Vendor Rant

[Denvervet]

I am having a similar situation as bavtech and beginning to hear of many similar ones of same vendor. I ordered and paid for a serpentine setup and steering column 3 months ago. I keep getting the run around and lots of excuses about manufacturing problems, etc. Yet when I contact those manufacturer directly they say there are no problems and could ship in a week.
I too have been trying to be patient and send emails but getting little to no replies.
I like the idea of supporting vendors here also but will likely just order direct or big suppliers from now or.
As many others on here I own my business and don't jerk people around...period.

[DRJDVM's '69]

My one comment....dont rely on getting ahold of people via email.
If you dont hear back after 2-3 emails.... pick up the phone and call them.... and then keep calling them.
Emails have a tendency to get lost in spam software or looked at with the intention to "reply alittle later today" etc , and then never do.
Use the phone....

[Damn True]

Before you have all of the facts you do have to sometimes take stuff with a grain of salt. I have had issues where a customer was only attempting to contact us electronically via e-mail.... the problem was that from his e-mail was getting caught in my spam filter. Didnt know it for a couple of weeks. I have also had that happen the other way around. There are a couple of things that I do go by before I purchase anything mail order from a company.

1. If they dont accpet a regular credit card and they only accept "paypal" or mailed funds... they can bite me. I wont do business with them.

2. If they only do business via E-mail and you can not talk to a human on a phone.... I wont do business with them

There are too many quality manufacturers and distributors out there today to work with.

Excellent points. I will not do business via PayPal. Even a person to person sale.

[Mark Antrim]

I just got over a same problem.I waited for 7 months for a part that was promised in less than 2 months. I only emailed them once and called twice a week of at least 5 of those months. Always getting the "its still on back order" line,the CFO didn't tell me this when he took my money.Its over now and I have the product. I know now I probably wont do business or refer them to anyone in the future. Customer service is not what it used to be.

[Modo Innovations]

I do have to give props to company's like MuscleRodz, American Autowire, Marquez Design, MODO and a few more that I have ordered parts from. You guys are doing a great job and keep it up.

Thanks for the props. That is nice to hear. I deal with Mike at Musclerodz often and he is a stand up guy.

I am also having trouble getting some parts from a vendor myself (not a vendor on this site) and I can agree it is very frustrating. If someone orders something that I am out of, I tell them this info up front. The customer's credit card does not get charged until I have it in my hands and it is ready to ship.I feel that is the right thing to do.

[bavtech]

Normally I like to walk in and Pay directly but you see so many internet vendors these days do not give you a street address or even have a location. Plus I am busy and it is hard to get away from my office to buy parts. It is much easier for me these days to purchase items from the internet. I bet a few of the forums supporting vendors work a regular job and have a ecommerce site also. It is kind of the nature of ecom and business these days. It is much cheaper to do something out of your house then to pay rent and rent at a location. I understand you have to get a start somewhere but even with that you must learn good business practices.

These days it should not matter if you email, call, or show up. You should be treated the same and those vendors that do this will benefit in the new business world.

Some people need to learn that you have to go above and beyond in customer service no matter what medium your customer prefers to purchase from you.

[Damn True]

This issue and a similar one on another message board (non-car related) piqued my curiosity on the subject of modern e-commerce. So I did a little research and found this:

http://www.dmaresponsibility.org/30DayRule/

and

http://www.dmaresponsibility.org/30DayRule/#5

The short version is that for standard product part #'s, the vendor has 30 days from when the order has been successfully received (as opposed to processed or paid). And responsible vendors typically do not charge for standard part #'s until the order has been processed (i.e. shipped). Custom orders are typically 50% deposit. But again, the clock starts ticking when the order has been successfully received. The rule provides ample leeway--all based around effective communication. Real credit card processors demand that policies be published on websites and catalogs and that policies are in accordance with FTC guidelines. No compliance means no payment gateway approval. So the very presence of published policies is a strong qualifier. Buyers should always look for those policies before placing an order. If the policies are not present, then the vendor is likely to be circumnavigating the process (i.e. paypal.)

Customers should also discuss terms at the time of order. When will it ship? When will I be charged? Even if the terms are not favorable, the customer can request proper terms: "I'm ordering standard part numbers, so I want to be charged when the order ships." If the vendor refuses, there is a good chance that the vendor is relying on each customer's funds to finance each transaction rather than investing in inventory. Dot-com era vs brick & mortar. With credit tight, this problem is on the rise.

[bavtech]

Very good information. I will do more research prior to ordering next time.