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place your order
To place an order, simply contact us by any means, including clicking the "contact us" icon ("Click to contact us.") in the upper right corner of every page. If you don't yet have pricing, we'll give it to you.
Include any of the following information that is relevant:
1. Your name, title, organization, phone number, and relevant addresses (i.e., e-mail, Ship To, and Bill To);
2. What you are ordering: quantity, adequate description, and our price;
3. When you want delivery.
shipping details
For lots of good reasons, we avoid stocking much inventory. Instead we get goods in as quickly as customers need them. For the benefits of this to you, see Goods in stock here, below.
We normally charge for freight from the point of origin. That point is usually the manufacturer's U.S.distribution facility. You'll normally pay inbound freight (i.e., from there to us) and outbound (i.e., from us to you). Not to worry — except for certain unusually heavy items, it doesn't cost much. We could pretend not to charge for inbound freight, by bundling it into the selling price or other costs to you. But we don't. By the way, we insure all shipments in full.
outbound shipping
- Would you like us to get your order to you overnight? 2-day? 3-day? ground? Ground typically takes 1-2 days within New England, 3-5 days east of the Mississippi, 8-10 days within the continental U.S.
- You can also pick up your order here at Parsons. Let us know ahead of time so that we can have everything ready for you. We hope you will have a minute to talk with us, to see what's in our Showrooms, etc.
payment details
Send us a check. Allow for the time it will take to clear. Or use a credit card — MasterCard, Visa or American Express. If you are concerned about the security of your credit card information, either phone it to us or tell us you want to pay by credit card and we'll call you to get your info.
If you have a Net account with us — as do some large, credit-worthy organizations that are steady customers and can pay no other way — then include your Purchase Order #. We may require a hard copy. Also include your Bill To address.
If you are a "large, credit-worthy organization (etc.) that can pay no other way" and would like to apply for a Net account, please send us your complete credit information. Sorry, but you probably won't qualify unless you are a major college or university, a large broadcaster, a network, or a major corporation. The reason, as you might expect, is that we are a small company that can't afford the time and risk that chasing tardy Net accounts entails.
special orders
For certain special order items we may require a 20% deposit. That's to cover manufacturers' restocking charges (they typically charge 15-20%) should the buyer cancel or wish to return the order any time after the manufacturer has shipped it to us. Deposits may sometimes also be required from Net accounts, for orders of expensive items.
need miscellaneous supplies?
In addition to the obvious gizmos we sell, we sell the little things you can't do without: CD-R's, DATs, headphones, speaker stands, custom and stock cables, mic stands, racks and cases, popper stoppers, , Dave Moulton's Golden Ears CD's, etc. Do you need any such things?
special deals$$$
There are always some bargains around here--demos we have for sale, special offers from our manufacturers, etc. We usually have a list of them over on our Product Information page. We also now and then send the current list out in an e-mailing to customers (subscribe!). Other times, if you're interested, just ask us what we're "giving away".
check an order's status
Again, just contact us. We can look up your order quickly. If we need to check with a manufacturer for a status report, we'll do it.
policies & procedures
We have outlined above a number of policies and procedures to help you buy efficiently. More may apply. There are more of them than we should wear you out with now, but we'll make a start. All are intended to swerve your best interests. If you develop any questions about them, just ask our sales staff.
- freight terms & costs
goods in stock
negotiating prices
- payment terms
special orders
backorders
claims
returns and exchanges
limited warranty
after-sale support
words to the wise
price-biter filter
reaching us by phone: voice mail, etc.
freight terms and costs. In general, as mentioned above, we charge you whatever it costs us to get the goods to you from the manufacturer, either the factory or the manufacturer's U.S. shipping point. Unless your order is unusually heavy (i.e., certain racks, furniture, large consoles, etc.), especially if you ask us to get it shipped to you by the fastest means, those costs usually don't amount to much. We have access to freight carriers of all kinds; we use the ones that best suit the circumstances.
goods in stock here. A continuous flow of goods passes through here to our customers. Because we sell thousands of different products, because those goods are normally so quickly available to us from our manufacturers, and because our customers tend not to need things on the day of order (the next day is usually soon enough; often even a few weeks is fine, especially if you tend to plan ahead), we don't tend to keep goods on our shelves awaiting buyers. In that way we avoid driving up our overhead with inventory costs, avoid having to charge you more to cover that overhead, and avoid any temptation to pressure you to buy what we might have too many of in our inventory. What matters, we find, is that we are able to deliver your orders as fast as you need them.
negotiating prices. Sometimes prices at Parsons are negotiable. We buy from our manufacturers at low prices, and we keep our overhead down, so our prices are usually plenty low enough to begin with. Occasionally however, for any of a variety of reasons, another dealer may underbid us. If that happens, loyal customers who prefer to buy from us and who have the flexibility find that we can usually sufficiently approach, match or beat the lower price. That lowering is fine with us because:
we don't want our customers to pay us any more than they find reasonable
we want our relationships with customers to continue through every sale, without interruption, which benefits both us and them
The prices we quote you are fair, always, even the ones we may end up lowering. It's just that we prefer to earn a lower profit rather than none at all, if that's agreeable to you.
backorders. If an item is backordered by us from the manufacturer, it will be shipped promptly upon its arrival at Parsons -- usually within a day. Delivery dates should be deemed to be estimated only; for many reasons, manufacturers can be wrong about them!
claims. All claims for damage, breakage or losses (concealed or obvious) must be made with the appropriate carrier within the time specified by ICC regulations, and within any time limits that the carrier might impose. Claims for adjustments on short or otherwise unsatisfactory merchandise must be made within 15 days of receipt of shipment. Manufacturers and we may reserve the right to examine any merchandise claimed to be defective, and to inspect any merchandise and applicable shipping records in claims of "short-shipment."
returns and exchanges. Within the usual decent intervals, you can return your order for money, credit, or replacement if the manufacturer can oblige us. If the manufacturer requires a restocking charge to take the goods back, you will be liable for that. Even when an indecently long interval has passed, still we sometimes can arrange a return for you; usually all it takes is us managing to persuade the manufacturer to take the order back. All products returned to us for any reason must be shipped prepaid., and only with our prior authorization. Products must be returned in original condition, "as new", with all original packing materials, accessories, manuals, etc. Credit will be issued only after merchandise is inspected and approved and will be based on your cost for the products in question, less any necessary cost for repair, refurbishing, or repackaging. Shipping fees are not refundable. The form of the Credit will normally be the same as the original payment. Orders, especially special orders, which cannot be returned by us to the manufacturers are usually not returnable.
limited warranty. The only warranties that apply to these products are their manufacturers'. We disclaim any or all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or any representation that a product is compatible with any combination of products you may choose to connect it to, or any liability for incidental, direct, consequential, or special damages, or lost revenue or profit, associated with your purchase. With rare exception, we're unable to provide a substitute unit while yours is being repaired.
after-sale support. We have given this important subject a major heading of its own. See customer service below.
price-biter filter. If you're looking for nothing except the lowest price for something, there's nothing wrong with that. But in that case we're probably not the place for you. Plenty of other fine places will suit you better. It's not that we charge much — our prices are always fair, and are usually at least as low as any anywhere else. But we don't sell based on price alone. We do more here than just look up costs and accept orders. Our customers like to know that whenever they need it we're able to provide not just fair prices and quick delivery, but also other services and skills: useful guidance, appropriate information, and a high quality of attention and personal service both before and after sales. We hope that your dealings with us and this Web site have given you evidence of this.
Those services have considerable dollar value to our customers. They're part of the bargain that we offer. And they take us some time, skill, and effort to provide. We have plenty of customers who both understand the value of those services and want them. So when we encounter customers who can't or don't value them, who are just looking at price, and who may choose to buy from any other dealer whose prices are as low as ours, we may decline from the start to take the time to deal with them. We owe that time instead to customers who need us to be what we are.
reaching us by phone: voice mail, etc. We hope you're not put off by voice mail. We have found it to be faster and more productive for you than live-assist. We're responsive, but we're a busy place (a good sign), so sometimes when you call our sales staffperson, he or she will be on the phone, with a visiting customer, doing a demo, visiting a facility, or briefly at lunch. Our voice mailboxes will pour every word and inflection of your messages into our ears as soon as possible. Please make your messages detailed. That increases effectiveness and minimizes phone tag. Another tip: Learn your salesperson's extension. It gets you there faster.
customer support
We support customers at all phases of a sale — before, during, and after. The first two are already evident. We should say more to you about the third. A brief statement follows. For more details and valuable advice, see ...buying a DAW etc.cccc
If you run into problems after you buy, and the product's documentation can't help you (you do read manuals, however pathetic, and any online help, don't you?), we can usually either provide the answer you need, or (since we don't know everything!) we'll refer you to the best resource. Often the most effective help is the manufacturers', whose resources and expertise exceed ours. Experienced customers in this industry, once they've used up their own expertise, usually go straight to manufacturers with difficulties; they develop their own relationships and avenues there. If you wish, we'll tell you how best to proceed — which way to turn, and who to talk to. And if a manufacturer's response to you is inappropriate, tell us. we're good at getting them to behave as they should!
Re DAWs, we can help you with after-sale setup, training, troubleshooting, testing, liaison with manufacturers' tech support and repair staffs, etc. We can perform those services either at Parsons or — if you are nearby — at your facility. We'll charge you our established rate plus expenses. Typical expenses include travel (i.e., mileage, tolls, parking, lodging, etc.), and shipping & mailing.
Words to the wise, which you probably know already: You are ultimately responsible for properly choosing, installing and operating what you buy, and for complying with any laws relating thereto. As you'd expect, when it comes to supporting what you've bought, manufacturers may hold you responsible for any abuse, improper use, negligence, accident, modification, failure to follow normal operating and maintenance procedures, attempted repair by non-qualified personnel, or operation of the unit outside its normal environmental and electrical specifications. If that sounds like legalese, well, it is. But it isn't grounds for a manufacturer's evading its responsibilities to users of its products. Please let us know anytime you perceive unfairness, incompetence, etc. towards you by a manufacturer. Manufacturers respect us; they're willing to work with us to serve customers' interests. We're good at making the best of even the most difficult circumstances.
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Copyright 2002, Parsons Audio. We welcome your questions, comments, and contributions >>> Webmeister@paudio.com.
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