Garrett Smart Home Electronics - Amazing Polk Buys

SolidSqual

This website has amazing buys on polk speakers. The prices crush the competition. Although the website is a little difficult to navigate, once you discover the search button, just type in the speaker name or POLK. You will see the deals!!!!!! Has anyone had any experience with this site? I bought my center channel here to test the site. The owners of the site said the speaker was brand new and of course real. Juding by the packaging and the sound, I cna't argue. The speaker appears and sounds real!!! Quick everyone rocket to this site!!!! Tell me what you guys think.

http://www.garrett-smarthome.com/

Refefer

Hmm, I'd be wary of buying from the site just on general principal. It's not obviousably a grey market site, especially with their claim of "it has full manufacturer warranty for every item we sell", but unless I read some reviews on them, I'd be hesitant to purchase anything.

But I'm paranoid.

Some good deals there, and I know that polk let's it's retailers choose what to charge people for their goods, so this could very well be a legitimate site.

Nice find!

shack

Interesting they have in bold red letters:

Everything we sell is guaranteed new with manufacturers warranty

Polk does not list them as an authorized online retailer. Polk does however note rather prominently :

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO
OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS

The warranty on Polk Audio home and car products is NOT VALID if the products have been purchased from an unauthorized dealer or unauthorized on-line E-tailer, or if the original factory serial number has been removed, defaced or replaced in any way.

As always it's buyer beware. If you want to know for sure that the warranty is valid contact Polk first. If it's not, then the cheap price may be worth not having a warranty.

BTW...at the prices they are listing I would be willing to bet that there is no way they are Polk Authorized.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I don't get it...their prices aren't THAT cheap. They're a little below retail, but not that much.

shack

Polkmaniac wrote:

I don't get it...their prices aren't THAT cheap. They're a little below retail, but not that much.

Polk Audio LSi9 price: $794.00 (Garrett Smart Home Electronics )
Polk MSRP: $1,149
Autorized online price $999

Polk Audio LSi7 Pair Price: $555.50 (Garrett Smart Home Electronics )
Polk MSRP: $919
Autorized online price $799

At least the LSi differential seems significant.

SolidSqual

I would say a couple hundred is significant, especially for my financial situation. Not that I'm hurting, but I like to save a buck when possible.

SolidSqual

The FXi3s and FXi5s are much cheaper.

toddco

no RTi12's ?

mwaarna

looking for Grey Market...


http://www.acousticsounddesign.com/

I orderd my Polk LSi9's from tehm for 700 shipped NEW!!

They offer their own warranty that matches MANF warranty.

They cant list them on their website, but call and ask or email.

VSchneider

SolidSqual wrote:

This website has amazing buys on polk speakers... Has anyone had any experience with this site? I bought my center channel here to test the site. The owners of the site said the speaker was brand new... Tell me what you guys think.

http://www.garrett-smarthome.com/

I also spoke with the owners the other day. They are not an authorized seller - in their own words - but they are authorized to install it (that I have not checked) in your home. This means they must also service what they sell directly.

email from Garrett's Smart Electronics wrote:

Val: What happens if I need a warranty repair on the Polks that I buy from you?
"Mr. Garrett": You will have to send them back to us (WA state), and we will work with the manufacturer for you. We guarantee everything we sell.

Needless to say, since the same speakers came up on the Flea Market at the time of communication, I ended up buying from a member here instead.

pblanc

I bought a pair of LSi9s and an LSiC from Garrett's. They are not an authorized Polk dealer so Polk will not honor their warranty on speakers purchased from Garrett's. I had a problem with a woofer on one of the LSi9s and Garrett's replaced the speaker. The speakers come in sealed boxes, and they do not remove the serial numbers. I tried to order a pair of LSi15s from Garrett's but after placing the order received an email that they had temporarily stopped shipping them because several customers had received LSi15s shipped by UPS which had sustained severe damage. They were looking into shipping LSi15s via a private freight carrier. I never heard back from them, so I bought a pair of LSi15s from acousticsounddesigns.com. They also came new in the box with serial numbers still on. Acoustic Sound Designs is also not an authorized Polk dealer, however.
If you buy Polk speakers from a non-authorized dealer, Polk is not under obligation to provide warranty coverage even if they are new. I don't know if they would do so if you went to them cap in hand with a tear in your eye, pleading ignorance. I have heard that Acoustic Sound Design will repair or replace speakers you buy from them according to the same terms as the Polk warranty. They have received very positive reviews on the web. My experience with Garrett's was good, and they did make good on the bad speaker, but that was within 90 days of purchase. I would have been happy to buy the LSi15s from them.

Shizelbs

So how do they get their Polks? Will Polk still sell to them knowing that Polk will not ever have to warranty the speakers sold through Garrett?

Shizelbs

FWIW, these guys are located about 15 minutes away from me.

shack

Shizelbs wrote:

So how do they get their Polks? Will Polk still sell to them knowing that Polk will not ever have to warranty the speakers sold through Garrett?

Typically authorized retailers will buy large quantities (greater than what they can sell) to take advantage of volume discounts and then dump their overstock out the back door to whoever will buy it. The buyers of the overstock have no contractual agreements to sell at or near the MSRP since they are not dealing with the Mfgr. It is the GREY market and most of the unauthorized net sellers operate this way. Many of the mfgs. try to find out who the dumpers are by tracking the serial numbers. This is why many online products will have the original serial #s removed and/or changed.