Good quote there Barls, gotta laugh at the fact that so many people seem to know what they want and how to do it, but are most likely to afraid to get off thier ass and do something about it.
If it's so easy to run an online VW shop, put your money where your mouth is.......heck, I'll even be a part of it if someone wants to help.....
justkampers ·
here here i agree with Barls its very hard to start any business wether it be a shop front or internet based venture,
but also this back and forth talking is good to get the msg thru to the business owners to make them try and smooth all the creases out but whinging gets no one anywhere be pro active and voicing it properly gets you alot further
barls ·
cheers guys, its good to be quoted for good reasons for once.
ian.mezz ·
We have a small 2 person shop and we may get 5 calls a day wanting work done now 🤪,I say sorry but I can book you a time.
if they need it done rite away maybe try K MART auto as they have lots of staff. People don't understand that they have to book jobs in as we normally have work booked in a week in advance. Cause if I was waiting around every day for a job to come in I wouldnt have a business.😊
silver ·
While I agree in principle to Barls quote,
there is also the point that you don't have to be a chef to know that your steak is burnt
I am sure it is not easy to run a parts store but maybe there is room for improvement and all criticism/feedback is good surely.....
P.S do people still say "Heck"
annosL ·
heck yeah!
vassy66T1 ·
You don't own your business ... your business owns you!!
No it's not humorous 🙄
ian.mezz ·
most of the vw guys I buy my parts off, here and overseas are only small shops with a few staff and I know there is only so much a few people can do.😊
Even McDonald's drive Thur have parking bays to wait for your order🤪😂🤪
grumble ·
ian.mezz wrote:We have a small 2 person shop and we may get 5 calls a day wanting work done now 🤪,I say sorry but I can book you a time.
if they need it done rite away maybe try K MART auto as they have lots of staff. People don't understand that they have to book jobs in as we normally have work booked in a week in advance. Cause if I was waiting around every day for a job to come in I wouldnt have a business.😊
I ran my workshop ran the same as yours Ian,I booked the jobs in and built up a good loyal customer base who were willing to book in a week or two in advance it ran successfully.My parts suppliers looked after me because we didn't mess them about,if one didn't have a part in stock they would tell me and I could then get it elsewhere.
I have sold the business and I do not miss the hours or the paperwork or the taxation dept.😂
vw54 ·
and some people ask all the time why they dont get someone on the phone instantly
and then u have to answer the questions then u get the line ill get back 2 u
HappyDaze ·
What some customers do is think that people in business are stupid........BIG MISTAKE.
If if you are fair and reasonable - and not some smart-arse , who thinks he [or she] can 'screw' everyone, and get away with it - you will more than likely be well treated. Who in their right mind would miss-treat a customer like that.
Having spent almost 50 years in business [now retired, thank goodness], I have come across a few customers who were a 'pain in the arse'. I'll tell you this - the 'nice' people got the best treatment.👍
Cheers, Greg
Paulc1964au ·
Having never run or owned a business i am sure it is very difficult, however i think feedback no matter positive or corrective is always good.
As a customer i have no problems in having to book in or wait what really gets up my goat is being bullshitted too about delivery times etc. If a service provider is honest with the customer then most will appreciate it
HappyDaze ·
You are absolutely spot-on, Paul - it's a two way street. Fortunately, competition will take care of 'bad' businesses, and [hopefully] they wont last long.
matberry ·
Spot on guy's, always two sides to every story and honesty will always win out.
Let's face it, these aircooled wonders aren't getting any yonger, so every repair takes as long as it takes to get the job done to a standard that everyone (owner and repairer) is happy with......ahhh....a perfect world where every job goes to plan 😂😂
edit: and lets not forget most owners/workshop customers aren't stupid either. (most)
mactaylor ·
the funny thing about any business is that even though you own it you still have a boss, it is every single person who gives you there custom. without customers,`there is no business!
HappyDaze ·
It's amazing how many people think that having your own business is a breeze. Years ago, when I worked at home, a friend said "gee you're lucky, working at home". My reply was "I don't really work at home - I live at work!"😠
matberry ·
Ha.....and I thought working for yourself was one big holiday 🙂
liam66 ·
There's two sides to every story...Most complaints I've seen on here are about emails not getting answered in a timely fasion.
I've started, developed, run and sold three niche market business that sucessfully dominated their fields ( old and rare wine, hardcore 4wd parts and custom publishing)
The nature of niche 'leisure' businesses ( where customers are largely supporting a hobby or pastime) means that customers never think they are wasting your time, they're 'researching' particularly with emails- then noses get out of joint when their expectations aren't met. They're prepared to say and ask things by email they wouldn't in person.
