Hi C&F’ers.
Brand (well a couple of months now) to whistling. I have a clare d whistle in brass which is great. At $6.95 from Lollysmith a fantastic investment. But thought I’d try a high end whistle (the start of the whoa infection?) and ordered, based largely on comments here - thanks everyone! - a Burke high D narrow bore. Faxed a credit card order into MB on 4/14 and followed up with email and voice messages. However, have never heard from Mike or his company and no whistle has shown up. Is this unusual? Any suggestions?
I’m new to whistling (an the Board also), and just yesterday received my Burke Pro Brass High D whistle. It took maybe a couple of days to get an email answer back the first time I contacted them, but they have been wonderful to deal with, and well worth the wait! I got mine in about 2 weeks after I placed the order, which I feel is fast, considering how long it takes for some of the others. I couldn’t hardly put it down last night, and even makes a beginner such as myself sound good (relatively speaking). The sound is beautiful, and it seems to be a lot easier to play than the cheaper ones I have. Can’t wait to get home from work to play it again.
i have had the same experience. twice i’ve tryed to order a brass narrow bore. it may sound weird , but i kind of enjoy ordering it and and never getting it , kinda the mental pleasure is there for a while. i can’t afford it what with two uillean chanters in the last year and then sailboats and canoes , o i am treading on thin ice with me other half. i wouldn’t tell her if i ever bought one. tansy
in the end, you get a beautiful whistle. He’s a very busy guy with a business that is not big enough to justify the full trappings of a company (despite the name), but with enough communication to get swamped. I think that part of that reason, is that he keeps his prices low which is definitely to our benefit. You could be paying more and waiting more as well. Then, in the Spring and Summer, I think he goes to fairs and stuff, which further limits his ability to correspond.
I have six Burkes and love em all. I have returned one and got a replacement with no problem. My guess is that the NB might not be in stock and has to be made. When in stock, they come very fast, so fast that you didn’t mind not hearing back. Tansy should have gotten something though!
The problem is that new whistle customers are so eager to get their first premium whistle (which is SO often a Burke), that they’re dying to receive order confirmation. I think that Mike ought to consider such a confirmation via email if you have it. FAX confirmation is a little trickier without giving the phone company some scratch. My blood pressure still goes up when I place an order, in anticipation. I am currently waiting for a high G, which is not a stock item, so I can relate!
And the story has great ending . The Weekenders had it right. The whistle arrived last night . It is fantastic. So the end game was great whistle, good service (I just didn’t know), and lackluster communication. However, if I had to pick one of the three to give on that would be it.
And, yes, it was extremely hard to to leave the whistle at home when I left for work this morning.
John,
Mike Burke is a great whistlemaker with whom to deal. I have corresponded with him by email several times then faxed in my order. He has always replied promptly. Sometimes it takes several weeks for him to fill an order if he is out of stock. For example, I’m currently waiting for a D composite. Mike said he’s working on a new design so mine will arrive sometime in May - 6 to 7 weeks after my order. Oh, geez!..it’s May already. Anyway, don’t panic.
regards,
Paul
Hi everyone:
I wanted to write and say that I am just getting senile and when I got John’s letter, I called my wife and she told me that John’s whistle shipped last Monday and then something happened and I forgot to answer his email. Normally, also this whistle is in stock, but we have been shipping these so fast we ran out temporarily and his order was delayed about a week. The good news is that we are working on a major overhaul of our website that will allow customers to order on line on a secure server and get an automatic acknowledgement of their order. There will also be pictures and eventually sound samples of each whistle in MP3. We are excited about doing a better job of serving our wonderful customers in the future. We are shipping a lot of whistles, so there must be a lot of joy out there and we want to see it grow more and more. Thanks, John, for being patient with us.
All the best
Mike
Mike, I really enjoy ordering whistles from you. They always seem to appear in my mailbox when I least expect them. A pleasant suprise, to say the least!
[/quote] i wouldn’t tell her if i ever bought one. /tansy
I had mine delivered to my office address because my husband usually gets to the mail or UPS before I do. He thinks one is plenty. It’s easier this way . . .
tansy