I was once involved in durable goods retailing -- mid to high end bicycles in this case. It was not uncommon for customers to get hung up between the bicycle they wanted to buy and the bicycle they thought they "should" buy. This was usually triggered by price. I told them that unless spending the somewhat more would create a financial hardship they should buy the bicycle that they liked. The reasoning that I shared with them was: If you buy the one you think you "should" buy you will find yourself always comparing it to the one you really wanted and will be frustrated by any shortcomings. If you buy the bicycle you are attracted to you will tend to forgive any minor warts and glitches. Another way to say it is: buying what you "should" can lead to buyer's remorse; buying what you like often leads to satisfaction by way of buyer's forgiveness. (This assumes some rationality in choosing what you want)
David K0LUM At 9:36 AM -0700 4/5/12, Dyarnes wrote: >[snip] >I have one other suggestion, just based on my experiences. I either own, or >have owned, a lot of radios over my 57 years in the hobby. The only real >"buyer's remorse" I've had, other than from a radio that just didn't perform >as advertised, was when I "under-bought". If you spend a little too much, >you can usually live with that after a bit of a struggle with your budget. >However, when you "under-buy", there is almost an immediate sense of >frustration, which often leads to making another purchase and taking a loss >on your original one. Sometimes, coughing up an extra couple of hundred >dollars or so on the front end might save you a thousand dollars later on. >I guess the old cliché' "penny-wise and pound foolish" fits here. I offer >this commentary because I know there are a few newer rigs out there that, >although seemingly quite capable, and perhaps a few hundred dollars less >than a K3, really may not be sufficiently cheaper in the long run >considering what you lose in features. But it's not just the K3 rivals I am >thinking of--I could make the same argument as to all these Icom models that >have come out, or the various models of the Yaesu 5000. Much of this seems >to me to be these companies trying to hit "price points" as their primary >objective. Also, don't be overly influenced by the "base price". Many/most >of these radios today need additional accessories. Even Elecraft does it >this way, but the point is that you really need to carefully analyze all the >add-on you really need. Nobody does this more effectively than the computer >industry! Have you purchased one from Dell or HP lately? > >Dave W7AQK ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
