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

[Arthur Jennings <timeistight@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dave, I'm not sure "lack of endorsements" would even break the top twenty
on the "Things That Killed Harrison" list.

On Tue, Apr 10, 2012 at 11:59 AM, David Payne
<dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> 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
> >
> >
> >
>



-- 
Arthur Jennings
http://www.timeistight.com