As a niche motoring business the vast majority of emails you get don't result in sales- trust me- the major groups are:
-stupid open ended questions that would take 20 paragraphs to answer correctly ( think 'I want to get a VW, what can I do with it? what will it cost? Will I like it?)
- requests for remote diagnoses of funny noises, wobbles and squeaks- real or imagined. Follow up emails will reveal it was nothing to do with it. You will need to follow up and memorize all these to not offend the owners.
- guys who've shopped elsewhere but want technical backup/ soloutions from the 'rip off' supplier now that their bargain doesnt solve their problem. they will justify their need for a discount by saying "but I'm already out of pocket'
- assclowns who didn't listen to you, bought the wrong parts and now want you to make it work.
-people who demand you share the hard earned technical knowledge that you use to make a living.
-Poorly thought out , poorly presented requests for sponsorship.
-Requests for technical diagrams, specs and YOUR SUPPLIERS CONTACT DETAILS!!!( yes really)
-complaints that you didn't use their car for product development
- approaches from people who want YOUR help, to replicate or trade off YOUR business, but dont have any money, so YOU"LL have to give them credit.
- demands from uninfleuntial members of tiny clubs/websites/events that no one has ever heard of, demanding you look after them so they can use their awesome power to promote you.
-hundreds of expessions of interest in starting group buys- they'll rarely acheive anything except wasting everyones time.
- generous permission to supply parts at no charge/ free to the most awesome world changing high profile project in the history of the world ( that will never see the light of day and probably sold off in parts for a profit)
- longwinded invitations to get entangled in pointless internet dick swinging competitions with guys who live in their mothers spare room.
-requests for all the parts to replace everything- but you must itemize it because allthough I claim I'll be your best and biggest customer ever- I'm actually a tightarse building a chunka.
- many emails that basically say- yes, whille I agree that is the best/only/cheapest way to get the desired result I dont want to spend that much...but I demand the best outcome and wish to waste your time.
- letters that pretty much say- I'm on school holidays and want to waste your time...
- letters that pretty much say- I dont have one of these cars, I'm just fantasising and need to know every detail
- Guys who just cant believe that you wont develop a custom part just on the basis that he and a few of his internet buddies would buy one in the future ( when they get a job)
- Despite spending a fortune carefully crafting a state of the art, super secure online store , you'll get orders by email including credit card details because "it's safer"
-Trade guys who want you to send detailed catalogues for parts they'll never order- (they want you to give them a discount , tech support and credit so they can have your retail customers)
- demands for detailed spreadsheets of part numbers/ costs etc so some clown can trash your products on ebay.
- Emails from people who want to know stuff that is plainly spelled out on your website- or who dont like it and think that rephrasing questions will get different answers.
- emails discussing problems with work that was taken elsewhere.
- People who think your psychic- "can I fit it myself' , "how long will it take', "will I like it?"
-Scams, rippoffs and chancers.
All these emails take time to deal with and most of the senders wouldn't ask the same face to face.
But if you dont answer them, they'll slag you off to all and sundry, tell everyone how they could do so much better and return each and every email in a nano second. They'll 'knowingly' inform everyone you're making outragous markups and conveniently forget workers comp, duties, taxes, rent , wages and THE COST OF ANSWERING STUPID EMAILS in their calculations.
Think I'll have a beer after that rant...
barls ·
i think you deserve one after that rant.
well summed up though.
HappyDaze ·
I'm tuckered out, just from reading that, liam66. Will it help me? Could you make it a bit more to the point?
Seriously, I wish every customer, everywhere, would read that - but I know most wouldn't bother. Brilliant.👍
Have another beer!
vwsteve ·
at the end of the day people can be really annoying to other people, thats why i like animals😂
liam66 ·
Hi Happy days, I think you know my father in law- Rick Senior?
He's got the 302 powered clubman that Gear races at wakefield. He's now building a VW powered rear engined racer with an 1835 I donated. Should be a good thing.
HappyDaze ·
Sure do! Ask Rick about the time he tried to electrocute me. Hope he doesn't want the bonnet louvred on the new car.😂
vlad01 ·
vwsteve wrote:at the end of the day people can be really annoying to other people, thats why i like animals😂
+1
grumble ·
liam66 wrote:There's two sides to every story...Most complaints I've seen on here are about emails not getting answered in a timely fasion.
I've started, developed, run and sold three niche market business that sucessfully dominated their fields ( old and rare wine, hardcore 4wd parts and custom publishing)
The nature of niche 'leisure' businesses ( where customers are largely supporting a hobby or pastime) means that customers never think they are wasting your time, they're 'researching' particularly with emails- then noses get out of joint when their expectations aren't met. They're prepared to say and ask things by email they wouldn't in person.
As a niche motoring business the vast majority of emails you get don't result in sales- trust me- the major groups are:
-stupid open ended questions that would take 20 paragraphs to answer correctly ( think 'I want to get a VW, what can I do with it? what will it cost? Will I like it?)
- requests for remote diagnoses of funny noises, wobbles and squeaks- real or imagined. Follow up emails will reveal it was nothing to do with it. You will need to follow up and memorize all these to not offend the owners.
- guys who've shopped elsewhere but want technical backup/ soloutions from the 'rip off' supplier now that their bargain doesnt solve their problem. they will justify their need for a discount by saying "but I'm already out of pocket'
- assclowns who didn't listen to you, bought the wrong parts and now want you to make it work.
-people who demand you share the hard earned technical knowledge that you use to make a living.
-Poorly thought out , poorly presented requests for sponsorship.
-Requests for technical diagrams, specs and YOUR SUPPLIERS CONTACT DETAILS!!!( yes really)
-complaints that you didn't use their car for product development
- approaches from people who want YOUR help, to replicate or trade off YOUR business, but dont have any money, so YOU"LL have to give them credit.
- demands from uninfleuntial members of tiny clubs/websites/events that no one has ever heard of, demanding you look after them so they can use their awesome power to promote you.
-hundreds of expessions of interest in starting group buys- they'll rarely acheive anything except wasting everyones time.
- generous permission to supply parts at no charge/ free to the most awesome world changing high profile project in the history of the world ( that will never see the light of day and probably sold off in parts for a profit)
- longwinded invitations to get entangled in pointless internet dick swinging competitions with guys who live in their mothers spare room.
-requests for all the parts to replace everything- but you must itemize it because allthough I claim I'll be your best and biggest customer ever- I'm actually a tightarse building a chunka.
- many emails that basically say- yes, whille I agree that is the best/only/cheapest way to get the desired result I dont want to spend that much...but I demand the best outcome and wish to waste your time.
- letters that pretty much say- I'm on school holidays and want to waste your time...
- letters that pretty much say- I dont have one of these cars, I'm just fantasising and need to know every detail
- Guys who just cant believe that you wont develop a custom part just on the basis that he and a few of his internet buddies would buy one in the future ( when they get a job)
- Despite spending a fortune carefully crafting a state of the art, super secure online store , you'll get orders by email including credit card details because "it's safer"
-Trade guys who want you to send detailed catalogues for parts they'll never order- (they want you to give them a discount , tech support and credit so they can have your retail customers)
- demands for detailed spreadsheets of part numbers/ costs etc so some clown can trash your products on ebay.
- Emails from people who want to know stuff that is plainly spelled out on your website- or who dont like it and think that rephrasing questions will get different answers.
- emails discussing problems with work that was taken elsewhere.
- People who think your psychic- "can I fit it myself' , "how long will it take', "will I like it?"
-Scams, rippoffs and chancers.
All these emails take time to deal with and most of the senders wouldn't ask the same face to face.
But if you dont answer them, they'll slag you off to all and sundry, tell everyone how they could do so much better and return each and every email in a nano second. They'll 'knowingly' inform everyone you're making outragous markups and conveniently forget workers comp, duties, taxes, rent , wages and THE COST OF ANSWERING STUPID EMAILS in their calculations.
Think I'll have a beer after that rant...
Mate that is a bloody good wrap up of the buying public and in the spirit of "happy days "gees it's good to be retired and not have to put up with the crap of wanton people,although I do miss some of my regulars (particularly those who used to bring beer).Well said Barls Cheers Les
matberry ·
HappyDaze wrote:I'm tuckered out, just from reading that, liam66. Will it help me? Could you make it a bit more to the point?
Seriously, I wish every customer, everywhere, would read that - but I know most wouldn't bother. Brilliant.👍
Have another beer!
Fantastic post Liam66
Greg is so right....I wish every customer, everywhere, would read that - but I know most wouldn't bother.
x2
Pete ·
x3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
polak ·
HappyDaze wrote:What some customers do is think that people in business are stupid........BIG MISTAKE.
If if you are fair and reasonable - and not some smart-arse , who thinks he [or she] can 'screw' everyone, and get away with it - you will more than likely be well treated. Who in their right mind would miss-treat a customer like that.
Having spent almost 50 years in business [now retired, thank goodness], I have come across a few customers who were a 'pain in the arse'. I'll tell you this - the 'nice' people got the best treatment.👍
Cheers, Greg
love and agree the last comment Greg 😂
polak ·
too many comments to quote, and i think there is no point writing my opinion as many other have already expressed it for me 😂 spot on guys :P
zjm ·
I used to work in the parts industry and we did a bit of mail order .One day a bloke rang me up abusing me because he found out his mate got better prices than he did and he demanded to know why
so I tolld him that his mate wasnt a rude arrogant cock !!
