Baker/Orion on wed 15 oct 97
There's probably no upward limit to the amount of money that some folks
would pay for a product that fixes everything AND defies the laws of
physics! Whatever this mystery product is, it's clear that some folks feel
it's priceless!
Think about it -- it's supposed to adhere equally well to fiber, brick, and
metal. It magically reflects heat better than any substance known to man,
and YET it can be used to coat heating elements! Who cares what's in it?
Just pay! They say "whatever the market will bear" is fair -- P.T. Barnum
had a few good quotes, too...
I'm sure no-one will ever find out exactly what's "in the bucket." Since
ITC refuses to provide any routine information about service range (like
what's the top limit, temperature wise, for the products), I can't imagine
their ever divulging information about constituents (has anyone ever seen
an ITC MSDS sheet?)
My conversations with ITC have been terrible. I was told (and I quote)
that if we were going to ask questions (like the temperature range
question), they didn't want people like me for a customer. I was told it's
a good product because so many customers are happy, and that "industry has
been using their product for years" -- but they wouldn't name even one
industry, by name or by type. The person I talked to made it clear that
the product was being sold on the basis of CONfidence, and if that was not
enough, that I should certainly shop somewhere else.
I was told that ITC is too busy to test their products, and that testing
would be too expensive for a small business anyhow. (Can anyone know knows
anything about engineers actually accept the story that an ENGINEER would
NOT test performance?). I said, "even informal figures would be okay -- is
it good for temperatures zero to four thousand? five thousand?" No
answer! When I asked, "how do you know what your products do if you don't
test them?" the person on the phone said, "What gives you the right to ask
such a question?" I said, "Heck, I'm a potential customer who could
conceivably put this stuff on my kiln -- why wouldn't I ask? Shouldn't any
consumer ask good questions?" This conversation went on and on -- it was
very unpleasant, overall.
Whatever this stuff is, and whatever good it does, it's clear that its
value can't be tied to anything tangible.
Ellen Baker
orion@telcomplus.com
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