TWL: Re: Chelsea Instruments
At 12:00 AM 8/31/2003 -0400, Keith wrote:
This is pretty disgusting to me, since it's essentially a new instrument.
I'll have to try to get it repaired or replaced... we'll see if I can get it
done under warranty. I sent an e-mail to Chelsea several days ago, no
response.
I went through a similar experience some years ago with Chelsea & West
Marine. The clock works ok to this day, though the always weak chime quit
quite a while ago. The third barometer's hand actually did move a little
bit sometimes. I've decided that both are best reagrded as decoration.
These experiences should ring Arild's bell. It appears that the way to make
money these days is to build or buy a respected brand, then boost the
prices and cheapen the product, running the brand down the drain. When
you've extracted every last bit of profit & destroyed the ability of the
organization to product quality, you can always sell it off to some
conglomerate where nobody has a clue. And oh, yes, customer support is an
unaffordable luxury.
It's my dream that someday American industry will really need the support
of the consumer and that the consumers will tell it to take a hike.
Regards,
Peter McCorison, Orcas Island, WA
M/V Coho, 50' Troller Yacht; the "Gourmet Fishboat"
I think this is a little unfair. The Chelsea Clock company has a long and
respected history as an independent clockmaker. See
http://chelseaclockmuseum.com
and http://www.covecutlery.com/files/ItemFileA508.doc for more information.
I have had a 4 1/2 inch clock and barometer set for over 25 years that I
have taken from boat to boat and they have given flawless service. This is
the original "Ship's Bell" clock, which now retails alone for over $1700. I
think I paid under $500 for the set.
the usual disclaimers apply
Hal
These experiences should ring Arild's bell. It appears that
the way to make
money these days is to build or buy a respected brand, then boost the
prices and cheapen the product, running the brand down the
drain. When
you've extracted every last bit of profit & destroyed the
ability of the
organization to product quality, you can always sell it off to some
conglomerate where nobody has a clue. And oh, yes, customer
support is an
unaffordable luxury.
-----Original Message-----
From: Hal Wyman
Subject: TWL: RE: Re: Chelsea Instruments
I think this is a little unfair. The Chelsea Clock company has a long and
respected history as an independent clockmaker. See
http://chelseaclockmuseum.com
and http://www.covecutlery.com/files/ItemFileA508.doc for more information.
I have had a 4 1/2 inch clock and barometer set for over 25 years that I
have taken from boat to boat and they have given flawless service. This is
the original "Ship's Bell" clock, which now retails alone for over $1700. I
think I paid under $500 for the set.
the usual disclaimers apply
Hal
REPLY
Actually think Hal's comment supports the statement about the present practice
of buying up companies with a sterling reputation.
And the subsequent dilution in quality.
Hal's experience with a 25 year old example of the Company's product implies
that new and current production models will have the same quality and
durability.
That unfortunately is an assumption which is not always borne out by subsequent
experience with these new products.
Products built a quarter of a century ago were designed to last. If not forever
then at least for the buyer's lifetime, not the product's lifetime.
By comparison the current trend in product design is to create something which
will last exactly one month past the warranty period.
In some cases of high volume production this doesn't even apply.
When the cost accountants control design and production, they often play the
statistical game and expect a statistical loss of so many units per 1000 and
simply increase the price mark up to cover the cost of replacing these
expected failures.
Many corporations deliberately discontinue products which are too good, because
this reduces sales of new replacements.
The term "planned obsolescence" was coined for good reason.
Cheers
Arild
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My comments were based as much upon Chelsea's present-day reputation in the
watch and clock collector community as they were with my experience, Arild.
And if you have any information about Chelsea Clocks having been bought out,
please share it with me.
-----Original Message-----
From: trawler-world-list-bounces@lists.samurai.com
[mailto:trawler-world-list-bounces@lists.samurai.com] On Behalf Of Arild
Jensen
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 12:10 PM
Actually think Hal's comment supports the statement about the present
practice of buying up companies with a sterling reputation. And the
subsequent dilution in quality....
Hal Wyman wrote:
My comments were based as much upon Chelsea's present-day reputation in the
watch and clock collector community as they were with my experience, Arild.
And if you have any information about Chelsea Clocks having been bought out,
please share it with me.
REPLY
I do not have specific information concerning corporate changes in Chelsea.
I do know that when I examine the polished brass instruments in the chandlery
shops there is a range of products by all makers, including Chelsea.
The low priced Chelsea looks much like the earlier versions but shinier
probably due to electroplating and oxidation protection) and this attracts
the newbie buyers. The low price compared to the top end products clinches
the deal. No doubt the top end product still has real quality built in.
When I examine such low priced offerings, they often show the country of origin
( manufacture) as being Asian; not American or Swiss.
This tells me someone in the company has made a deliberate decision to use the
quality reputation of the company's past products to attract less informed
buyers who will buy the lower priced offerings.
The majority of buyers may not even intend to use these for serious navigation.
The instruments are more likely to adorn dens and living rooms or become mantle
piece decor.
I happen to think this is a sad reflection on our society's collective values
and emphasis on getting the lowest price regardless of the consequences.
For this reason I am more inclined to seek out the older products in flea
markets, antique shops or wherever they can be found.
Quite often I get a genuine quality product which is repairable and can be
restored to full functionality. This restored "vintage" products will often
cost about the same as the cheap "new" but will outlast the new ones by many
years.
That philosophy also explains why I just drove all the way down to S. Cal from
BC to fetch a 20 year old truck with 260,000 miles on it instead of buying a
much newer Asian built replacement. I previously owned two such Asian built
diesel trucks of exactly the same vintage. Both of them have already had to be
scrapped.
The same can be said for marine equipment. Quite often I have been successful
in salvaging stuff from the dumpster and totally restored it to working
condition.
While not as glitzy as a brand new product, it works. Where appearances are
important, parts can be replated, chromed etc.
This is a much more common practice with vintage cars but the same principles
apply.
If you look around, it is possible to find "retired" people with the requisite
skills to service such older equipment and instruments.
Often times these skilled people have been forced out of employment prematurely
and are only too happy to apply their skills to doing these restorations.
Cheers
Arild
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Pretty simple, Hal. As I mentioned earlier, it took three Chelsea Shipstrike
clocks to find one that worked. The Shipstrike barometer doesn't work, new
from the factory. That's one out of four (25%) that even work properly out
of the box. Personal experience, maybe not applicable to other boaters, but
my warning to others. Oh yea, my e-mail to them several weeks ago still has
not been answered. Par for the course. I got several responses off-list that
echoed major dissatisfaction with either the product or service. Whether
collectors like their stuff is irrelevant to folks who just want it to
work....
Keith
__
"When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who
died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the
passengers in his car." - Will Rogers
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hal Wyman" twl2@halwyman.com
My comments were based as much upon Chelsea's present-day reputation in
the
watch and clock collector community as they were with my experience<snip>