I'm trying to find a decent, reputable online company to buy my new HU..Can you guys suggest any company that has decent prices and good customer service...When buying some electronics online, it can be a dizzying experience :crazy:

 

http://www.mmxpress.com
Haven't heard bad about them yet though they aren't the cheapest. Definitely cheaper than any store deal however.

 

I heard http://www.crutchfield.com is now selling alpine!

 

Good luck, Alpine does not really allow online stores to become authorized dealers. If you do not buy from an authorized dealer you do not get a warranty. Crutchfield is the only exception I know of and they just became a dealer. See Alpine's WWW site for an explanation.

 

Just bought my Alpine HU through Crutchfield.....customer service and installation support was great!! :) http://www.alpine1.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html


[Modified by vette5, 5:50 PM 5/14/2002]

 

Crutchfield sucks worse than sitting on a greased up bowling pin. See the link: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=295257

 

:eek: :lol:

 

I'm not sure that this is really a fair statement. Sure you can probably find a lower price at another store, but you have to figure in the customer service aspect. Crutchfield offers free install kits, free speaker mounting ring kits, fast reasonable shipping, and a 30 day money back guarantee. I doubt your local shop offers a 30 day money back guarantee. The deck installation kits are just as good as the kits you get elsewhere. Some people are willing to spend a little more money to get better service.

With all of that said, I've purchased a lot of expensive car audio equipment and most of it was purchased at local shops. Over the years I've purchased some amp wiring kits from Crutchfield and a few amps and Infinity speakers that were on sale at Crutchfield and have been happy with all of my purchases.

My wife recently surprised me with a new Wega TV for my birthday and had Crutchfield ship it to our door. There is no way she could have gotten that home by herself and we are also happy with that purchase.

YMMV.

 

Kit price =10-20$ Everyone else has shipping and returns. My old local shop offered free money back for 30 days, free exchanges for 90 days, and free removal of equipment and reinstallation of original system when you sell the car. We also had a 3 year guarentee on all equipment we installed and replaced faulty equipment regardless of reason for failure(child sticking hand into speaker or pouring coffee into a changer for example)
Crutchfield has three things going for it: Advertising, a paper catelog, and installation kits. They have nothing else.
They pay for all these with higher prices. Not worth it to me when I can get exactly the same service, guarentees, etc. just about anywhere for less.

As for TVs and other home items, I have no idea. Maybe you can get a deal. Personally, I'd rather get an open box for 40% off than a new one that is identical from a mail order. I don't care about service plans. They are designed to make discount stores money. If you buy quality to begin with, you shouldn't need it. I have yet to have a good quality sterio component for home or car last less than 10 years with proper cleaning of moving parts such as disk doors, etc.

 

Operational policy quotes from the mmxpress website:

"Our advice about OTHER online stores: We suggest you do NOT BUY from ANY online store that does NOT post terms and conditions for you're benefit! We also suggest you read what their terms and conditions REALLY say. Turn off that annoying music they have playing in the background that stops you from being able to concentrate! Are they claiming full factory warranties on all merchandise? Well if they do there is a GOOD chance they are lying to you. Brands like Alpine, JL Audio, Kicker, etc do NOT AUTHORIZE Internet/mail order sales! The factory warranties are VOID! Even brands like Pioneer and Sony do not authorize Internet sales from any company aside from Crutchfield. So if an online store will LIE about THAT, what ELSE will they lie about? If they promise their own warranty, well we hope for you're sake they will be around to honor it! Companies like Directronics, and Audiomovil online stores have vanished overnight, leaving their customers without warranty.

Think about it. Make the SMART choice."

12. All sales are final. There are NO RETURNS and NO CANCELLATIONS. If you receive a defective unit within the first seven days, we will ATTEMPT to replace it with a new unit for you. This is NOT always possible. It will be at the discretion of our supplier to provide a new unit, or repair the unit. Unit must appear to be brand new to qualify for replacement, otherwise our repair policy will apply. You must email us for a Return Authorization Number before returning any item. e-mail customersupport@mmxpress.com Shipping charges are non-refundable. The consumer is responsible for all shipping costs. We will pay for, or reimburse 2-way shipping on INITIALLY DEFECTIVE merchandise for the first 30 days only. Only Ground shipping will be refunded. ........no returns no cancellation??....yeah, I'm gonna send these guys some money :rolleyes:

 

Yeah right! :lol:

Man, that is one hell of a local shop!! Local shops near me do not offer that type of return policy. I recently upgraded the front-end components in my daily driver and spent $2,500 for an Alpine CVA-1006 in-dash monitor/receiver, Alpine TV Tuner, and Alpine 6 disc DVD changer. I got the parts from an authorized Alpine dealer on Canal Street in NYC called Uncle Steve. I had to haggle big time to get the price I got. Online mail order prices for the same parts were higher than I paid, and online Alpine parts do not come with a manufacturers warranty. I checked numerous Alpine dealers near my house in NJ and they could not match the Uncle Steve prices, and the NJ dealers were not offering 30 day money back return policies. Uncle Steve in NYC told me I had 10 days to return the parts, after that it was manufacturers warranty only.

FWIW - I've heard plenty of horror stories about Uncle Steve and I would not use them as a mail order vendor.

 

My warranties information was about the local shop that I worked at. As for "professional installation advise" they still recommend installing 4x6 speakers as the best fit for my car in the front. This was a poor choice for dash speakers that changed with the 90? interior changes and 12 years later they still don't have it correct. It should be 5.25" speakers for the front with 6.5" with minor modification. Since they rely on this information being accurate, and at least 10% of the time it isn't, they often make poor recommendations. Also, they aren't allowed to make distinctions between qualities of brands, telling you that you do want to spend more for the alpine instead of the jensen because jensen is junk. This is because they make more mark-up on jensen than alpine and they would rather sell the bad brands from a profit standpoint.

 

What shop was that? I lived most of my live on Long Island. I am pretty sure Nanuet, NY is in Suffolk County.



Well, anyone attempting to install a system in their own car should have an idea about what fits before even picking up the phone. I can't really fault Crutchfield for not knowing what fits best in every single car. Not sure about a '92, but 6.5" speakers fit easily in the front of my old '85. I never bothered with dash speakers in that car.


http://www.rbartick.com/vetwork/alpine.html




Can't comment on the Jensen vs. Alpine sales advice from them. Whenever I called them I already knew exactly what I wanted.

--rb--

 

Crutchfield ... is reputable ... but their prices are not the greatest..

 

I'd go with Crutchfield, but they don't have the HU i'm looking for....i may chance it and go w/ SBH Enterprises....

 

What HU are you looking for? SBH is one of those quick mail order places in Brooklyn NY. Be very careful!

 

I'm planning on buying the Alpine CDA-D857, since it fits the GM 1.5 din perfectly.

Yeah, I know dealing w/ these guys seems like a risky proposition, but the price is good, and i can always dispute it through my credit card...

 

I see you are in Lakewood NJ. Jump on the train, take a trip into Manhattan, and go to Uncle Steve on Canal Street. They have a huge amount of inventory in stock at all times. You should be able to haggle a great price and you will not have to deal with mail order. Bring a printout from the SBH site and I am sure Uncle Steve will beat it. Uncle Steve is an authorized dealer, SBH is not. If you buy from SBH you do not get a warranty from Alpine.

--rb--

 

Not a bad idea..i'm going up to Queens on Friday anyway......Thanx! :cheers:

 

Why not try going to http://www.caraudioforum.com they could help you find an online dealer ...