arzajac
1011 posts
Mar 23, 2013
9:21 AM
|
Matthew Smart, formerly of Hetrick Harmonicas, left that company because he could not make ends meet. Here's what he has said about underpricing in the aftermarket Harmonica industry:
I recently purchased a custom case from Slim (that I am looking forward to receiving) and he charged me $270 for it. Now to many of you, you may think that’s way to spendy. But I’m guessing he spends 7-10 hours making it from scratch. If you figure in the hourly rate there, plus material costs, taxes, paypal fees, etc. that is NOT a very good living. I thought that price was a bargain and yet I read about people complaining about his prices. I think this cheapness, is a serious problem for the custom industry. If you are not willing to pay for quality, it goes away. - Matthew Smart
It's safe to say that my $15 harmonica service is drastically underpriced.
A harp tech from Hawaii and the person from whom I modelled my services said the following in reference to his harp repair work: What I do is worth far more than what I charge. but you could buy a new harp for that much. - Mark Prados
Will I suffer the same fate at Matthew? I hope not. I deliberately chose to set my price for harp service at $15 per harp. Here are three reasons why I stand by that decision:
Reason 1. I believe that a well-playing harp should be affordable. It's a fact that mass production of harmonicas will always create an inconsistent product. I estimate that more than half the time you buy an out-of-the-box harmonica, you are not getting a well-playing harp that is in tune. I reckon the chance of finding a very good out-of-the-box harp is about one in ten.
It's very easy to get discouraged and frustrated with bad harmonicas, especially if you are a beginner. Often, a person only needs to own one really good harp to finally understand what to expect from the instrument. A well playing harp can have a profound impact on your enjoyment of the instrument.
So I want to make it easy for someone to obtain that harp.
Reason 2. There are only two effective and profitable methods of advertising in the aftermarket harmonica industry. One is getting a harmonica I have worked on into a potential customer's hands so they can play it for themselves and have no doubt about what they are paying for. The other is word-of-mouth advertising.
I know exactly how much time I spend on servicing your harps and I know how much I should be paid to do it. $15 falls short of that but I am investing that difference by taking advantage of the fact that happy customers will buy more harps and that they will tell their friends. In a sense, every $15 serviced harp I send to a customer is a business card with my name on it. Would a huge billboard, newspaper ad or Google advertising be more effective? Definitely not.
I service harps using the same methods I use on custom harmonicas. The difference is that I have much higher expectations of how a custom harp should perform and it doesn't leave my workbench until it's ready. While I can't dedicate that much time to a serviced harp, I'll still put in a lot of work into it because I'd rather deliver more than you expect than disappoint you.
(Continued)
----------
|
arzajac
1012 posts
Mar 23, 2013
9:21 AM
|
(continued)
Reason 3. As MP says, if I charge much more than $15, I'm approaching the cost of a brand-new harp. I doubt most people would want to spend much more on servicing a harp. I reckon a small increase in the fee would result in a disproportionally large decrease in customers.
All in all, I prefer working hard and having happy customers wait a little over 30 days for great service rather than twiddle my thumbs or provide harps that are only as good as out-of-the-box harps.
This approach may not be for everyone but it works for me. I am very busy with service and custom harp work. But most importantly, I am able to be financially gainful and sustain the level of customer satisfaction I am aiming for.
I agree completely with Matthew's view. If you undervalue your product, you will have a hard time getting your prices back to where you need them to be sustainable.
But by charging less for harp service, I don't think I am undervaluing my services, rather I'm putting importance on directed advertising and being mindful of what will and won't work in this market.
I know it's a long post. I'd appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
----------
Last Edited by arzajac on Mar 23, 2013 9:37 AM
|
FMWoodeye
604 posts
Mar 23, 2013
9:34 AM
|
Andrew worked on four harps for me, and I am VERY satisfied with them. I put a little star on my harps that have been worked on so that I don't get them mixed up with my OOTB harps. I try to neutralize the shipping expenses by sending several harps at a time.
|
tookatooka
3232 posts
Mar 23, 2013
10:37 AM
|
As an artist and a bit of an anarchist I was selling my watercolour paintings dirt cheap because I wanted people who wouldn't normally buy original art to enjoy what was a rich preserve. The trouble was, they didn't value it because it was so so cheap.
