In our page last month we spoke of the short-sightedness some machinery builders who spend millions annually advertising their products and then fail to follow it through. Here is another:
Last winter we installed a household air conditioning unit. One of the points which we stressed while negotiating for this installation was silent operation. We purchased the unit, and paid plenty, from one of our largest equipment manufacturers—a company whose reputation is “tops” in the industrial field. Acoustically this installation has not proven satisfactory. During the past nine months they have been making weak attempts to correct the error, which is obviously one of engineering. We think they are trying to wear us out. Recently their agent’s comeback was that for an additional $45.00 they could correct this situation. We should spend more money for their “boner!”
This reminded us of that old story about the fellow in Iowa who ran the following advertisement in a farm journal—“Send us one dollar and we will tell you how to make a race-horse out of your plow horse.” The answer to a Yankee farmer in Vermont who sent in his dollar was to feed his old nag some “wild oats.” Farmer Jones was all burned up and wrote a very nasty letter in return telling these “smart alecks” in no uncertain terms what they could do. They replied that they would be pleased to comply with his request if he would send them another dollar!
We happened to mention our experience with the air-conditioner to a friend of ours. He told us of running into a similar situation on a new hydraulic installation in his plant. The builder of the equipment recommended and installed the unit. The capacity of the unit was found to be insufficient. They were informed that for an additional expenditure of a few hundred dollars it could be made right. Well, my friend was “stuck.”
Contrast this situation with the integrity and far-sightedness of many dealers in used equipment and machinery. One of the oldest establishments in this field give an unqualified guarantee of your money back and no questions asked if you wish to return a machine after thirty days’ trial. This is not an uncommon practice in this field. The dealer in a period of twenty-five years or so has only been required to take back two or three machines, and these were cases that were beyond his control.
The intelligent machinery merchant who gives a guarantee of this kind seldom makes a recommendation of which he is not reasonably sure. Of course, he may have an advantage over the machinery builder because he has a great selection of various makes and types of machinery. Furthermore, his ideas are more flexible than those of the machinery builder because he usually knows the weakness of certain machines and also because of the fact that he was not the creator of the machinery he sells.
In these respects that machinery builder could tear a page or two out of the used machinery merchant’s book.
