Calgary Jeep Association
4x4 Related Groups => General Talk => Topic started by: RACKMAN on February 28, 2009, 12:47:56 AM
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Who woulda guess that it would be this difficult to part with money when I was more than willing too! :o Basically, I'm in the market for 1. Warn or other rock sliders $400-$500. 2. Garvin tire carrier with accessories $1300. 3. OR-Fab or Rockhard sports cage $650ish, fuel and engine/oil skids $400ish, and diff cover armour $200ish. Well, no shops seem to ever carry much inventory and of course it takes weeks to months to bring stuff in. >:( Why is this? I can understand not having a ton of capital tied up in inventory that's not going to move very fast like complete Dynatrac axle assemblies that would retail for $3500.00, but why wouldn't skidplates and rocker guards be plentiful and available??????? I also don't think it's fair that some places require full payment up front to order something that will take the shop 3 weeks to 3 months to get, that's total B.S. >:( >:( I can understand maybe 50% deposit, that would be fair. It sure must be nice to live in the US.... Go down to your local shop and buy what you want and if they don't have it, it's most likely an over night deal. It's 2009, and it seems like the dark ages here in Canada when you want some automotive stuff sometimes!! ::) ::)So I was willing to part with roughly $3000.00, but I completely lost the impulse to buy when everything had to be ordered and would take so long to come. Makes you wonder how many lost sales these business give up, especially those impulse buys that people make. Maybe they should stock less tires and rims and stock more actual parts. Anyways, that's my rant...it's just really fustrating when you are really busy and trying to get ready for the upcoming wheelin' and camping season. If anyone knows where I can get some of the stuff mentioned or you are a fabricator making any of this let me know. I do fab some stuff myself, but I'm just too busy lately, so sometimes it would be nice to just buy the stuff I need and bolt it on. It's all for a 2002 TJ. Thanks.
RACKMAN
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I had the same problem as you last week. I came back to several stores, and it felt like I was begging. I was also told it would take a while for my items to come in. They need a minimum amount of orders from some companies to ship things. More people are getting out of trucks and into quads, so these companies don't want to stock items that will take forever to get rid of. If you own a big diesel truck, and want some 22" chrome rims...they will probably have those! If you are looking for a good fab shop; try one of these:
1. Krossloch Fabrication in Edmonton. Ask for Craig. He has sliders or will make some. (780)-990-4295
2. Brink Fabrications in Sylvan Lake? Eric (403)-304-0024. He can make cages, tire carriers or whatever.
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So why drive somewhere and order it, when you can do so from your home computer for the same amount of delivery time, and also up front payment? :-\
Go see a fabricator and buy local....
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So why drive somewhere and order it, when you can do so from your home computer for the same amount of delivery time, and also up front payment? :-\
Go see a fabricator and buy local....
I'm beginning to see the wisdom here.
I'm still at the beginning of the process of having my front bumper fabbed, but so far I'm really liking what I'm seeing and how I'm being treated.
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I can get you stuff from rusty's;
http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=rustys&Category_Code=tj_skid
http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=rustys&Category_Code=bum
Or maybe some others...
Shipping doesn't take nearly 3 months.
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I was thinking the very same thing however;
In my real life I run a maintenance shop at an airport, most if not all of the equipment is built in the U.S.
So ordering parts involves a long distance phone call, days of waiting or a big expense having it air freighted in.
While building the YJ I searched locally for some hard to find items prior to looking to the U.S. and as expected I found nothing locally.
With the economy in the toilet in the U.S. most online places are offering free shipping...in the U.S. but when you phone them it's not available to Canada.
When you look at prices in the states they actually look pretty good, until you do the exchange, shipping and brokerage.
Unfortunately Canada has given up a lot of their manufacturing to the U.S. and the U.S. has sent their manufacturing off shore.
We need to support our local fabricators, and with that support maybe they could expand their lines to include custom built diffs, roll cage packages and suspension parts.
So the next time your looking for custom pieces or suspension parts look locally first, I know EVO's heims are killer and they are a local supplier... no exchange rate on your dollar.
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If you are interested in OR-Fab give Will a call at North Shore Off Road.
I ordered a sport cage for my TJ from him yesterday for a fair bit less than the number you quoted.
1-866-507-5674
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i think the main point is that it is 2009 and the same old bullshit is still going on. i really hope that some of the people that work in these shops will notice the loss of customers due to lack of in-stock parts. then again, if its been going on for this long, im sure they think that they know better and will continue to offer poor parts supply. waiting any longer then a couple of weeks for parts is rediculous. ive heard the horror stories of parts showing up a year after they were ordered. id feel embarassed if i ran a shop and this is what went on.
within the next 2 years ill be ordering a lot of parts for my own vehicle and it really bums me out that its not a money issue at all, its a supply issue. and its out of my hands.
so, i will give the local guys a chance at my money, but as soon as it looks like too much hassle, im a phone call away from having it direct from the states. a little more money yes, but i get what i want. and that way more important to me.
my rant...
