Horror Stories of Being an Audio Dealer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- Clients from hell?!! You don't want to know all the crazy things that happened to Adrian in the audio industry.... Or do you? Comment down below with your thoughts and experiences!
Catch up on our previous videos:
Making Big Bucks, But at What Cost? | Audio Dealer 101: • Making Big Bucks, But ...
How Adrian almost went bankrupt twice: • How Adrian Almost Went...
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Audio Excellence Inc. is a high-end audio/video store in Markham, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. We've been in business since 1991.
Check out our interviews with designers and audio luminaries like Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Paul McGowan of PS Audio, Paolo Tezzon of Sonus Faber, Wendell Diller of Magnepan, John Atkinson of Stereophile, Dan D'Agostino of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Nelson Pass of Pass Labs and others.
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Adrian@audioexcellence.ca
Mike@audioexcellence.ca
Lewis@audioexcellence.ca
Info@audioexcellence.ca
Audioexcellenceca@gmail.com
Edited by: Alison@audioexcellence.ca
Phew! I thought for SURE my name would come up ! :-) I always enjoy listening to your adventures as if we are privileged to hear them from "a fly on the wall" perspective. Your "no fear" approach is really refreshing and makes for excellent "copy" . It makes me want to come back for more!
Thanks!
Adrian, Thank you for this video. I've owned 2 high line automotive repair shops & I can relate to what you have gone through. The difference is that I don't take it. I'm there to assist the customer any way possible but I'm not there to be abused or cursed at. If a customer starts that type of behavior no problem I just start adding on the AGRIVATION TAX & HERE IN N.J. THAT'S EXPENSIVE, like thousands of dollars. After the customer pulls his head out of his butt & comes down to earth & truly apologies then we will talk. There is a saying I've lived by all my life. He definitely has more money than brains & ZERO COMON SENSE. God Bless you Adrian, your family, and your crew. TMP from N.J.
Thanks so much
Really enjoyed those walks down memory lane in the audio biz, Adrian. I was just a kid drooling at equipment back then at The Listening Post; Audio Junction; and other high end stores thinking I wanted to be a stereo salesman some day. Thank goodness I didn't pursue that passion as I would not have lasted a day, especially after hearing some of your stories. Great stuff my friend. So glad I'm subscribed.
Thank you!
Adrian, this is one of the best and funniest videos I’ve ever seen, sorry all the laughs came at your expense 😂 Between the krells, the apogees and the top notch Bose system, I couldn’t stop laughing. Picturing you lugging around a huge CRT projector back in the day was gold.
Thanks
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels.
thank you kindly
Rather enjoying this series you have going! I think it should continue ! Audio stories with Adrian! I didn't realize you have been in the business and selling gear this long going back to the 80s! Perhaps you could do some on stories of talking with or meeting some of the famous folks like Paul and Annie from gene is? Or dan from his krell days? Or any of the other reps or ceos of the brands you carried over the years? Just an idea for future content. Or perhaps share, if you can remember the brands you used to carry back when you started and how those brands evolved or allowed you to carry others. I think doing a episode on how your able to carry say macintosh or Wilson back in the day started vs how it would be today ? Just calling this whole series storytime with Adrian 😀
good ideas!
We had several open all night sales events in the car business giving away pizza, donuts, hamburgers on different occasions. A 320 pound guy would drive circling the car lot waiting for the restocking of the pizzas, he was like a mad hungry dog with no shame at all, disgusting pizza all over his face and hands like he was 3 years old. 😂. Once we had 2 nicely dressed ladies show up and park their car next door at the lumber company, one is 8 1/2 months pregnant. Salesman lets them demo drive the car by themselves, he was 76 years old, thought they were legitimate. About three hours later we see them and the car on television, they robbed a bank and got caught, the baby was born in prison, it’s even on goggle. I have a ton more, retail sales can be crazy at times, more so I have found so especially during a full moon phase. 😱😂😎✌️🇺🇸
wow you have some stories!
