I've been waiting three weeks, after several promises, for a guy to show up to install a gauge on my boat.
I've been waiting four days for a guy to come repair a leaking icemaker that he installed about two weeks ago. Two promises there.
I bought a new Laser Rangefinder (golf gadget). It arrived Friday morning and didn't work. I made a call to the seller, a company in Dallas. They said the tech was at lunch and would call me within the hour. Three hours later I called again and was told he was on the line with another customers and would call me immediately when he got off. No call.
My Direct TV main receiver has a problem. I called Wednesday and after being on the phone with them for an hour, was told it would be escalated to the highest level and to expect a call "soon". Is four days soon? It isn't a terrible problem but . . .
I just got back from the auto mechanic. AC was not cooling. Two weeks ago they couldn't find a leak and filled it with refrigerant. A hundred bucks!
One week later it was blowing hot again. I took it back and they said I needed a new compressor ($486.) O.K. it is an older vehicle and that wasn't surprising. It blew cold for one week and then again last night quit cooling. Took it back today and they said a line was blown. Needs a new line but they can't get it until Monday. The part is another $200. At least they said there would be no charge for labor and it is expected to take several hours since the line is hard to reach.
I seem to be "snakebit". I think if I ran my business like any of the first four, I wouldn't be in business very long.
Just venting, nothing critical.

Any one is bad enough, but this string of bad luck should last you for a very long time.

On the other hand, it is not so much bad luck, as bad service, like you say. Totally disgraceful.

That's terrible Don, but I don't think it's just the service industry (terrible though it is). But I've starting to think more and more that a lot of things that used to literally last a lifetime, now seem to be deliberately designed to last for the duration of the warranty. You used to have to run over a refrigerator or a toaster with a Mack truck to get it to stop working . Remember Sears tools? They'd replace them after 20 years of use if they ever broke. That old saying, "they don't make 'em like they used to" may be truer than we think. And (to your point), remember when a local service person OR company told you something or made you a promise, you could actually believe it.

In all fairness (and to make this post relevant to this forum ), we have been very lucky with the general reliability of our musical equipment, at least by the 'big three' manufacturers.

Hang in there Don, you're due for a stretch of GOOD luck .

chas

Remember the days when we could "fix" stuff ourselves? Technology is great until it "ain't" working! Living in the "boondocks" is also a real "game changer."

Oh well, our Grandaughter's little dog lived after being bitten by a Rattlesnake (twice) near the house at their ranch near Marble Falls. Now they have the anti-venom treatments to save lives from such events. Pretty darn expensive, though.

Yep... I understand the problem. We do spend way too much time on the phone trying to get "customer service" people to do their jobs. Hang in there Don. The good news... you don't really need that stinkin' range finder... Mr. "Dead-Eye" Mason... King of the Course!

Those days are gone I'm afraid. I'm a hacker now, and thinking seriously about giving it up. The fish don't know how old I am, so maybe I'll do more of that.

One underlying problem that many people don't realize is the fact that there are not enough tradesmen, mechanics, and technicians to satisfy the need ...
Everyone is going to college, when college isn't for everyone ... We have to start removing the 'stigma' of no college degree, and make kids realize that there are opportunities for success and financial reward in the trades ...
We also have to re-instill the idea of respect in responding to calls and living up to one's word regarding keeping appointments ...

Chas, I've had literally zero problems from musical gear. At least other than the Ketron fiasco that was caused by it being released too soon.
To be fair, the icemaker guy and the boat guy are both friends of mine and have gone out of their way in the past to help when needed. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt but I will insert a sharp needle when they finally do show up.
And, I suppose I shouldn't be too upset about the car, since it just turned 200,000 miles and has been very little trouble. Still looks and drives like new. Only new ones like that cost $60,000! Not an option.
I remember well the Sears policy. It's a shame but I think they are sinking pretty rapidly. Closing stores all over. It's hard to compete with the internet.
I can remember WalMart doing that too, but no longer. And, there was a big store in Atlanta that was famous for honoring returns. I forget the name, maybe Rich's?

I agree with Tony. We can't all be Doctors, Lawyers and Engineers... or Social Workers. Good Technicians, Carpenters and Plumbers, to mention a few, are in "short supply." In fact, most good plumbers make more than Doctors... unless the Medical Speciality involves Brain Surgery... LOL! (Send one my way, please!)

It looks like many of the Junior Colleges and Community Colleges are beginning to recognize this need. If and when we get back all those manufacturing jobs from "offshore"... we will need a highly educated, technically proficient cadre of folks ready to fill this gap.

When I was out of high school, I could have taken one of the many fairly high paying jobs available then. We had plenty of good manufacturing plants scattered all over the country then. Lets hope it returns to that level soon.

Don mentioned competing with "Internet Based" companies... and I wonder if the new law about taxation will begin to level the playing field? It may be too late for Sears to recover but I like being able to go into a store and look at the merchandise before buying. (Same with Keyboards and Music Gear!)

Have a great weekend, guys. Still loving that S970!

Unfortunately this country of the working class just don't give a shit(sorry for the swear). It's for sure a lazy mans college educated business degree that's not good enough to wipe my ass. If I treated my customers like that and after being trained and work with my Dad who was one of the greatest generation and i'm sure most of our senior keyboardist are, he would have had his foot buried up my ass and smacking me silly. So if you say you'll be there and do the job right the 1st time ( he hated doing things twice ) Do Just That if not your word don't mean squat. Don if it were me i'd be shopping for a new vehicle JMO

I was in business for more than 50 years... Honesty is very important and I always keep my word..

