Checklist of questions to ask a vendor
When buying products from a vendor, you should always check out that vedor first, that can save you from a later headache if you get problems with the product. The best place to start is always the vendor itself, just to see if they are helpful or not.
- How long have the vendor existed as a buisness? If they are only 1 week old, they may or may not have the experience you want of a vendor. They can also be out of business the next month, and then you stand there. While this might be true for any vendor, it's more likely that a freshly started vendor goes out of business, than an older vendor.
- Can I try the product at home? Since you are buying a product for use in your home, it is important to be able to listen to it in the home. Various dealers has solved this differently. Some sells you the product, but let you return for a full refund (eventually minus a restocking fee, check this up) if you are not happy with it.
- If there is a trial at home period, how long is it? Does it include the days in transport?
- Which ways can they be contacted in if you want support for the product? Phonenumbers, faxnumber, eventual email etc
- What kind of warranty is offered?
- Make sure that the vendor is authorized by the manufacturer of the product, because sometimes the manufacturer won't honour a warranty otherwise.
- Is the product in stock? If not, how long will it take them to get it?
- Can you get references from other customers? This is one of the more important questions, because while the vendor might say anything in order to make you buy from him, the answers from other customers are usually more balanced. If the dealer doesn't want to give you a list of people you can contact, then this is a warning sign. However, it might just be that the vendor haven't asked customers if he can give out their names etc as references, so a tip might be to ask on the web for other peoples experience. A newsgroup like alt.home-theater.misc should usually do the trick.
The guidelines presented here is not the one truth, because such a thing doesn't exist. It reflects what I consider important, others might have other ides. If you feel I have missed something important, drop me a mail at mars@lysator.liu.se and I will include if I agree with you that it is important. But once again I want to point out that this is one way, and mine ideas, and it's only meant as a guideline