Goggle? 😮
@@MrPINKFL0YD
Gaggle😮
I’ve had my fair share of horror stories as a manufacturer of audio equipment as well…all too relatable :/
From an enthusiast perspective - one time at a manufacturer demo (brands and people you know and have talked about on this channel) at my local dealer, there was an unveiling of the new flagship speaker with top of the line electronics. The room filled up for the first demo, I am sitting center in the third row and was giddy with excitement to listen to this brand new $400k+ stereo system.
After the spiel the music starts. Immediately, there’s no bass and the vocalist is coming out of the corner of the room. It was immediately apparent that the speakers were out of phase, but no one seemed to notice except me, as heads and feet nodded along to the music. I look over at the mfg owners on the side of the room, they immediately look at me. They whisper to each other, and then telephone a message down the row of company employees standing by them. The demo is cut short and everyone is asked to leave so that they can ‘fine tune’ the setup to account for the difference in sound due to the room being full of people compared to when they set it up initially….😂 great cover. It blows my mind that these people put so little care in to setup. Same thing happens at audio shows where so many of the rooms sound truly awful. Perhaps it goes to show that most people in the audience don’t know how to comprehend what they are experiencing, so the setup usually doesn’t even matter?
lol, I've done my fair share of "tweaking" mistakes
Or get you a demo request, you make sure it's all setup and sounding good. When the customer comes in, you hit play but all they do is talk about the gear they've owned instead of listening
Interesting stories about moving large speakers. Probably many who watch audiophile TH-cam videos heard about the so-called poor paint finish on some very expensive custom painted red Rockport speakers that a client of a high-end audio store in Houston TX experienced. There was paint damage (very slight) on the sides of one the speakers in a circular pattern that the customer didn't notice until after the installers left. The client demanded a refund (and not a replacement or repair), and Rockport eventually obliged, and I believe that audio store ended up stopped being a Rockport dealer. All of that was revealed on a TH-cam video and Rockport got the blame, and has probably suffered irreputable harm from this incident. But I was watching some previous videos of that same audio dealer on the same TH-cam channel when they installed some MBL 101 speakers at a customer home, and the dealer employees (who looked like high school kids) unpacked the speakers outside and used those large suction cups on the speakers to carry them into the home. I would bet a lot of money they used those same suction cups on the Rockport speakers and that is what damaged the paint finish, and it was probably not a factory defect in the paint finish. BTW, when they were moving the MBL's, one of the suction cups came loose and they almost dropped the speaker (as shown in the TH-cam video).
🤔🙄 Probably so true!🤫😉🧐
Always entertaining! Thanks for sharing.
my pleasure
I was with Adrian in Las Vegas around 2005 or 2006 and we happened to be at T.H.E. Show. At the end of it we were a bit peckish so decided to go for lunch. The first place we saw was a burger place so we decided, sure let's do that. It was called the Queen Mary burger. It looked nice, we went in and sat down, and a waiter came to take our order. I remember he was wearing a belt that had the rainbow flag on it. We got the sense he was gay. One of us commented on it and then we continued. Then we started to notice, the other waiters did as well. Then looked around and realized, there were no women in there. We had stumbled upon a gay burger place in Vegas. Today it would be normal, 20 years ago, we were pioneers. We found it amusing but more importantly, the burgers were good.
Love these stories. I’ve always dreamed of owning a hifi store but I knew it was the express way to financial ruin. I’m so glad that you’re able to have your dream job and make a living.
Thanks
Another great edit by Alison. Really fun video.
thanks
Man, these were very interesting stories - picturing them made me laugh hard. Thanks for sharing.😂
My pleasure
Interesting fireside chat revolving like a turntable about audio world’s skips and scratches. Well done Adrian!
Thank you
@@adrianlow2114 Your Welcome Adrian. In the future when things settle I see a book…All Things Audiophile.
In the late seventies, I was working at the sound center in vogelweh west Germany. This was a PX. The pioneer rep gave us Swiss army knives. I was opening up a box for a customer with that knife. When I closed it, the blade caught my pinky. The natural reaction was to pull back. The next thing I heard was knife hitting the floor 30 feet away. No one hurt, but kind of funny. The other story was in the speaker demo room. We used a Teac A6300 reel to reel for one of the sources. As I was removing one component, the bracket under the TEAC uncoupled from the shelf, and it tumbled.
