Well, a little was mentioned about this - and as promised by Peter, i'm back from a weekend away and ready to explain.

We sent out a newsletter as you may know, which only got to a small number of people. However, Bang & Olufsen UK took exception to the statement that they were 'Official Sponsors' of BeoWorld and asked us to remove any wording to that effect after complaints from their dealer network.  I submitted revised copy back to Bang & Olufsen for the newsletter to send out to all members, but unfortunately they could not approve the copy in time for the draw. Hence, we have moved the BeoVision 8-40" Prize to the September slot.

The newsletter is being sent to members of every level, and will hopefully give the Bronze and Silver Members a chance to upgrade membership and stand a chance of winning this amazing prize.  Of course, this would also create much needed revenue for the site which will go a long way towards funding the new Telligent Upgrade for the Forum due soon.

I would also like to apologise personally to B&O UK and the Dealer Network for assuming that the donation of a TV in exchange for a Link and Publicity for the product and the company was construed as a form of Sponsorship. My error, and sorry for the distress this has caused any dealers.  I will reiterate, as Bang & Olufsen have done to their UK Dealers already, that Bang & Olufsen UK are not Official Sponsors of BeoWorld.  I hope this clears the matter up.

Finally, the August 2009 Draw is at 9pm TONIGHT !!   We look forward to being there and giving away some fantastic Prizes

Lee

Personally, I would be seriously contemplating telling them to "poke" their advertising in whatever form and their TV with it!!!

why would dealers object ?,  thought they be happy

Malcolm

I would have thought a completely free (to them) form of advertising would have been most attractive both the B&O UK and the dealers, especially at a time when trading conditions were hard. I imagine this was the thought of B&O UK in offering the BV8-40 as a prize as this would no doubt be reported widely. Anything which increases the positive reception given to the product would be beneficial as it would encourage customers to go and look at the set at their dealers. Quite why any dealer would object completely eludes me.

We have tried to promote dealerships even before any thought of sponsorship or whatever it might be called, and the enthusiasm of the dealers has been completely lacking with a couple of notable exceptions. There are all sorts of things that a web site of this nature could do to promote the brand and the dealer network. With very little encouragement we could publish articles about dealers, introducing them to the web browsers who frequent this site. Entering a B&O dealer can be a daunting prospect - the next set of window displays are trying to encourage more footfall - however a little basic knowledge before entering helps considerably especially when not couched in advertising speech. This is where both our database and the forum offer so much. There are very few negative threads, unlike the old official forum, and a wealth of friendly helpful people ready to encourage an entry into B&O ownership. But it would seem that some dealers have better ideas - no doubt they are satisfied with their sales figures already.

Peter :

...There are very few negative threads, unlike the old official forum, and a wealth of friendly helpful people ready to encourage an entry into B&O ownership. But it would seem that some dealers have better ideas - no doubt they are satisfied with their sales figures already.

well said.

So, they don't want to be referred to as official sponsors, and the dealer network objects to the association!

Perhaps the objectors would like to identify themselves so that their Beoworld userid can be removed, they obviously see little benefit in it and hardly ever browse the site I imagine!

Maybe it's because they feel threatened as the major source of easily accessible, timely (factual) product information/support??

Very, very strange!

joeyboygolf:

Personally, I would be seriously contemplating telling them to "poke" their advertising in whatever form and their TV with it!!!

Agree. This sort of pompousness stops many a potential customer from stepping inside a dealership in the first place. Still, if that's the image they are going for...

Bit of a catch 22 this one, as if we knock B&O dealers for what we perceive as their arrogance or insecurity we probably end up reinforcing their distrust of the site, but on the other hand if we say nothing because we want to keep B&O on side bearing in mind the sweet prize they were offering then this wouldn't be much of a public forum where people's honest opinions can be aired.

For what it's worth I think suspicious dealers are terrified of having informed customers through the door, otherwise why the over reaction? Trip made a good point a few months ago that the only gushing praise to be found on here is for products manufactured before 1990, so in some ways I can't actually blame them!

I can't really say too much, but i can assure all members that a great number of dealers in the UK have no issues at all with BeoWorld and use the site regularly for reference.  You can therefore deduce that it was a small number of dealers that objected. Small being a very small number indeed.

B&O UK have to be seen to react to any complaints from their dealer network, so i understand. They have to act.

Of course, i'd love one of our members to receive a BV8-40" and will refrain from telling anyone to poke it! For the greater good and all that.. LOL

I've never been in the business of falling out with people, it's not something i enjoy - so i'll stay smiling

Lee

j0hnbarker:

Trip made a good point a few months ago that the only gushing praise to be found on here is for products manufactured before 1990, so in some ways I can't actually blame them!