Because I've been relatively poor most of my life, I always figured if you wanted something fixed right, you better figure on fixing it yourself. That policy seems to be the best, at least for me. I can fix damned near anything, including my Central AC system at home, and all the things on my boat. Though I'm now beginning to feel that I'm too damned old to do this kind of stuff, I still manage to get things done. Now I have to shoot a damned deer that keeps eating all my beautiful flower buds.

Gary

Rice...It probably ain't gonna happen. The toothpaste is out of the tube most likely never to find it’s way back. Harley-Davidson is the latest to defect and soon to be followed by another wave of exiting manufacturers trying to eke out a living.

The bottom line strikes again. It supersedes the welfare of the American people. We’ve been living NOT the American Dream but the American Nightmare all along without realizing it. Now it’s come to the end of the road and we’re paying the price for all of those days of living in Camelot. Even if new manufacturing facilities open up, the jobs will quickly be filled by new immigrants pouring into this country who are only too happy to work for low wages.



My own take on that is a big NO! Reason being it WAS about taxation at one time, now it’s about convenience and laziness (people want everything done for them and brought to them), and mass congested traffic on the roads leading to actual stores, English as a second language now if you need help in the store (unless you want to navigate it with a GPS), masses of people in the stores so that you can’t walk 10 feet without bumping into someone or falling over their cart, or maybe you're just plain too tired at the end of the day to go shopping.

But good Internet prices are still making it attractive (if you don’t get a counterfeit version of what you order.....and.....you take a gamble on what a cologne smells like…..and those shoes you order in your size actually fit your feet!).

I was watching a documentary on traffic "road rage" on the roads in Denver, Colorado. I remember saying to myself, where I live must probably be a "magic carpet ride" compared to what drivers in other cities go through.

I long ago gave up trying to navigate our highways to get anywhere. I don't even order anything on the Net. Easier to just not buy anything and save the money for the Pa5x!

Don....thanks for bringing this topic up. It's not really "off-topic" as it DOES relate to musicians in this way.

I remember back in grammar school a teacher told us something like "always be aware of what's happening in the world at all times, because ANYTHING and EVERYTHING will eventually affect YOU."

In my neck of the woods here, it's what you described and more. So much more, I can't get anything done in any given day because people, not doing their job right (or not doing it at all), are becoming major obstacles. Heck, I called my telephone company to discuss my account and was told "all Customer Service agents are busy helping other customers. If you choose to hold, the "wait time" is appx 1 hour and 23 minutes."

It's no wonder I can't learn "walking bass".......can't concentrate with stuff like this happening all the time!

I'd really like to hear what's going on in other parts of the country......maybe I'm living in a fantasy world, thinking when I finally move away from here, I'll encounter competent service people again!

Generaly speaking people's views can change in a split second if they won a $500,000.00 lottery. Then having things go the way they want them to go would not be as great an issue.

JohnC.

Its amazing that these people in these businesses survive. We as musicians screw up and become unreliable and we're done.
While in Cape May NJ the term for getting something done was "Cape Maybe"
Down here in the South its not only the slower pace but the big lack of available workers. My neighbor is a transplanted electrician from NY and can't find reliable workers even thought he pays more than anyone else and will train them. He's a big proponent of college is not for everyone and you can make a damn good living as a skilled craftsman or tech.
Restaurants here are cutting hours because they can't find enough staff.
The work ethic has changed.

Gee, what happened to "the immigrants are taking all our jobs". What a bunch of crap. Seems like we'll look for any excuse to justify our worst instincts. Raise your hand if you've had a job taken away from you by an illegal immigrant (and what job was it? Picking fruit or digging ditches?). I think Bill's description of the job situation is closer to the truth.

chas

I waited over 7 hours for a repair tech from internet company to fix my problem. Arriving in her, yes her, 13th hour of work, she tried an equipment change that didn't worked and promised to return next morning. Finally fame back 3 days later, because of being dispatched elsewhere for those days, and fixed the problem. Not enough techs to make repair appointments. Those 4 hour windows are a joke with this company. Understaffed and overbooked the repair techs themselves are good people who do good work, but they are getting driven into the ground..I, as a tradesman, can't believe nobody wants these jobs..I guess its easier to sit on the couch??? Who pays you for that?

Then again, I don't know many younger twenty something folks who want to work outside in the heat, cold, rain or snow occasionally...but will go to the beach or snowboarding in the same conditions for fun..
And that same age group doesn't like authority figures, like dispatchers,supervisors, or bosses in general...

Same here, Don. A grandfather clock repair, a vinyl seat repair, completion of a porch extension...a guy promising to take out a tree and replace a piece if sidewalk...Service on a B-3, replacement of a rifle stock.

I'm waiting on all these guys and more. Plus, I've got to add all the restaurant and car service people who have screwed something up, usually with minimal apologies. think and Egg Muffin with no Canadian bacon, Regular oil instead of the requested synthetic, entree items forgotten, salads made incorrectly, no refills...the list goes on and on.

Frankly, I can't remember a recent service situation that was done correctly and on time.

Really pathetic. Makes you really appreciate the good suppliers.


Russ

Today, I had a refreshing experience with a bicycle shop where I had taken my boat bike for repairs. It is manned mostly by young men, ranging in age from 20 to 30 and one older guy in his early 50s.

They were prompt, very courteous, polite, did an excellent job of assessing the problems and fixing them, charged me a reasonable price, and even loaded the bicycle into my van for me, shook my hand, and thanked me for my business.

I guess there's hope for the younger generation, yet.

Gary

Gary, those incidents are, indeed, life affirming. I, too had a pleasant experience at a bike repair shop recently. Nice young people. They have a customer...ME!

And that's all it takes. Too bad it's getting harder to find that kind of service.

R.

(P.S.) Lost your number...please call or email.

You probably need to blame the older guy for educating the younger on etiquete and behaviour.