I was sick with worry, but repaired the wooden side panel, and it worked like a champ after that.
This video made me laugh! 😂😂C’mon Adrian, name and shame. You know you want to!
hehe
Great stories. Thanks!
Love the stories Adrian- thanks for sharing. I have a story that could have had awkward consequences had I done things differently. I worked in an appliance store one summer when I was in college. A young woman with a small child came in to buy a vacuum cleaner. I made the sale and brought the box out- it was obvious that it had to be assembled. It was just a matter of screwing in the handle. The woman looked at it and said she didn’t know how to put it together. This was in the 1970s and it was not common for young women to have children without being married. I explained to her that her husband could do it for her. She paused and looked at me and said she didn’t have a husband and could I come to her house and put it together for her. I said no problem I can put it together in the back room and load it in her car. When I went back to put it together another salesman followed me and said I was an idiot and why didn’t I go to her house. I said I know but how do I know she doesn’t really have a husband- he may just be at work. I’ll never know but it could have been an awkward situation! Anyway keep the stories coming.
I can relate ... lol
Some really funny, weird and sad stories! Good video!
thanks
Great video, thank you for sharing
Great video! The guy that drank too much and wanted to drive was really Vilip wasn't it? Huh?
I feel your pain. When I was self employed I took a job for a business man who was a sleeping tyrant. If the slightest thing went wrong he would explode in great anger and shouting. Well something went wrong with my job, and he exploded on the phone. Thankfully it was not face to face. I kept calm and said the issue will be resolved and he will get what he asked for. Job was completed successfully and I made a point to never work with that hideous person again. I feel sorry for all the people that have to work / interact with him. He is literally sugar coated sh*t.
thanks for sharing
These are so entertaining. Thanks 🙏
my pleasure
Great stories Adrian. I remember those Krell and would hate the idea of moving them around. Also you needed to upgrade the electrical for those.
I have a McIntosh 402 amplifier I was moving onto a shelf. It has sharp heat fins along the sides.. It slipped from my grip - and my adage has always been that I heal the equipment doesn’t - but I held on to get it on to the shelf. I wear those scars on my forearms proudly.
I have quite a few of these scars too!
The guy with the Bose speakers 🤣🤣🤭
Thank you Adrian for sharing these true and honest horror stories. I will promise that if I ever win the lottery, my custom built home will definitely have a freight elevator built-in. I will also rent a forklift and possibly a Genie, as well. Oops! Gotta get licensed to operate these.
The man with the bose system comparison. That must have been mind boggling.
Funny stories, Adrian. Thanks for sharing them! One correction though, "T.H.E. Show" stood for The High End Show, not Home Entertainment.
yes you're right. I couldn't remember for sure
Wow Adrian, not Willie the Wine-O, and the the Stomach Family eating and drinking you out of house and home!!! It truly was the entitlement mindset to get mad at you while eating and drinking, your stuff, wow!!! Keep this going Adrian, I like when you and Steve Guttenberg tell these customers stories. Human behavior never ceases to amaze me.
thanks
Those Genesis loudspeaker's midrange unit was manufactured by B&G Corp and before Dave Graebener died, could be purchase by Us peasants from partsexpress to build Our own. I bought the original Auricle RD 57 for 1085 bucks a pair, shipped from Seattle to Framingham MA, back in '89. THD at 113 db for these push-pull, line source, dipoles is .35%. I drive them with OTLs and they still sound amazing.
I remember Scientific Fidelity. I also remember they sounded really nice. Great lessons for all of us to learn from Adrian.
Thank you
Best episode ever!!!
thanks
Thanks, great work, I loved the stories.
thanks
Thanks for this video. Are those the Amati G5’s behind you?
Sonus faber Serafino
Enjoyed that
Great video!
thanks
Shit we call this a calm tuesday. These are horror stories they're daily life
Amazing video Adrian! Though you consider them as horror stories, I see them as awesome experiences.
