A Music Store’s Limited Warranty for $60 vs. My Dad’s Life Warranty for $0
A customer named Xavier just came by my dad’s workshop with his daughter’s guitar. Her Jackson needed repairs worth about $30, and they didn’t take my dad a long time at all. Most important is this...
Most important, the job wouldn’t have cost Xavier a dime, if he had bought the guitar from my dad.
Instead, Xavier bought his Jackson from a music store with a heavy traffic of customers. Personal attention to every client isn’t necessary at such places and oftentimes goes against their bottom lines. The more time the store spends on customers’ needs (free of charge), the less time it devotes to sales. Yet, a high volume of sales with a rapid turnover of products drives any store’s business.
When Xavier’s newly bought guitar all of a sudden needs some work, it can be done — provided he had purchased a $60 warranty for a few months. My dad doesn’t see anything wrong with this business model. The music store (like any store) makes money by buying low and selling high. The store doesn’t want to fix Xavier’s problems unless Xavier pays for accidental repairs upfront.
What the store doesn’t like doing is exactly what my dad’s business is all about. He can fix any guitar for a very reasonable price and then willingly and free of charge do any additional work to make sure his customers are happy with his work. My dad also has a few guitars for sale — guitars that he has made sound beautiful. When customers buy them and need something fixed or adjusted, my dad does it for free. His business model thrives on personal relationships rather than on high sales.
If you’re like my dad who loves to play awesome guitars rather than show them off on a wall, please check out his work on www.goudkovguitars.com and reach out to us with requests, questions, or comments. If you would like to support this blog, please click HERE.