His manners improved sharply as did his prices eventually
vwo60 ·
As it has been said , there is two side's to everything, it's quite simple, i have had two successfull business's, i sold one and closed the other, I now make far more money working off shore as a senior mechanical tech as either one of the business's could provide, we all have a choice including the business owners above, i have been treated with contemp by one famous vw business in Brisbane after they had my money and would not honour there work, i now make the choice to purchase all my parts from over sea's and do the work myself.
mactaylor ·
both parties need to be fair and civil, the business needs to treat there client as a regular, the client needs to respect the fact that all businesses need to make a profit.
matberry ·
It's funny that you say that*edit..post above been deleted*, only a few days ago a retailer often mentioned on this forum and I chatted about a similar thread on here, where the retailers were getting nailed for not offering a click and go pricing and order service online. That conversation led us to agree on the fact that although the customer thinks they know what they want, the retailer not only has better things to do than handle a never ending stream of returned goods, but also they have a better product knowledge of the parts in stock, not whether they are in stock, but often a choice of quality and price is available and the pro's and con's need to be weighed up. The opertunity for this can only be on a more personal level, so we both felt the online system is good for average household items of hot up stuff that is basic and idiot proof or TV's and toasters, but for the real nuts and bolts of a vintage Volkswagen, a little advise and expertise can go along way......Soooooo point is.......I rarely get the wrong stuff from George and I deal with him nearly weekly (yes I do get through on the phone too), BUT, I know what to ask and hopefully get what I want every time from every supplier I deal with.
barls ·
abusive post removed by me. 1st warning about this next one the whole thread goes till i can be cleaned.
lets keep this on topic people and not a shit fight about who does what.
Pumba ·
matberry wrote:It's funny that you say that*edit..post above been deleted*, only a few days ago a retailer often mentioned on this forum and I chatted about a similar thread on here, where the retailers were getting nailed for not offering a click and go pricing and order service online. That conversation led us to agree on the fact that although the customer thinks they know what they want, the retailer not only has better things to do than handle a never ending stream of returned goods, but also they have a better product knowledge of the parts in stock, not whether they are in stock, but often a choice of quality and price is available and the pro's and con's need to be weighed up. The opertunity for this can only be on a more personal level, so we both felt the online system is good for average household items of hot up stuff that is basic and idiot proof or TV's and toasters, but for the real nuts and bolts of a vintage Volkswagen, a little advise and expertise can go along way......Soooooo point is.......I rarely get the wrong stuff from George and I deal with him nearly weekly (yes I do get through on the phone too), BUT, I know what to ask and hopefully get what I want every time from every supplier I deal with.
My problem here is sending part back monday(postage now owes me as much as the part)being told i will receive part by friday,no part shows up,and i dont think its aussie post thats the problem??? now i cant fix my beetle🙅
cheers shane.
matberry ·
Yep, I understand this totally, that's why I don't guarantee what is out of my control. I have a case similar but about 10 times worse. I have some parts on order from the states effecting about 3 different jobs (other peoples VW's). The order was emailed pre Christmas, well between being hit with credit card fraud, then my card not working with the company I placed the order with, dealing with the bank to try and rectify that...3 times to no avail, then transferring my order to a sister company, then they had to wait for all the parts to fill my order as some were out of stock.......EVENTUALLY the order has been sent...last friday....still not here but it's on the way.......hopefully, some 9 weeks later. Point is, a; if I promised my clients a completion date I would be a liar, b; getting the right parts is OFTEN difficult, c; usually people try thier best. 🙂
Oh, and d; have a shed big enough for many VW's to drive and work on. 😂😂😂
Pumba ·
matberry wrote:Yep, I understand this totally, that's why I don't guarantee what is out of my control. I have a case similar but about 10 times worse. I have some parts on order from the states effecting about 3 different jobs (other peoples VW's). The order was emailed pre Christmas, well between being hit with credit card fraud, then my card not working with the company I placed the order with, dealing with the bank to try and rectify that...3 times to no avail, then transferring my order to a sister company, then they had to wait for all the parts to fill my order as some were out of stock.......EVENTUALLY the order has been sent...last friday....still not here but it's on the way.......hopefully, some 9 weeks later. Point is, a; if I promised my clients a completion date I would be a liar, b; getting the right parts is OFTEN difficult, c; usually people try thier best. 🙂
Oh, and d; have a shed big enough for many VW's to drive and work on. 😂😂😂
Makes my problem seem small😂
mactaylor ·
yep the chain of supply can be a nasty mistress, i work in an industry with liquidator damages so we have to be certain of supply and it has cost me thousands over the years waiting for "INSTOCK" items, my advice to readers of this thread is to build a good relationship with a good supplier and stick with them even if it costs you a bit more!