I just surfed to bang-olufsen.com. After being redirected to beosound5.com I went again to their original page and got invited to an online survey focusing on "luxury products".The question were sometimes a little bizarre, at least for my taste. But maybe you should try out for yourself. Something is definitely going on. You might think it has a little taste of panic.

Regards, beoberlin 

I can't get any such page...

Would be interested in the questions. 

The survey asks if you think B&O is luxury, if luxury should be priced high because it reflects high quality, because it makes it exclusive.

It asks if you buy luxury because it makes you feel you can buy something that others can't!

I know some people think that. Fine... but for be I am happy buying B&O because it is good and I wouldn't mind if anyone poor or not was able to buy it as well.

I wouldn't mind it being cheaper as well ;-)

PhilLondon:

The survey asks if you think B&O is luxury, if luxury should be priced high because it reflects high quality, because it makes it exclusive.

It asks if you buy luxury because it makes you feel you can buy something that others can't!

I know some people think that. Fine... but for be I am happy buying B&O because it is good and I wouldn't mind if anyone poor or not was able to buy it as well.

I wouldn't mind it being cheaper as well ;-)

I think we've had discussions along these lines before - it all tends to end in tears

High prices do not necessarily reflect quality or luxury and if you like to spend a lot, just because you can and others can't then it's unlikely we'd ever be best buddies

bayerische:

I can't get any such page...

Would be interested in the questions. 

Here you go:

http://link.etyper.com/survey/survey_v1.asp?p1=419776400&p2=73&p4=http://www.bang-olufsen.com?TId=41977640073

Sorry, the questions are german only and don´t chane with the country chosen. 

I answered the questions and thought "how stupid".  I am complete amazed that a Danish company would ask about buying something because someone else can't have it.  Also asking if a higher price means quality.  These are very antiquated notions.  It's true some people want things no one else can have but who would want that person for a friend?  People with inflated egos are the most boring regardless of income.  Higher price means quality?  Usually higher quality items are expensive but not always.  Are they thinking that wealthy people will buy anything at any price?  I suppose some do that but wealthy people want value or they wouldn't be wealthy.  I know.......there are exceptions!

Puncher:

High prices do not necessarily reflect quality or luxury and if you like to spend a lot, just because you can and others can't then it's unlikely we'd ever be best buddies

I agree with Puncher, adding an ominous question for those who don't: Have you noticed how good-humoured he always is?

If B&O wants to focus only on stupid consumers who think that huge price means high quality and that they feel good to have something that others can't buy, I will simply choose another brand :

For years, a lot of us beofans and specially Beoworld try to make people understand that the price asked by B&O means something (i.e you don't pay for design over performance, that B&O can be competitive, etc). Now with some recent products (Beosound 6...), B&O have ruined all this efforts, and given reasons for people to think that us, B&O customers, pay for the brand and not for performance. Now that they have changed the CEO, I thought this would change. With this survey, the fear comes back. I don't want to have a brand at home that goes the "price for price" route.

We can read your answers, Michel.

saf:

Puncher:

High prices do not necessarily reflect quality or luxury and if you like to spend a lot, just because you can and others can't then it's unlikely we'd ever be best buddies

I agree with Puncher, adding an ominous question for those who don't: Have you noticed how good-humoured he always is?

Cheers mate

I always try to judge a character by thinking "if I was away on business , on my own in a strange town, and I met a stranger in the hotel bar with time to kill would I be happy to conduct an open and ongoing conversation with them", bearing in mind the other option is sitting alone all evening like Billy-no-mates

In the case of the person answering yes to all those questions, my answer to my own question would be a resounding NO.

(I would like to point out that the wealthy friends I do have, funnily enough, are not B&O converts, despite my continuous prodding)

 

Also quite interesting that they want to know whether point of origin matters ... care for a Malaysian Rolex?

mbee:

With this survey, the fear comes back.

I think the question is how they will define luxury. To me luxury is -at least in the av-market and contrary to fashion- not only about the price, design or the brand. It´s also about materials, user experience and (!) technology. If they keep on producing mediocre gadgets at a premium like bs6, serene, serenata, dvd2 etc, who are in most cases only a fashionable filling for the complementing Louis Vuitton leather bag, they will die sooner or later. And I hoped too this phase being over. But who knows... On the other hand they should bring their products technology-wise at least to a level comparable to the competition. Imho today this can only be said for the labs and partly for beosystem3 and some televisions.

