Contacting potential suppliers - a rant!

[Eric Smith]

Hi guys this is just a rant but I am getting fed up with trying to contact companies who might be able to supply me with parts and equipment for serious amounts of money.

Like most of you I am trying to restore a car, but getting companies and businesses to respond to emails is like pulling teeth - I want to know - what is the point of email addresses, answer phone numbers and company websites where they have their own customer enquiry forms who say talk to us and we will get back to you BUT DONT.

I have attempted to contact 3 companies this week via emails and enquiry forms and had no reply, one company website even said “we will get back to you in 30 minutes” - 4 days later nothing. These three companies are not the only ones, I have now got a list of 8 companies who have not responded to enquiries.

THINK ABOUT THIS: If you are getting a company to restore a car for you and they are going to research and supply parts your car needs - I can well imagine they could eat massively into your budget because they will be spending hours on the web and phone and not getting responses to their enquiries. Think about it - 3 hours fruitless research at £45 per hour = £135 out of your budget!

Sorry for the rant guys but our hobby could be doomed because of companies not responding to our needs - how are they making money or have they given up???

Eric

 

[mishmosh]

Bear in mind , most are run by more mature people who prefer phones. Fitchetts being a prime example 

[andybeau]

29 minutes ago, mishmosh said:

Bear in mind , most are run by more mature people who prefer phones. Fitchetts being a prime example 

This can't be used as an excuse in 2024.

The internet is not new.

If my almost 80 year old mum can use the internet, a business owner should be able to.

No excuse in this day and age.

Poor customer service equals no return custom.

I've dropped things off at Fitcheetts, behind the counter were not old people!!!!!

Edited April 6 by andybeau

[mishmosh]

Define “ not old”. 

[Pete Lewis]

fitchetts do have a website as its maintained by your club to support the brown smock card index system they use .

yes its limited to not everything  IE the parts listed is a bit selected 

Pete

Edited April 7 by Pete Lewis

[dougbgt6]

For the first 25 years I lived here I took both my Triumph and whichever modern I had to Prince Brothers for MOTs.

Always the same "Well phone you when it's done" 

Always the same, at 1/4 hour before closing I'd phone them "Is it done?" 

"Oh, yeh"

25 years, 50 MOTs, not once did they phone me back!  

Is this a record?

Doug

Addenda:

On the 51st MOT they did phone back! I knew instantly something was wrong, Old Dave, once a Triumph apprentice,  had retired! Son-of-Dave told me my Triumph had failed because the windscreen washer didn't work.  

I now go to King brothers (a cut above Prince brothers! ) who know that GT6s have handraulic windscreen wiper mechanisms.

 

 

Edited April 7 by dougbgt6
amusing anecdote

[andybeau]

11 hours ago, mishmosh said:

Define “ not old”. 

Under 40 in that case

[Colin Lindsay]

I've been trying to contact QuickfitSBS re two sets of Herald seatbelts using the e-mail on their website - it returns to me as 'undeliverable'. They still send me a newsletter FROM that e-mail and with the same e-mail address listed for contact but I can't reach them.

If I phone I need to have the whole order written out first and the webpage open in front of me and then talk the person on the other end through it ie "webbing 17 with bracket AP7 on the tunnel end, AP8 on the top and a single-screw bracket that MIGHT be AP11 on the other end, plated NOT chromed, etc etc" whereas I can explain it all in an e-mail, as they're sometimes not standard factory fittings, and send photos if necessary.

(I would almost rather drive 50 miles to talk to someone face to face than use phones, some mornings I need to be psyched up for phone calls, but in the early 1990s I called in with a company restoring Reliant Scimitars on the mainland, their ad said: "Call in, the kettle is always on." It wasn't. I got some very dirty looks for mentioning coffee.)

[Unkel Kunkel]

At least you spoke to a human being …

Some years  ago I had a  weird  conversation with  an early AI  answer machine type  ‘ bot ‘ thing  after ringing a UK Gov. Helpline.

In theory ,’ it ‘ ( or ‘she’ - it had a female voice ) , listens to your questions and replies  with something like ‘ Let me see , I think you are inquiring about …’ and advising with a list  of different situations and options.  

Unfortunately, it must have picked up on specific words that I repeated back in  my  surprised responses to each of her strange  questions…   ‘ WHAT…   ? ‘I am not …’

So, when ‘she ‘ came up with , ‘ Let me see ,I think you are saying is that  you are at  home, out of work , retired  -  and pregnant  and….’

I hung up,

Thoroughly confused and  fearful for the effects on my blood pressure

Aargh! 

