Re: harp depot

["chris moran" <xrismoran@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello, John,

>From: "Melissa Hall" <melissa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Harp Depot has another new Bushman called the Delta Frost
>
>John Hall here from Harp Depot, I am looking forward to SPAH next week...
><cut>
>...Chris Moran complained about our service.  ALWAYS know that there are 2
>sides to every story.  Harp Depot has STRICT policy of issuing a credit
>back to a customer the minute they ask for one - Chris never called to
>cancel or ask for a refund. 

A customer shouldn?t _have_ to ask for a refund when the retailer repeatedly 
promised to send product and did not deliver. You and your help gave me 
_three_ ship dates and no delivery on any of them. When I called to 
follow-up on the order you did not return my calls. I called during business 
hours and one Friday which you claimed as a business holiday. I left 
messages. I expected return calls. I received none.

>He posted straight to this list on which a
>negative post can hurt a company for years. 

I placed my order MAY 15th of this year, John. I waited 60 days with no word 
from you about my order. I then called. When I spoke with you and your help 
- --the two times I actually could reach you in person--
you promised delivery on or by specific dates. Those deliveries were not 
made. You did not call or email me. I called back and left messages on your 
machine which you apparently ignored. You did not return my calls.

Remember, John, the term is ?customer SERVICE? not ?blame the customer?, not 
?make excuses and don?t return phone calls?. "Service" is the operative 
word. ?Customer? is what you lose when you don?t provide reliable, 
accountable service.

If you can?t keep the promises you make, don?t make the promises.

When you repeatedly ask your customer to wait, you might want to check and 
see if you have charged their card and you might OFFER a refund.

Geez, John, don?t make the customer do your job for you.

>We do charge a person's
>card when they place their order if we have the merchandise in stock or
>we have it on the way to us.  If we get any broken promises from a
>supplier, which happened with Moran's order for a Marine Band Low D,
>by the way Chris most people don't consider a Low D a "fairly comon
>harp", we
>can get caught waiting.  At that point, we are HAPPY to credit back a
>charge IMMEDIATELY.  Chris never gave us that chance. 

That is totally disingenous, John. I called. You told me you would ship, 
repeatedly. I called once on a Friday "business holiday" and left a message. 
I called during business hours and I got a recording. I left a message. It 
wasn?t returned ...or to put it bluntly: my calls were ignored.

Three months is how long this process has taken, John. I think I gave you 
more than adequate chance before making legitimate inquiries to this list.

>What's really frustrating is that while he was typing that post we were 
>shipping his order - I had to catch it on the way out, to cancel it. 

Nice try, John. But you lose credibility when you repeatedly proffer deliver 
dates which you do not meet. Nice try... but no soap.


>When I called Chris to discuss his post and tell him I'd issue an immediate 
>credit, he didn't want to talk. 


Why would I want to talk with a retailer who would not return my phone calls 
except when I complained on a ?public forum?? I thanked you when you 
informed me that you were crediting my account. Do I _owe_ you something? 
More of my time, perhaps? I wasted enough time waiting for deliveries that 
werre not made and phone calls that were not returned ...until I went on to 
Harp-L, that is.

Try taking some responsibility for your customer service issues, John.

Blaming the customer is really lousy policy.


>If he would've talked to me for a minute we could've
>resolved his complaint - I would've even been happy to upgrade his
>shipping to UPS Blue Label and give him a tracking # while he waited
>on the phone, but instead he just posts.


Wrong, again, John. I posted because you did not return my calls. You only 
called after you read my post --which was quite restrained, I might add.


>He probably did that because he was frustrated that he could not reach
>Harp Depot on the phone yesterday(Friday).  Effective August 1st, we are
>closed on Fridays. 


Yes, I did call (ONCE) out of the several times I called, on a Friday which 
you claimed as a business holiday in your voice mail message. I left a 
message. My call was not returned. Neither were previous calls. Neither was 
the call I made on the following Tuesday afternoon during your business 
hours.


>This business has been taking 12+ hours of my life
>per day.  With out-of-control taxes, insurance and holiday pay, I can't
>afford to hire another employee.  The margins in the harmonica business do 
> >not allow for any extras or any mistakes.  Being closed on Fridays allows 
>me
>to wrap-up loose ends created during the week, pay bills and organize
>for next week.  And it allows for a little sanity.

I am happy to hear that you are trying to make the business more managable 
for yourself. It is not your customers? problem, however. Take 
responisbility for your own business. Do what it takes. And don?t promise 
what you cannot deliver.


>Before posting to this permanent public record, please call me. 


I did, John. You ignored the calls.


>If we
>are closed, call my private cell any time after 6am and before 10pm central
>time any day of the week:  317-250-8156.  You will find that I love 
>harmonica players, I'll do everything possible to make them happy, and
>I'll NEVER knowingly mistreat anyone.

That?s a good start, John. Now try taking responsibility for your customer 
service issues. The cell phone number is a good start. Try checking 
voice-mail and responding to calls. I know you read your emails. Try 
responding to them regualrly or hire someone to do it for you.

>I received a nasty email from a Wally Walters in response to Moran's
>post. Wally implied that he's not coming to my Bean Blossom Blues Fest 
> >because of the Moran deal. 

By the way, John: That?s ?Chris Moran? or ?Mr. Moran? or just plain ?Chris?. 
How you are responding to me and my inquiry on this list will tell other 
readers here VOLUMES about your customer service... which, quite frankly, 
needs work.

>Wally, that would be your loss - not mine. 

Wrong, John. Wally is not _privileged_ to shop in your store or go to your 
festival! A customer is a valuable thing. You are privieged to be allowed to 
take their hard-earned money and fulfill their orders. The catch is, John: 
You have to fulfill their orders or comminucate effectively with them when 
you can?t. That?s how YOU maintain the privilege of serving them.

Would you like me to post the half-dozen emails I received back-channel that 
gives me a darn good idea that YOU need to address customer service issues?

Still want to blame your customers or treat them like they are privileged to 
walk on your hallowed earth?

Keep making lame excuses and blaming customers, John.

I know there are problems with availablity. (Tell me about them!) There 
always are with imports. But don?t tell your customers what is not fact. And 
return their calls and emails. That?s all. Take responsibility for your 
business.

>The Bean is a DREAM weekend for harmonica players - ask ANYONE who's been 
>there!
>This year Hohner is sponsoring the harmonica contest and we're giving
>harmonicas to everyone who enters - and other than the cost to get into the
>Fest there's no fee to enter the contest.  It's like getting paid in the
>form of a harmonica to play a 5 minute open mic set.  With harmonica 
>players
>like Rick Estrin, Buddy Greene, Billy Branch, Peter Harper, Mike Nazarenko,
>and others, it's going to be almost as much fun listening as it will be 
>jamming
>around the campfires.  The Marshall Tucker Band will even include a
>harmonica player.  There's a reason why the Bean has grown to the size
>that it is (we're expecting over 10,000 people this year including 1,000
>or so harmonica enthusiasts), because at the root of it all, deeper than my
>desire to make money, is my love of people and music and putting the
>two together.
>
>To see the new Delta Frost click
>http://harpdepot.com/productdetail/~Model/7~/d.html
>To read about the Bean Blossom Blues Fest
>http://harpdepot.com/blues.cfm
>
>John Hall
>Harp Depot
>(800) 783-7996
>Mon - Thurs 9 - 5 Central time
>www.harpdepot.com

There you go, John. You're whole promotion for the festival reprinted again. 
I hope you are wildly successful in all of your endeavors and that you 
_honor_ your business as much as you love it.

- --Chris Moran

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