Manufacturing Companies in London
One is a well known asian firm making plate amps (3 emails, to main company and factory, still no reply) and another linked me to the factory rep who just gave me a price but seemingly couldn't be bothered to answer a simple question after 2 asks. And other non replies. ... Join Date: Mar 2010; Location: London/Bangkok; Posts: 202 .... But you should be fair; the enthusiast doesn't pay the bills and you should recognize this and how manufacturing business works.
Manufacturing Companies in London
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Two replied and were enthusiastic(one is Dayton), but most not so good. One is a well known asian firm making plate amps (3 emails, to main company and factory, still no reply) and another linked me to the factory rep who just gave me a price but seemingly couldn't be bothered to answer a simple question after 2 asks. And other non replies.
It seems that some firms, big or small, don't want to make the effort with selling small quantity to the enthusiast or starting a working relationship with a potential regular buyer.
Not suprising. All of these manufacturers are mass producers with minimal to zero customer service support. They don't sell directly to customers, so they don't have a department dedicated to dealing with customers. You'll have better luck dealing with a distributor or retailer like PE, Meniscus, or Madisound.
altho in my case the companies i contacted were either to ask about distributors, or small scale and sell direct or at least to OEM so I wd have thought I'd get a better response. Time to pick up the phone.
Please do not get me started. This thread couldn't have come at a worse time. Other than PE, there is no such thing as customer service. People are lazy, ignorant, and incompetent. Nobody is capable of performing a service job anymore. Partly because customers/clients/consumers are not cared for anymore today.
Please do not get me started. This thread couldn't have come at a worse time. Other than PE, there is no such thing as customer service. People are lazy, ignorant, and incompetent. Nobody is capable of performing a service job anymore. Partly because customers/clients/consumers are not cared for anymore today.
I WHOLHEARTEDLY agree...This boils down to the "I don't care, that's not my department" attitude that has taken over the country. (right down/[up?] to our government leadership).
I went home Friday, after a gruelling day at work, to find that my 2 year old (almost to the day) Onkyo 807 has developed the dreaded HDMI board failure. I am expecting a fight with them. I knew it was coming, I have been prepared for it. I have warned others here off the brand.
This is not the first issue, or run in I have had over this receiver. When it was less than a month old, I started a case with the BBB over the NET feature, one of the very reasons I purchased the unit, that does not work. (The BBB is another scam that will forever stick in my throat...what a ridiculous "do nothing" group, that has absolutely no power.) Their "tech support" is severly lacking technical experience. You would think that a company would employ someone in the tech department that actually knows something about the product. Not a script-reading dolt, based in another country, that tells you his name is "Bob"...and recommends that you cycle the power, or unplug the unit for 15-30 seconds. If that fails, do a "hard re-set". After that, the only thing they know is, send it in to a service center... If I can't afford it...
I think this type of service (lack thereof) is true for anything technology related. Possibly due to the complexity of technology products and the resulting bajillion potential failure modes and the then resulting need for knowledgeable service staff. From AVRs (of all brands), to TVs, to software. Ever tried actually calling Symantec or McAfee? There's no phone number on their website and when you search on the web for them, they're all circular numbers that lead to one another and to the eventual automated number that has no option to get you a person. Even big companies like Toys-R-Us...no phone number for the company, only to a store (where they have no power or will to do anything). Sad but that's what tech and even other industries are like these days. The consumer electronics/technology industry definitely seems aimed toward disposable product instead of long lasting products...reflected by both how quickly most products start to have issues and the service for those issues.
Two replied and were enthusiastic(one is Dayton), but most not so good. One is a well known asian firm making plate amps (3 emails, to main company and factory, still no reply) and another linked me to the factory rep who just gave me a price but seemingly couldn't be bothered to answer a simple question after 2 asks. And other non replies.
It seems that some firms, big or small, don't want to make the effort with selling small quantity to the enthusiast or starting a working relationship with a potential regular buyer.
