My correspondent writes:
- From: "Bill Wright" <insertmybusinessname@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:47:11 -0000
I would like to say how much I have enjoyed your Web site since coming
across it by chance a few days ago. I must say however that your obsessive
use of analysers and other gimmickry is somewhat unnecessary when you
consider the type of training that some of your competitors obviously
receive. I live in an area (deleted by Bill) which is deemed not to receive
Freeview, but having heard that one or two people in our (long and hilly)
road had been able to get it, my wife and I bought a set top box on the off
chance. The results were pretty dismal, it was finding about six stations
but then failing to receive them. Wondering if a better aerial might help, I
phoned one of the many local aerial installers advertising in Yellow pages
to find out. The young lady on reception said she did not know if there was
any chance that we could get Freeview in our area but helpfully volunteered
to send an engineer round to "measure the signal strength." Upon arrival
with his mate, said engineer as!
ked me to show him what I had already, so I showed them both into the lounge
where our main TV is situated (no mention was made at this stage of the
other three scattered throughout the house). He stared at the TV for about 3
seconds and then announced loudly that what I needed was a DMX5 aerial with
a mast head amplifier. He said that would solve all my problems and would
give me about 40 stations (I didn't know there were that many).
Encouraged, I asked how much it would cost and he then went into vocalised
mental contortions along the lines of: "Now let me see, the aerial costs
£120, then there's the amp and cable and fittings, Tell you what, I'll do
the whole thing for £300 all in if I can do it this week" I told him I'd
need a little time to think about it and he said he'd make a £17 charge now
and knock it off the bill at the end. I was a little taken aback by this
since the nice young lady on reception had made no mention of an up front
charge. I pointed this out and was told that the charge was for
"Diagnostics".
Don't get me wrong, I don't think £300 is an excessive amount to pay
somebody else to climb onto the roof rather than me. Neither do I think £17
is too much to confirm whether or not I can actually get Freeview. The
contentious element of this whole affair is the nature of the diagnostic
work carried out. There was no sign of the signal analysers which you seem
to find so useful. As I mentioned, he spent about 3 seconds looking at the
TV. The whole thing might have been a little more convincing if it had
actually been switched on at the time.
Needless to say, he received neither the order for the work nor the £17 for
his uncanny diagnostic abilities.
Keep up the good work.
John Reeves
-------------------------------
My reply:
Hello John,
Thanks for that. Very interesting and all too typical. Do you mind if I use
your text (without identifying you) as a topic of conversation in my
newsgroup?
The question that your email begs is, how would you feel if I had turned
up, climbed on your roof with the analyser and spent maybe half an hour
figuring out what the best solution would be, then told you that the cost at
that point would be £50 + VAT, with that charge waived if you went on to
spend £300 + VAT. I've just had a customer who considered this outrageous.
Bill
------------------------------
John's reply:
Hi Bill
Provided charges are explained before work is commenced I don't think anyone
could complain about a charge of £50 for a call out and half an hours work
up a ladder resulting in a concise technical recommendation. After all,
plumbers and roofers make similar charges without the technical bit.
I think the trouble is, that in this country, a firm technical grounding is
undervalued. A thorough understanding of one's subject is seen as an
unnerving and deviant attribute, in much the same vein as an excessive
interest in internet porn. The word Boffin is invariably used as an insult
rather than a compliment. Society seems to value image above substance, as
witnessed by the fact that aromatherapists and lifestyle consultants can
charge £50 per hour, whereas engineers struggle to make £12 per hour.
Astrology is given more credence than astronomy.
With 33 years of experience working in technical environments as an
Industrial Chemist, I have continually seen those with no insight into the
workings of the products that provide their salaries, progress quicker and
higher up the slippery pole than myself or my more technically informed
colleagues. Many of them seem to take a pride in their ignorance, as if to
show anything more than a fleeting interest is beneath them.
Not only that, but they fondly imagine that they could do it themselves if
only they didn't have more important things to do, or were in their eyes
"sad enough". I once worked for a while as a consultant to a company which
markets a range of well known household hygiene products. About a year after
I started working with them, they took on a new buyer, young, thrusting and
with previous experience only in the clothing industry. Wanting to make his
mark quickly, he decided he could cheapen one of my formulations slightly by
replacing two of the raw materials with cheaper "alternatives" that a
passing sales rep had told him about. When it was explained to him that this
could have unseen consequences in areas such as long term shelf stability
(we had already conducted extensive storage tests) and actual product
performance, he insisted we check it out anyway. After the work was
completed, resulting in a slightly inferior but slightly cheaper product,
our invoice for a few hundred pounds was submitted. As with your customer,
he was aghast and immediately sent us a letter, copied to his M.D.,
complaining that it was a lot of money for "mixing a few chemicals
together." Fortunately his M.D. backed us rather than him and he left
shortly afterwards.
Presumably you get similar customer feedback for "twiddling a few knobs."
Perhaps you should employ the services of an image consultant, get some
smart new designer overalls, have your logo redesigned and revert to
pointing your aerials in the same direction as everybody else.
Sorry to have whinged on a bit but it's been cathartic.
John
P.S. I have no objection to my text being used in your news group
P.P.S.
When I did finally make it close to the top of the pole as Technical
Director of an aerosol filling company I was eventually made redundant on
the (unofficial) grounds that they couldn't afford my remuneration, although
there still seemed to be plenty of money around for new Porsches for the
owners. This company operates in a highly technical and potentially
hazardous environment, developing, manufacturing and filling a range of
several hundred products. They have about 60 employees and a turnover of
approximately £5m per year. At the last count they had a fully qualified
technical team of one!
-----------------------------
I throw this open to the House.
Bill
.
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