 

Edited April 7 by Unkel Kunkel

[PeteH]

I actually Prefer E-Mail. 1) I can list specifically exactly what I am looking for/needing. 2) IF anything goes wrong. I have a record time/dated to relate to. These so called "bot`s"! are a Menace, I have yet to use one that get`s a result. I often feed them/it silly answers in order to get to the point where (hopefully) it will ask "do you want to speak to an agent". To day`s "game" will be H-P who`s new printer currently stubbornly refuses to "speak" to my laptop (Win 10) despite being able to print from my I-Phone!!. AND has a USB port the fails to connect!.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, PeteH said:

I actually Prefer E-Mail. 1) I can list specifically exactly what I am looking for/needing. 2) IF anything goes wrong. I have a record time/dated to relate to. These so called "bot`s"! are a Menace, I have yet to use one that get`s a result. I often feed them/it silly answers in order to get to the point where (hopefully) it will ask "do you want to speak to an agent". To day`s "game" will be H-P who`s new printer currently stubbornly refuses to "speak" to my laptop (Win 10) despite being able to print from my I-Phone!!. AND has a USB port the fails to connect!.

Pete

Thread drift here we go... HP are terrible, the printer I have repeatedly refuses to find the wifi despite being four feet from it. When I asked HP why the software they supplied, and the online fault finder, didn't work it was "because my 2017 Mac was too old". The printer is the same age or slightly older. DPD Parcel delivery... we have a depot 200 yards away, but when I called in recently they don't do pickups from there, only their office about 18 miles away. I drove over and staff there told me they don't do pickups manually at reception any more, just order online and the van will pick it up. I drove home, went through the procedure online, and eventually a human who came on to replace the bot told me they don't collect anywhere in Northern Ireland at all. It seems even the local staff don't know that. 

Some of the online 'bots'.... 'what can we help you with today?', then they go through a dozen questions, then tell me 'expert' advice will cost me money so get ready to pay if I want to go any further. My stock reply is now: "Nothing, at the price you charge" although with DPD it's now: "Can you stop your drivers from dumping their breakfast and coffee containers on the road as they drive out of the depot?"

James Paddock score very highly with me, they'll phone up on receipt of an online order just to confirm it's the correct part as sometimes it's 1200, sometimes 13/60 and ofttimes another car for someone else completely. That's good customer service.

[Dick Twitchen]

1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

James Paddock score very highly with me, they'll phone up on receipt of an online order just to confirm it's the correct part

They get the same thumbs up from me, all my dealings with them first class.

[Eric Smith]

When I started this string, I was mildly ranting about suppliers not responding to emails and phone calls and how it could affect the mechanics who do work for us or the likes of you and me when trying to get in contact with a supplier.

A list of good or bad suppliers could be compiled by any of us and they could or would differ by either the good or bad results we might have - the thing is, there are a lot of companies who are great BUT there are a lot who don’t reply to emails etc.

Trying to telephone people is the old fashioned way, but often they do not reply to answer phone messages or actual in person calls - this is not acceptable.

I phoned Past Parts in Bury Saint Edmunds last week, they were great but my experience says they are in my very small list of good guys.

For me as a customer - all I want is a reply and good service, I don’t care if the company is big or small, from the north or south, east or west and the staff range is anywhere between 18 or 98, after all their job is to sell stuff!

Final point: I have done a lot of jobs, of which I have been a auto parts Store-man and an auto parts Salesman in a National Company, I also worked in 3 car accessory and spares shops and there were only a few rules, they included - honesty, professionalism, dealing with customers promptly, always responding to phone calls and never selling retail and trade customers things they did not need.

Eric

[Mjit]

Hey, could be worse.  I mean you could have a full colour advert for your business on page 41 of the brand new look Courier magazine...including a website address that doesn't work.

They aren't too far from me so I was going to check them out but not sure I'll bother if they can't even run a website.

Edited April 9 by Mjit

[PeteH]

2 hours ago, Mjit said:

if they can't even run a website.

Very few Business`, certainly the smaller ones, run their own website, it`s usually been put together by some "consultant" using a downloaded blank. Or occsionally the M-D`s whizz kid son?. You can buy one of the net, fill the boxes and upload.

Pete

[Stratton Jimmer]

Another vote for Paddock's and also for Canley Classics who I have found to be very helpful.

[Mjit]

21 hours ago, PeteH said:

Very few Business`, certainly the smaller ones, run their own website, it`s usually been put together by some "consultant" using a downloaded blank. Or occsionally the M-D`s whizz kid son?. You can buy one of the net, fill the boxes and upload.

