No Free Lunch!
My blog posts always attempt to discuss the realities of the
LED display industry- the good, the bad and the ugly of what you may find on
the streets in your city. But there is one thing that continues to irritate me,
and worry me late at night, as I count LED displays before I fall to sleep.
It’s a false belief that will not die with Sign Companies- There is such a
thing as a free lunch when it comes to purchasing LED displays!
What do I mean? The acronym TANSTAAFL (There ain’t no such
thing as a free lunch) was introduced many posts ago and it means that even
when you think you’re getting something for “FREE”, there are real costs
involved that have to be considered- nothing is FREE. These unspoken,
undisclosed costs can add up to total more than the most premium LED display
product available at full retail.
How often have I heard Sign Company “X” say, “We had to buy
an imported LED display from The Cheapest Kid on the Block because the customer
could not afford a good one?”
Come on, you’ve heard it. You may have even said it.
When a compromise such as this ensues, a myriad of
repercussions may occur which harms the customer, the dealer’s reputation and
also results in a monetary loss. Think about it- “We had to buy an imported LED display from The Cheapest Kid
on the Block because the customer could not afford a good one?”
That’s a little bit like an automobile consumer saying they
could not afford air bags or that they could not afford a clean-technology
engine and an old smog producer would have to do. “No, I am adamant! I do not
want seat belts in my car- they add $75 to the price and that puts me over my
budget!”
So, wow… I can’t wait to ask this question: It’s okay to
make a sale, putting a known “cheap” quality product on your customer’s pole? Pick
how that LED display got “cheap”. Something had to be shortchanged:
- Inferior software that costs the customer more in lost man hours than the price difference between the “cheap” display and a quality display?
- Poor quality LED modules that may be re-manufactured, or will fail far sooner than their stated 100,000 hours of use?
- Extended delivery and installation times?
- LED display cabinets made of pre-rusted steel or worse- cabinets that actually leak?
- Limited-range wireless systems which are intermittent?
- Electrical wiring that looks like it was made from re-constituted and painted dirt?
And the list goes on. How do you explain the weekly service
calls? That is not only embarrassing but there is a real cost that someone pays
for- you, the sign company, or the customer. We all know that there is no such
thing as a free sign repair!
Here are three prior blogs, previously written here, that
may help you learn what to look for in a quality LED display and the characteristics
of an outstanding manufacturer partner.
Take a look:
Product
Consistency and Long Term Success with LED Sign Manufacturers
Digital Signage Learning Curve, How to Tell a Good Manufacturer From a Questionable One
Is Anything Really ‘Made’ in the USA?
Really, we all know what happens when we sell poor quality a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. We put some money in our pocket today, but by tomorrow, it starts to jump back out of our pocket as a result of poor warranties, defective hardware, excessive training and re-training costs, trip charges and time wasted dealing with unhappy customers and obstinate product manufacturers.
Only buy and sell quality LED displays and keep your profit! While many young wishful girls may believe unicorns are possible, most grownups are wiser and know that there is really no such thing as a free lunch- first rule of economics!
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