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Kendama Company Best Practices

Discussion in 'The Sesh' started by Emil Apostol, Oct 21, 2020.

  1. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2017
    Location:
    Philippines
    Since bad kendama company customer relations has been the talk of the town in FKC, it got me thinking about the best practices of kendama companies.

    What is a good kendama company for you? What are their best practices? What do they actively avoid? Examples of good kendama companies (that aren't so obvious)?

    Sound off in the comments below!

    P.S. No offense meant to the company which has been the subject of recent discussion. I'm just calling things as I see them and I think this would be a great forum for discussion.
     
    Oct 21, 2020
    5kwid likes this.
  2. htimSxelA

    htimSxelA Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2016
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Good question, I'm interested to hear the answers. I mostly come from the 'guy running customer service' side of things, but I've definitely bought a lot of damas over the years as well.
     
    Oct 21, 2020
    Emil Apostol likes this.
  3. xplodit

    xplodit Slayer

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2017
    Location:
    Memphis
    So many companies have remarkable service, it’s hard to ask for more from them. Sol, Kusa, Sweets, Terra have all been insanely good to deal with from my experience.

    However I’ve had a couple memorable negative experiences in customer service that have prevented me from doing further business with some companies.

    One was a Ken made out of low grade exotic wood that broke prematurely. After contacting the company owner their reply was “yeah that same thing happened to a couple other people, sorry. You never know what you’re going to get with this wood.” No replacement or refund was offered, super bummer.

    The other was just overall apathetic sales people. A particular table at NAKO had stationed some pretty ladies at their booth “trying” to sell damas. The ladies and the pros there didn’t seem to give a isht about repping the brand and talking to people about buying damas. Super bummer.

    Another brand lost some cool points for me, but not for customer service. Just for ripping off the KUSA Shift shape via a manufacturer. Super uncool.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2020
    Oct 22, 2020
    Emil Apostol, 5kwid and goenKendama like this.
  4. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2017
    Location:
    Philippines
    Question: Should it be obligatory on the part of a kendama compang to send a replacement dama for a defective kendama?

    For example, I once ordered a POP from KROM, and the base cup chipped after my first Insta. They immediately sent me a replacement after I reported it. I know KROM's a really big company so they can afford to send me a replacement. However, should smaller companies also do the same to retain customer goodwill, or should they find another way to make it up to the buyer?
     
    Oct 29, 2020
  5. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Metro Manila, Philippines
    That's a tough question. Kendama is a consumable product meaning that it is expected to degrade in some form or fashion from the first minutes of play. The term "defective" particularly when you're talking about a natural material like wood makes it even harder to determine what a "defect" is. I'm more inclined to view human interaction on the wood as having the potential to create "defects." The wood itself would not be defective, imperfect yes but not really defective. Choosing sub-par wood for a given application is human error if they actually knew that it was an issue. However choosing cheaper wood to make a lower priced kendama doesn't mean that it's a defect if it chips sooner or the tip wears faster since the goal was a lower cost product.

    Misdrilling a hole, irregular shape issues, chipping during production, bad paint, etc.are what I'd consider defects. Nearly anything else that happens after the kendama is played is wear & tear. There is somewhat a gray area as it relates to paint however. Also somewhat a consideration is if there is a lack of clear descriptions like having a laminated or repaired/patched kendama part that was unexpected by the customer.

    Here's kind of that gray area in action: paint chipping at all vs. coating/paint peeling in sheets shortly after play. Softer/sticky paints are unlikely to ever reach the fabled durability of the JKA TK16 that's just life . . . and the industry's chemistry knowledge at this point. Next situation: If a person is really pushing down on the sarado and it splits the sarado or snaps the spike that would seem to be more wear & tear or straight up abuse and wouldn't be considered a "defect" in my opinion.

    Saying it is "obligatory" for a company to send a replacement kind of implies no free will and would require the company to have a very specific set of rules for something to qualify as a "defect" requiring replacement and the customer's agreement to those rules. This has nothing to do with whether it makes good marketing/publicity sense. That business decision would be a determination based on whether the goodwill created by the exchanges produced enough sales to compensate for the losses associated with the replacements.

    I would imagine that most companies are reasonable, even if the customers might not be, and they'll do what fits with the situation. If you require that all "defects" be replaced will the company still get the goodwill they receive if they *choose* to replace? If they are required to replace then they are just doing their job. I'm not sure most people would see this action in the same light as a company going above and beyond what is required. i.e. replacing a unit when it is *not* mandated. As always YMMV.
     
    Oct 30, 2020
  6. htimSxelA

    htimSxelA Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2016
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Speaking very generally, if someone buys a Terra kendama and then reports back saying it chipped immediately, we'll pretty much always try to get a replacement sorted out. But its tough, theres a lot of grey area:

    - Was it the first day they received it? The first week? Month? How long does this pseudo-warranty last?
    - Do they claim they were just 'playing normally', or were they doing instas / taps / other high impact tricks? (At some point, its on the customer to understand the outcome of trying certain moves)
    - Did they drop / slam it onto concrete or some other hard surface?

    On the other hand, some things that are indeed 'manufacturer defects' might include:

    - Knots/oddities in the wood leading to a weak spot that breaks (though often, these are the most interesting/beautiful looking pieces)
    - Mis-drilled string holes or sarado hole (eg the spike sits off-centre in the sarado)
    - Cracks in the wood (sometimes quite small and hard to pick out during QC)
     
    Oct 31, 2020
    Emil Apostol likes this.
  7. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2017
    Location:
    Philippines
    On that note, maybe it's time kendama companies have a standard return policy?

    Then again, it's a grey area (as you said) which may be better dealt with on a case-to-case basis. Most of the times I had mishaps with kendama quality or shipping, the issue was settled through a quick email exchange and it felt more like a handshake, on the spot agreement instead of following company protocol.

    P.S. on that note, follow up question for those who own/work for a kendama company. What is your worst customer service experience?
     
    Nov 1, 2020