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I can understand not having a lot of stuff on the shelf but having to wait a month for a lift form a major company is kinda dumb. For some reason the shops here are more inclined to cater to the crowd that wants 22" chrome rims and 40" tires, seeing as thats all they seem to stock in abundance. The problem is also the couple of stores in Calgary have the market cornered when the dollar sucks, so its the customer who does the work by finding part numbers and asking nicely to pay $1500 for parts up front.
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I got all excited last night that Kaiser-Willys was offering free shipping....until I saw it was the lower 48 states only.
Just remember too that giving the local shops your money for US produced products means giving the majority of that cash to the US - the tiny profit margin is the only thing your are stimulating our economy with up here. If you want to support the economy, buy Canadian steel, local fabricators, etc....
I don't have a problem with local shops making money, but three months is out of the question for shipping.
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Yeah, I bought the steel for my bumper here in Calgary and anm getting a local guy to fab it, but its hard to find a local fabricator or supplier who can get their hands on rubicon express stuff or build a kit thats on par.
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If you are interested in OR-Fab give Will a call at North Shore Off Road.
I ordered a sport cage for my TJ from him yesterday for a fair bit less than the number you quoted.
1-866-507-5674
I went to their website and their product list doesn't include OR-Fab, but I will call them. Thanks.
RACKMAN
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I can understand not having a lot of stuff on the shelf but having to wait a month for a lift form a major company is kinda dumb. For some reason the shops here are more inclined to cater to the crowd that wants 22" chrome rims and 40" tires, seeing as thats all they seem to stock in abundance. The problem is also the couple of stores in Calgary have the market cornered when the dollar sucks, so its the customer who does the work by finding part numbers and asking nicely to pay $1500 for parts up front.
EXACTLY!!!!! The other day I phoned a LOCAL shop for prices and availability, and was basically told to hurry up and spit it out as there was 3-4 people in line at the desk. Well sorry for trying to spend my money in your shop. I do a lot of research on want parts I think I need, so it's not like I'm a tire kicker wasting the shops time, and they already know that about me and they know I will most likely buy what I'm calling about. But I think after this last few days of B.S. I'm just going to suck it up and pay for shipping from NSOR for EVERYTHING or go to the States and just bite the bullet on exchange, brokerage, etc.....More money.... yes, less fustration and stress.....YES. And as for the shops making only a little on the mark up on parts, that should not be an issue at all....they choose to be in this business...they make their big money on installs and repairs and some products, so they have to take the GOOD with the BAD.....that's life, that's being in business, that's providing the right customer service!!!!!! When I was a young man I worked for a man that owned Canopyland on Barlow trail(now it's called Truck Outfitters I think)....anyways, he definitely subscribed to a different way of thinking....instead of NOT keeping much stock on hand, he COMPLETELY filled his store with truck accessories and the yard with truck canopies. This worked beautifully for his business! When people came in thinking that they were just going to get a price and availability, we would have what they wanted already in stock. He sold so many canopies due to impulse buys that some days, us installers had a line of pick-ups 20 deep for canopy installs. It was unbelievable some days. He retired a VERY rich man. My point is...common items like rock sliders will sell, so why not have a ton on hand???????????????????
RACKMAN
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And as for the shops making only a little on the mark up on parts, that should not be an issue at all....they choose to be in this business...they make their big money on installs and repairs and some products, so they have to take the GOOD with the BAD.....that's life, that's being in business, that's providing the right customer service!!!!!!
Just to clarify, my point wasn't about how little the profit is compared to what you actually pay. It was more of which economy that little part goes to, and where the larger part of the total price goes. ;)
But you're right....low overhead is one thing, but out of stock for months is crazy. What other business would we accept three months shipping from?
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This is so true
and the support is horrible. I bought a alternator at a shop SO this was in sept that it blew up and i took it there to get warrenty on it, i still dont have my alternator.
they tell me it because of the shop in the states they are waiting for them to ship them one. Now im sorry but if u sell a product you should stand behind it.
i THOUGH that they would exchange it/ give me one untill the new one got here/ nope sorry sir .
not only am i never spending another dime in said un-named store if there is someway to buy locally or get some of the guys on here to fab my parts DONE, i don't care if it cost me a litte more to do it
rather put money in canadian pockets who will stand behind their work .
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i agree.
It does suck that we the consumer wait so long to get products in.
i do not understand this at all.
