Quote:
Originally Posted by dbowie
From a totally novice SCT owner perspective I think Celestron has shot itself in the foot regards the Australian market, Brenton
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Hi Brenton,
You made some good points there Brenton.
Any company can sell a good product, deliver it quickly and give friendly service. That is not good customer service;
that is their job!
The true measure of a company comes when you have a problem, and problems will always occur; there is no getting away from that, problems will from time to time occur, it’s the nature of manufacturing, and too often, can be poor quality control. I should know this better than most; I was once a production/service manager for a large listed international company.
It isn’t even the problem that is the real issue;
it is how the problem is dealt with that is vitally important. Dealt with in a proper way and it builds loyalty and above all trust. I am very loyal to some companies because of the expedient way they deal with any with any problems. It clearly sets some companies apart from others. They also treat me as a valued customer. It was once said that, it is the customer that pays the staff wages, the company merely facilitates the handling of the money. Some companies have definitely forgotten that little gem.
Without going into detail, mostly because I cannot be bothered and it will serve no useful purpose. The way the problem was handled by Celestron and S&H was rather lacking in my view. I paid well in excess of $4,500 (with accessories) for my telescope and I would have expected that would last me more than a decade and it was still under warranty when the problem began. And to be fair, at the time, there was some issue as to whose was responsible for the warranty with the demise of York Optical. That isn’t the point though. Had either Celestron themselves or indeed S&H responded in the correct manner they would have had a loyal and vocal customer. I am certainly vocal about companies I trust. Celestron did try to help but it was obvious that we were never going to end up on the same page. Had they had an Australia repair facility, as does Meade, there would not have been any issues. Whichever way it went, it was going to cost me for what essentially was a warranty issue. Being told to buy a new scope or mount was galling, to say the least.
If I am to spend decent money on a telescope I expect to get good after sales service, particularly considering I am paying more for the telescope in Australia. I used to support a few companies in Australia, but when I didn’t get the service I expected, why should I pay more for a product in Australia? Why should I give them my business? So, where’s the value adding? One company treated me with utter disrespect and I will never deal with them again. The really sad thing is that they didn't think they did anything wrong. Fortunately though, I have enough respect for myself than to reward a company that disrespected me, even if they are the only place I can get stuff easily. And, let me be clear here, I do not give a toss whether they respect me or not, I am not bothered in the least, but they should respect my business, as
it is the very lifeblood of their business.
The real problem that is facing Aussie business’ is one of complacency; times have been good, don’t need to go the extra mile. I am a person, if I want something; I buy it anyway, despite the cost or the state of the economy. I would have thought my business was valued for that reason alone. Apparently not! This isn’t just a problem with astro stuff either, other non astro companies have done the same. My criteria for selecting a company is not about price only. I have no issue paying more as long as I know after sales service is top notch and that they can service any unforeseen needs. That is, can they deal effectively with warranty issues. This is the lesson I have learned the hard way.
The real interesting point here is that I started dealing with US companies because of the lack of respect shown here, and have found their after sales service to be very high indeed. Some of these business' actually get it! For instance, I had an issue fitting a Moonlite focuser to my WO FLT110 scope, and it was not Moonlites fault either. It was an issue with Willaims changing the size of their threads. Ron at Moonlite went out of his way to resolve the issue and did so with surprising expediency, even though it wasn’t his responsibility. Williams abrogated their responsibility on the issue of poor focuser design, although it should be noted that they have since addressed the issue. It worked out okay in this instance though as the Moonlite focuser is just so cool! Stellavue was another company that went out of their way to resolve an issue and with a great deal of expediency. Do I trust Stellarvue now…absolutely. Vic Maris was awesome in the way he handled a warranty issue. In fact, on the strength of the way the warranty issue was handled, my last scope purchase was an SV70T from Stellarvue. So, when someone asks for a recommendation, how can I, in all honesty refer them to an Australian dealer who disrespected me and abrogated their responsibility? I only recommend brands and companies I have confidence in and who respect my business. Many business' have forgotten that word of mouth is an important marketing tool.
I have previously been met with howls of protest, and indeed some abuse, for not supporting certain Australian distributors, and this is both astro and non-astro. The reality is that it is my money and I will spend it where I jolly well like, and to hell with anyone who abuses me for not supporting local companies.
Besides, it isn’t their right that I have to deal them, it is actually a privilege. None of these items could be called a necessity really, as they are luxury items. Tough times are coming, and Australian companies need to wake up. Some companies I deal with here are very good though and I will remain loyal to them as they respect my business. They offer value adding to mitigate the higher prices.
Cheers Peter