I have now increased my prices very considerably and find I am selling much more than before and find my customers are far more appreciative.
It's the self same product within reason but I have added value by increasing the price.
|
Gipsy
10 posts
Mar 23, 2013
11:38 AM
|
I agree with everything you say. I'm sure loads of peeps buy a harp, and then give up because OOB can be so badly set up.
It happened to me. I gave it another go a year later, and did a little research and found here in the UK it was possible to get a well set up harp, ( not a custom ) for a relatively small extra expense. It's only in retrospect have I realised how small the extra charge was in comparison to how much enjoyment the hobby has given me.
I salute you and others who are providing affordable, playable harps, and I hope that in time other peeps will benefit from your efforts.
One day I hope to be sufficiently skilled to make use of a full custom harp, but until then thanks to you and others for giving me access to good quality instruments at affordable prices.
Last Edited by Gipsy on Mar 23, 2013 11:39 AM
|
boris_plotnikov
840 posts
Mar 23, 2013
12:09 PM
|
Till this year I offered only top custom with full microscopic embossing (100 euro for job only). And I had maximum one harp to work for a month.
Recently I started to offer cheaper harps (from 15 euro for job) with just slight embossing and gaping and I was wondered that almost any customer ask for 15 or 25 euro job. No guaranted overblow but much more pleasant to play.
----------
Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
|
RyanMortos
1446 posts
Mar 23, 2013
12:31 PM
|
I'm not buying any aftermarket diatonic harmonicas that aren't set up for overblows/overdraws on all holes, completely chromatic playability.
Reason being, I have the tools and the know how to work on my own to make them play better so if I have one that needs it I should set aside time to do so.
As for $15 to bring back to live a a dead diatonic it doesn't sound expensive at all. I think as long as it's below 60% brand new harp price you'd be okay. Like you said, your service is going to bring dead harps back to life you can't really charge brand new harp price.
People are tight with money all over the country with everything right now. Not just harmonicas. Our economy isn't getting a blue ribbon anytime soon especially with some of the decisions being made.
----------
~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
|
Gnarly
512 posts
Mar 23, 2013
3:45 PM
|
When I charge $15 to replace a reed, I don't turn it into a Stage 1 Joe Spiers harp, I just fix the broken reeds and make the harps playable.
My experience is that you can put a whole bunch of time into improving a harmonica.
If the customer broke a reed, he likely was happy with the way it was playing--all I feel I need to do is to make the new reeds respond like the rest of the harp.
Is my time worth $15 an hour?
Can I do what Arzajac does in an hour?
I got started doing repairs and customization because I couldn't afford to pay someone else to do it!
Bill Romel is my model, his prices were very good.
Mike Easton too--and Mike Peace, none of us are getting rich doing this!
|
MP
2684 posts
Mar 23, 2013
5:04 PM
|
hi guys!
yeep! that's the long and short of it. i'll replace the reed, gap and tune all the rest. $10 plus shipping. sometimes i'll soup up a customers harp just to see if he notices.
my repairs are all better than OOB. caveat. unless i get a real dog from Hohners bad years. the best you can do is get them as good as OOB. unless you want to spend 7 hours on a $10 repair. up to you dude. Andrew and Gnarly are a seriously good deal. me too.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Mar 23, 2013 5:05 PM
|
LSC
377 posts
Mar 23, 2013
5:59 PM
|
There is an argument to be made both for the low price/higher volume road as well as the higher price/more appreciative customer road. Whatever works for the individual is the the right answer. Having said that it is absolutely true that price directly affects perception
A friend of mine gave me a heads up about a new music bar opening in his neighborhood. Very cool place and he'd already mentioned me to the owner. The guy had asked him how much we charged. My mate said he didn't know but asked what did the guy have in mind. The bar owner replied,"Well, I think if a band asks for less than $1000 they can't be any good." I hotfooted in over there and played the place several times as well as booking some touring friends. Fantastic bar to play.
If you think about it there is in human nature a tendency to think if something is too cheap, "How good can it be?" and if there is a premium price, "For that kind of money it must be good." And that even carries on to having a tendency to want to like something more if your paid a bit for it. You'd feel like a fool if it were crap and people tend not to want to do that so they'll start off convinced its good and then let you prove them right.