You're being unreasonable, you're buying power likely would pay the light bill for .001 seconds and yes that matters. To be honest I was absolutely shocked at the excellent response I got from Morel even when my order was going to amount to only 750 units. Of course they told me the order still wasn't big enough to deal directly with them and referred me to distributors.
Here's the truth....to a manufacturer who fills OEM orders to specification a shipping carton at a time, you're a waste of time. Your requirements do not fit the needs of the business....so the business does not need you.
Worst case for these businesses is your question could lead to other questions...more waste of time...so they do not encourage you or others to call. So you need to be fair before you complain and know your place.
I write this frankly not to be mean but to be precise, just because someone sells something doesn't mean they are required to sell to you. When dealing with manufacturers of OEM equipment you must "qualify"
since you can likely not issue a PO, the manufacturer even if they tried to sell you something would create a hassle and editing of their transactional procedures....more wasted time and money. So maybe next time you'll be wise enough to ask for a sample to test....you might have better luck!
But you should be fair; the enthusiast doesn't pay the bills and you should recognize this and how manufacturing business works. Everything counts in large amounts.... I have taken the road less traveled. Its great if you like to be alone and return to the population never to be understood again.
"If you would like more information regarding the repair and the HDMI Boards please contact our parts and service center. 201-785-2600 option 4 or parts@us.onkyo.com (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm eastern standard time)."
"If you would like more information regarding the repair and the HDMI Boards please contact our parts and service center. 201-785-2600 option 4 or parts@us.onkyo.com (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm eastern standard time)."
Thanks, I appreciate it. I have already been in contact with them. as they are supposedly offering a " one time, out-of warranty repair" for this issue. I suppose it was because they smelled class action law-suit. If I can't afford it...
Before this I had an account hacked and money spent on Xbox Live in my name, dealing with Microsoft was a joke. They basically ignored me, then said their was nothing they could do and I needed to contact my credit card company to declare fraud and get the charges reversed. It was an ugly mess.
I have found, by and large, my experiences to very closely resemble DE Focht's statements. Tell an OEM you want to buy 100,000 pieces of item X at $20/each and they will be happy to do just about anything for you. Contact them for details on a sample and the level of service goes down considerably.
The best companies I have dealt with are all small to medium sized, but you pay a premium to deal with them and sometimes it is worth it and other times it is worth saving that hidden upcharge and shopping elsewhere.
One specific example is a small company in Missouri that I used to buy polishing compound from when I ran my own detailing business. They offered excellent support, always answered the phone etc - loved working with them. Until my material usage started adding up and cost became a concern. They could no longer stay competitive when my usage ramped up to $1000/week which was approximately the price break point from a large manufacturer of polishing supplies. Along with the large orders, came excellent support and a distribution that a guy making compound in his garage simply could not match. Until I committed to buying that large of a volume, the large company essentially ignored me. Just a fact of life in the business world.
I spent a lot of years in food-service as well, and that will give you a somewhat different perspective on customers. We are by and large whiney little brats with a broad sense of entitlement. There were many times working the biz that I cursed the day some retailer in the early 20th century claimed "The customer is always right". Well, no they are not but due to the rampant self-righteousness the modern consumer assumes whenever he or she enters a business it has become de facto the truth. We all pay for that, as well. When I was learning some stuff about how pricing works in a restaurant (and I will go out on a limb and assume this holds true for most business) after you account for food costs, labor costs, and brick-and-mortar overhead you also cranked the pricing up a couple more points to cover the inevitable "never happy" customers. http://www.facebook.
This attitude is rampant at my work. It started with the higher ups who try to pass things they should be doing onto other people. Us low men on the totem pole usually end up figuring things out ourselve because if we leave everything to them we never get any answers. I better stop now. I could write a book.
I agree, and would like to add Meniscus to the very short list. One thing that has been with me since the closing of The Stereo Shoppe where I worked, is the many OEM's that we dealt with. Another world entirely, having to work with the various manufacturers as a seller and servicer, as opposed to a customer/consumer. I've found over the years that what we experienced back then with certain companies, is still true to this day. Unresponsiveness from OEM's about warranty claims was a big one. Some companies would consistently blame the customer for obvious build-quality issues. Others would not allow us to stock certain common consumable parts so we could quickly fix the customer's unit and get it back to them, even though we were an authorized service center. It seems things have not changed much in this area, and those OEM's that were doing it then are still doing it now. I'm just one guy, but I avoid those manufacturers and advise friends and family to do the same.
