It's not my job as a customer to police a manufacturer's dealer agreements. That's up to the manufacturer. The manufacturer should not be taking it out on the customers. We're not involved in the transaction between Bryston and the manufacturers, and we're not party to the dealer agreements.
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This was probably a calculated & highly debated policy within Bryston. They weighed these two items:
The negative perception among consumers viewing the new receipt policy as an undue burden, & who believe it minimizes the long-term investment value in the product.
vs.
The permanent, constantly eroding negative long-term impact, with no view of it ever ceasing, of B&M stores having their investment minimized because of wildcat dealers who break their signed, legal, civil contract rules w/ Bryston.
The solution to the former problem is solved by original purchasers becoming aware of the new policy (happening as we all read this forum). Purchasers of used products will become aware shortly unless they live in a cave. Bryston will be posting it all over their web site home page if it's not already there (again, go to Krell). Authorized dealers should get a huge Bryston sign with Bryston's website address, the dealer ID number, & a short note to go there to confirm ID. The Bryston website list of authorized dealers must be updated daily or weekly at the very least, with the edit date time always visible, & with no other advertising bullshit whatsoever on that page. Each original purchaser must & will at some point act on the following consideration: I either don't give a crap about resale value & don't give a rats ass what happens to this here Bryston receipt in my hands...OR...I must & will absolutely secure this here Bryston receipt for future resale value & consideration. If you tell me someone could spend as much money on a Bryston component & not give a crap about the receipt, I'd say I probably don't want to own that idiot's component (YMMV). (If you had a fire or theft of your receipt & your forwarded a copy of the fire &/or police report to the dealer & he didn't forward a copy of the receipt, you got legal cause to coerce them.) The only way an authorized dealer is exposed to discipline is if/when he discounts the sale. If the sale is full MSRP, then anyone purchasing it to resell it for profit is going to have to find someone stupid enough to pay above MSRP. How likely is that? Yes, he could discount the sale if he wants, but to the extent he discounts, he increases the likelihood of it being resold soley for profit. Now, this second dealer, is he/she offering anything (a storefront for instance), to increase the brand's value & prosperity? Of course not! His sole & only desire is to put money in his pocket at that very moment. If the dealer does want to discount something, he can toss in other products for free (cable, furniture, whatever), or offer free services of some kind.
Important part: Bryston needs the receipt to legally prove the dealer broke their civil agreement. Without a receipt, Bryston has only their word. With the receipt, Bryston has a document that proves some hanky panky took place. Thanks to the proliferation of lawyers with nothing to do, Bryston is exposed to legal process without the receipt when/if they try to enforce discipline.
The threat of the latter problem is Bryston's very existence. As I mentioned earlier, if & when there are nothing but wildcat Bryston dealers reselling grey market goods (not sold per civil agreement), Bryston could eventually cease to exist. How long do you think they last without a store to audition goods? Not long. Do you want that?
I challenge each & every reader to solve the latter problem in another fashion. If you think of a solution better than Bryston's, post it here & let's vote. If you send it to Bryston & they agree you will see it implemented. You can't, so you won't, & I rest my case.
This thread has a ton of complaining & grumbling, but no alternatives.