Hifi/Stereo Merchant Experiences?

[zapatero]

I live in an outer province where there is no local dealer of home Hifi/Stereo electronics. Thus, if I wish to make a purchase, I will need to deal with unfamiliar sources in Bangkok. I have no problem with this, at purchase time, because there are Internet resources to compare product specifications, reviews, prices, etc. My concern is after purchase, if/when something goes wrong after product delivery. I am not expecting to find the same level of customer-accommodative policies in Bangkok that are prevalent in the U.S. or Europe; but I would at least like to take any precaution that I can, by merchant selection, to avoid ending up post-purchase with an expensive boat anchor.

Specifically, I am talking about the purchase of an integrated amplifier. Can you forum members who have had experience purchasing this or other related electronics in Bangkok please tell me what your experiences have been? What have your experiences been regarding guarantees, return/exchange privileges, warranty servicing, etc.? The names of specific merchants would be very helpful, as I am not familiar with any at all. English language would also be helpful, but post-sale customer service is more important.

Thank you very much for any of your thoughts or recommendations,
~~ zapatero

[IMHO]

Generally speaking, you're going to be going back to the distributor for service if the retailer's not nearby... I haven't had enough (i.e. any) equipment fail to comment on after-sales service quality though

I guess the trick is to buy something of good quality to begin with, and make sure they have an official distributor in TH. There's a post somewhere here with lists brands & their Thai distributors.

[diwata]

Unless you want to buy a locally made or no brand amplifier, there should be no problem in terms of after sales support when you purchase electronics in Bangkok especially when it is still under warranty. You can always bring back to the dealer. I normally buy from Akibaharain Silom (google it) or PowerBuy without any issue in terms of after sales support. They normall have a standard policies; when the unit failed (factory defect) within 7 days, you can return it and they will replace it with new one. Otherwise, if you return after 7 days the time you purchased, they will repair it and wait for few days.

[zapatero]

Thank you for the replies, guys.

IMHO: I found the "Hifi Distributors in Thailand" by stgrhe, pinned in this sub-forum. Excellent link.

diwata: I was able to find and access PowerBuy, but google couldn't find Akibaharain Silom. Is there some possibility of a misspelling, or that they don't have a web presence?

Thank you both for your insights.

[astral]

I might add that generally good equipment is reliable for many years.

[IMHO]

I might add that generally good equipment is reliable for many years.

Yep, I have bought quite a bit of audio & video gear over the years, and the only time I've ever sought manufacturer support was when I spent 500K Baht on JBL active speakers, and they supplied them with Shucko plugs - for 500K Baht I thought it was reasonable to request some TIS replacement plugs - which they did