Regards, beoberlin

 

mbee:

If B&O wants to focus only on stupid consumers..

Problem is, apart from Premiership footballers and lottery winners, there aren't many of these people around. People who have made money, tend to know how to spend money. For instance, I know a couple of people in Bath who have £2million in property. They're now investing their money in top-end jewellery etc. Stuff they know will always keep or increase in price.

They used to buy B&O, but they now buy Sony. They have the money, but can't understand why B&O want £7000 for a BV7-32, when the local Sony centre will deliver and install a Sony 32" for £599. However much B&O argue that the 'picture is better on a B&O', it ain't £6400 better.

You only need to spend time in your local UK B&O dealer to realise they get very little footfall these days. I've been in my local store a lot recently and you barely ever see another customer. I can't remember seeing someone buying a B&O product for months!

Again, we've had this convesation umpteen times and it is only a matter of time before someone joins the thread and points out that clearly we are not B&O's target customers. I agree that, I personally, am not .......... the point is that I used to be. I have in the past saved for hifi's and TV's but I just can't see it ever happening again. I may buy "second life" stuff, but never new (other than replacement A8's should mine die).

Obviously prices are significantly higher than when I bought but, as a percentage of my income, they are a lot less then they were when I did. My point is there isn't anything that "aches my soul" the way the product did that I did buy, to the extent that any likely purchase would be more vintage than later.

Can you really imagine a young, up and coming professional aching to buy a BS5 and saving his salary until he does............. or will the only folk who buy it be those that "can"??

Or am I just getting old and cynical?

Puncher:

Again, we've had this convesation umpteen times and it is only a matter of time before someone joins the thread and points out that clearly we are not B&O's target customers.

The thread is *about* how B&O's customers view B&O! See the topic. I don't think anyone as pointed out we're not B&O's customers. I am; I've bought more B&O kit in the last 12 months than ever before. Same with a lot of people on here. However, the snag is, fewer and fewer people will justify the purchase, which is why there are some rather odd questions in this questionairre.

I agree with you that the prices are in proportion with rising income. However, rival products are now *so* much cheaper, that even people who are vaguely 'in the know' question why they need to spend nearly £7K on a 32" B&O TV when they can get a Sony - the brand that the middle class of Britain respect, traditionally - for £599 or less, including install.

They are asking the questions... so we can assume they do not think that we are all Victoria Beckham...

And as they are asking, just participate and tell them what you think.

moxxey:

Puncher:

Again, we've had this convesation umpteen times and it is only a matter of time before someone joins the thread and points out that clearly we are not B&O's target customers.

The thread is *about* how B&O's customers view B&O! See the topic. I don't think anyone as pointed out we're not B&O's customers. I am; I've bought more B&O kit in the last 12 months than ever before. Same with a lot of people on here. However, the snag is, fewer and fewer people will justify the purchase, which is why there are some rather odd questions in this questionairre.

I agree with you that the prices are in proportion with rising income. However, rival products are now *so* much cheaper, that even people who are vaguely 'in the know' question why they need to spend nearly £7K on a 32" B&O TV when they can get a Sony - the brand that the middle class of Britain respect, traditionally - for £599 or less, including install.

Hey up Moxxey - I think we agree - I'm not arguing with you. Read my post again and I hope you find we're saying exactly the same thing (other than me pointing out I am now an ex-customer)

 

beoberlin:

bayerische:

I can't get any such page...

Would be interested in the questions. 

Here you go:

http://link.etyper.com/survey/survey_v1.asp?p1=419776400&p2=73&p4=http://www.bang-olufsen.com?TId=41977640073

Sorry, the questions are german only and don´t chane with the country chosen. 

 

Thanks, german is fine. 

linder:

I answered the questions and thought "how stupid".  I am complete amazed that a Danish company would ask about buying something because someone else can't have it.  Also asking if a higher price means quality.  These are very antiquated notions.  It's true some people want things no one else can have but who would want that person for a friend?  People with inflated egos are the most boring regardless of income.  Higher price means quality?  Usually higher quality items are expensive but not always.  Are they thinking that wealthy people will buy anything at any price?  I suppose some do that but wealthy people want value or they wouldn't be wealthy.  I know.......there are exceptions!

