[TMC]

Quote:

Originally posted by ghesekki I kind of agree with both of you. On one hand, if someone provides a 30-day refund policy, why not take advantage? I think ultimately though, you have to keep in mind the vendor. With a vendor like microphonesolutions.com, they probably won't feel as much of a hit as someone like Todd. For instance, I don't know too much about him, but I think Todd ends up selling returns at 10% off. This is on top of the 10% sale that he has going on right now. For a small retailer like him, that has to hurt. Just keep this in mind and be respectable.

I just think that's fair no matter which shop I'm buying from. I mean if I was already certain I'd keep something, I wouldn't really need to buy it from a place with a refund. As long as I will keep them if I'm happy with how they perform, I don't see how I can be at fault even if I'm pretty uncertain the moment I buy them. I think Todd would want more customers even if quite a few of them aren't just about certain they'll keep what they buy. The general customer don't like to return things unless they're pretty unhappy with their purchase after all.

 

[gsferrari]

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=62887

See that thread. You have another NO-COST EXCEPT SHIPPING option to try out the headphones you are thinking of.

Also - network with the members of the forums and see if they will loan you their equipment - for a security deposit of course.

cheers!

 

[TMC]

So how does that work if you're happy with what you've heard and want to buy a new product? Would you have to pay for shipping it back and then pay a 2nd time for the shipping to you? That's a lot of shipping costs if that's so, especially if they have to be shipped pretty far.

 

[ghesekki]

Quote:

Originally posted by TMC I just think that's fair no matter which shop I'm buying from. I mean if I was already certain I'd keep something, I wouldn't really need to buy it from a place with a refund. As long as I will keep them if I'm happy with how they perform, I don't see how I can be at fault even if I'm pretty uncertain the moment I buy them. I think Todd would want more customers even if quite a few of them aren't just about certain they'll keep what they buy. The general customer don't like to return things unless they're pretty unhappy with their purchase after all.

Oh I don't think it's the buyer's fault for taking advantage of any policy that the retailer offers. I just think that one should be conscientious when making purchases. Again, I don't know much about Todd, but I assume that his audio business is how he feeds his family and keeps a roof over his head.

Eh, it's a moral conflict for me. One part of me says that if I'm unsatisfied with a product and if the retailer offers refunds, then I should take advantage of the policy without any guilt. However, the other part says that I shouldn't return something if I'm just a little disappointed because I'll be doing the other guy a disfavor.

I think the best approach would be to do as much research as you can before purchasing, and then return a product only if you absolutely cannot live with it. I think what some of us fear is buying from someone like Todd, then returning it because we want to try other headphones, then returning those, then buying others, and so on. I just don't think that's very nice. Don't get me wrong though. I know that's not what you're condoning. Some of us are just warning potentional customers not to abuse their return policies.

 

[gsferrari]

You dont ship it back to him - you ship it to the next guy who pays for the shipping - he pays you - so you only pay shipping one way - we're still working this out.

And you dont have to do this - go ahead and do what you think is right. Some of us here feel that this is a great idea for both the buyer and the seller - you get to listen to all the headphones you wanna choose from, make a choice and then order a fresh pair while you ship the headphones off to other prospective buyers.

But you dont have to follow suit - its just a little thing we can DO for these fantastic guys like Todd and the peeps at Headroom.

Oh and the "I dont care about anyone else but me" attitude wont get you too far with the members here. There are people here who will send you their gear without question because this is the spirit of this forums - try to get into the spirit and be giving and nice in general. People like Todd, Wayne, Gene, Matt, MikeG etc, have sent me hundreds of dollars worth of stuff with no deposit...I could have walked away without looking back and i'd have a pretty awesome collection...

No one is judging you based on what you do - AND IN ANY CASE YOU PAY FOR TWO WAY SHIPPING WITH THE 30 DAY DEAL!!! Whats the problem in adding a few $ to get the headphones of your choice sent to you...a fresh piece too...

 

[TMC]

Quote:

Originally posted by gsferrari You dont ship it back to him - you ship it to the next guy who pays for the shipping - he pays you - so you only pay shipping one way - we're still working this out. And you dont have to do this - go ahead and do what you think is right. Some of us here feel that this is a great idea for both the buyer and the seller - you get to listen to all the headphones you wanna choose from, make a choice and then order a fresh pair while you ship the headphones off to other prospective buyers. But you dont have to follow suit - its just a little thing we can DO for these fantastic guys like Todd and the peeps at Headroom. Oh and the "I dont care about anyone else but me" attitude wont get you too far with the members here. There are people here who will send you their gear without question because this is the spirit of this forums - try to get into the spirit and be giving and nice in general. People like Todd, Wayne, Gene, Matt, MikeG etc, have sent me hundreds of dollars worth of stuff with no deposit...I could have walked away without looking back and i'd have a pretty awesome collection... No one is judging you based on what you do - AND IN ANY CASE YOU PAY FOR TWO WAY SHIPPING WITH THE 30 DAY DEAL!!! Whats the problem in adding a few $ to get the headphones of your choice sent to you...a fresh piece too...