Why can i order from the USA and get it quicker than a well established shop here doing the same thing?
i do understand not stocking products on the shelves. i would hope that 'common product wants' are stocked at all times.
Lift kits would be tough as there are so many choices.
Shocks...tough
etc.
But the amount of wait time is unacceptable. i am in 100% agreement.
newfie,
i too had some problems. i spoke with the owner and we remedied the situation to MY satisfaction.
Maybe speak with him in person?
We don't need to bring more drama to this thread. For every bad story there are 10 good stories at EVERY business.
Rackman,
Good Luck. Maybe Bill (bnine) can help you out with ordering from Northridge 4x4. David (owner) is 'the man'.
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But you're right....low overhead is one thing, but out of stock for months is crazy. What other business would we accept three months shipping from?
The answer to that question is....
Anything that has a small and loyal group of enthusiasts. Firearms, for example. Months of waiting is par for the course when it comes to anything other than the most pedestrian hunting firearms. If you're into target shooting or IPSC/IDPA type shooting, prepare to wait for long periods of time for the pleasure of paying too much.
Because there are only a few businesses that service these small groups, they know that there is a limited number of places that enthusiasts can spend their money.
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There's another point too....for every one customer that complains, there are 10 who don't.
Make sure you go to the owner and give them a chance to make things right like Tom has said.....if it continues, too bad for them.
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"for every bad story there are 10 good ones." "for every one customer who complains there are ten who dont." good and bad stories spread by word of mouth. personally, from now on if someone asks me which shop(s) to deal with, i will suggest a shop, and a person to see directly. im tired of lying to people that are new to the sport and want an honest truth. i know some shops get suggested because they are "friendly" to the cJA. and i think thats why there are so many on here that are frustrated. because they were told to go here or there by people who know whats going on.
anyways, good luck to those that need it. do your research on the products, but even more so on the shop you buy those products from.
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Retail is a tough business no doubt about it, it is the poor counter person that gets the wrath of the customer.
And the retailer is at the mercy of the manufacturer, don't beat up the parts guys, they didn't make the parts.
If the retailer you bought it from doesn't stand behind what they sell, let everyone know and move on...Lesson learned.
It won't take long for the dead beat retailer to close their doors.
Product quality across the board has bottomed out,wheather it's aftermarket or OEM.
I had to take back 3 rebuilt master cylinders before I got one that didn't leak out of the rear seal, I DIDN'T GET THE GOOD STUFF and I won't again.
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The simple truth is that jeep hobbiest dont pay the bills for these shops. We are cheap, we know our products, we know more then the guys at the counters and most importantly, we are a small part of the industry.
There is way more money in hosoing rig hands for rig rockets then there is haggling with jeepers.
Thats why they dont stock our stuff, and thats why they dont go out of their way to help us out.
We just arent that important.
If I ever hit the lotto, Im opening a jeep shop stocked to the nuts. No 1 tons, no rancho, no superlift, no upselling, and no 6 month waits.
But dont hold your breath, I dont even buy lotto tickets :):)
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thanks Bill for saying what some of us were thinking. and its the sad truth.
Bill, if you open this shop, you would have skyjacker parts though right? lol! there are jeep specific shops in onterrible, so that may be where we need to look. its canadian enough. they do sell american made products, we cant avoid that. NAFTA does help on shipping issues from the states. avoiding the cheap offshore products is really what we all need to do.
do the other brand loyal guys have issues with parts shops? ie: toyota folks? i know a bunch of guys that run yotas and samurais, they all have a lot of options these days and dont seem to have many problems getting parts from the states, or candian shops. maybe im on the outside looking in... maybe i need a toyota...
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i agree.
It does suck that we the consumer wait so long to get products in.
i do not understand this at all.
Why can i order from the USA and get it quicker than a well established shop here doing the same thing?
i do understand not stocking products on the shelves. i would hope that 'common product wants' are stocked at all times.
Lift kits would be tough as there are so many choices.
Shocks...tough
etc.
But the amount of wait time is unacceptable. i am in 100% agreement.
newfie,
i too had some problems. i spoke with the owner and we remedied the situation to MY satisfaction.
Maybe speak with him in person?
We don't need to bring more drama to this thread. For every bad story there are 10 good stories at EVERY business.
Rackman,
Good Luck. Maybe Bill (bnine) can help you out with ordering from Northridge 4x4. David (owner) is 'the man'.
Thanks Tom, I'm getting my new gears and diffs installed by bnine in early April...I will talk to him then. And let me state once again that I realize that shops can't tie up all their capital in all kinds of parts or products....but come on....skid plates and rocker guards...very necessary and well within the disposable income levels of most people with a decent job. And once again....demanding 100% payment upfront for something that will take 1,2, or 3 months to get, is absolutely unacceptable.