Pete

Do they also print an out-of-date phone number and the address the business was at 6 years ago?

Like it or not, just like the 1/4 page ad. in the magazine a website is a marketing channel for the business, one that currently doesn't shout "We're compitent, reliable and keep an eye on the details".  If you don't want a website/just an email address don't put the website address in your print ads!

[Larfin Frog]

One of my bugbears is suppliers who only have an email and no phone number. If you have a problem with a part, cant find something on their website , don't know what a bit is called or don't know which bit you need, or just need a bit of advice, it is so much easier if you can just talk to someone! This seems more common with the classic VW parts I have to deal with , but seems like a trend everywhere.  They will say their staff  are better used fulfilling orders , I would say my order may well go elsewhere!

[Eric Smith]

As I started this string, I want to add a few more thoughts.

The late Terry Wogan a renowned and famous radio and tv presenter coined the phrase “is it me?”

Well my friends, I have to ask the question - are all of these potential suppliers rubbish or is it me?

I thought I had found a potential supplier, they have flash website, they say “talk to our experts - we are here to help and they have a built in request form! 

I used the request form two and a half days ago, have I had a reply - er no, so is it me?

After reading all of the comments and seeing that over 300 people have read this growing string and a lot of people have read and replied to it - can we conclude that Napoleon was wrong in his assessment that “the British were a nation of shop keepers” because if it were true they would probably reply to emails, phone calls and messages because the would be a lot of competition!

OR IS IT ME? (and a lot of other people)

Thanks for reading and replying - Eric

[andybeau]

It's not you. I used to use a German supplier for turntable cartridges/stylus. The last time I went on the website i could see no shipping to UK. I used there contact form and received a reply from them within a day. 

It can be done, it's not hard.

[Colin Lindsay]

Try living in Northern Ireland - not only do UK suppliers either refuse to deliver at all, or else try to charge International rates, but we have firms who work on 'local' time. 'No hurry' is a dangerous phrase to use. My radiator recore took nine months - yes, only an untried spare, and I told them there was no hurry, and every time I called in to see if it was finished they reminded me of that... and the man cutting me a perspex wind deflector for the Herald for the last three months "hasn't got round to it yet, as it's still raining and sure you won't be taking the car out in that weather". I love it. You can see why it confuses me - and often galls me - when I try the same informal approach with UK firms and they just don't get it, sometimes to the point of rudeness. 

[Eric Smith]

Hi

I did not think I would come back to this topic after CL’s reply on the 12th of April, but as I have been going about my business, conversations have been had and lots of people who are interested in a lot of different things have said that they have had similar problems.

A car transporter driver who came to move one of my cars told me about builders, plumbers and electricians how had not replied to his requests for quotes.

Another person told me, they actually got as far as giving a decorator a big expensive job - the guy never turned up nor did he give the client a reason. 

A neighbour was quoted a lot of money to cut back a hedge, the gardener came about an hour late, he did about 8 feet, broke his hedge trimmer and has not been since, leaving 100 feet not done.

As for me, well I have sent one supplier two emails without reply, but I have emailed two potential suppliers who have been great - so it’s swings and roundabouts - but on Friday I spoke to a very experience restorer who said:

DON’T EVER EMAIL, SEND TEXT MESSAGES OR LEAVE ANSWER PHONE MESSAGES. PHONE THE PEOPLE DIRECTLY!

What would Napoleon think?

Let’s not go there!

Eric
 

 

[Paulfc]

52 minutes ago, Eric Smith said:

DON’T EVER EMAIL, SEND TEXT MESSAGES OR LEAVE ANSWER PHONE MESSAGES. PHONE THE PEOPLE DIRECTLY!

What would Napoleon think?

Let’s not go there!

Eric
 

 

I believe he’d have completely agreed with the above, after all it’s an indisputable fact that he never used Email, text or phones but in order to achieve the “Vitesse” he sought  in all he did he had a large number of “Heralds” at his disposal.

Nelson, of course, made great use of technology with those low slung guns on his ships and great use of his eye-pad.

P.

Edited Saturday at 19:23 by Paulfc

[Colin Lindsay]

18 hours ago, Eric Smith said:

What would Napoleon think?

Let’s not go there!

Eric

No idea, my French isn't that good. Nor apparently is my English, as I've been receiving calls from 'Bamu' or something like it about my 'bobile pone contract' and I cannot make out a word he says. I really can't. I'll give him this much: he's persistent.

"Are you happy with your mobile phone?" "Yes, until people like you call me."