I had a motor go out in my 4.5 year old central vacuum (I installed it myself). Well no big deal I’ll order another motor and replace it. Unfortunately the motor is NLA. I called Nutone and said what’s up?
Over the weekend, a friend of mine had his iPhone 4 stolen from an unattended table while he and I were at a Five Guys restaurant in Indianapolis. We immediately hit a Sprint store and had the phone shut off, and flagged as stolen. As we returned to his apartment, he suggested that he might look online to find the lowest price he could on a used iPhone 4. I was quick to point out the irony that the lowest-priced iPhone he would find online might well have been stolen itself at some point. I think maybe the thieves must be stocking up on iPhones for the holiday season.
Online shopping is dominated by an obsession with obtaining the lowest price on a product or service, without giving much thought to its origin. Online shopping services make it easy to find the very lowest price, but if you look deeper, some of the companies listed will have fairly checkered customer service track records. Since coming to work at Parts Express, I've seen nothing less than consistent emphasis on customer service that delights the customer. This sort of thing is easy to talk about, but much more difficult to make happen. I work in the Product Sourcing & Development section of our Marketing department, and I think our customer service representatives have a more difficult job than we do, because there's a certain formula to the product development process, but there's much less of a clear formula to dealing with a customer's particular support issue in a way that delights the customer and promotes the business.
I know this thread wasn't created as a "let's love on PE" thread, but I'm encouraged to see that the opinions of PE in this thread are positive overall, and we all appreciate the feedback. I know that I get personal satisfaction from playing an instrumental role in resolving a customer problem, in the rare case that such an issue is raised to my level. The size and stability of PE's business means that we're quite well empowered to do whatever is necessary to meet or exceed customer expectations in resolving support issues. This is something that is taken very seriously at every level of the organization. I for one hope that our customers will continue to set high expectations for us so that we can continue to earn our reputation for excellent customer support on a daily basis.
Two replied and were enthusiastic(one is Dayton), but most not so good. One is a well known asian firm making plate amps (3 emails, to main company and factory, still no reply) and another linked me to the factory rep who just gave me a price but seemingly couldn't be bothered to answer a simple question after 2 asks. And other non replies.
It seems that some firms, big or small, don't want to make the effort with selling small quantity to the enthusiast or starting a working relationship with a potential regular buyer.
Not suprising. All of these manufacturers are mass producers with minimal to zero customer service support. They don't sell directly to customers, so they don't have a department dedicated to dealing with customers. You'll have better luck dealing with a distributor or retailer like PE, Meniscus, or Madisound.
altho in my case the companies i contacted were either to ask about distributors, or small scale and sell direct or at least to OEM so I wd have thought I'd get a better response. Time to pick up the phone.
Please do not get me started. This thread couldn't have come at a worse time. Other than PE, there is no such thing as customer service. People are lazy, ignorant, and incompetent. Nobody is capable of performing a service job anymore. Partly because customers/clients/consumers are not cared for anymore today.
Please do not get me started. This thread couldn't have come at a worse time. Other than PE, there is no such thing as customer service. People are lazy, ignorant, and incompetent. Nobody is capable of performing a service job anymore. Partly because customers/clients/consumers are not cared for anymore today.
I WHOLHEARTEDLY agree...This boils down to the "I don't care, that's not my department" attitude that has taken over the country. (right down/[up?] to our government leadership).
I went home Friday, after a gruelling day at work, to find that my 2 year old (almost to the day) Onkyo 807 has developed the dreaded HDMI board failure. I am expecting a fight with them. I knew it was coming, I have been prepared for it. I have warned others here off the brand.