----------
LSC
|
HarpNinja
3265 posts
Mar 23, 2013
6:11 PM
|
There are reasons why someone chooses to undercut the market. Some might be noble, some may not.
It is no different in the harp world as it is in live performance or mass manufacturing of goods. Bands at $1,000 clubs agreeing to play for $200 and US companies sending work to China, etc. It is the nature of competition and the results usually end up to be the same regardless of the situation.
Hell, haven't prices already gone up from some comb makers since Hetrick stopped taking orders? This is all typical businessy stuff. Some people go with the best "deal" and some go with the best people, whatever. It is what it is.
----------
Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
|
Frank
2091 posts
Mar 23, 2013
6:47 PM
|
I go with the best people with the best deal and Andrew aka "arzajac" certainly falls in that category!
|
nacoran
6601 posts
Mar 24, 2013
12:36 AM
|
I remember reading a story about the history of Volvo. Volvo had a great reputation for quality, and they had really good margins on all their sales. They figured, hey, we make a good car, if we sell it for less we'll gain market share... only they didn't. They lost their perceived value and even although they kept getting good reviews in the business magazines their market share shrunk. They raised their prices and sales went back up.
Now, that may not be a fair comparison though, since there are lots of price points in the car market. As a guy who drives around a rusty '87 Nissan I sure appreciate getting quality for a low price. As a musician whose band doesn't have a lot of shows under our belt, I also understand that competition certainly encourages people to constantly sell at a lower cost, and that other bands that play for free hurt our chances of getting a paying gig- while at the same time being willing to take a payless gig because we just want to play.
If you are happy doing what you do, that's worth it. I suspect that it's not a totally zero sum game. Some people will always know where to get a good deal. They'll buy Volvo's as discount prices (are Volvo's still good cars? It's been a while since I've been in the market!) The trick as a consumer is finding those great deals. By the way, Arzajac is right. His harps do make great business cards. :)
edited for spelling.
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
Last Edited by nacoran on Mar 24, 2013 12:27 PM
|
The Iceman
809 posts
Mar 24, 2013
7:50 AM
|
@arzajac ...
Is customizing harmonicas your sole source of income?
----------
The Iceman
|
arzajac
1015 posts
Mar 24, 2013
8:29 AM
|
@Iceman
No. But it is a significant source of income.
----------
Last Edited by arzajac on Mar 24, 2013 8:31 AM
|
Sherwin
51 posts
Mar 24, 2013
7:18 PM
|
@ Arzajac.....your price for 'service' of a harp is ridiculously low considering the work involved, especially in the case of a Marine Band. I understand that it is a loss leader, and fits your present effort to gain a client base. I can't compete with you directly, and I sure am glad I won't be. Really!
I am an aspiring customiser, and plan to offer my services to paying clients soon. I have worked to find my own customers outside of M.B.H. Forum members, and will look after my own local market. I also figure I'll mostly avoid the repair/service work and perhaps only repair my own custom harps. Not quite what I had in mind a short time ago, but a response to the reality of what's out there right now in terms of competition.
Hard work is a reward in itself, but I certainly don't want it to be the only reward I have for: fixing, customising harps. I too look to get people playing harps that sing, and do very much enjoy the feedback from the few who play harps I've built or set up for them. Coming up with a pricing schedule is one thing I have yet to do. I would like to be paid fairly for my time.
Luckily mine will be a small enterprise, and I will only enjoy, and not rely on the income I receive from my customers. Working on harps is still fun for me, and I expect it will remain that way, as challenging as it is. My successes to date keep me engaged in the pursuit of better and better playing instruments.
Just lookin' to carve out a place for little old me.......Sherwin
|
Gnarly
516 posts
Mar 24, 2013
9:20 PM
|
I make more money playing than anything else . . . but winter is always a killer.
Summer is a comin' . . .
|
Honkin On Bobo
1108 posts
Mar 25, 2013
7:15 AM
|
I tnink reason #3 is really the big consideration.
I just bought two special 20s from my local music store and they were $33 each. I'm at the point where my harp boneyard is large enough that it might make sense to ship out a package of five or six to be repaired. All of them have one blown reed. Yeah, I know, breath force blah, blah,blah.....learn to work on your own harps, blah, blah, blah. ain't gonna happen.....I lke drivin' the convertible not overhaulin' the cylinder heads.....and I like wailin' (gotta get heard over the rest of the band/jammers).
