You know the customer by the stove

Who else should know as much about stoves as a person who has been working at HAAS+SOHN Rukov since 1998. He also does great work. Please, meet Mojmír Středa, head of customer service. He answered a few questions for us:

How has customer behaviour changed over the last 20 years? Do you see any changes in customer service?

We certainly see changes. Time is becoming more hurried and people are more aggressive in their behaviour. While they used to be humbler, today they want everything IMMEDIATELY and they're referring to consumer rights. They also take a lot of things for granted and fewer people thank them today.

But there are also those who thank us for our services and advice, and it warms us to know that our work is not unnecessary.   

How has the complexity of products changed during that time?

Substantially. A stove's construction used to be much simpler. So the customer often managed to fix it themselves. Today, it is much more complicated, but it goes hand in hand with time - more emphasis on ecology, the development of legislation in our country and in the EU, the pressure to reduce emissions and dust.

It's similar to cars - before a skilled handyman was able to repair most defects himself, today the engine's complexity cannot do without the help of an expert.

Does it affect the differences in the types of complaints? Are there more complaints or advice?

As the construction has changed and the stove's simplicity has disappeared, there are also differences in the types of complaints. Previously, these were complaints such as: cracked fireclay, damaged seals, cracked glass. Today, it is more like: the heat exchanger cannot be cleaned, the stove does not burn and tar, it cannot be regulated.

However, in most cases the fault lies with the customer who doesn't operate the stove according to the operating instructions. However, we only find that out when a service technician visits to the customer. They go either directly from the company, or we also have external service partners throughout the country, who provide us with both warranty and post-warranty service.

The number of complaints is also associated mainly with neglected mandatory stove maintenance. In most cases, customers don't want to do it, because they live in the belief that if they have a stove under warranty, it's better if they don't touch them. However, in the end they're happy that they don’t have to pay for the technician's trip, even when their complaint was unjustified.

In truth, I must say that the number of complaints is still declining, its mainly due to the improvement and modernisation of production. As for technical questions, there are definitely more of them. I think it's mainly caused by the younger generation, which only now comes into contact with the stove and doesn't really know anything about them. It can be said that the older vintages grew up with stoves and took them mainly for their useful properties. Nowadays, stoves are becoming more of a modern household accessory.

What about people (customers, users) and their technical ability?

Generally speaking, and from our experience, I see that many more customers don't work manually and lose manual dexterity. They don't even want to do things like changing fireclay or loops. They simply "won't touch it."

On the other hand, it is comforting that today we can produce fully automatic stoves, with simple operation and maintenance. Customers have heat, they can see the fire, but they don't have to worry too much about it.

And what would one not do for their comfort? Even if it costs some extra money, they don’t have a problem paying extra for the luxury. Such a pellet stove can now be controlled remotely via a mobile phone.

I would also like to emphasise that compliance with the principles of proper handling and regular maintenance has an impact on the stove's longer and trouble-free life. We enclose a technical sheet as well as operating and maintenance instructions with each product. If users follow this, our work will be more about prevention than about repairs and complaints.

Thanks for the interview.