This is not the first issue, or run in I have had over this receiver. When it was less than a month old, I started a case with the BBB over the NET feature, one of the very reasons I purchased the unit, that does not work. (The BBB is another scam that will forever stick in my throat...what a ridiculous "do nothing" group, that has absolutely no power.) Their "tech support" is severly lacking technical experience. You would think that a company would employ someone in the tech department that actually knows something about the product. Not a script-reading dolt, based in another country, that tells you his name is "Bob"...and recommends that you cycle the power, or unplug the unit for 15-30 seconds. If that fails, do a "hard re-set". After that, the only thing they know is, send it in to a service center... If I can't afford it...
I think this type of service (lack thereof) is true for anything technology related. Possibly due to the complexity of technology products and the resulting bajillion potential failure modes and the then resulting need for knowledgeable service staff. From AVRs (of all brands), to TVs, to software. Ever tried actually calling Symantec or McAfee? There's no phone number on their website and when you search on the web for them, they're all circular numbers that lead to one another and to the eventual automated number that has no option to get you a person. Even big companies like Toys-R-Us...no phone number for the company, only to a store (where they have no power or will to do anything). Sad but that's what tech and even other industries are like these days. The consumer electronics/technology industry definitely seems aimed toward disposable product instead of long lasting products...reflected by both how quickly most products start to have issues and the service for those issues.
Two replied and were enthusiastic(one is Dayton), but most not so good. One is a well known asian firm making plate amps (3 emails, to main company and factory, still no reply) and another linked me to the factory rep who just gave me a price but seemingly couldn't be bothered to answer a simple question after 2 asks. And other non replies.
It seems that some firms, big or small, don't want to make the effort with selling small quantity to the enthusiast or starting a working relationship with a potential regular buyer.
You're being unreasonable, you're buying power likely would pay the light bill for .001 seconds and yes that matters. To be honest I was absolutely shocked at the excellent response I got from Morel even when my order was going to amount to only 750 units. Of course they told me the order still wasn't big enough to deal directly with them and referred me to distributors.
Here's the truth....to a manufacturer who fills OEM orders to specification a shipping carton at a time, you're a waste of time. Your requirements do not fit the needs of the business....so the business does not need you.
Worst case for these businesses is your question could lead to other questions...more waste of time...so they do not encourage you or others to call. So you need to be fair before you complain and know your place.
I write this frankly not to be mean but to be precise, just because someone sells something doesn't mean they are required to sell to you. When dealing with manufacturers of OEM equipment you must "qualify"
since you can likely not issue a PO, the manufacturer even if they tried to sell you something would create a hassle and editing of their transactional procedures....more wasted time and money. So maybe next time you'll be wise enough to ask for a sample to test....you might have better luck!
But you should be fair; the enthusiast doesn't pay the bills and you should recognize this and how manufacturing business works. Everything counts in large amounts.... I have taken the road less traveled. Its great if you like to be alone and return to the population never to be understood again.
"If you would like more information regarding the repair and the HDMI Boards please contact our parts and service center. 201-785-2600 option 4 or parts@us.onkyo.com (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm eastern standard time)."
"If you would like more information regarding the repair and the HDMI Boards please contact our parts and service center. 201-785-2600 option 4 or parts@us.onkyo.com (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm eastern standard time)."
Thanks, I appreciate it. I have already been in contact with them. as they are supposedly offering a " one time, out-of warranty repair" for this issue. I suppose it was because they smelled class action law-suit. If I can't afford it...
Before this I had an account hacked and money spent on Xbox Live in my name, dealing with Microsoft was a joke. They basically ignored me, then said their was nothing they could do and I needed to contact my credit card company to declare fraud and get the charges reversed. It was an ugly mess.
I have found, by and large, my experiences to very closely resemble DE Focht's statements. Tell an OEM you want to buy 100,000 pieces of item X at $20/each and they will be happy to do just about anything for you. Contact them for details on a sample and the level of service goes down considerably.
The best companies I have dealt with are all small to medium sized, but you pay a premium to deal with them and sometimes it is worth it and other times it is worth saving that hidden upcharge and shopping elsewhere.
