A few comments on the move to factory sales:
From my perch, Ten Tec's move away from a dealer system has worked out well
and I'm happy for them. I for one have been mostly satisfied what with the
use of the Web, e-mail, faxing and the phone along with the occasional trip
to Dayton or Sevierville. However, for the hams on the west coast, as well
as everyone outside CONUS, knob twiddling and seeing the goods up close and
personal involves a long trip, or having a friend within a day's drive you
can go to, who has whatever it is you want to look at. I have to admit that
there have been a few times when I've gone to the local ham emporium for
something, (it's about 30 minutes away), and wished he stocked Ten Tec gear
so I could look at it in addition to the ICOM etc. he has. Maybe making
major purchases without kicking the tires first has become the norm and I'm
very conservative about these things but I can learn a lot from getting my
hands on the box, even if it's not plugged in and turned on. I went to
Dayton to look at the Omnis before I bought mine. I bought a used Corsair
II from the factory sight unseen but it had been out for so long it had
become proven. However, the Jupiter video is a big help for that rig along
with the company's reputation.
Before I forget--please don't send me a zillion emails about the 30 day
return policy--it's a swell policy but I simply prefer where possible, to do
business by having a product placed on a counter so I can get a good eyeball
at it before I hand over any cash. I wonder if there are any other old
sticks in the mud out there like me.
Maybe all you guys with Jupiters and getting Orions can have open houses for
the rest of us? Just kidding but it would be kind of cool if something like
that were set up--sort of like a Ten Tec tupperware party, hi.
Another point: By being both a manufacturer *and* a dealer, TT takes it on
the chin for every ham who's a sorehead and is never happy unless he has
something to whine about. The JAs have their dealers to run interference
for them. If Joe Ham buys a JA rig from <insert big U.S. dealer here> and
he's not happy, the dealer has to fix everything up and get's the rap if
things don't work out. If it's a TT rig, then TT always gets the flame on
eham or 20 meters or wherever. This makes TT look a lot worse than it
should compared to the JAs.
Finally, there are a few times when I'm standing around in the store
ragchewing and someone comes in and says something like, "I just thought I'd
come in and try to find out a few things about amateur radio (points at a
ProII)...what's this?" And the dealer naturally starts talking to him about
ham radio and showing him what he has--all of it JA gear. You can't fault
him for that--the guy's trying to make a living but I'd sure like to see
people getting started with Ten Tec.
73,
Rob Atkinson
K5UJ
k5uj@hotmail.com
_________________________________________________________________
Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online
http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963
|