Over the last few years, my long waiting list has become very difficult for me to deal with efficiently. The problem of keeping up with changes of address, orders, promises concerning delivery, etc. has led me to try out a simpler system of ordering. This will involve me simply recording the details of yourself along with the instrument(s) you require. I will then try to make them in the estimated waiting time I give you, but won't give any firm guarantees as to when I will finish them. I hope this 'no deposit - no promises' system, will lead to a better way of working and reduced pressure on me. I ask you to keep me informed of any address, telephone or fax number changes, so that I can always contact you if an instrument becomes available earlier than planned. The price includes a soft bag and all necessary adjustments and repairs of a period of two years after sale. I reserve the right to charge for repairs if: a) the instrument has been tampered with or adjusted by anyone other than myself, b) the instrument has been resold to a third party, or c) I feel the damage to the instrument is due to neglect or maltreatment by the owner. This price list concerns direct sales to residents of the European Union, and includes Dutch sales tax (BTW). Institutions and businesses, can be invoiced at zero rate, upon verification of their IDENT number. Customers living outside the EU do not have to pay BTW either, but should remember that customs duties and taxes levied in their own countries may be as expensive. All postal charges are at the buyer's expense. Please write if any further information is required.
Since moving to Amsterdam, I have changed my policy regarding orders. Instead of taking deposits, I am now trying to work to a looser timetable, where I don't have to make a certain type of instrument every year. I hope that now I will find the time for many of the fascinating instruments that I have been wanting to try for years, but which due to the pressure of my waiting list, have never actually got around to making. This will inevitably mean that although I will try to respect all my existing orders, I will often produce other instruments that I want to make. Any interested customers, may then in effect jump over the queue of people already waiting for the more popular instruments. My waiting list has been around five years long since the middle of the eighties. Five years seems to be a sort of time limit; when in the past it's got longer, fewer people have ordered for a while and it's become shorter as a result.
I try to offer a very good repair service and I don't normally charge for repairing my instruments, even after their nominal guarantee period, unless they have been mishandled or otherwise abused by their owners. The main problem with repairs is not the repairing, but the organising. I must receive around 50 recorders a year to repair and in the majority of cases, the repairs are very minor. It often takes me no longer than 15 to 20 minutes to do simple tuning, or re-voicing. The difficulty and time spent lies in sending the instrument to me, and my sending it back. Some years ago there were complex administrative problems in sending instruments between countries, but nowadays, within the EU the controls have disappeared, leading to a reduction in the paperwork. However the main problem for me is still: fetching the parcel from the post office, re-packing the instrument after making the repair, the time taken writing a short note about the repairs and queuing at the post office. It's easy to see that if I multiply the time spent doing these tasks by 50 per year, I often will spend hours on this each week. If I was to charge a fixed compensatory amount to cover post and other costs, each time, it could go some way to help. Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to find a suitable method for doing so, because sending small amounts of money abroad is proportionally expensive.