My opinion is that $10-$15 per harp for a repair is right at the cusp of it making more sense for me to just go out and buy a new harp. i have no doubt that for the repairers, by any calculation, this is probably an undervaluing of their skills and time. But it is what it is. At, say $20. i'm pretty sure I'm just buying a new harp.
just one reed blowin' honkers opinion.
Edited to add: I really feel for you guys, and in many ways it feels like an untenable situation, the repairers feel undercompensated, and yet the current price is probably all the market will bear. I half expect to see a thread at anytime started by MP or any of the other repairers saying they calling it quits. And we'd all be worse off for that.
Last Edited by Honkin On Bobo on Mar 25, 2013 7:24 AM
|
Frank
2096 posts
Mar 25, 2013
7:32 AM
|
If I did this type of service for others (which I don't) and all you wanted is a reed changed and nothing else, I can literally do that in minutes and charge you $10 bucks for the dirty deed.. These guys are doin repairs as a business thus doing more to the harp then a simple reed replacement. Which I could do too "tuning, adjusting, gaps, etc.", but would add to the price - these are things you could also do easily if you so desired mind you - bottom line...if you can't or don't want to do basic repairs to your harmonica then $15 bucks is well worth a repairers time and effort for these types of fixes!
|
Seven.Oh.Three.
206 posts
Mar 25, 2013
8:06 AM
|
For me it comes down to what you get for your money. I've yet to blow out a reed but when I do I'm fairly confident I'll ship it out to someone to have it repaired. In my opinion I'd pay 100%(including shipping) of the cost of a new harp to have someone replace the reed, tune it and set some of the gaps. In fact, I see that as a bargain. You could buy 5 harps before you got one that plays as well as one that has been "lightly" set up. The two deterrents are 1) I'm out that key until I get it back and 2) It takes more time then picking up a new one. But that's just my .02
7.o.3.
|
Gnarly
518 posts
Mar 25, 2013
8:35 AM
|
@Honkin on Bobo "i have no doubt that for the repairers, by any calculation, this is probably an undervaluing of their skills and time. But it is what it is"
You're welcome.
I have half a mind to send my personal harps to Arzajac or MP and take advantage of their generosity.
@Frank "all you wanted is a reed changed and nothing else, I can literally do that in minutes"
All of these things take time--and time is money.
|
Goldbrick
118 posts
Mar 25, 2013
9:09 AM
|
If you are gonna play an instrument you really need to see how it works. I play drums, percussion , guitar and harp and do basic set up and upkeep on all.
More extensive work that require special tools or skills that I would only rarely use -I farm out.
I have a friend who is one of Nashville's top guitar techs and I am always surprised when routinely folks leave guitars for string changes. But everybody has different interests.
Any tech who takes responsibility for working on a client's instrument deserves what he thinks its worth to do just that-the client can play or pass
Last Edited by Goldbrick on Mar 25, 2013 9:11 AM
|
Honkin On Bobo
1109 posts
Mar 25, 2013
9:12 AM
|
@gnarly you're right, I should have somewhere in there said a big thank you to all that do basic harp repair at affordable prices. didn't mean to come off as flippant about the issue they (you) face. I was just trying to say as a potential customer of that service, that any higher price for basic reed replacement, would leave me thinking I should just buy a brand new harp. Certainly this is as reasonable a position to take as that of the repairers feeling that they are being undervalued. Hence, my untenable comment.
Obviously none of that applies to a situation where some "souped up" work is being done. But that's customization not reed repair, which is all I'd be looking for.
@Frank no tools, no room, no desire and no "know-how". I highly doubt it would take me just a few minutes, if I succeeded at all.
Lastly, a tip o' the cap, a hearty thank you to Arzajac and MP (even though I'm not a customer..yet) for doing what you do. I hope it all works out for you guys both financially and from a personal satisfaction standpoint.
|
HarpNinja
3266 posts
Mar 25, 2013
9:17 AM
|
There is repair and there is modifying (or some other noun we can use). What is being described above is $10 or $15 for MODIFYING harps - not just replacing reeds.
There is some relevance there. I try to be transparent, and I don't offer to do repairs to harps I didn't customize. I also don't warranty harps that I've build that have been sent to others for repair/service. I do, though, generally offer repairs/mods to my builds for return shipping and maybe the cost of reeds if they are an odd key or something.
