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Praise for Allan Segal and Walter Grabner

Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-08-30 00:05

I have been doing business for a few years with a number of folks who advertise and sponsor this board, and I wanted to relate two very good experiences I have had this week wiith Walter Grabner and Allan Segal.

I had ordered a couple of barrels for my daughter's R13 A from Dr. Segal and he was very fast to make them and ship them out to us for a trial. They were both extremely beautiful and fit the clarinet perfectly. Unfortunately, they did not improve the clarinet and its issues, so I had to send them back to Dr. Segal. He was extremely gracious and is sending me a speedy refund already, immediately after receiving the barrels.

The other gentleman is Walter Grabner. I have purchased several items from him: a new Buffet for my daughter, a mouthpiece and a Muncy barrel for myself. This week, I spied a 1966 restored R13 on his site and decided to order it. It arrived one day after he shipped it to me, and is in superb condition. I will be giving it a very thorough test over the holiday weekend!

The reason I am gushing over these two gents is that I want everyone to know that they treat their customers right. I used to work in sales, and I know how many companies operate. Some are outright crooks and thieves, and some are true gems. Walter and Allan are two of the gems! I would order from either of them again in a heartbeat, and recommend them totally.

Jeff

“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010

"A drummer is a musician's best friend."

Post Edited (2008-08-30 15:04)

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Re: Praise for two sponsors

Author: LonDear
Date: 2008-08-30 00:24

I have also received superb service and products from Mr. Grabner.

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Re: Praise for two sponsors

Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-08-30 04:27

I was able to enjoy Walter's superb skills several years ago in his home. I wish him continued success!

(and I'm just in a holding pattern before putting Dr. Segal's services to work!)

James

Gnothi Seauton

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Re: Praise for two sponsors

Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-08-30 09:30

Is fast shipping and service the only reason for praising these sponsors?

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Re: Praise for two sponsors

Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-08-30 10:03

It's the little things that count.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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Re: Praise for two sponsors

Author: William
Date: 2008-08-30 14:59

Walter Grabner is one of the best sponsers on this BB, for his superb mouthpieces and his customer relations. I would also like to mention Gregory Smith for the same reasons, his great mouthpieces and his track record in going "out of his way" to satisfy his customers. Both are great resources for all of us and true friends to this clarinet community.

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Re: Praise for two sponsors

Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-08-30 15:00

No, that's just the icing on the cake, Iceland. Walter delivers a consistently high quality product. From what others have said, so does Allan. That's why I ordered from him. Unfortunately, the product did not fit my needs, so he took care of me. Some vendors of custom products would not be so accommodating.

Both gentlemen were easy to communicate with.

Service is always a high priority. While musical instruments and accessories are not exactly commodities (they aren't interchangeable from one vendor to the other; there are variations in setup and the care put into prepping or making them), the service is a big thing with me. You, yourself, have complained about the service when dealing with wwbw. You should realize that a vendor who keeps you informed is important. For example, if I had ordered a new barrel and an extra mouthpiece with the clarinet, and Walter had been out of stock on one or the other, he would have had the decency to let me kno prior to shipping. Did wwbw do that when they sent you a partial order and skipped sending the ATG system you wanted? I don't think so. If I recall, you didn't know about it until your order arrived. Have you received all of that order yet?

Having worked in sales and service professionally, service (or the lack thereof) is one of the first things I notice when doing business with someone. Service also implies value for the money spent, and that should be something you appreciate, based on many of your posts. Unless, of course, you were merely posting for effect, or posting to whine.

High quality also matters. I know that if I order something from one of these gents, I will get top quality. If something doesn't work out for me, they will make good on it for me. I don't find these things something to belittle. They are important. Instruments and accessories are individual purchases. Just as an example, two clarinetists from my band ordered two R13 horns at the same time from another vendor who is a sponsor here. When the instruments arrived, each lady tried each of the clarinets with her own setup. They had an experienced clarinetist in the same room, listening on a blind test, just watching ta tuner and listening for the tone. Each lady found that one horn suiter her, while the other one worked best for the other player. The results were unanimous; all three agred that player one did best with horn B and player 2 did best with horn A. They were identical in specification, both were the exact same model from the same manufacturing year. One was better suited to one player, the other to the second player. Both were excellent instruments, just one fitted the style of either player, and each lady bought the right horn for her needs. But they would have been able to try out many until they found the best for them. Good service implies taking the time and making the effort to provide the customers with good alternatives, and to give them what they need to make a good purchase.

When I worked in sales, I had customers who knew that I would take extremely good care of them. When I transferred from one location to another, they would follw me, even if the move meant a 20-30 mile trip to buy from me, rather than from the old location. And this was for a business where the itemes were interchangeable. The prices were identical. But they knew that I would do a better job of serving their needs, and so they followed me. Soyes... service is very important. If you don't believe that, doa search to see who is happy with their technicians around here. Whom do they recommend when someone asks for help? they will not refer a fellow clarinetist to some hack, merely because the shop is close to the user. They recommend someone who does the job right. A sensible and mature person sees the value in quality, service and pride in one's work.

Jeff

“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010

"A drummer is a musician's best friend."

Post Edited (2008-08-30 15:01)

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