A good point, though Beolab 5 and 9s always get plenty of praise as do most of the Beolab range - except the Beolab 4 (shudder!) The Beosound 9000 again rarely has a bad word said about it except for reliability which has improved.

The rest of the range gets good and bad reviews depending on what one expects. B&O have not been that good at software and as so much of the present range is software driven, faults here tend to annoy people, especially when paying a high price. B&O know what the answer is! I am looking forward to the BV10 which is really the BV5 in LCD and made a lighter feeling product. Not so keen on the stand - I think the easel idea is still the best.

Seems straightforward enough to me - make products worthy of universal acclaim (and the tear inducing prices) and bask in the glory of universal praise.

Alternatively, turn out top price goods that still have niggles over a year after their introduction, continue to be vague about what they can and can't do and pretend everything's OK - (other than those pesky fan sites picking faults, of course).

To quote a well known Meerkat, "Sssimple"!"

malcolm welborn:

why would dealers object ?,  thought they be happy

Without naming names, some dealers I've spoken to seem to err on the side of wishing Beoworld *didn't* exist. I think they think that it makes potential customers 'too knowledgeable', thus making their job somewhat harder. I also guess they don't like the fact we find out about new products months in advance, which might have an impact on current in-stock products. In the current climate, with dealers feeling edgy, they need to blame someone.

To be fair, I can see their point of view. However, they also need to understand that every brand has sites like Beoworld to contend with - look at all the various Apple rumour sites on the net.

The new products scoops problem I can understand. The customer knowing too much is just a sign that the dealer has not done his homework. I will happily say that my old dealer, Windows of the Arcade, had salesmen who knew far more than I ever did and who could remember details of almost every product. They gave one real confidence through their love of the brand. Not many dealers like this unfortunately - maybe we need to re-institute the "As recommended by Beoworld" idea for those dealers would warrant it. I would put Kings Street of Manchester, Rex Radio in London and B&O of Upminster in this category without any reserve.

If a dealer is afraid of customers being better informed of new and
existing products from reading Beoworld,
maybe the dealer should visit Beoworld himself more often...

Martin

Peter :

The new products scoops problem I can understand. The customer knowing too much is just a sign that the dealer has not done his homework. I will happily say that my old dealer, Windows of the Arcade, had salesmen who knew far more than I ever did and who could remember details of almost every product. They gave one real confidence through their love of the brand. Not many dealers like this unfortunately - maybe we need to re-institute the "As recommended by Beoworld" idea for those dealers would warrant it. I would put Kings Street of Manchester, Rex Radio in London and B&O of Upminster in this category without any reserve.

Brilliant! - instead of B&O, official sponsors of Beoworld we can have -

 "Insert Dealer Name Here", as recommended by Beoworld!

Sort of implies the Customer knows best

Does B&O have a dealer association? It would appear that one voice to both the factory and the customer may improve their PR? The perception may be that sites like this could cause damage. The truth is that lack of transparency and lack of trust would probably cause even more harm. Well informed enthusiastic customers is what B&O needs. Dealers that distance themselves from this site can not really take their customers seriously. 

I'm reluctant to part with any of my hard earned cash to anyone who hasn't been recommended to me - be it Beoworld or word of mouth. However, there aren't enough B & O enthusiasts to generate any day to day recommendations so Beoworld is invaluable to ensure I have the buying experience I desire.

One thing i will say.. If a company had excellent products throughout their entire range the dealers wouldn't need to be scared of their customers being 'informed'...  I'll leave it at that.

Not a single one of us wants B&O to produce one bad product, and all of us want to fill our homes with the stuff - we love it!.  This is an enthusiasts site, not a critic panel. However, we are all very honest - and unfortunately for B&O sometimes the whole world gets to read about it as our comments appear worldwide on almost every web search.

Never mind.  Sorry for venting a little.

Lee

Oh dear - my pot plant will have become a veritable tree by then!

Press your browser REFRESH button and you should now see the correct timing..

this is only my opinion but they want to get a life.

i get far more info here about problems and known issues than any dealer you can call.

B&o uk kever get back to you with any problems you have you have to chase chase chase

if it was not for this forum we would wait forever for news and info.

Now the Beovision 8-40 is removed from the September slot, too?

Ralf

Don't worry! Have another look! The BV8 was for August originally and the 6000s for Septmeber. They have just been swapped around. We had not quite got round to changing the September Draw! All correct now - start preparing the space!!

As Peter said - don't worry, all changed now.  It was just me being an idiot and forgetting to edit Septembers first prize. Sorry - dunce cap for 9 LEE please..

Good luck everyone!!

Lee