That sounds like a good idea, you'd have to work out some problems since the shipping cost will vary depending on from where you'll get the headphones when you want to try them. Or maybe this is just for people in the US? The problem I saw was if the try-out headphones were going to be sent back on me, since if I'd buy with refund and I end up liking them I'd only pay for shipping once instead of 3 times with the try-out ones. But that's not an issue anymore.

It's not the "I dont care about anyone else but me" attitude, it's the "I don't care as long as I think I've been fair" attitude. No need to be defensive/aggressive, I was just telling it from my point of view.

 

[gsferrari]

agreed

Im still doing the math...What do you guys think would be the right thing to do?

I think keeping the headphones in circulation would be awesome. because one auditioner can ship it straight to the next guy and this way they pay only shipping to themselves - ok here is the circle...

T = Todd
N = 1 to infinity (auditioners)

T --> 1 (1 pays shipping - ships out on the 7th day)

1 --> 2 (2 pays shipping - ships out on the 7th day)

2 --> 3 (3 pays shipping....

and so on...

This way - you still pay :-

1] One way shipping to GET the audition cans
2] One way shipping to GET the new cans you like

and this is instead of

1] One way shipping to get the new cans from Todd
2] One way to return to Todd
3] More shipping until you get what you want...

People WANT headphones and not something to keep them company for 30 days

I think this is a great idea...lemme know how you guys feel...and let Todd know how you feel because he is the one who has to OK such a scheme

 

[RunsWithScissors]

Quote:

Originally posted by TMC Personally I don't see anything wrong with using the 30-day refund as long as there is an intention to keep what you've bought if you think it measures up. It's another matter if you're just going to try it out and certainly return them to buy somewhere else to save $10, but I don't think that's what was recommended here.

Just to be clear - this is the spirit in which I wrote this. Even buying two sets of headphones with the intention of comparing them and then keeping only one set is still exploiting this service that these vendors provide so I can't recommend this either. Use this service as a last resort safety net.

With canalphones in particular, a money-back guarantee is very nice if you find that you simply can't deal with inserting them in your ears as they are not for everyone. So if they are unusable, exercise the refund option. I do NOT recommend that you treat this option like your local Blockbuster video rental store.

I do like the idea of this other "try-out" and circulate option if you just want to audition cans. I think it should be discussed in a separate thread though as it gets way off the topic of this thread and I do see some issues such as who takes responsibility for damaged product in such a circulation chain, etc. Nice idea.

Quote:

I hate to treat Todd like Walmart...please uphold your ethics when you deal with these special people - they have done a lot for the forums and for the members.

well said - I wholeheartedly agree - please be respectful.

 

[Brohken]

haha thanks for hijacking this thread guys... jking

anyway i have a question regarding the e3's and comfort. i want more opinions on how they compare to the sony ex (soft silicone tips and tri-flanges on the e3 only)

also does that coupon code still work at microphonesolutions.com and where is the cheapest place to get these right now?

 

[stark23x]

Quote:

Originally posted by gsferrari ok here is the circle... T = Todd N = 1 to infinity (auditioners) T --> 1 (1 pays shipping - ships out on the 7th day) 1 --> 2 (2 pays shipping - ships out on the 7th day) 2 --> 3 (3 pays shipping....

I used to be part of a group that exchanged electrical testing gear this way...you would get an email with the name of the next guy who was suposed to get the gear and ship it out. Expensive gear, and we all got to use it for a fraction of the cost.

 

[gorman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Brohken anyway i have a question regarding the e3's and comfort. i want more opinions on how they compare to the sony ex (soft silicone tips and tri-flanges on the e3 only)

Not able to give you a comparison with Sonys but... I've tried all tips on E3 and, so far, I think I got what I prefer with the tri-flanges (which ironically enough it's the only type that doesn't get bundled in).

What I'm experiencing is a very slight "pain" at insertion, but after that the tri-flanges just sit there and I don't really notice them anymore. Great sound quality after trimming their stem 3 mm or so, as others have suggested on this forum. Before this trimming I had highs that were too harsh for my tastes.

Hope this helps.