My Teres 350 is on the way

Hi all,

Well ... as Frank's show guide entry on page 71 of this year's Rocky Mountain Audiofest states "worth waiting for ...".

Having said that, it's my opinion that your dealer should provide you with a bi-monthly status update. It's difficult for some folks to e-mail or make a phone call to essentially say "I don't know", and I think that this is the source of the problem for many individuals - they're just not that good at holding someone's hand through the process.

For the record, I have a couple of Reference orders dating back to Thanksgiving of 2005. If the stars align, I'll receive delivery of them at this year's CES. So, if you're waiting for 14-15 months, you are not alone. Much as all of us wish this were not the case, the good news is that when it arrives, the waiting will have been forgotten and the joy will begin.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Friends,

We have are all in a bit of a "Catch-22" that Cello alluded to. The more time Frank spends with support e-mails, phone contacts, etc., the less time he has to perform his main task - which is building tonearms.

Frank has a hand-picked dealer network, which in the U.S. consists of:

1. Me (Galibier)
2. Chris (Teres)
3. Hart (Audio Advancements)

You would do well to work directly with us, and if we are in some way unable to help you, Frank needs to know this.

Since I work both sides of the fence (both selling product as well as being a manufacturer), I am by nature extremely sensitive to the necessity of a manufacturer having a quality dealer support network.

Wearing my manufacturer's hat, I would very much want to know if a dealer is unable to do their job - knowing of course that there are always exceptions and extenuating circumstances.

It is this single point (dealer responsiveness) which has resulted in my treading very carefully.

In many ways, the evolution of the Galibier Design business model is tracking Frank's, with me being the primary point of contact at present. This will likely evolve and I will face the same challenges that Frank currently does.

One of Frank's challenges is that he's very accessible - he hates to say "no" and is very generous with his time. If you, as the customer base collectively insist on consuming his time, then the wait time on Schröder tonearms can only increase. It's your choice.

There are other issues involving failed communications. I have one customer for example, who continues to e-mail me from an e-mail account which has a full mailbox. E-mail replies I spend half an hour composing to him bounce, and he follows up with questions as to my whereabouts. Can I be the only one who's e-mails don't get through? I doubt it. Is my job now to be an e-mail desktop support resource?

So, my humble advice to you is to give your dealer a chance to support you. Also, know that Cello's comments - about a 14 month wait - are not out of the ordinary. You're Schröder tonearm will soon be riding on your turntable.

Collectively, we can improve matters or we can make them worse.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier