Last Friday saw me chest deep in that pool again. One of the dolphins had stopped spitting again! Then when I dragged the faulty pump out, once again soaking wet struggling with my anti-theft precautions, I found that I had put TWO Blagdon pumps on the fountain - not the two German Messner pumps I had imagined - and guess what, yep, it was the Blagdon Torrent that had thrown in the towel again. One thing you do have to say about these pumps is that at least they are consistent.
I replaced the Blagdon Torrent with another one, and we will see if the problems have been sorted. I'd be damned if I let this lie. I'm in a position where I can see these things happening and I'm also in a position to point out to people that something is wrong with a product. Most consumers dont have that privelege, and so when something goes wrong with something they have bought, many have a tendency to blame themselves and may not take the product back. Some that do, have to face a barage of questions as to whether they have been a complete idiot or not, installed it wrong or used it in a way that just not appropriate for that device.
If you do take it back and there are no questions asked and a new pump (or whatever) arrives on the counter even before you get through the door, you can safely assume that the path has been well trod before you. At best, this is a case of using the general public as your research and development team. As the general public comes across a fault and it seems to be pretty consistent then improvements have to be put underway. They all do it. I saw a case of it with the Laguna pressure flo filter boxes. Apparently all the problems have been sorted out now - water in the electrics - ceasing flow switches - U/Vs blowing, but thats not before a skip load of returns have accumulated at this aquatic centre.
OK, we general public, is this what is called 'being taken for granted'? Do they think that we are some sort of consuming homogeneous mass that can take any amount of messing around? There are other ways they think of us with desparaging lack of esteem. Take algicides. I once had an algicide manufacturer tell me that he produced his algicide at half strength. The reason he said was because they always over-dosed by nearly double because they always over-estimate on how big their pond is and/or allow for a bit extra 'just in case'. He said if he produced it at the right strength he would get people threatening to sue because his product killed their fish!
3 comments:
I would be interested to know what your comment would have been if you had indeed installed Messner Pumps and one had failed?
Sorry Roger. When I get on my high horse, I tend to rant and not make things very clear. There were in fact THREE pumps powering the ornament - two Blagdon Torrents and one big Messner. I had thought it was the other way round. Both the Blagdon ones conked out and the Messner is still going.
If it had been the Messner that had conked out, admittedly I would have been just as annoyed particularly because there would have been no equivalent replacement on the shelves of the aquatic centre. Because the purchase of these pumps had been a result of a 'one off deal' or because they were stock that shifted so slowly, the aquatic centre has chosen to longer stock them. There may be a lesson to be learnt there. When buying a product it may be as well to ensure that the stockist you are going to buy the product from is going to maintain his dealership with the company OR that you buy a product that at least has a national profile so that you can easily trace the maker and claim on your guarantee direct. Hozelock are particularly good at responding to direct calls. Blagdon not so if they know that the retailer you bought the product from is still in business. There are reasons for this, I understand. Other companies, I am not so sure of. Oase - I've never had any need to return anything to them. Laguna/Hagen are excellent at replacing with no questions asked, but you must go through the retailer.
I am also told by the management of the retailer
( whose name is changed to protect innocent parties) that sold the Messner pumps that although they may not stock the pump on the shelves, if it ceased to operate before the end of the guarantee, if it could be repaired with spare parts from stock they would do that. Otherwise they would replace the pump with a similar performing pump from stock and if this wasn't satisfactory, then they would send to Germany for a new pump. The service knows no bounds!
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