My first post!

I have been browsing many online forums, this forum, while small, seems to be more mature and professional than most others. Hats off to Ascend for a remarkable reputation and customer base!

I seem to receive a promotional email from AV123 every week with each one more hyped than the other. I can't recall ever joining their email list but that is beside the point. The latest deal for a pair of floorstanders is hard to pass up but the price is so low that it begs the question, have their products been marked up so much in the past and did they take advantage of their own customers? I have read so much negativity about this company lately and general opinions are highly polarized, love them or hate them.

Would I be doing business with a company that is actually looking out for its own customers or a company that is simply looking to make a quick profit? I understand that all businesses are looking to make a profit but at what cost? AV123 emails read like the company is on top of their game and nothing is wrong. They do not address the many publicly discussed problems, are these "problems" just a few annoyed customers who complain or are there deep underlying problems?

I have also read that the owner of this company has run various charity raffles and has kept some or part of the proceeds. Is there any truth to this?

If discussions like this are not allowed here, please remove my post. I am not looking to start a flame war, instead I am trying to acquire some honest opinions from a community that seems less emotional and more mature than most.

thank you.