Webmaster said:
Nothing fancy that I know of....more a matter of the manufacturers trying to get rid of the stoves they built in the hopes that 2006 would be like 2005 (Katrina, etc.)...
I am going to do a report of some kind - but rest assured that I don't think anyone is missing anything......
As far as customer satisfaction, it's always important to keep in mind that it may be easier to keep customers happy if you are a small operation like Woodstock - they personally sell each stove to the end user and are therefore quite tuned to the market. VC, Jotul and some others sell 30-50,000 stoves a year, and through many various dealers....and also do not employ sizable staff to deal with each stove to the level that some would like. Of course, that would be impossible anyway....you'd need 100 experts one week and 2 another (winter/summer/etc.).
Not meant as a excuse, just a statement of fact. The satisfaction of an individual customer usually comes down to their dealer....and/or their luck. In other words, if everything works well, the customer is happy. When it does not, they are less pleased. When the ball gets dropped (as with Fire Bug) or even perceived to be dropped...well, then all bets are off.
It's somewhat of a trade secret but the hearth industry is very different from most retail situations. Dealers make a % which is vastly higher than in most similar businesses, and it is the expectation of manufacturers that the dealer uses some of this $$ to service the customer. In the case of Woodstock, they make a heck of a lot more on each stove than VC does, which gives them the ability to operate as dealer AND manufacturer - and therefore control the service with personal attention.
As a dealer I sold thousands of VC's AND Jotuls, and I can certainly state that 98%+ of our customers were happy - there were surely some that fell through the cracks...that is human nature, but by and large, they were pleased.
BTW, I also sold Woodstock back in the day (they used to use dealers) and was very happy on that account also....but I didn't sell enough of them to have any problems!
Hi Craig,
I agree with your statement about a smaller buisness having more control over customer satisfaction than a much larger manufacturer: to a certain point.
I definitely am not "Percieveing" that the ball has been dropped in my situation with Jotul, it was down right "Fumbled" by Jotul and the dealer is in the middle trying recover the fumble and run for the goal line.
How many years ago were you an authorized dealer for Jotul? Do you think maybe things have changed with Jotul in their R&D and customer support efforts? Not to mention their dealer support.
I also believe that it all depends on which side of the street you are on. If your a customer that spends thousands of dollars for a product that he believes is constucted and distributed by a supposingly reputable manufacturer to provide said customer with satisfactory service for at least the warranty period,(but hopefully a bit longer would be nice also), only to find that you cannot use this product because it is defective only after a few months of service. After contacting this manufacture, you are told through one of their dealers, the above mentioned company does not know when your product will be fixed because they don't know when they,(Jotul), will have the parts avaiable to try to fix this defective product. If it is this side of the street that you are on, I am sure an individual surely will be "Ticked" off to say the least!
But, if you are on the other side of the street, (Jotul), and you manufacture 30k to50k units a year, I wouldn't be affraid to bet that it is no big deal to let one customer, such as I, "Fall Through The Cracks".
I guess at the time you had the Jotul Dealership, 98% was a pretty darn good batting average for Jotul. What has happened to them now in 2007? I guess I am part of the 2%. I really would rather be in the 98 percentile.
Advertiseing on websites by a stove manufacturer can definitely grab a consumers attention and give them a false sense of security and lead them in the wrong direction, but not standing behind their advertised products, will surely come back an bite them in the rear sooner or later, guaranteed!
I believe this why the Better Buisness Bureau and The Office Of Consumer Protection was formed some years ago. To protect the consumer and also if warranted, the manufacturer.
Thanks,
John
