Honest, Knowledgeable, Beat Online Pricing
Had done extensive research of Miele vacuum cleaners online with idea of purchasing online to avoid paying sales tax. All online pricing of Miele vacuums is apparently fixed (for example, model I was most interested in S5280 Callisto model is $799 everywhere online), so I presumed local dealer price was going to be the same with sales tax added on. However, had some question about specific details about vacuum performance that required direct check of machine and accessories so went to F&H Vacuum Repairs, an authorized Miele dealer.
Was very pleasantly surprised about 1) pricing 2) information to help decide on model 3) honesty in recommendations 4) free accessories. First, pricing for most Miele models was $50 lower than online pricing. Thus, final price was competitive to online even after sales tax factored in. Second, salesman (owner?) George Paxinos was very knowledgeable about the product and helped me realize what each model and vacuum head could and could not do for me. Third, George did not hard sell and tried to tailor his recommendations to my needs, saying that it made no sense to purchase more vacuum then I needed. When, I told him that I thought I needed the higher grade models and mentioned the Callisto, he suggested an earlier model that Miele is still making (S514 Mango), but is $150 less (his price still $50 less than online) with virtually equivalent performance. Said it was a much better value for the money. While I was mulling over my decision, a couple came in interested in purchasing a Miele. They had also done online research and were interested in looking directly at the machines. However, when it became apparent that they were moving to a smaller home out of state, and wouldn't know their exact needs until they settled in, he suggested that they hold off purchasing until after they had moved. Lost a sale but was in keeping with h
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