Klarinet Archive - Posting 000494.txt from 1999/07

From: Margaret Squires <margeaux@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Buffet E 11
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 23:42:56 -0400

So go ahead and tell them of the wonderful mail order companies. But how are they
going to explain to their kids that they have to wait for their instruments to
arrive. One of our school districts give the first lesson at the rental night. I
wouldn't want my kid to have to play "air clarinet"!!!

And explain why the music store doesn't just drop everything to fix a problem with an
instrument purchased through a mail order company, why the people who are regular,
loyal customers of the store have priority!

Just because you don't have it in your area doesn't mean you should encourage people
not to support the good, hardworking music stores in other areas.

Jack Kissinger wrote:

> Bill Hausmann wrote:
>
> > Just jumping in to defend us music stores. We SELL instruments at
> > substantial discounts, but our rentals are based upon list price, although
> > with no interest over the three year contract, and discounts for early
> > payoff. You have to make some money SOMEWHERE! Our rental contracts
> > include maintenance coverage (also available on purchased instruments).
> > The tenon rebuild WOULD be covered on a rental or maintenance contract. On
> > any purchase, we probably would replace that loose pad or cork at no
> > charge. But, unless you bought the maintenance contract, the tenon is not
> > our responsibility. Would you expect your car dealer to fix your car free
> > if you wrecked it after a month?
>
> IMHO, there is no need to defend stores that provide service concomitant with the
> price they charge and I tried, in my previous message, to indicate that such
> stores do exist. As I think about it, I think you are right that the list price
> figure I originally quoted was a one-year rent-to-own price. (The term of
> contracts around here.) If my memory serves, the discount for paying cash was
> somewhere in the vicinity of 10% - 12% (the cash price was around $575 - $585).
> That means the effective implicit interest rate was between 11% and 13%. While
> this might seem high as a straight interest rate, because (as Bill points out) it
> includes insurance, I actually think that our stores are actually reasonable in
> their finance charges.
>
> The fact is, however, that their cash purchase price is still more than $200 over
> the mail-order price and I haven't seen anything to convince me that, for people
> who want to purchase an instrument, there is any service provided beyond that
> provided by the mail-order places. This is my perception of the state of
> affairs in St. Louis. I know, however, that it is not a universal condition. I
> have lived other places where the situation was quite different. The point I was
> trying to make was that, probably 99 times out of 100, a parent in our school
> district would be better off economically to buy from a mail-order house and put
> the savings in the bank to use for any repairs that may become necessary. I did
> not intend to imply that I thought a store should be responsible for replacing
> the broken tenon in my example. After all, the store didn't drop the
> instrument. The point I was trying to make was that, someone who saved $200 on
> the purchase price of their instrument could pay for such a repair and still be
> ahead of the game. (And this would still be true even if the store WOULD replace
> the tenon for their customers at no cost.)
>
> In this thread, the primary rationale I am seeing for paying higher, prices at a
> local music store is the additional service such a store can and does provide.
> That service can include setup work, "free" repair, the ability to play-test a
> variety of equipment before making a choice, an outstanding repair facility and
> perhaps other services I am overlooking. Around St. Louis, I'm hard-pressed to
> see what those services are. Set-up work appears nonexistent (unless the buyer
> knows enough to demand it before making the purchase), the variety of equipment
> at our local stores is quite limited and the repair shops are average. I can't
> comment on the extent of "free" repair work because I have not observed it but I
> doubt it extends beyond fixing problems the instrument had prior to the sale and
> the occasional odd minor repair/adjustment. About the only thing I can come up
> with (again for our area) is that buying from one of the local stores saves the
> parent from the need to take time to find out that the mail-order stores exist.
> Maybe that's worth $200 to some people. (In which case, perhaps I should offer
> to educate them for $100. Let's see, at band instrument night, I could set up a
> table with a sign that says, "Before you rent/buy your instrument, see me. I
> will tell you how to save $200." Then, for $100, I could give them the phone
> number of the Woodwind and Brasswind -- or whatever mail-order house offered to
> pay me the highest commission. Now THAT would be service. ;^) )
>
> Best regards,
> Jack Kissinger
> St. Louis
>
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