Genelec is too expensive in the USA

[hege]

If I buy a hi-fi device in Finland and I live in France, as soon as this device is distributed in France, the official representative of the brand will be required to apply the warranty.

Not sure it's as simple as you make it to be. Unless something changed in the past few years, even our Finnish Genelec factory/HQ only services stuff bought here locally. Finnish people buying from for example Germany (usually Thomann) were instructed to ship back there.

 

[Haskil]

Not sure it's as simple as you make it to be. Unless something changed in the past few years, even our Finnish Genelec factory/HQ only services stuff bought here locally. Finnish people buying from for example Germany (usually Thomann) were instructed to ship back there.

As far as I know, this is not legal. And of course I can have my German car repaired in any European country, even under warranty, by a local dealer. Better still, I can even buy it in Germany and have it serviced in France: many people do this through a representative. This is my case, for example.

But in the hifi business, a lot of things are off the rails: for example, in Europe, prices are free... but some manufacturers try to block them using tricks, and some even get derogations from Brussels by talking garbage. For example, a small British brand succeeded in blocking the import into France of appliances which were nevertheless extremely easy to operate, on the grounds that they were highly technical and required the intervention of a dealer to install them... The same is true of a British loudspeaker brand which has managed to maintain an exclusive network using similar arguments.

Imagine, for example, a Finn living in France or Italy for work reasons. He buys a pair of Génelec loudspeakers there a year before returning to Finland: the brand will obviously have to apply the warranty, either in its own workshops or through an authorized local dealer. The first court to rule in his favor. The first consumer magazine to come along will help him.
The problem with hi-fi is that repair networks are often too small.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

[Waxx]

What I'm saying is very simple : if I buy a car in Finland, any official garage of the vehicle brand will be required to apply the legal guarantee in all European countries where the brand is present.
If I buy a hi-fi device in Finland and I live in France, as soon as this device is distributed in France, the official representative of the brand will be required to apply the warranty.
In all cases for hi-fi devices, I would have to either take the device to the approved repairer myself, or send it to him.

That is within the EU, and because of EU rules of an open EU market. For the USA those don't count, so the importer does not have to follow those.

 

[Haskil]

That is within the EU, and because of EU rules of an open EU market. For the USA those don't count, so the importer does not have to follow those.

This is why, responding to a European citizen, I limited my comments to what is happening in Europe... with products purchased in Europe.


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But I will give you an edifying example of the problem posed today by the repair of hi-fi devices...

An acquaintance once bought a McIntosh CD player. This person lives in the south of France. He needs to have this drive repaired which is no longer under warranty. The approved repair station to repair it is north of Paris: 800 km from home...
Unfortunately, it no longer has the original box in which the device was sold. However, the service station does not accept devices that are not delivered by a carrier in the original box. But sell one for 500 euros... They don't rent, they sell...

What to do? So the guy sends it to my house. I take it to the station 40 km from home and they accept the device delivered. I would go get it repaired, repack it and send it back...

There you go... There are "impossible" brands whose importers lock everything up, brands which have no network of approved repair stations but concentrate everything in one or two places in an entire country...
Which means that very often, whatever the origin of the device, it is a disaster for the after-sales service...

 

[EJ3]

Everywhere else is considerably cheaper, especially in Europe.

In addition, Genelec has gone out of their way to block any possible way for US residents to purchase abroad and have their products shipped to USA, but even if you could do it, shipping would probably cancel out the savings anyway

We have to pay top dollar for their speakers + taxed heavily by the government.

I had to pay $250 plus tax for some speaker stands that are half the price in Europe and not even made by Genelec

If you go to Thomman, Genelec speakers are considerably cheaper. They sell the Genelec 8030c for $535, but in USA is $695. That's a $160 difference for the same product. If you attempt to purchase it, you are welcomed by this message

"Sadly we cannot deliver Genelec products to your country of choice. Please consider products of a different manufacturer or switch to another delivery country."

Perhaps buy yourself enough quantity to bring the price down & then sell them at a better price to the rest of us. I am pretty sure that it's not as easy as you think.
But, they do also hold their value well on the used market (in the U.S. & everywhere else).