who is willing to pay for competent, knowledgable, and bend-over-backwards service, they are at the top of my list in audio gear. Note this- their web site asked me, "how did you hear about Sweetwater?", and on their list of web sites, they didn't list Homerecording.com!! It's time to flex our market segment muscles a little bit. I gave them written and verbal comments on that.
Next: Mercenary Audio- These guys mostly deal in high end gear, but occasionally they stock something cheap because it doesn't suck. I needed an RNC in a hell of a hurry, and Fletcher hand delivered it to me in a Parking lot,on a Saturday, on his way to a recording gig! Mercenary has a slightly different business model than Sweetwater, but the service, and the willingness to go out of their way to help is tangible. Thanks, Fletcher!
Lastly- 8th St. Audio in Philadelphia- These guys are my standard equipment dealers. They won't deliver the awesome service of a Sweetwater-type operation. However, they will deliver close to the best price at all times, they will probably have the damn thing in stock, they will package it well, ship immediately, and they won't mess up the order. If there's a problem, they'll make it right, and they answer their phones.
There's 3 companies who have earned my business, for different reasons, for different stuff, and I hope to be able to do business with all of them again.-Richie
First-Sweetwater. I've heard about these guys a lot on this board, and I recently had to make a (very small) order from them. I needed a couple of wind screens for a pair of C2000B's, and I couldn't find a thing that would fit at my usual suppliers. At Sweetwater, I found a screen for the Shure KSM series. I checked the external dimensions, and Ha!- the C2000B is 1mm smaller than a KSM44-cool. I needed them in a hurry, so I paid extra for 2 day shipping. They called me on Saturday,the day I placed the order, basically to chat with a new customer. Of course, I was out of town, missed the call, and didn't pick it up until yesterday. Oh no, I was now cutting it very tight. I called them immediately (3 days late), and was told, without even asking," No problem. We'll ship them to you overnight at no extra charge. They are being loaded on the Fedex truck as we speak." Well, I got them this morning, and they are a perfect fit. Yay! There's no doubt that Sweetwater's prices are almost never the best, but at least they actually deliver the whole 9 yards of value-added service that justifies paying a small premium. If you are a person who is willing to pay for competent, knowledgable, and bend-over-backwards service, they are at the top of my list in audio gear. Note this- their web site asked me, "how did you hear about Sweetwater?", and on their list of web sites, they didn't list Homerecording.com!! It's time to flex our market segment muscles a little bit. I gave them written and verbal comments on that.
Next: Mercenary Audio- These guys mostly deal in high end gear, but occasionally they stock something cheap because it doesn't suck. I needed an RNC in a hell of a hurry, and Fletcher hand delivered it to me in a Parking lot,on a Saturday, on his way to a recording gig! Mercenary has a slightly different business model than Sweetwater, but the service, and the willingness to go out of their way to help is tangible. Thanks, Fletcher!
Lastly- 8th St. Audio in Philadelphia- These guys are my standard equipment dealers. They won't deliver the awesome service of a Sweetwater-type operation. However, they will deliver close to the best price at all times, they will probably have the damn thing in stock, they will package it well, ship immediately, and they won't mess up the order. If there's a problem, they'll make it right, and they answer their phones.
There's 3 companies who have earned my business, for different reasons, for different stuff, and I hope to be able to do business with all of them again.-Richie
