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PURCHASE
Although we don't actually work in one, we are still a "cottage" industry. All of our components are assembled by hand in our own workshops, not mass produced in a factory or out-sourced overseas. We typically build to order and rarely maintain an inventory of finished pieces. In addition, we like to run every unit for about 100 hours and evaluate it prior to shipping to make sure the sound is as it should be. That way, when it arrives, your component is already burned-in and ready to play.
Prices for all products are listed on their respective pages. Because we don't have a formal order form, we ask that you joseph@tempoelectric.com by eMail or give us a call to initiate a purchase. We'll be happy to answer any questions and explain the upgrades and options.
Preamplifier Pre-Purchase Audition Policy
Because of the logistical issues which relate to returning equipment that is often customized, we're eliminating the 30-day return privilege on electronics that was previously in effect. Instead, we now offer a 10 day, pre-purchase, in-home trial of our phono preamplifiers. A credit card deposit is required, but as long as the equipment comes back to us in its original condition, listeners will receive a 100% refund, less round trip shipping. However, if you decide to make a purchase, we'll deduct the round trip cost of shipping the trial sample from your new unit's purchase price. And, if we make a personal visit, as long as the equipment returns with us on the same trip, there is no deposit or other obligation on your part. Personal visits are possible within a 3.5 hour drive (about 200 miles) of Saratoga Springs, NY.
When you're ready to make a purchase, we'll send you an itemized invoice, including the cost of delivery. We can usually give you an approximate delivery date at that time, too. A 50% deposit is required before we can begin fabrication, with the balance due prior to shipping.
Major components are usually sent by FedEx Ground, with any special crating or preparation included in the shipping cost. Small items, such as cables or power cords, as well as orders whose destination is outside of the US, are sent via Priority Mail or EMS (Express Mail Service). Items whose value is $500 or greater will usually require a signature upon delivery. Depending on where you live and what you purchase, we will suggest the safest, most secure method available.
Deliveries to addresses within New York State are subject to local sales tax for the total amount, including shipping. Pick-up at our workshop in Troy, NY, is also subject to an 8% local sales tax.
Customs duty and broker fees for overseas sales are the responsibility of the purchaser and shipments can only be insured for their declared value.
Payment Methods
Payment can be made by:
- VISA, MasterCard, EuroCard and Discover, directly. Because every order is customized to your needs, we do not have a shopping cart. After we send you an invoice or estimate, we ask that you joseph@tempoelectric.com by telephone or eMail with your credit card information. Sorry, we are unable to accept American Express cards.
- Personal check on orders from the US and Canada. Canadian cheques can be in $CDN at the current exchange rate, without conversion charges added. However, all goods may be held until your check/cheque clears our bank.
- Certified check, money order, or bank draft in US Dollars payable on a US bank. Outside of the US, worldwide branches of CitiBank offer this service.
- Credit Card through PayPal. Please add 3% to your total order to cover part of the additional fees that PayPal charges us.
Warranty
Our normal warranty is 10 years for parts and labor, 90 days for vacuum tubes.
Price Policy
Because we sell directly to you, our prices are wholesale to all. Typically, 40% of your purchase represents our actual cost of materials, including OEM and/or quantity discounts. Another 20% covers labor, 20% goes toward overhead and advertising, and the remaining 20% is the profit that we share.
If our products were offered in a high-end retail environment with traditional markups, supported by a major advertising campaign, and featured at prominent trade shows, the 1.1 Control Preamplifier, with dual-mono power supplies, would sell in the $40,000 price range. Consider this: a double-page, full color ad in a major audio magazine can cost as much as $15,000 per issue. That expenditure doesn't come out of a company's profit -- it's simply added to the cost of manufacturing and folded into the retail price. We could take out those ads, too, but they would easily add several thousand dollars to the price of every component without adding any real value.
In addition, even if you could duplicate our components on your own, you would still spend the same amount. Why? Because many of the parts we use can only be sourced business-to-business with a 100 piece or $1,000 minimum purchase per item. Most of our component parts are custom made and are not readily available from DIY or electronics retailers. Those that are will often cost you double what we pay for them. While nominally equivalent parts might measure the same, the sound would be completely different and would most likely be inferior. Add in assembly time, including your learning curve, and it could easily take you several weeks, working full time, just to build the 1.1 Control Preamplifier. After all that effort and expense, there would still be no warranty on the finished product.
Because we offer our products for a fraction of what they would retail for under a conventional business model, we regret that except for the occasional mailing list special, we cannot offer any further discounts.
Tempo Electric LLC
PO Box 770
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-0770
USA
(518) 542-7004
The best time to reach us by telephone is 10AM-6PM, US Eastern Time.
If you reach our voicemail, please leave a message with the best time to return your call.
You can always contact joseph@tempoelectric.com by eMail, instead. Either way, we will try to reply within 24 hours.