ALAN YERLY wrote:
> Having made my own entire speed kit, I disagree with your point on
> being a bargain. Although the nose gear pant is wonky, the gear leg
> covers are finiky, try making them from scratch or even buying from a
I think you missed my point. Let me clarify it with a sketch:
Customer: I'm not happy with the TV-set I bought last week.
Seller: Why is that?
C: It doesn't show the color red. It is bad to view movies like this. I
want to swap it for another set.
S: That won't help you.
C: Why not?
S: All these TV-sets have the same problem.
C: But I paid good money for it!
S: Well, actually it is a bargain!
C: A bargain?
S: Yes. I once constructed my own TV-set. Do you know how much work that
is? First of all, you have to make a Printed Circuit Board. You have to
mess with nasty chemicals to etch the traces. It will take quite some
samples and time before you got that right. Then you have to....
C: I don't want to know. I guess you just found out about the problem?
S: No, we have had this problem from the beginning. A couple of years
now actually.
C: A couple of years! Why didn't you fix it?
S: Well, people keep buying these flawed units anyway. Besides, all
electronic devices, like TV-sets, need to be tested for spurious
emissions. We got our FCC certificate, and if we change the TV-set, we
have to go through the testing procedure again.
C: Changing it? It is just fixing it! And besides, what does the color
red have to do with spurious emissions?
S: Well, you know it, I know it, but so are the rules. And we just hate
to have to go through the testing phase again.
C: But what should I do?
S: Well, you can try tapping it on the left side of the panel. That
usually helps.
C: So you know a fix for it?
S: Yes, we use this fix ourselves. We can't show it to potential
customers the way it is.
C: If you know a fix, why don't you put it in the manual? Just a slight
hint that it could be possible that the color red doesn't show, and that
tapping the panel will cure it?
S: Well, it takes time to revise the manual. We don't type that fast.
Furthermore, it would reveal potential customers that our product is
flawed. And besides, it would be cheating. This is part of the challenge
of using our TV-set. We consider that as a plus. And, last but not
least, we love to see on the internet forums how peope struggle with it,
and come up with solutions.
C: So, actually I should be happy?
S: Yes, you should be very happy. It is a bargain, and it is a challenge
for you, to keep you busy. Just watching TV isn't fun if you haven't
gone through all this.
--
Frans Veldman
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