Re: [Harp-L] Hohner in the Local Marketplace

[joe leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 22, 2010, at 12:44 PM, Eric Nielsen wrote:

> I used to shop with the Farrells before they closed up. What a  
> great store.

Yes, they were a great store.

> I bought a CX-12 for about $100.00 shortly before they closed.
>
> Although I don't ever remember talking to an old curmudgeon, there  
> certainly
> was someone there who may have been a balancing force in their  
> operation.
> Sweet vs. cranky.

Actually, Ritchie was quite a nice guy, but would sometimes get cranky.
> I once received the wrong CD from an order. When I called them up,  
> a very
> nice, sweet, and elderly sounding woman answered (wife ?).

Right.

> I explained that I had received the wrong CD. She very  
> apologetically cries, "Oh dear." She
> then went on to say that she would immediately send out the correct  
> CD  to
> me. She asked that I send the other CD back, and she could then  
> determine
> how much they owed me for the return postage and reimburse.

Right.
> Sure enough, I soon received the correct CD in the mail--and, a  
> little while
> later, an envelope containing a small amount for the return  
> postage. I sure
> miss that kind of fair and folksy service.

So do I.
> Eric
Ok, here's what happened. I explained it here 10 years ago, but here  
it is again. After dealing with Ritchie for years, suddenly I got  
into a misunderstanding. He used to send the harmonicas out with a  
voucher included. Once you got the harps, you would send the money by  
check or money order. He did NOT accept charge cards.

Btw, somewhere on the voucher were the words (to paraphrase). 'We are  
harmonica people and we trust harmonica people'

Apparently somewhere along the line, Ritchie must have gotten the ole  
'shaftola' because one day he started taking credit cards, and that  
how you HAD to order from then on. Which was fine with me.

One day I called up and got the wife (he was out) and ordered several  
chromos (only 1 for me), and several diatonics (most for me). A few  
days later Ritchie called and said that the order was messed up  
because he didn't HAVE some of the harps I wanted. At that time he  
asked if I wanted to substitute. Sooo, aaaaanyway, I substituted  
several of the Hohner 270s with HERINGS.

4days later I got the order. It was several hundred dollars. The  
order was as I had originally ordered. ALL Hohner chromos ( and  
spl-20s).

Then the next day I got the same grouping of harps BUT it was what I  
had worked out with Ritchie. It turns out that the wife DIDN't mess  
up the order and the reason why Ritchie couldn't fill the order with  
Hohners was because the wife had ALREADY filled the order and took  
the ONLY Hohner chromos that were left in those keys. So now I have a  
DOUBLE order.

I laughed and said, oh, that's ok, I'll just send back the SECOND  
batch. He says: "You can't, we don't take returns". I said "Wait a  
minute, it isn't like I have a problem with them, for which I realize  
I would have to go through Hohner. This was a mess up at YOUR end not  
mine". He got ticked off and wouldn't budge. I sent the second batch  
back.

After a few days, the second order came RIGHT back to me, and  
additional handling and postage was charged to my Visa (which I got  
about a week later). I called and we got in an argument. Then I said  
that I was going to DRIVE to Harrisburg Ohio and he WAS going to take  
the second batch of harps back...one way or t'other.". I got in touch  
with Visa and they wouldn't help.

Then he calls and reads me the riot act for making him 'Look bad' to  
the credit card companies JUST as he is trying to use credit for his  
business. I never did drive to Ohio because I was operating under a  
code of behavior that forbade such activity. The next time I tried to  
order something, I was barred. That's right, barred. So from then on  
I ordered stuff when friends ordered stuff. Because of Visa's  
reluctance to help, telling me it was more or less my word against  
his, I dropped Citibank Visa.

Eventually I liked the Herings and while the Hohners were for other  
people, I eventually moved to Hering chromos as well as Hohners. BUT,  
I still play spl-20s (exclusively).

smo-joe
> >