Do not buy any Sonus Faber used


Sumiko just announced that
"IN ADDITION, SUMIKO WILL NOT SUPPLY PARTS AND/OR SERVICE FOR ANY SONUS FABER PRODUCT WITHOUT PROOF OF PURCHASE FROM A SUMIKO AUTHORIZED DEALER IN NORTH AMERICA ".

What a curious statement . Can you imagine Volkswagen refusing to provide parts for their own cars, no matter where they were bought? I do hope other distributors will follow. It would surely drive the prices down considerably on Audiogon for used gear.
limono
Djohnson54 - This is about grey market speakers, not ones from authorized dealers.

Sumiko is perfectly willing to support used equipment, as long as it is not grey market. Nobody buying SF speakers from an authorized dealer should have any qualms about buying them and selling them. If you buy used speakers that originally came from an authorized dealer you are fine. But, if you want to buy from the grey market, then you need to be careful. In fact, supporting grey market speakers would hurt Sumiko's business, because it encourages people to buy from grey market sources, with the knowledge that Sumiko will bail them out if anything happends.

I totally agree that not supporting used equipment that originally came from an authorized dealer would be a bad business models. But that is not their policy.
Dtc,
12-05-11: Dtc
Djohnson54 - This is about grey market speakers, not ones from authorized dealers.

I believe I said as much above:
Note in the third to last paragraph they say that it has to have been purchased from an authorized dealer not that YOU have to have purchased from an authorized dealer. This is most likely aimed at the grey-market but I would check with them to be sure if I was about to buy used. After all, you don't really know where the seller originally purchased the product.

At least you understood my second point. I'm glad to hear that Sumiko is not that shortsighted.
This is not new. But I suspect that they just want to be able to say no at their discretion. I take it as their version of the “right to refuse service to anyone” sign in a restaurant.
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1258638486&openfrom&5&4#5
Djohnson54 - Sorry if I seem too aggressive about this. I am a huge SF fan and have had great experiences with SF dealers and with Sumiko. Sumiko is not against the used market but they are against the grey market.

I understand why distributors are sensitive to the grey market. There is not enough volume in the high end to support high end brick and mortar stores and a significant grey market. I have purchased SF both new and used. I just will not buy high end equipment that has come through the grey mark.

Enjoy.
How does one know that the speakers he is buying used, in the classifieds, were originally purchased from a Sumiko authorized dealer?

If a person moves to the US with his speakers purchased through an authorized European distributor, can Sumiko refuse to provide parts?