One specific example is a small company in Missouri that I used to buy polishing compound from when I ran my own detailing business. They offered excellent support, always answered the phone etc - loved working with them. Until my material usage started adding up and cost became a concern. They could no longer stay competitive when my usage ramped up to $1000/week which was approximately the price break point from a large manufacturer of polishing supplies. Along with the large orders, came excellent support and a distribution that a guy making compound in his garage simply could not match. Until I committed to buying that large of a volume, the large company essentially ignored me. Just a fact of life in the business world.
I spent a lot of years in food-service as well, and that will give you a somewhat different perspective on customers. We are by and large whiney little brats with a broad sense of entitlement. There were many times working the biz that I cursed the day some retailer in the early 20th century claimed "The customer is always right". Well, no they are not but due to the rampant self-righteousness the modern consumer assumes whenever he or she enters a business it has become de facto the truth. We all pay for that, as well. When I was learning some stuff about how pricing works in a restaurant (and I will go out on a limb and assume this holds true for most business) after you account for food costs, labor costs, and brick-and-mortar overhead you also cranked the pricing up a couple more points to cover the inevitable "never happy" customers. http://www.facebook.
This attitude is rampant at my work. It started with the higher ups who try to pass things they should be doing onto other people. Us low men on the totem pole usually end up figuring things out ourselve because if we leave everything to them we never get any answers. I better stop now. I could write a book.
I agree, and would like to add Meniscus to the very short list. One thing that has been with me since the closing of The Stereo Shoppe where I worked, is the many OEM's that we dealt with. Another world entirely, having to work with the various manufacturers as a seller and servicer, as opposed to a customer/consumer. I've found over the years that what we experienced back then with certain companies, is still true to this day. Unresponsiveness from OEM's about warranty claims was a big one. Some companies would consistently blame the customer for obvious build-quality issues. Others would not allow us to stock certain common consumable parts so we could quickly fix the customer's unit and get it back to them, even though we were an authorized service center. It seems things have not changed much in this area, and those OEM's that were doing it then are still doing it now. I'm just one guy, but I avoid those manufacturers and advise friends and family to do the same.
I had a motor go out in my 4.5 year old central vacuum (I installed it myself). Well no big deal I’ll order another motor and replace it. Unfortunately the motor is NLA. I called Nutone and said what’s up?
Over the weekend, a friend of mine had his iPhone 4 stolen from an unattended table while he and I were at a Five Guys restaurant in Indianapolis. We immediately hit a Sprint store and had the phone shut off, and flagged as stolen. As we returned to his apartment, he suggested that he might look online to find the lowest price he could on a used iPhone 4. I was quick to point out the irony that the lowest-priced iPhone he would find online might well have been stolen itself at some point. I think maybe the thieves must be stocking up on iPhones for the holiday season.
Online shopping is dominated by an obsession with obtaining the lowest price on a product or service, without giving much thought to its origin. Online shopping services make it easy to find the very lowest price, but if you look deeper, some of the companies listed will have fairly checkered customer service track records. Since coming to work at Parts Express, I've seen nothing less than consistent emphasis on customer service that delights the customer. This sort of thing is easy to talk about, but much more difficult to make happen. I work in the Product Sourcing & Development section of our Marketing department, and I think our customer service representatives have a more difficult job than we do, because there's a certain formula to the product development process, but there's much less of a clear formula to dealing with a customer's particular support issue in a way that delights the customer and promotes the business.
I know this thread wasn't created as a "let's love on PE" thread, but I'm encouraged to see that the opinions of PE in this thread are positive overall, and we all appreciate the feedback. I know that I get personal satisfaction from playing an instrumental role in resolving a customer problem, in the rare case that such an issue is raised to my level. The size and stability of PE's business means that we're quite well empowered to do whatever is necessary to meet or exceed customer expectations in resolving support issues. This is something that is taken very seriously at every level of the organization. I for one hope that our customers will continue to set high expectations for us so that we can continue to earn our reputation for excellent customer support on a daily basis.
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