[filmscanners] Re: large scanning project

["Arthur Entlich" <artistik@shaw.ca>]

I expect that the peripheral companies have looked this situation over
and determined they save (or make) more money than they lose by doing it
the way they do.  Truth is, as the peripheral markets consolidate more
and more, our choices become limited and eventually we often return to
the same company, even if we have been burned.

Consider scanners, since this is the peripheral this listserve is about.
  How many choices are there out there now?  The companies with some of
the best overall customer service are out of the game.  Polaroid is a
perfect example.  The buying public is after saving a buck or two over
getting quality customer service.  People buy via mail order and
internet rather than from their local dealer, who may be able to provide
better hands on customer service to save $10 bucks.  So, although I
agree that this problem is fueled in part by the way the manufacturers
see us, it is also fueled by our own poor buying habits.

Lastly, there is a cultural issue.  Asian owned companies, especially
ones running out of Japan, tend to make policy in the head office and
even with complaints from either their foreign offices or foreign
consumers, they tend to look at the market and culture they best know to
create policy.  Japanese consumers have a cultural attitude about older
things.  They expect and have been encouraged to embrace obsolecense.  A
new product comes out, they tend toward discarding the old one and
replace it.  Europeans and North Americans have a very different point
of view, and many of us expect the product to be supported until it
breaks.  The Japanese economy thrives on the idea of continual
replacement of goods with newer ones.  This is why you will often find
Japanese based companies less willing to upgrade drivers from their
older products. And the truth is, we rarely complain to the correct
people about it, so our displeasure doesn't get where it needs to.  If
boycotts developed toward certain products or brands, perhaps that would
move attitudes.

Art




lotusm50@sprynet.com wrote:

> Arthur Entlich wrote:
>
>> > Don't these companies understand how it damages their relationship with
>> > their customers? Don't they know that an important driver for sales in
>> > the photography and imaging business is brand loyalty?  They are just
>> > shooting themselves in the foot.
>>
>>
>>But are they?
>>
>>Although I too am outraged that these companies do this, keep in mind
>>how nicely this obsolesces whole generations of peripherals.
>>
>
>
> Yes, but they go and buy someone else's next generation peripheral.
> You've lost a customer for that sale because you p*ssed him off.
>
>
>>I had an idea that I pitched to MS a few years back, that they not issue
>>  a "Windows Compatible" designation on a peripheral unless the company
>>signs an agreement that they will guarantee to supply upgraded drivers
>>with changes in OS's for a certain number of years (I thought 8-10 years
>>would be about right).
>>
>
>
> Perhaps that could be a marketing idea for the peripheral producer
> thought.  "We guarantee that this printer will work with all future
> generations of the Windows OS for the next 10 years."  I just had to buy
> another laser printer because my KM laser printer doesn't have a 64 bit
> driver.  KM has lost me as a printer customer, and lost all those future
> sales of super high margin toner cartridges that I would have used if
> the printer had a 64 bit driver. (Which is, by the way, how the make
> their money on laser printers these days, just like with ink jets.)
>
>
>>MS's legitimate response was the company is already accused of trying to
>>control the industry and this would not go over well with with
>>peripheral manufacturers.  However, since MS owns the certification
>>process, personally, I'd like to see them require some minimal time
>>period on all certified products.
>>
>
>
> MS has good cause to think that way -- they KNOW they try to control the
> industry.
>
>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe by mail to listserver@halftone.co.uk, with 'unsubscribe 
filmscanners'
or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title or 
body