Prestige did some work for me about ten years ago. I was satisfied with the workmanship and the price. This is why I sought their advice for new speakers and a receiver for my wife's vehicle.

While listening to the displays, I was not convinced that the suggested products were for me. The salesman assured me that the system would sound much better once it was in the enclosed space of my vehicle. I asked him about the frequency range of the speakers and the power put out by the receiver. He stressed that the speakers had all the range I would need. He told me that the receiver was 45 watts per speaker.

I still had some reservations. However, given my previous experience with Prestige, the personal attention I was receiving, and the professional appearance of the showroom/shop, I believed that they would not steer me wrong.

I left them to it and then returned after three hours of installation time in addition to a hefty investment ($1300). Their work looked like a twelve year old decided to pull the stereo from his mom’s car and place it in his dad’s car. I complained about its appearance. I was told that the pieces of Velcro hanging out of the sides of receiver was “industry standard.” After pressing the issue, I was told to return two days later to get it fixed.

During the following day, I had ample time to listen to the system. It sounded like cardboard speakers being pushed by a clock radio. I was disappointed to say the least.

I returned to Prestige the day after as instructed. They could not, or would not, fix the appearance issue. As for the sound, it was suggested that I spend another five hundred dollars or more on an amp and a sub. I was also told that the system sounded like fisher price because iPods don’t reproduce music well. (Note: There was no explanation why other music sources did not perform). In the mean time, my only option was to play with the eq settings.

Two days later, they fixed the appearance issue. They tried to make it sound like they had done some incredibly unusual favor for me while again citing “industry standards.”

In the end, my stereo sounds like garbage and I am out the money my wife wanted for a new laptop. I should have done my homework before trusting Prestige. I have since done some research which verifies that the receiver and speakers underperform equipment that would have cost much less money. Times are tough right now for many businesses. If you are lazy in shopping –as I am, you will be readily taken advantage of.

Ask to see the packaging of any product before making your purchase. If I would have done this, I would have seen that the receiver pushes out a meager 14 watts. Unfortunately, info on the speakers was not available on the packaging. I later found out that the Alpines, so heavily pushed by the salesman, have the worst low end frequency response of any product available.

Don’t fall victim to Prestige. Don’t be a fool.