It’s been a very crazy time for all of us out there, and I’d just like to say thank you to all of you who have brought instruments in and those who have been very patient while we’re getting caught up with work in the new place. Thankfully there is quite a lot to do! Masks are still mandatory for the time being when coming to visit, but hey it’s not that bad :)
In regards to my shop and the appointment system; things seem to be slipping sideways a bit too much for me and it’s causing a lot of difficulty with scheduling at my end. Anyone who runs a small business knows that you have to wear a lot of different hats to get all the different jobs done, and still remain (somewhat) sane. One of my many jobs is being a ‘receptionist’ here at STK. There is no admin staff or anyone else to do this work, it is entirely handled by myself. One of the reasons I chose to go with booking appointments is so that I can help more people, they’ll have more time to discuss their needs one on one with me, and it also means that I can properly schedule my own time to work around this.
In recent weeks it has become much more common for people to not follow the appointment system. I’m not entirely sure why this is, but people are coming too early, way too late, show up on the wrong day, or simply don’t come in at all with no notice whatsoever. I know we’re all busier than ever before, and that’s why the appointments are there, so we can all organise our busy lives. I understand it would just be easier to pop by whenever you like, but it would be much less convenient to then be told to wait an hour before I could speak with you vs. know exactly when I can help you.
Most of you are excellent folks, and I’m a reasonable guy! If your needs change and you communicate with me, I’ll do everything I can to help. Just don’t leave me hanging; if you’re not going to come in, or are going to be late then please tell me so someone else can use that time or I can get some other work done. I’m now losing up to a couple of hours a day to this!
In the past, I’ve been pretty lenient with these issues but unfortunately, I can’t keep doing so. With this in mind, I will have to take a more firm approach to missed appointments and late arrivals. If you’re late or miss your appointment, I will have to add a £10 charge to make up for the lost time. I really don’t want to do this, so please just come in on time or give me some advanced notice if your situation’s changed!
One last thing; I have long stipulated that instruments should be picked up within two weeks of being completed before late collection charges begin applying. I've always been pretty lenient with applying it but now a lot more instruments are being left a lot longer than two weeks, and my workshop isn’t large enough to handle it! The late fee of £2.50 per day will begin applying 15 days after completion, but again let me know if something has happened or if there’s a good reason you won’t be able to make it so I can take note of it and you won’t be charged. (Deciding to go away on holiday, is not a good enough reason hahaha).
Sorry for all the business-y updates, but this small correction in how the workshop runs I hope will make things clearer and a lot smoother for everyone. Enjoy the sunshine, get out there, and make some music!
Rock on,
Kev