I watched this video to see if I can learn something about how I can help Audio businesses better but never expected to have this much fun listening.
Thanks!
I worked in auto parts and we had an open house with free hot dogs and soft drinks. A large stature woman comes in with four kids maybe from 4 to ten years of age. We counted and they ate 25 hot dogs. She was practically forcing them to eat another. I finally asked her if there was anything I could help her with and she got huffy at me and scooped up the kids and left all the while swearing at me.
haha. Guess I'm not the only one
The same thing happened to A writer for the Absolute Sound Magazine the speaker base fell off/ They were moving the speaker around and it fell off
more of this video!!!!
That is why when you buy the new audio equipment, you are supposed to hide it first. Then later, you can bring it out when your wife is busy going out shopping. I did that and never got caught.
haha
There is also a two week window after you get her a really nice present.
@@louisperlman8030 Haha
Dealers like you Adrian are role models, hats off to your virtues.
For sushi clients, maybe you can have your daughter take their signatures on a guest book and bingo, no more invite for him.
Good idea
Rarely does anything good come from a guy with a power saw excitedly saying, “I don’t care!”
The story of that amp just makes my stomach go to knots
😮 I want the bad ones, preferably involving vast amounts of money too!
Thanks for the tip about the port. Obviously a natural grab hole.
This carpenter was a super hero, I guess.
And yeah…dealing with clients on a daily basis can make you love animals more than humans !
lol
See how Kenji in Japan delivers his speakers. I guess it’s why he drives an Aston Martin. Excellence. His install videos are exemplary. I’m sure he has many stories too, but it’s Japan so you won’t hear about them anytime soon 🙉
MORE CRAZY STORIES
Excelente!
Whenever dealing with the public, all bets are off! 🙄
Lol.. guy sawing into the marble cabinet.. I can relate to. Lol
Whether or not if they are over driven..should speakers catch fire ? That doesn't sound like a good speaker. Blowout a woofer.. ok.. but catch fire? ☠️
actually happened
@@adrianlow2114 I believe the story. :) Just sounds like a very bad speaker.
Im gonna make a rhym Adrian Adrian Awsome!guess it dont rhym but i hope you catch the drift!
Retail... It's a tough world...
OMG I’m so sorry, but I can well imagine. Nevertheless, you handled those situations with aplomb!
thank you
The eat and run bunch only happens in movies….not necessarily so.
Really? Have you been there?
@@joenovak6393 No not ever…
Youre the best
Thank you!
Rich people having monstrous breakdowns... Wealth does not make you a good person, probably the opposite actually.
Your life is not boring?? I worked 61years in the Hospitality Industry simular experience but food related,
(First world) audiophiles' problems 😂
You're such a genuine and likeable guy. If I lived in Canada I'd buy a system from you, no question. Love all of your videos, keep up the great work.
Thanks!
entertaining
Probably not a good to advertise serving food and drinks for events like that, or else you are bound to have some people who only come for that reason, and those are not the kind of customers a high-end audio store wants. Besides, most high-end customer who like sushi are pretty particular about the quality of it, and not likely to want to eat it unless they know where it came from and how fresh it is.
We get the Sushi from a very highly regarded restaurant,. I don't eat seafood but the feedback from everyone has been very good
Wonder if these horrible clients ever bought products from you or just there for freebies !
Blamed everything on a carpenter, almost like “ bikers fault “
Its the guys who directed him fault
Oh I can so relate to this. Some people are just stuck on stupid.
Prfff.....I was already cringing before the end of each story.
I'm Fine!...LIAR!
Sorry Adrian, but I can't muster any sympathy for the two speaker moving incidents.
Regarding the "sushi family", I can't help but wonder what would have happened if you just didn't have sushi at the next event!?!? While I'm really enjoying these solo videos for the most part, the video inserts not showing audio components and audio dubs are simply unnecessary and don't *add* anything positive to the presentation.
and your opinion matters how much?
Spreading great music......
Patricia Barber
Too Rich For My Blood
I am excited for the next installment in this series: Employees From Hell! (H E Double Hockey Sticks) 🔥🔥🔥🔥🏒🏒🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