I do not get paid a livable hourly wage for harp tweaking, so in no way would I do it full time. I work fast, but there are no short cuts. I recently received feedback on a 1847 from Jimi Lee and the accolades were more than enough to make up for the amount of time I spent on that harp - which is the exact same as it would be for anyone.
I don't have a dog in the fight as I have a full queue and generally am not soliciting new orders and basically just building for friends and pros, but just want it to be clarified that $15 or $10 here is evidently being applied to modification and not just reed replacement.
----------
Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
Last Edited by HarpNinja on Mar 25, 2013 9:47 AM
|
Frank
2097 posts
Mar 25, 2013
9:28 AM
|
Changing a reed in minutes is from 15 years of experience. Time is money and 15 years is a lot of time. I'll work on a friends harp periodically, other wise it's not worth my time to do it for the public at large... I learned to fix my own harps within the first year of learning to play because I realized I could not afford not to! :)
|
HarpNinja
3267 posts
Mar 25, 2013
9:44 AM
|
Repetition is much more important than time.
----------
Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
|
bloozefish
87 posts
Mar 25, 2013
1:26 PM
|
slightly OT, but I recently did some business with HarpNinja, for which I received a tweaked and retuned (to 7-limit Just) 1847 in "D". While my accolades certainly are not equal to Jimi Lee's, Fugazzi did great work on the harp. Thanks you, Mike!
James
|
arzajac
1016 posts
Mar 26, 2013
6:22 AM
|
I'm not alone at offering affordable services. For example, David Payne is offering custom or optimised harps for only $10 more than the retail price. David is an expert and knows exactly what to do to add value to each harp way in excess of that price difference, but he can also work efficiently and make the effort worth his while.
On my end, I don't think a single one of my customers undervalues my services once they get their harps back. This strategy works for me and I have a good ratio of service to custom work. My customs are priced fairly.
As I mentioned, I think it's important to offer reasonably priced service - not just as a loss leader. I imagine my turnover time for service will increase rather than my price.
As Gnarly says, some people are happy with their harps and only require a reed replacement. But the majority of harps I get for service don't even have a single broken reed. I call it restoration. I consider it a completely different service than reed replacement. Does that make it "underpricing" instead of "undercutting?". I dunno.
At any rate, I don't think I'm doing anything fundamentally different than what is already being done or has been done. I know Richard Sleigh repaired harps for only $10 for quite a long time.
----------
|
Gnarly
519 posts
Mar 26, 2013
7:05 AM
|
Harmonica players are notoriously tightfisted LOL
|
Seven.Oh.Three.
207 posts
Mar 26, 2013
9:23 AM
|
I'm not sure it's fair to say "Harmonica players are notoriously tightfisted"... Every hobby I've ever been involved in people have always searched out the best deal possible. But what I think it comes down to is being hesitant to invest a certain percent into the original cost in to fixing a broken harmonica. But we can all agree that buying new is a total crap shot and you can't be sure how the new harmonica will play. By having someone go through it and set it up properly it takes the guess work out of it. I'd happily pay 120% more for a harp I know will play well (hell, sometimes I'd settle on just being playable). You could buy 4 or 5 before you get one that's playable.....
There's also the stigma of being able to do it yourself. What's a fair price to charge for something that anybody would do themselves with a little patience and knowledge? I think that question is unimportant. I have customers come to my auto repair shop all the time for things they can do themselves if they tried. But they happily pay me good money so they don't have to.
7.o.3.
|
MP
2685 posts
Mar 26, 2013
3:19 PM
|
from Gnarly-
"You're welcome.
I have half a mind to send my personal harps to Arzajac or MP and take advantage of their generosity."
PLEASE DON'T!! send 'em to Andrew with my blessing. Harveyharp is already sending people to me.
Also-
@Frank "all you wanted is a reed changed and nothing else, I can literally do that in minutes"
yeep. faster than disassembling the harp, much less putting it back together. tuning is what takes time.
From arzajac-
" I know Richard Sleigh repaired harps for only $10 for quite a long time."
really! didn't know that.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Mar 26, 2013 3:47 PM
|
jim
1389 posts
Mar 26, 2013
3:37 PM
|
I'm offering trade-in repair again.