 

Couldn't have said it better!

 

I don't have a single "real-life" friend, besides my parents that own B&O products, but I would be happy for my friends sake if they would buy B&O.

Most, if not all my friends could afford to buy B&O. But most of them thinks that B&O is a waste of money. I think B&O should try and get these people (the wast majority) convinced that this is not the case, instead of thinking Russian oligarchs will buy anything as long as it's expensive. There will always be exceptions, as "linder" says.

I for one, simply love my Beo, and will continue to do so even if everybody would own them. It's as some of the Windows users defy Mac users "they think they're special". What a load of BS. The thing we mac users know for sure, is that we are in-fact  using a superior computer. 

 

mbee:

If B&O wants to focus only on stupid consumers who think that hugh price means high quality and that they feel good to have something that others can buy, I will simply choose another brand :

For years, a lot of us beofans and specially Beoworld try to make people understand that the price asked by B&O means something (i.e you don't pay for design over performance, that B&O can be competitive, etc). Now with some recent products (Beosound 6...), B&O have ruined all this efforts, and given reasons for people to think that us, B&O customers, pay for the brand and not for performance. Now that they have changed the CEO, I thought this would change. With this survey, the fear comes back. I don't want to have a brand at home that goes the "price for price" route.

I salute B&O for the Beolab 5. They should by B&O price terms as of current have costed 100.000 euros a pair!!!

I'm don't think you can get a better speaker-amp for the price, you get a lot for the 17.900 euro.

The beosound 9000 is a one-off product. There's nothing to compete with it. So the price is justified, in my opinion.

 However... Don't get me started about the TV's... The ML, active speakers and posh design don't justify a 15.000 euro "price up" as for the BV 5, BV9. 

 

Of course Beoworlders are not B&O's target customer: We'll *pretty much* buy B&O no matter what.

It's the *others* that represent market-growth potential.

As far as luxury is concerned, B&O is not luxury to me...

It is necessity!

Barry

BeoFan!

bsantini:

As far as luxury is concerned, B&O is not luxury to me...

It is necessity!

 

But let's be realistic, you should not mix emotions with reason.

I feel the same way, but paying 10X (market price for the offered technology) for the TV is not a necessity, it's shopping with emotions or too much money. And as I've seen the B&O shop, lately, that is empty, it's going to end at one point or another.

Look at Leica. I'm a long time Leica user. Leica and B&O have many similarities. High end prices, luxury, status. However lately they aren't delivering what they are advertising.

As of current economy state of the industrialized world, I'm thinking people got more acute agendas in their filofax, than paying luxury prices for not-so-luxury-products.

 Don't get me wrong, I adore b&o, but they need to get their heading right. 

Regarding TV prices, the problem is that we compare a Beovision to other TVs. My BV7 for example is a TV, a DVD player, a CD player, a surround sound processor, a 2x150 amp, a 2x150 class D speaker, controls external STBs and can pilot an external projector, and is able to distribute video around the house. A motor stand that is absolutely silent.

Add the price of all these elements from another brand, and you will not be far from B&O prices. But no integration, and crap design.

Ok, it may lack a few features and connections that would like to have. But I am still getting a lot more than I get with any other "TV".

Puncher:

Hey up Moxxey - I think we agree - I'm not arguing with you. Read my post again and I hope you find we're saying exactly the same thing (other than me pointing out I am now an ex-customer)

Apologies. That's my fault for playing football tonight, drinking beer and then coming on here to post ;)

PhilLondon:

Regarding TV prices, the problem is that we compare a Beovision to other TVs. My BV7 for example is a TV, a DVD player, a CD player, a surround sound processor, a 2x150 amp, a 2x150 class D speaker, controls external STBs and can pilot an external projector, and is able to distribute video around the house. A motor stand that is absolutely silent.

Add the price of all these elements from another brand, and you will not be far from B&O prices. But no integration, and crap design.

Ok, it may lack a few features and connections that would like to have. But I am still getting a lot more than I get with any other "TV".

All I would say, and I'm not arguing with your personal values, is that you assume B&O prices for all the ancilliaries that you list.