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

["Hellerman, Steven" <shellerman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

When I first started playing about ten years ago, the folks at Hohner in
Virginia were extremely helpful. They would only charge for shipping to
repair a harp that had a bad reed from either being defective
out-of-the-box or (not unusual for a relative beginner) blown out too
soon by me. However, at some point maybe seven or eight years ago they
stopped doing that and now charge almost as much as it costs brand new
to repair a harp. Bummer. 



From: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 2:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Subject: Re: The 'other' side of Hohner from a
satisfied customer
 

Everybody from Hohner was always nice to me. I always liked Sissy, Bill
and I did enjoy meeting Steve, etc.
One interesting thing though from my little stint on the sinking ship
Harrison Harmonicas. 
Suzuki was very kind to us and treated us with respect. Seydel was very
kind to us and treated us with respect, especially CEO Lars, who had all
these encouraging words to say to us.
One day we start getting these calls... calls from every single endorser
listed on our Web site. Each one of them said they'd gotten a call from
Hohner offering them an endorsement deal if they'd drop their Harrison
endorsement and endorse Hohner. 
Maybe it wasn't actually Hohner's call. Maybe this was just Hohner doing
what it was told to do by the Taiwanese company that owns it. I really
don't know. I'm not casting blame, just relaying a story. I suppose it's
all business. But I do remember who was nice and genuine and who the
giant was that made a move to strip ALL endorsees from a struggling
young company. That's all in the past, of course, but those things stick
with you. Hard to forget.

David
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 


________________________________
 From: Cara Cooke <cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Subject: Re: The 'other' side of Hohner from a
satisfied customer
 
It does seem to be getting to be a bit much.  I agree.  If it weren't
for
Hohner's stable business practices and marketing strategy, many of us
would
have never had a harmonica to play.  For decades, Hohner was the only
brand
of harmonica available in certain parts of this country.  They can be
slow
to adopt new ideas, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't
listening.  In this competitive market, they must listen or they will
not
survive.  So far, they are surviving, so there must be good customer
service and products being obtained by at least as many as those who
have
felt they received poor customer service and products -- probably more,
since this community is pretty vocal when it is dissatisfied and it is
not
disconnected.

Personally, I think that most of the major manufacturers are doing a
pretty
good job on their products.  Any that do not, will not last in
 a
competitive market.  I am glad that we have the choices we do.  And I am
grateful that Hohner, Seydel, and Suzuki have been such ardent
supporters
of SPAH.  I don't see all of the manufacturers at the convention every
year, but these three seem to have a presence of some sort at each
convention -- even with customer repair service, when it is available.
I
feel they are all laudable for their attention to their customers while
the
convention is going on.

Cara


.

On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 6:46 PM, <EGS1217@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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
>
>
>

End of Harp-L Digest, Vol 104, Issue 34
***************************************