Well, not me actually. My friends, but you can write me, I'll forward your requests to those who can help you.
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
Gnarly
520 posts
Mar 26, 2013
3:53 PM
|
I have to say that when I am at Suzuki, since I am hourly, I take a little more time than when I am doing repairs at home.
It's also much easier to replace reeds at work, we have lots of donor reeds and the jigs make replacement very straightforward.
And since we only do warranty repair, there is no charge to you.
The tightfisted remark is a double entendre.
|
CarlA
307 posts
Mar 26, 2013
4:10 PM
|
Last Edited by CarlA on Mar 26, 2013 4:11 PM
|
florida-trader
274 posts
Mar 26, 2013
4:21 PM
|
Here’s a little insight into the after-market harmonica world. The various tools and parts that are used in harmonica repair are like gold if you don’t have them, but if you’re in the business you have so many of them laying around you tend to not place a great deal of value on them. I can remember a time when if I dropped a reed plate screw I would be crawling around on my hands and knees searching for it. Now if I drop one I don’t even bother to bend over and pick it up. I just take another one out of the parts bin and keep working. I prefer stainless 1-72 screws for Marine Band conversions. I buy them for $4.95 per 100 from Fastenal. Consequently, I hardly ever charge my customers for screws. If they need five or six screws we’re talking about something that cost me a quarter. I can afford to be very generous for a quarter. Screws, combs, cover plates, reed plates, donor reed plates – heck even complete harmonicas – can become commodities that can easily be used to repay a favor or reward a customer for their loyalty. When you buy large quantities of any product you can give away things that cost you very little but are worth a lot to your customers who may have to spend top dollar if they only need to buy one.
Nobody can be profitable if all they ever do is $15 repairs. But the fact that any of these guys are willing to go above and beyond for a mere $15 is a testament to their character and willingness to serve. It is about cultivating a relationship and a loyalty so when the bigger jobs come you will think of them first. It is a great way to keep your favorite old harps alive and to develop a long term relationship with someone you can trust to treat you right when you need some help. Anybody who is spending money to get their harps repaired is probably going to be playing the harmonica for decades to come. Anybody who is willing and able to fix them for $15 a pop is going to stay as busy as they want for those same decades. It’s a beautiful thing.
----------
Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
|
HarveyHarp
473 posts
Mar 26, 2013
8:34 PM
|
@MP. Is that alright that I send people to you for reed replacement??
----------
HarveyHarp
|
Miles Dewar
1460 posts
Mar 26, 2013
8:43 PM
|
"If you are not willing to pay for quality, it goes away. - Matthew Smart"
Isn't it the responsibility of the producer to make necessary adjustments to ensure *HIS* livelihood is maintained? Expecting the consumer to simply pay more is a bad business model. It's really no big deal if one or two, or twelve customizers fall off the face of the Earth. Perhaps these customizers should brush up on their closing abilities. Perhaps it is the salesperson's responsibility to increase the implied value of the product, not the consumer's.
Last Edited by Miles Dewar on Mar 26, 2013 9:02 PM
|
Gnarly
521 posts
Mar 26, 2013
11:17 PM
|
@Miles "It's really no big deal if one or two, or twelve customizers fall off the face of the Earth."
I'm planning on it ;/
|
Frank
2105 posts
Mar 27, 2013
5:20 AM
|
Recently my bank added a fee to all customers basic checking accounts - I called them immediately to get the lowdown as thoroughly as possible - hoping they could justify the "new fee"...They could not to my satisfaction. I hung up- did some research and found a bank whose services offered surpassed my expectations. I set up an appt. to find out if all was true and it was - so I switched banks. My ole bank possibly could of cared less that I quit them and changed banks - but for me personally it was a VERY POSITIVE move and I'm very satisfied and indeed very happy that my ole bank added the extra fee or I would of not looked to better my banking circumstances! Throughout my life,it seems that any time I make a change when a problem was encountered with a company, my switch has always landed with me involved in better circumstances...I guess when a company puts an extra fee on a customer, it wakes some folks up out of their contentment and gets them looking for what other competition is available out there... and in my experience, I have always found a better company to do business. So hopefully they are as happy for losing me as a customer as I am for leaving them for a better company to work with :)
Last Edited by Frank on Mar 27, 2013 5:26 AM
|
florida-trader
276 posts
Mar 27, 2013
6:18 AM
|
@Miles. Touché! I agree with you 100%. The customer is always right. The customer is a genius. The market is a mirror. If the market rejects your offering it's not because there is something wrong with the market. It's because there is something wrong with your offering - quality, price, color, whatever. If you don't like what you see when you look in the mirror - you don't blame the mirror.
