'Has anyone had sucess in negotiating price of new B&O equipment?'

-I've heard of added products as part of negotiations, but you're required to spend a bit...

'If negotiation is not possible isn't it anti-competitive price-fixing behaviour (illegal in Australia)?'

-No, for a start it is a manufacturer selling their own products in their own stores, so they are not competing with anyone and can sell their products for any price they like. The market then determines if that price is acceptable, as well as other factors such as Supply/Demand. It is illegal only when two different companies fix their prices eg petrol, Shell and BP collude to sell petrol at exactly the same discounted price to rid them of competition from Mobil.

I heard AMEX customers get discounts of *COUGH %, makes having an Amex to buy your B&O worth it.

i think this is pretty much how it works. i say that because i've heard it from the horses mouth; when i say horse i mean a dealer and not just one but several.

bang & olufsen sell the units at a particular price to dealers in the UK. this price is the same to all dealers. the dealers then add on there profit margin. this profit margin varies from city to city and also within a city.

i bought a beosound 5 last week. most dealers were selling it for £4000, i found a couple that sold it for £3850 and finally found one that sold it for £3500 so i bought it off him. all these dealers included delivery, basic setup and initial demo of how to use it but not a fancy installation which was fine by me. i've also negotiated the price off a beovision 5 from one dealer in the past.

if you are prepared to ring around the country and drive a hard-bargain rather than being too 'sacred and english' about the whole issue of price you will do ok. if you get scared when the dealer says no initally then you won't get the best price. the other thing is to do your research and find out how different dealers price the same product. the trick i think is doing your homework and going into the dealer and negotiating. you don;t back down in other aspects of your life when people say no initially because they're testign your resolve so why do it in a b&o dealer? one of my friends negitaied a few thousand of a new porsche and he's a rich boy so i think we shoud take a leaf out of his book.

the dealer has family, a mortgage and a business to run whilst you as the customer should be negoitiating hard - it's about finding a healthy balance between those two 'apposing' forces. in the world of business if an individual isn't prepared to compromise to win your business and trust then they may not be flexible in other domains when it comes to servicing, repairs and support.

i'll probably get crucified for saying this but i don't think i'm saying anything that's new or controversial but guess it's worth reiterating.

as i understand it, the B&O stores in Australia are owned by B&O since a few yrs ago.  so the margin is what B&O Retail Pty Ltd want to make within their targets.

i asked my local dealer and he said he can ask (i presume manager/someone more senior) but i didn't push him for it since my purchase wasn't 'substantial'  will try it when i'm getting some more pricey though...at least get some bits and pieces thrown in (like cable etc)

Adrian,

I don't think the Australian dealers are keen to negotiate in this economic climate. I have spoken to a few dealers they are all only looking at RRP for their products.

Normally, they offer 5% to 10% for their in-store demo products based on the age & model. They are usually 6 months old before you get any discounts on them.

I don't know about the AMEX deal but if you spend $10,000 on VISA platinum card on a single invoice, you will receive a Beocom 6000. That offer is based on RRP pricing.

You might look at buying from other B&O dealers around the world if you are keen on negotiation and achieve a discount.

What products are you interested in buying?

We have been buying from B&O dealers for over 20 years in Australia and they have never given a discount.  Some will negotiate on their second hand and trade in but, not many do this now.  H

yes, sn00py i think you're right about the current climate. some dealers won't move off the price they set whilst others see the current climate to draw in new customers by offering incentives. depends on th dealers views and situation which has to be respected but buiying abroad in an option.

i bought a car from a german factory and then brought it to the UK. i saved £6000 and it was covered by a worldwide 12 month warranty which i used once. if you buy B&O it should be covered by an international warranty. of course if you need support you wouldn't get that but it's a toss-up between less and doing it yourself or paying full price and having that initial support.

When the Australian stores were owned by Smorgans, the stores would take trade-ins and there was always a little negotiation with that. Smorgans sold the stores back to B&O, so in Australia we are buying direct from the manufacturer. This makes things a little more difficult, as B&O would want to protect their brand and exclusivity. Now they only take trade-ins on current equipment only, presumably then used as demo models. I don't think B&O has a Secondhand Licence (and probably doesn't want one) in Australia, so can't resell older trade-ins anymore.

Oops, forgot..I've been offered 10% on floorstock accessories ie stands, so maybe this applies to other items???

BTW, I went in to David Jones yesterday to look for a new jacket. While I was there, I thought I'd pop in and have a look at the B&O store in there. Well, guess what? IT'S GONE!! Any Melbournians know where it went?

Thank you all for your responses so far.

I was not aware the stores were B&O owned - that makes it rather less likely to negotiate.

It's an unusual thing to be spending $30k and have the "cheek" to not include a single sync cable or installation (another $300ish).

I've never dealt with B&O previously and for a "premium lifestyle / luxury" brand it's a very odd way of going about it.

Price is not entirely the issue but the experience...