Re: Vendors and service...

[Steve Harris <swharris@earthlink.net>]

First off, personally, I don't think all vendors are trying as you say
to "screw us guys over".

What we want as customers, is what ANY customer of a product (I suspect
even you) expects from someone selling that product.  SERVICE!

See, the game goes like this.  Company "A" puts an ad in magazine "B"
screaming to everyone that reads it "look what we have....call us.... we
are the best and have whatever you want!" In addition,  said company
often supplies magazine "B" parts for the magazine to do "how to"
articles, thus creating more demand for those parts.  

Here is my point. I have a problem with vendors advertising and
promoting parts THEY DON'T HAVE or even know if they will have at some
undetermined time.  I think we all understand about delays in shipping,
back orders and general problems with the entire process.  If a part has
been "MIA since spring", and is no where in sight, inform you're
customer.  By the way, pull the part from the F'ing ads!  No one is
saying that a company has to provide the part overnight every time to
every person who placed an order.  That is not the point!

The point is this...we as customers have completed our part of the
bargain, we in good faith put up the money for goods that were promised
us.  The vendors in question FAILED to provide the product (or for that
matter service) in an acceptable amount of time.  It's as simple as
that.  If you don't have something don't say you do!  Unexpected delays
do happen, so  inform you're customers or loose them!  It's very simple.

Don't patronize the list with this crap about loyalty to a certain
vendor.  
That's totally irrelevant. You're telling the list that YOU  don't ever
shop around?  Did you shop different dealers for YOUR car, or did you
blindly pay whatever they had on the window sticker??

Regarding you're statement  "What do you want a company to tell you when
you place an order, "We won't see those 'til '98, do you still want
them?".   You  better believe it....at least they would be honest!  It
does not mean I wouldn't purchase other parts from them.  To the
contrary, I would more than likely see that as a reason to continue
doing business with an honest company.

Look, the bottom line is this, THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!  We all
have choices in life.  My choice is to do business with companies that
earn my business by providing quality products and services  in a timely
fashion.  My money....my choice.

Steve
95 VR6