[Harp-L] Subject: Re: The 'other' side of Hohner from a satisfied customer

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Come on, guys. This is getting a bit 'much', don't you think?
You go from a couple of instances of customer disgruntledness to them  
'despising' their customers?
 
 
I'm sorry --but my brain doesn't make that leap--especially not from the  
Company which is THE Gold supporter of SPAH, showing up every year to be 
there  for every attendee; donates so many items for the Raffle,  provides 
people  such as the inimitable Sissi Jones (before her recent retirement) --but 
who'll  always be associated with Hohner and a nicer human being simply 
hasn't lived --  who'd sit for hours working on ANYone and EVERYone's harmonicas 
with absolute  patience and brilliance, year in and year out purely for 
'customer  relations'.
 
 
Every other person I've met personally who's been a Hohner Rep has been  
nothing but gentlemanly and very nice as well--from Steve Baker and Andy  
Garrigue - the latter responding to a post I'd written on harp-l once to  
continue the discussion offlist. One of the nicest emails from a relative  
stranger I've ever gotten.
 
 
 
They make harmonicas, guitars, accordions and melodicas for the WORLD, and  
I can pretty much guarantee (from past posts and articles I've read by both 
 Sissi and Steve), that Hohner does listen to the input from the harmonica  
players here as well as elsewhere around the Globe. Why else the new kit 
and  excellent series of YouTube videos recently issued?
 
 
 
C01 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Dc3ssh_bM_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Dc3ssh_bM)   
C02 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDjJIluEX-g
_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDjJIluEX-g) 
C02.1 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ju0FOZcCU4_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ju0FOZcCU4)  
C03 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c9MUfhZWJM_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c9MUfhZWJM)  
C04 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMlGCMwU8Ko_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMlGCMwU8Ko)  
C05 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12cdfpp2Sg0_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12cdfpp2Sg0)  
C06 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9-31j2nPgE_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9-31j2nPgE)  
C07 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfC9OPmhyuU_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfC9OPmhyuU)  
C08 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fVReyQfwA8_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fVReyQfwA8)  
C08.1 _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMj9e853zIM_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMj9e853zIM) 

 
 
I find it so frustrating when the usual grumblings and a couple of  
complaints suddenly morph into a major to-do. It's 'deja vu all over  again'.
 
 
 
Go online --look at ANY PRODUCT and you'll find a list of complaints. Does  
this mean every company 'despises' its customers?
 
 
No. It means there are people behind each Corporation who are as  flawed 
and human as we all are, still working hard to turn out as good a product  as 
possible--in fact MANY different products in Hohner's case. From my  
personal viewpoint I see people who take pride in their company. I haven't yet  met 
a perfect human being though..nor a perfect harmonica - well, maybe the  
Renny. But that cost $3,500 when Bobbie and Douglas were making them. Since I  
don't pay a fraction of that for mine, I accept that there are certain 
issues I  will have to live with or learn how to fix and tweak, just as I accept 
issues  with nearly every other product I own. In fact most of my 
electronic  equipment is far newer than my chromatics. 
 
 
For those who might not have watched this: You might be interested  in a 
glimpse of Hohner 'in action'
 
 
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kREJT8nHME&feature=relmfu_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kREJT8nHME&feature=relmfu) 
 
 
Does this SERIOUSLY look like a company which 'despises' its customers?  
Smokey -- you might be interested in the comment left here by a player I know  
you personally admire: Marcelo Batista.
 
 
Elizabeth