The level playing field

The theory....

An increasing number of manufacturers are becoming nervous about the internet. They see cut price web outlets as a threat to their specialist dealer-base, because they believe that a customer can't possibly have decided what equipment to buy online, unless he has already had it demonstrated to him by his local dealer.

The manufacturers feel that it is wrong for a customer to listen at a local shop, then buy the same equipment more cheaply from another dealer, who hasn't had to go to the expense of putting on a demonstration. Many manufacturers also feel that web-based outlets cannot offer the correct level of expertise to demonstrate and service their products, particularly if they are shipping to customers who live hundreds of miles away.

Consequently, some manufacturers now ban shipping, via a legal contract. There are no exceptions and no 'short-cuts' - any dealer who ships a restricted product, or allows a customer to collect using a courier, is breaking a legal contract.

The reality....

We support free trade, but we also believe that retailers should trade with responsibility. We certainly do not want our customers wasting the time of other dealers before they purchase one of our discounted Hot Deals. Indeed, if we become aware that a customer is deliberately misusing the facilities of another dealer, we reserve the right to decline the sale. Also, we strongly believe that 'shopping trolley' online stores are not the right place to buy specialist audio equipment. We therefore voluntarily support the manufacturers who ban shipping. We never ship restricted products - please do not ask us to make an exception, because I'm afraid we won't!

However, the retail world is changing and it has to be said that these days, an increasing number of consumers do their research on web forums, rather than relying on the services of their traditional local dealer. Whilst we would always say that 3rd party opinions can never be a substitute for a personal listening test, we nonetheless cannot ignore this rapidly expanding customer group. One of the biggest online forums now boasts over 105,000 members, for example, and we ourselves receive in excess of 20,000 non-SPAM e-mails a year. Many of these people appear to be unaware that their local dealer even exists. Incredibly, an increasing number of forum users actually state that they would rather not buy from a specialist dealer at all, given the option. Well, as Basil Fawtly would say "That's exactly how Nazi Germany started" - we obviously have to respond! As a long standing 'bricks and mortar' shop, with one of the most active websites in the industry (millions of visitors each year) we feel that we are uniquely placed to address this large group of Internet customers, utilising their medium of choice. However, in doing so, we want to take the opportunity to reaffirm the many advantages that can only come from visiting a traditional specialist shop. We therefore offer very competitive 'web friendly' deals on many of the popular brands, but still actively encourage customers to come to our shop, to listen to their proposed purchase, and make any necessary 'fine-tuning' adjustments.

Of course, people are more mobile these days - some commute hours every day, so travelling isn't the issue it used to be. What's more, Shrewsbury is bang smack in the middle of the country, so the vast majority of the population is not much more than two hours away from us. As a result of this (and possibly because Shrewsbury is a really nice place to visit!) thousands of people do make the journey to us every year to grab one of our Hot Deal specials.

If you want to join this happy band, here's how it works...

• You browse our website and discover that we are selling equipment for hundreds (sometimes thousands) of pounds less than RRP.
• You contact us by phone or e-mail to discuss your proposed purchase - we answer e-mails up to midnight and at weekends! You may also decide to visit one of the many popular online forums to get an independent view of your proposed purchase (and us!).
• If you like the way we handle your enquiry, you sit down and work out whether the cost savings justify travelling to our shop (We have deliberately located ourselves in the Midlands, so that we are not much more than a few hours' drive away from most English towns + we are five minutes walk from Shrewsbury railway station + we are only an hour away from 2 major international airports, for our export customers). Even if the cost savings don't justify travelling, you many still decide to come to us, either because you like our style, or because you're frustrated that many dealers just don't carry any stock these days and you simply can't get what you want locally.
• You make a firm decision to travel, then contact us to check on stock availability (we normally hold at least ten of each of the popular Hot Deals in stock). If we have stock and you are happy to proceed, you give us a credit card holding deposit. This payment is refundable, subject to you liking your target equipment in the demonstration room.
• You travel to the shop (normally first thing on a Saturday morning when traffic is very quiet!)
• You listen to the equipment in our comfortable demonstration room, then fine tune (or even completely change) our Hot Deal to suit your exact personal requirements. Most of our systems come with terminated cables and one of our famous, easy to follow instruction packs, to make installation an absolute doddle.
• If you've come in a car, you can then leave with your chosen system (unless your car is a Porsche Boxster!). Anything that won't fit into your car can be freighted on to you. If you've come via train, small packages can be taken with you and we'll freight on anything else as required. If you've come via plane, it's surprising how much equipment you can take back with you as excess baggage (after all some people take full-sized surf boards on holiday with them!).
• You get home and connect up your system with the aid of our comprehensive Quick-Start-Guide + plug-and-play cable pack. You bask in the glorious sound that now fills your room, relax, pour yourself a drink, reflect on what a nice day out you've had and allow yourself a quiet snigger when you work out just how much money you've saved!

Last year, thousands of people travelled to Creative Audio from just about every town in the UK, as well as most of the major European cities (not to mention Azerbaijan, Croatia, The States, Australia and....I kid you not, the Falkland Islands). They were all very welcome - as indeed you would be.

We look forward to seeing you - the coffee machine is on standby!