Originally Posted by GradeA_TireFryer

do you look for discount or someone who would do it on the side when you goto the dentist or doctor, if you dont support your local shops they wont be there for you in the future when you need them, yes you can buy shit cheaper online, but how much is the warranty worth to you or being able to get help from a live person when you have a problem, and half the time people forget about the shippingand they end up spending the same amount of $$$ but now have to wait 5-6 day for your shit to arrive in a banged up box, the ups guy just left on your door matt.

Originally Posted by MCOR

I understand everyone's point of view but blanket statements burn my ass. I just find that the ones that USUALLY (not always) bash local shops are also the ones who have NEVER actually used any of them-just heard stories (made up or true). I also find that many people feel that ALL local shops pricing will be outrageous becuase they are all "out to double their profits" on every customer that walks in the door.

We personally purchase in large quantities as we service many car dealerships. So, looks are deceiving at this little shop but we do pass these savings onto the customers. This is so we CAN compete with the big box stores. We don't even try to compete with online sales. So much of it is bootleg and worthless items and the customer finds that it would have just been less $$ and much less hassle in the end to just purchase and have items installed through a REPUTABLE local shop.

Also, everyone has a job. You don't go to a buddies house to buy a Big Mac because he is not going to make a profit on it. Everyone here has a job and they do because their employer charges customers more than he paid for a product or service. That's called profit and that is what keeps you employed. Now, if the business charges too much for services/product rendered, then F em. They will eventually go out of business as what goes around comes around (look at all the empty storefronts in our wonderful recession as of late).

Just don't class all shops into this category. There are tons of members just at this website who have gotten loads of free information from us over the years (and from many other shops especially in the performance arena). I would even go as far as to figure that 50% of them have NEVER spent a dollar with us. So are all shops still alike?

I personally have all calls forwarded to my cell phone when we are closed or the shop line is being used. It gets answered 24/7 (many here can attest to that). I may not be as cheap as the flea market dealer or the eBay wholesaler, but I am here when you need me and my employees are also. Good or bad, I answer the phone ALWAYS. You pay for customer service and we are busting at the seams becuase of this service we offer. I know not every job will be a slam-dunk, but some of the most profitable work we have gotten in the past was from a "well-to-do" friend of a person that we had done a miniscule job for. The first client may get a $99 radio, then his rich boss comes in for $2500 worth of JL Audio installation (just happened last week as a matter of fact).

We are not all crooks. And I would venture to say that most guys that are from shops that take their time to post help here over the years are the ones that are passionate about this industry. Not just here to make a quick buck off of everyone that they cross paths with.

Whew, I am out of breath! I'll go back to my little hole now...