David, Good for you, I didn't think you would go down without kicking a little more. :-) You wrote - Two things: 1) What, according to 'good business practices' should Wim have done, assuming his portrayal of events was accurate? and 2) you left out a major player in your piano-community-building list: the customer. We can refine our interpersonal skills from now until then, but if the poor economic climate is seen to justify less than honorable practices within the dealer-manufacturing wing (I know, it would never happen), how useful are those people skills? I shouldn't have to add this disclaimer, since we're speaking in tremendous generalities, but I will - the foregoing statement is in no way meant to reflect upon the parties to this present disagreement. Take THAT Davis 4/18! 1) In my opinion, a good way to address a problem publicly is with a little sugar. Though in this instance Wim is the one who wrote the 'intemperate' e-mail, others have made similar accusations of other manufacturers. But I have also seen posts where the technician kindly mentions publicly that there has been attempted communication with no response, and have others had a similar experience, or does someone have current contact information. I find that it is a more effective (and polite) way to address problems in communicating. It gives the manufacturer a way to make amends, without looking bad. I am not refuting Wim's experience. However, since I have had good communication with this manufacturer, I felt it appropriate to say so. Maybe I am the only one, but I really doubt it. We all know that 100 satisfied customers will seldom outshine the 1 that had a complaint. A year from now, ask a question about the manufacturer in question and everyone will remember Wim's words. No one will remember what you and I have written. Well, maybe some will. :-) 2) I didn't forget the customer. I did leave her/him out, intentionally, because it is the technical/sales/manufacturing side of the equation that must work well together to remove the obstacles necessary for the customer to create beautiful piano music. I hope this comes across in a good light and answers your questions. I have met Wim at conventions, and he seems like a good guy. I tend to get a little aggitated when people owe me money, too. Best regards, Dave Davis, RPT ________________________________ From: David Skolnik <davidskolnik at optonline.net> To: dave at davispiano.com; pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Tue, October 27, 2009 8:22:20 AM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Don't work for this manufacturer At 10:33 AM 10/27/2009, Dave Davis wrote: > Hi David,No, I'm not calling Wim out on his experiences and I agree with you, in that it was a bit intemperate. (Although, I am a Mixed Martial Artist and do enjoy a good brawl <grin>). This may be a good time to start a thread called "Good business practices in working with manufacturers". Even before the downturn in the economy, manufacturers worldwide were facing difficulties. We all (technicians, dealers, and manufacturers) should work together to build strength in the piano community. Just saying. Best regards,Dave Davis, RPT Dave - Not too much to grab onto there for a fight, but I'll do my best. Two things: 1) What, according to 'good business practices' should Wim have done, assuming his portrayal of events was accurate? and 2) you left out a major player in your piano-community-building list: the customer. We can refine our interpersonal skills from now until then, but if the poor economic climate is seen to justify less than honorable practices within the dealer-manufacturing wing (I know, it would never happen), how useful are those people skills? I shouldn't have to add this disclaimer, since we're speaking in tremendous generalities, but I will - the foregoing statement is in no way meant to reflect upon the parties to this present disagreement. Take THAT Davis 4/18! David Skolnik Hastings on Hudson, NY -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20091027/6824e280/attachment.htm>
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