Ugh. That stinks. Thanks for posting your experience.

That's a really poor experience you've had from a B&O dealer.

It's very worrying that some seem to be happy to mis-lead the customer to extract as much cash as possible for products which are not as described.

Is there a crisis with the UK B&O dealers?? are they making so little profit so they are forced into these underhand practices??

pauljrog wrote:

That's a really poor experience you've had from a B&O dealer.

It's very worrying that some seem to be happy to mis-lead the customer to extract as much cash as possible for products which are not as described.

Is there a crisis with the UK B&O dealers?? are they making so little profit so they are forced into these underhand practices??

A significant proportion of UK dealers have a 'Used Approved' link on their official websites, but the used products are all the same on each site. So B&O are either holding used stock centrally or there is an arrangement between dealers to transfer used stock between stores (as is now common practice with used car dealers who are part of a national chain). Some dealers, on the other hand, have their own used or demonstration stock. The other complication is that many stores operate as franchises, whereas several are directly owned by B&O UK. It would be interesting to look at all of this in some detail. If one store incorrectly describes a used product that is then sold by a second store, who is ultimately liable?

Graham

Yes, your correct regarding pre owned products on the B&O dealers websites. I think there is a central unit for the Approved Used Bang & Olufsen, and the Pre-owned stuff seem to be for sale in the individual store.

The two mis-selling stories we have read recently are stores selling used equipment for brand new, thus charging full price, this, in my opinion is a disgraceful way to get as much money from customers as possible, knowing that most people don't know about the serial number/age connection, and the truth might only come out when the customer sells the equipment, sometimes many years down the line.

pauljrog wrote:

The two mis-selling stories we have read recently are stores selling used equipment for brand new, thus charging full price, this, in my opinion is a disgraceful way to get as much money from customers as possible, knowing that most people don't know about the serial number/age connection, and the truth might only come out when the customer sells the equipment, sometimes many years down the line.

The resale issue a really good point pauljrog that I hadn't considered.

The attempt to mis-sell is of course totally unacceptable, but for me the total experience fell so far short of expectations (including the B&O corporate response) it has hugely dented my positive perception of the brand. It's also shaken my faith in B&O to resolve an issue when the dealer cannot or will not.

From a financial point of view, as a consumer it's not really on to incur expenses in order to complete a fairly simple transaction owing to the incompetence of the business I am dealing with. I think it's fair to say that in light of the circumstances, I have been left out of pocket. 

For me, my family and my peers the experience is as important as the product. I had incredible service at the Hanover Square store, so that really set the bar in terms of my expectations. It's just a real shame, and a real waste of my time. 

I'll let you all know if and when B&O do come back to me, and thank you all for your input!

Because you brought an ex demo TV, this in my opinion is worse than secondhand as these tv's are on all the time everyday in the dealers, no wonder it had raked up 16,000 hours!!!

This TV should of been heavily discounted, I must admit the minuite you found out the usage hours I would of demanded a refund of my deposit then just left the store, driven home, then a very stiff drink!!

Do you have your Beolab 11 sub? are you confident it is brand new?? When did they stop making them? As there is the Beolab 19 now.

If you want discontinued or second had products - Forget dealers, buy privately from a good home and you'll never go too far wrong. All dealers do is add margin and no value. 

Sorry to hear about your experience but having worked in a B&O dealer in the past I can't say I'm surprised.

I’ve just spoken to Shawbrooks who are the finance company in my case, and to say they aren’t impressed is an understatement. I’m  being sent a “fraud pack”, so I’ll let you all know.

The whole Approved Used thing is a mess.  One greedy dealer biting off more than he could chew, with little support from the dealer network as they 'don't want to be giving profits to another dealer they don't like'.  It's all very inward looking.

So, what's happened is the 'cream of his/her part exchanges' stay with the dealer to advertise in his or her own store, for his/her own benefit and profit, and anything they're not really bothered about goes onto Approved Used. Anything current or saleable on Approved Used will in all likelihood belong to B&O Canterbury, and the rest will belong to a small handful of dealers who have any kind of relationship with B&O Canterbury.

Not all of the products are at 'Approved Used HQ'. In fact, very few are.. They stay with the dealer who has uploaded them. Descriptions are from the end of a telephone, or are at the mercy of a person who may be in the mindset of "well, it's got a few marks but its used, what do they expect, so apart from those marks it's mint, so I'll just put Mint'. Getting a seller to describe something is almost always different to the description a buyer would give it. That's life.

So, what you have is an unregulated mess which looks to have slowly fallen apart over the course of this year.

I won't go into details here, but I've been suggesting for years that ALL used B&O under 3-5 years old  taken in by Dealers (depending on product) goes to a central warehouse where it's fully tested, properly cleaned, software updated, photograped in detail, the uploaded to a proper website which dealers and customers can log into. There would be a retail price for the customer, and a 'trade' price for the dealer, delivered to their store - and with a warranty. Oh, and if the dealer needs cash, fast, I'd simply offer to buy the products immediately using a menu-pricing system.

This system could also be used for part exchange quotes, so dealers could get an instant price whilst a customer sat there - where they could see two prices. One 'to sell it into the Approved Used System' and a higher price to 'enter it onto the Approved Used System'. It would then depend on the dealer, and his/her cashflow situation, to decide which.

When a customer buys a product it's delivered to their nearest dealer for onward home delivery if it's big or complex and needs install or set-up (chargeable, of course, and thus creating a new relationship for the dealer and buyer), or direct to home for smaller products, with telephone support from the local dealer if required. Again, this builds dialogue and starts a relationship.

So, a central Quality Control, products a dealer can rely on being 'as described' when opening the box and having zero work to carry out, products a customer can have complete faith in, properly described, and an easy to use website which creates a great first-experience for new customers to introduce them to the brand. All in an external warehouse where the product won't get in the way, and the dealer can have a clear and uncluttered showroom (and stock room).

So... I offered my services as, well... you know.. I kind of did that already?  I had the staff, the warehouse, the knowledge, the high standards, plus a clear and written down blueprint of how it would all work, properly...

Nope. The UK's Head of Sales decided a dealer he liked to have a few beers with, who had too much on his plate already was the perfect man for the job. His poor staff bearing the brunt of this new and huge workload simply couldn't find enough hours in the day, so an accountant (yes, a B&O accountant) was brought in to supervise building a website, making a crude photography area, describing products, and then handing over the site to the dealer.

It's not my place to say what ensued, but the (actually very capable) person tasked with running the Approved Used threw in the towel, and the poor guy left with it simply doesn't look like he has time. Their Facebook page is barely touched from month to month, and the website is full of overpriced products - most with no images, or 'stock' images (I don't know which is worse).

So, whilst there's no clear structure for Approved Used - and many dealers are desperate for cash, I'd proceed with caution if you do make a purchase. Do your research in advance, ask on here, ask for documentation to back facts up, and don't ever assume the UK Head Office have time for your complaints. 

Lee