www.iFourWinns.com

Nice guy for even giving that dealer another chance.

If you had already paid them, I understand. If you hadn't paid them, why did you give them another chance?

A dealer who lies to me... strings me along... and then says "it'll be here this week". Seems like the kind of dealer that you'd like to see going out of business.

You wonder why people call them "stealers" sometimes.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Only reason I am giving them one more chance is the fact that they are like a mile from my house. Next closest dealer is about 100 miles away.

_________________
1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

From the proximity, I'm guessing Skipper Bud's. I always wondered about their customer service. Grand Sports is a FW dealer just south of the border. They are pretty good, and on parts that ship from FW, they will arrange for direct ship - FW straight to you.

_________________
2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

Yes Skipper Buds. Next time I need something I will be calling someone else for sure.

_________________
1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

Four Winns should have not given that info out, if any of my vendors gave my order status out to a customer that would be thier last order.

_________________

Why should a vendor not give a product status out?

That's got to be the craziest thing I've heard this week so far.

If you cut off a vendor because they gave a backorder status out - you're going to run out of products to sell pretty darn fast.

I'd like to hear more on that theory.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

My vendor should only release that info to me the buyer, not the end user. It would be like a bank giving me your balance if I called and asked.

_________________

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that.

Frankly, your bank example is way off base. We not talking about personal information, we're talking about a trailer jack.

A supplier has multiple outlets for sending their product. How do you think the supplier would feel if you (the outlet) decided to screw customers around for 2 months and not distribute their product? If I were the supplier, I'd probably fire you as one of my outlet distributors.

As the supplier, I want as much of my product out the door and in the market as possible. If I have a stale/dead outlet - why would I want to keep that relationship going?

I see how the seller/business owner would be pissed that the customer went over their head, but then - maybe you have a justifiable reason for screwing a customer around for 2 months which caused them to go over your head? Is there a good reason for that? Maybe a cash flow issue, bankruptcy, or something else due to horrendous service?

Bottom line - consumer has the power. Unless a business (supplier, vendor, or anything) wants to go out of business - the focus should be service.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

I must agree.

_________________
1998 Baja Boss 252 7.4L MPI Bravo 1 (SOLD)
2007 FW H200SS 5.0GXI (Sold)
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew 6.0L (tow vehicle)
1991 FW 170 Freedom 4.3L (SOLD)

The vendors customer is the dealer. If the vendor wants the headaches of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, open a retail outlet. Their communication should be with their customer, the dealer. I agree about being pissed if the vendor was giving info to my customers. What if I am playing a profit gain and can get the item from another distributor for a better wholesale cost? Bad B2B practice here.

_________________
2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP

That is such an "old business" style.

Thanks to the advent of technology, these B2B games are over for businesses. The forums we use every day - the sharing of details, information, experiences -- all of it becomes exposed.

Bottom line... someone was getting screwed around by their local dealer. He called BS and called the manufacturer. Since when is that a problem?

If you want that business model, then buy a Chaparral who won't tell you anything except "check with your dealer".

I guess I forgot to mention our local Chaparral dealer is about to go under as well.

Businesses need to re-focus their business model, styles, and strategy to adapt to the changing market conditions. Pricing varies so much that ideally - it will drive everyone to be more competitive. That leaves "service" as a differentiating value that a dealer has to offer.

the whole B2B stuff is also very ambiguous. I understand that. Different dealers pay different prices for the same items - based on quantity, backend specials, etc.

All the guy wanted to know was if the product was on backorder?

What's the big deal here?

Oh wait - maybe he should have just waited. And waited. And waited.

As for playing a profit game - trying to make more margin -- the LEAST you could have done is tell the customer - and not jack them around for 2 months.

Shame on you for the profit game at the expense of the customer. That's poor business practices.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

FYI - I mean no personal targeting on my statements. My use of "you" is purely pointed at the dealer/business referenced in these discussions.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

B2B is not a way of the past, its stronger then ever due to imports. The big box stores have fouled the consumer with all this "straight from factory" ads thats BS. The reason a manufacturer should not give status of a company order to an end user, is the manufacturers may have a minimum order that the dealer is holding orders to meet or maybe the end users check hasnt cleared. Bottom line is a manufacturer only has the right to give info out to the person that holds the account, if they want to cut the dealer out let them try to open up shop in every major city in the county. Im not saying this dealer has any reason that the part has not been ordered for 2 months, I am saying Four Winns should not give private information out about a dealer to consumers.

_________________

I think we're all on the same page.

I especially agree with this point (as being very connected to small business)

"The reason a manufacturer should not give status of a company order to an end user, is the manufacturers may have a minimum order that the dealer is holding orders to meet or maybe the end users check hasnt cleared."



My biggest issue is that I don't care who/what/how/when - but there is NO excuse for wasting 2 months of a customer's time before fulfilling an order. At the very least, the dealer should have been honest about their intentions. Or, I do understand that there could have been a mixup/mistake/paperwork got lost, etc. But since the customer checked in fairly regularly - I would have expected the store to identify and correct any mistakes.

Let's consider this one closed and just hope the guy gets his trailer jack in a timely fashion.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

YOU talking to me!!!! YOU YOU YOU

Bottom line I think we all agree on is the customer service here sucked. Dealer should have had much better communication to the end customer.

_________________
2001 Horizon 260 - 7.4 Volvo GSI DP