Chad and Ariane Jester wrote:
>
> Having stopped to visit the Vicky Brit showroom in person just a couple of
>weeks
> ago, I can say this attitude still exits. Vicky Brit is my last resort when
>it
> comes to parts. Unless you know what you want, the (never seen a british car)
> order taker on the other end is absolutely no help at all. I have also been
>to
> the TRf showroom....what a pleasant experience! I am happy to spend a few $$
> more for the excellent service and tech support I get from TRF.
>
> If Leo would get his s**t together, Vicky Brit could be a powerhouse but as
>they
> say, attitude is everything.
Curious as it is, I still need a catalog from which to order parts, and
in three years of trying, I have been unable to get a catalog from TRF
related to GT6. They expect me to have their number, or the original
StanPart number ready and waiting for them when I call. If I don't have
an original parts list, and don't have their catalog, I can't bloody
well order parts, can I? At least Vicky Brit sends me a complete catalog
each quarter.
I even bought $50 worth of parts from them at the `97 VTR in the hopes
of getting on a mailing list for their publications--all I have received
to date from them is a winter sale catalog which lists only a
description and their part number, which, for identification purposes,
is useless to me.
Truthfully, I run a department which, with only a couple of people,
produces illustrated parts catalogs for 20-30,000 part numbers a year,
with specialized books for many customers each year (analogous to
specific models and a variety of options... whereas automotive suppliers
must deal with fifteen or twenty options per model, I have to represent
several thousand options which vary according to model--three different
models--in twelve different size/width combinations, eleven different
engine/transmission combinations to document, etc.). If I can do it for
those demands, with virtually no staff, why can't TRF send me a 50-page
catalog of parts which haven't changed in 30 years? (!) These guys may
be great, but I have no way of knowing (well, yes, I do--they sold me
Spitfire u-joints with grease fittings--a great advantage--except that
the grease fittings were too long, and the joint bound up on the fitting
when installed--the only way to grease the joints is to install a short
Zerk for use, remove it and install the long Zerk when the joint must be
greased, grease the joint, remove the long Zerk, and then install the
short one again). No big advantage, and no instructions provided to that
end.
TRF has got its own share of bullshit--it's just a different kind than
Vicky Brit's, just as Moss' is different from the others, as is Rimmers,
etc. But, anyone who doesn't have the brains to advertise what they have
(i.e., TRF) doesn't want to stay in business. It doesn't matter what it
is--parts for the lawnmower, the milling machine, the toaster--if
there's no parts list available, one is shit out of luck--TRF believes,
frankly, that they are at an advantage if the buyer is shit out of luck.
I say screw `em. If I can't look in a catalog, identify the model and
part required, find the appropriate number, call them up and say, "I
want this," the company is wasting my time. I can probably make the part
faster than I can wasting time messing around with them. (!)
A lot of people here think highly of TRF, and perhaps their customer
service is pretty good, for people who are unsure of what they need, or
want. However, if they won't send me a catalog, I can't order from
them.... That's basic business, which Charles seems to think he can
side-step. That's why I will continue to buy from Vicky Brit, less out
of choice than necessity... I know how to read a parts catalog, to
discern application, and pick the right part, as long as I have the
information in front of me I need. I have that with Vicky Brit. I don't
have that with TRF. (!) Moreover, I have made one mistake in ordering
from Vicky Brit, and asked if I could return the part for an exchange,
to which they immediately agreed, even though it was my mistake. I only
paid shipping--I could have, as have some people with other vendors,
eaten the $40 cost.
Y'know, I don't give a shit if the guy selling me parts likes the cars,
understands them, or wants them in his garage. If he can provide them to
me in short order at a competitive price, I have what I need.
Truthfully, I don't care if the guy selling the part really likes the
car--what counts is that _I_ like the car. That he doesn't does not
diminish either my interest or his ability to provide a part I need.
A lot of people in this hobby want to talk about the cars with
someone... so what if Vicky Brit doesn't have people there to talk...?
If one is uncertain and wants to talk, there's always TRF.
Look, let's be plain--some people here think there's a loyalty test
required to sell parts for these cars... nah, ain't so. They are _all_
in it to make money. Some do it better than others, and some, who don't
do better, think they can engender the belief in purchasers that they
are better at the trade than others because they _care_.... That's
bullshit. TRF sells Taiwanese-made parts of suspicious quality at
top-dollar prices. You and others may pay that top-dollar price because
you can't get the part elsewhere.... Where's the love of the marque in
that? All these guys want to make a profit, and they should for the
effort. The hoopla should be disregarded. <smile>
Cheers, Chad.
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