@Frank. I agree with you also. As consumers we all vote with our dollars. It is capitalism and the free enterprise system in action. Sometimes you have to wonder who are these people that make decisions that systematically alienate their customers - like banks nickel and diming you for everything. In every industry, there are companies that "get it" and those that don't. Those who "get it" (i.e. put the customers first) tend to be rewarded with long term customer loyalty.
----------
Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
|
Littoral
816 posts
Mar 27, 2013
6:39 AM
|
@Miles "Perhaps these customizers should brush up on their closing abilities."
hmmm, I will say ABSOLUTELY, and it would be bad karma for me to elaborate.
|
Philosofy
453 posts
Mar 27, 2013
7:44 AM
|
@Miles: NO!!! "Closing" techniques are what give salesmen a bad name. They work in what is called "simple" sales, where the customer will only come in once (like a used car, buying a TV, etc.) However, these manipulative techniques work against you in a sale based upon a relationship. Don't go reading books on sales techniques like that if you want your customers to be repeat customers.
|
arzajac
1019 posts
Mar 27, 2013
7:57 AM
|
I took closing abilities to mean everything around the sale of the harp. Like timely correspondence and shipping when you said you would ship, attention to detail like properly cleaning the harp before you ship it, never cutting corners and assuming a customer won't notice...
But yeah, "closing abilities" sounds shady now that you mention it...
----------
|
Philosofy
454 posts
Mar 27, 2013
8:14 AM
|
arzajac, you are on target. Its simple: just give the customer what you promised, and, if you can't meet that promise, contact the cusotmer immediately to let them know.
|
MP
2687 posts
Mar 27, 2013
12:23 PM
|
Dang that Captcha!
@ Harvey,
of course my man! thank you very much. i really appreciate your support. i love the fact that Andrew is in the game to take up slack. it's like he's helping me out. aannd, he's in Canada and i don't care for international orders. it drives the shipping price up and ruins the affordable bit.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
|
MP
2688 posts
Mar 27, 2013
12:29 PM
|
From Honkin-
"I half expect to see a thread at anytime started by MP or any of the other repairers saying they calling it quits. And we'd all be worse off for that."
not from me Bobo. players are very happy w/ what i do and that is a great feeling.
i have a few sources of income so the repair biz gives me Laphroaig whiskey at gigs w/out guilt. good for food money too. wait. whiskey is its own food group! :-)
two fingers and i'll fix your harp? deal!
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Mar 27, 2013 12:31 PM
|
1847
609 posts
Mar 27, 2013
1:00 PM
|
Dang that Captcha!
here is another trick for the captcha
hold the ctrl key down and hit the plus sign a few times
makes it a lot bigger
and very easy to read
----------
tipjar
|
arzajac
1020 posts
Mar 27, 2013
4:37 PM
|
MP: More wisdom from you! Twenty bucks is twenty bucks. But twenty bucks of beer money is quite a loot! It can be an insignificant sum or a fortune depending on how you look at it.
----------
|
nacoran
6615 posts
Mar 27, 2013
7:33 PM
|
1847- Or you can just hook your computer up to a 37 inch TV. Works for me. :)
(Best Christmas present I've gotten in years.)
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
Honkin On Bobo
1110 posts
Mar 28, 2013
7:43 AM
|
MP,
So glad to hear that you're gonna continue doing repair work. You might be hearing from me sooner than you think. I almost contacted you on this go round, but found myself in the neighborhood where my local music store is and thought "ah, what the hell" and purchased special 20s in C and G, to replace two harps recently placed on the Injured Reserved list. Though I'm none too pleased at having to shell out $33 a piece.
Anyway, I've kept every blown out harp, and I'm seriously thinkin' about shippin' off a half dozen to you. Single read blow out on each harp, so would be a relative snap for you I'm sure.
Anyway, cheers and thanks again (in advance) for doing what you do.
|
