Summer must be here - and with it, a gentle crop of parts
dis-satisfaction posts. Isn't it worth trying to put all this in
perspective and temper it with a bit of realism? When there was a car
manufacturing plant, the main parts warehouse in Coventry often got
its knickers in a twist and shipped out the wrong parts to its dealers
and national sales companies.
Rimmers (by example and AFAIK) caters for the whole of the Triumph
range, including the many still surviving saloons in all their types
and permutations. It probably has a global market and because of this
is required (through its own supply policies) to provide parts as far
as possible for cars with infinitely variable specifications that
often changed from one year to the next. The inventory in which the
Rimmer brothers have invested considerable sums of money is massive -
as is the warehouse in which it all sits.
The difference is that the factory no longer exists - but Rimmer and
all the others who strive to enable us to keep our cars on the road
are still with us. Equally, all are supplying a continually shrinking
vehicle parc in which some customers (un?)reasonably expect parts
availability and a service satisfaction level comparable - (or
better?) to that offered by the Hondas and Toyotas of this world
today. For heaven's sake, from where do these few malcontents hail?
I agree there may not be microfiche or on-line parts interrogation
facilities as we currently have in most dealer networks but these
facilities were not in existence 30+ years ago - so originality is
being maintained.
Instead, we have to "put up with"
1. Well illustrated parts books in which you can write notes, read
while you're sitting on the "John," work out re-assembly patterns and
compare prices to see who gets your order at the lowest outlay. I have
copies of all Rimmer catalogues and for the most part they are well
laid out and comprehensible to even a congenital idiot. The same
cannot be said for the former parts books from Canley. In some cases,
I think those were written by congenital idiots!
2. We can send and receive email replies to our queries and we all
have the inalienable right to be a complete PIA to the sales order
clerk at the other end if things go pear-shaped.
3. We can spend in our currency knowing the seller will get our
proceeds in his, and at conversion costs which won't force us to eat
cheap food till the next paycheck hits the bank.
4. Eventually, and hopefully without too much delay, the assymetric
doofer bracket with countersunk holes fitted only to low comp
Spitfires for Antarctica in the 67 model year, will arrive. (Yes, Mr.
Massey - you'll remember that was the one with skis instead of
wheels!) OK, it might be the LH bracket rather than the RH we wanted -
but hell, the packer probably had his bad day two days before you
did - and put it in the wrong storage bin. So, instead of sending it
back for a credit, you're told to keep it. A week later (or less) the
one you requested finally arrives.
5. Where things may not have changed all that much is in humankind.
There are still idiots who process our orders, won't read them, don't
understand and/or won't ask and frequently rely on questionably
competent initiatives. The result is a cock-up and one unhappy
customer. That all happened at Standard Triumph as well and was
reflected all the way down the supply chain to the customer in days of
yore, so what's new?
On balance, aren't we still well served? Surely the time to bleat in
unison and get bellicose is when Rimmers and all of their ilk
irretrievably decide to sell up, grab the money and run to retirement
at their leisure. Having devoted their lives to classic car nerds
(even if they do profit from the experience) retirement must surely
come as sweet relief.
Jonmac
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