[TenTec] dealer networks: AES NO value added

[Arthur Bernstein]

I've been reading with some interest and feel compelled to throw in my two cents.
I was a small dealer of Amateur Radio products and accessories for approximately
10 years (1989 to 1999.) I did not have a storefront, but did work a considerable
number of hamfests and  a portion of my home was my store. In order to make any
kind of a profit, I had to earn the trust and respect of my customers. This was
done through honesty and fairness. As a small dealer, my small profits were OK,
because my overhead was minimal. For the most part, the companies I had accounts
with, were very consumer friendly. In the rare instances that problems arose with
products, I was on the phone with the manufacturer, who more often than not,
would end up replacing the product on my say so. They would usually send a UPS
call slip to me, if the product was returned to me or to the customer, if he held
on to it. They would then send out a replacement to whomever the defective unit
was picked up from. I dealt with one company, granted their products were not
that expensive, who upon hearing from me that I had a disgruntled customer with
an apparently defective product, would sometimes send a replacement and not
require the return of the defective product (after hearing my description of what
the problem was!)
In order for a business like mine to take back and exchange defective products on
my own, the following would exist:
a)I'd likely  to have had an extensive inventory (which was not always the case),
and
b)Shipping costs back to the manufacturer, would eat into the meager profits,
through no fault of my own.
I stopped the business for the following reasons:
a)Shipping costs got out of hand, as my orders were getting smaller and smaller
due to decreased demand,
b)Some of my manufacturers went out of business or were bought out by other
companies who didn't want to deal with little guys like me,
c)My customers didn't understand that I was giving them  very fair, if not
sometimes ridiculously low prices ( along with friendly, personalized service.)
Seemingly, they thought I was probably still making "too much" on what they
bought from me!! Finally,
d) I got tired of trying to educate a bunch of CHEAPSKATES!
The Amateur marketplace is a very tough one due to its limited and unique appeal.

73,
Art., N2KA..

AC5E at aol.com wrote:

> As you say, this thread has gone on far too long. But unlike you, I will seek
> out Philips when I decide to pop for a CD burner.
>
> The reason's simple. Philips is protecting you the consumer, their dealer who
> has no ability at all to take care of any problem you may have, and their
> distributor who will inevetibly wind up as another unhappy person who is
> stuck in the middle of a situation they didn't create.
>
> It's the manufacturer's responsibility to take care of problems with their
> products. Period.  It's not the consumers responsibility, it's not the
> dealers responsibility, and it's not the importer's responsibility. It's the
> makers, and he is responsible for making sure the customer is satisfied.
> Getting all the people who don't know what they are doing or what factory
> policy is saves time, trouble, and effort. And helps insure customer
> satisfaction.
>
> Sorry companies force their distributors and dealers to deal with problems
> the best way they can. From any standpoint, that's not good.  That's why my
> company's policy is simple and unequivocal.
>
> Call my company direct on my nickel. If we can't solve your problem while you
> are on the line we will send you another one and have that one picked up. All
> on our nickel. All you have to do is put it back in the box and wait on the
> driver. And you might be surprised to know how high a percentage of consumers
> won't even do that much.
>
> 73  Pete Allen  AC5E
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