Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Schmidt
Jon
I would contend that most merchants seek to add a modicum if not a plethora of value to a products for which they will be compensated. The symbiotic relationship between a customer and a merchant can/should best be described as mutually beneficial. If a manufacturer sells a product that best serves the customer with an installation by a qualified technician, then that requirement makes sense. I'm I wrong here? If so, Please explain..
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While generally I agree with you Henry, in this case I would want the caveat that not all customers are the same, you really do not know them very well in many cases, some are better qualified than others. Certainly you can recommend and you are free to sell to who you please, just as I am free to buy from who I please, I just object to the blanket "we will never sell to an end user" approach.
I just went through this with my air/air heat exchanger...Lennox would not even talk to me or sell me any parts, their logic was that it was far too complicated for a homeowner and I needed to go through a dealer. None of the dealers were even interested in repairing the unit, they said replace it ($3500 or so) and if I wanted a repair I was welcome to book a date in mid-January and they would come and check it out (and likely recommend replacing the whole thing).
I did some digging, found the OEM, they were more than happy to sell me the $186 circuit board that I knew was the culprit, I replaced it and voila....it has been working perfectly for the last month.
My point? Not all customers are the same. Not all customers demand unreasonable things. Not all customers expect everything for nothing right now. I don't like being treated as a stereotypical dumb-as-a-post customer any more than you would like being stereotyped as a rapacious, money grubbing vendor (which, IMHO you are not).
I'd be a lot happier if PMO took the view that they were selling a piece of aluminium that did not come with support other than if there were an actual defect in the product and did not **presume stupidity**.
I am many things, but Mrs. Kalma raised big, fat kids, not dumb ones.
Dennis