Nail right on the head there........brand perception is everything.
It is amazing how many hoops brands can make you jump through to acquire one of their products.. You should check out Hermes bags, a friend told me that she had to ask for an appointment to go to one of their shops 3 times before they gave her a date she could go.
when she went in they made her wait ages then asked her what she wanted the bag for, the sales assistant then left the shop floor 15 mins later came back with a bag.
only choice was to buy the bag or never get another appointment there for no choice over the bag.
I told her she was dumber than a sack of hammers (or words to that effect).