Control/Dimming - Is $4,200 right for an Element?

[Pynspot]

Earlier today I was quoted $4,200 for a new ETC Element 40- 250 Channels by a sales rep at a local rental/dealer shop in Hollywood. I would like to make sure that this is about the right price, and that we're not being suckered into paying too much.
This price will probably be knocked down a little when we place our entire purchase/rental order for our show next week, because our program has a great relationship with the owner. He loves us because we traditionally rent the most from him annually as a theatre, not including film crews who rent thousands weekly. However, I recently received purchasing influence and have decided that it's about time to ditch this title and buy a board so that we can save some of the money that we put into rentals. The Element seems perfect for us

[Footer]

I was told they would hit the street at about that price from an ETC rep when the console first came out. I would give a few other places a call, never hurts to shop around, but that does sound right.

[David Ashton]

Rule of thumb when buying gear, always get 3 quotes and let the quoters know there will be 3 quotes, we get a lot of business from people who have been offered an "unbeatable" deal but have to get 3 quotes, only to find their deal wasn't that unbeatable after all.

[mstaylor]

I did a quick internet search and one place had it for $4900.00 with no monitors. Might want to check your price and see if the monitors are included.

[NickJones]

I'm pretty sure the monitors are just standard LCD computer displays (unless they are touchscreen) so the monitors it comes with are probably worth $300 so you are still paying an extra $500, get more quotes, and tell them what the other company quoted you, play one off eachother, let them bid for your sale.
Nick

[ishboo]

I got quotes from 6 dealers in my area (Ohio) our program was looking into one and your price beats all the quotes I got. I was in the $4,500 range I believe without monitors.

[jmabray]

Please be aware, that much like the ION, there are two DVI display outputs on the Element. There is one VGA output. So if you want to take full use of the monitor displays of the console, you need at least one DVI monitor.

[willbb123]

Check out the Collaborative Article:
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/c...____-cost.html

[gafftaper]

Never go on just one price quote. Always at least three. Check this collaborative article for a list of dealers.

Hmm... looks like there's only one listed in California... That's no good. Calling all Californians, we need your input for the reliable dealers list.

I'll send you a PM with the e-mail address of my favorite national dealer sales guy. While I prefer to deal with the local dealer, sometimes you need to consider national pricing too.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by gafftaper

Never go on just one price quote. Always at least three. Check this collaborative article for a list of dealers.

Hmm... looks like there's only one listed in California... That's no good. Calling all Californians, we need your input for the reliable dealers list.

Note that the collaborative article only lists vendors that CB members have had a positive experience with, and have added to the list.

The complete list of ETC-authorized dealers in CA is at ETC Dealer Lookup: California. There are 19, I think.