RACKMAN
RACKMAN
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Justin,
That is unacceptable.
Bill,
as always, well stated.
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Lots of pros and cons here. Went to buy winch bumper here $1250. Ordered on line and delivered to the door for $550. delivery time was 7 days versus the high price and three months. Lift kit was from nsor in van and here to the door the next day and was only about $150 higher then from the manufacturer and about $500 cheaper then from local. Tires and rims bought local, nobody from the big 4x4 shops could come close to price. Gears and lockers where $2800 from gear centre but bought of Internet for less then half with shipping and exchange and here in 9 days. Odds and end like sye where all purchased local as it was cheaper here and most of the little stuff was in stock. As a person building on a budget it is necessary to shop around , And Yes it would be nice to purchase everything from one place but some of the prices and wait times where out to lunch. I,m still waiting for some performance parts ordered and paid for in Aug from a local performance shop. If some of the stuff was close in price I would have bought local, if there service was good I would have bought local And there are no pimp my ride accessories crap on my jeep nor is it a rig rocket.
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I sell lift kits and accessorries. The problem with having lots of parts on hand is money. It doesn't take a pile very big to cost 20K. I used to order products without a deposit if it was common, but after having to sit on stuff too long, I started requiring 100% deposit. Most products only take a week to get in. RE is a direct to seller company that doesn't use distributors and sellers want to put a minimum order in so they don't get stuck with added frieght charges. I could start to stock a lot more but then I'd have to charge what you would pay at National or Modern. Its a trade off pay less upfront and wait a week or pay more. It saves some people from impulse buys on crap that they don't need.
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in the next couple of years, I will open a just for jeeps shop. but you jerks better come to me! all the way out in cochrane, yes yes, now rant about the drive.. play 25 cent Packman while you wait!
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I make my own stuff or order from US.
I wouldnt waste my time with the 2 offroad shops here. never have what u want anyways.
ordered special u joints once and about 9 months later still didnt get them. not that i waited for them... but got them from the US in a week or less.
I wanted to see how long it would take. They never did get them.. Good thing i never had to pay up front for them.
I just order my stuff from the US and thats it. get my stuff in a week if that. dont care if i have to pay duty. I want the stuff now not in a month or more.
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yea i got fed up with taking over 2 weeks to get something from the shops in calgary so i started to order from quadratech in the states most of the time it takes just over a week and they almost always have stock
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I sell lift kits and accessorries. The problem with having lots of parts on hand is money. It doesn't take a pile very big to cost 20K. I used to order products without a deposit if it was common, but after having to sit on stuff too long, I started requiring 100% deposit. Most products only take a week to get in. RE is a direct to seller company that doesn't use distributors and sellers want to put a minimum order in so they don't get stuck with added frieght charges. I could start to stock a lot more but then I'd have to charge what you would pay at National or Modern. Its a trade off pay less upfront and wait a week or pay more. It saves some people from impulse buys on crap that they don't need.
100% deposit is totally unacceptable. Explain to me how 50% deposit is a bad thing....let's say i came in and ordered a product worth $1200.00. I gave you $600.00 as a deposit. You get the product in. So I either come in with the other $600.00 or YOU(the shop) gets to keep the $600.00 and the product which you can then resell!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems like really good business to me. The only exception, would be if the product is very rare or strange. And if you didn't want to sit on it, I'm sure the restocking fee and shipping fee wouldn't total $600.00. 100% deposit is total B.S. no matter what anyone says. >:( >:( >:( >:(
RACKMAN
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100% deposit is totally unacceptable. Explain to me how 50% deposit is a bad thing....let's say i came in and ordered a product worth $1200.00. I gave you $600.00 as a deposit. You get the product in. So I either come in with the other $600.00 or YOU(the shop) gets to keep the $600.00 and the product which you can then resell!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems like really good business to me. The only exception, would be if the product is very rare or strange. And if you didn't want to sit on it, I'm sure the restocking fee and shipping fee wouldn't total $600.00. 100% deposit is total B.S. no matter what anyone says. >:( >:( >:( >:(
RACKMAN
If you come in and leave 50% deposit, you don't come and get it for a month, I resell it for the outstanding balance and usually at cost no mark up just to get rid of it quickly so that I'm not stuck on anything, Most products are marked up between 10 and 15% Theres not much room for screwing around with backed out on products. If its seems like BS to you then by all means start a numbered company, come up with around $15 000 for a buy in for each distributor that you want to buy from, then find a shop, drop some more money on tire equipment tools maybe a lift, welder and plasma cutter, and start a jeep shop that stocks everything and make everything and see how much time you have to be wondering if that guy is come and get the stuff that is half payed for that could take 8 months to sell. Sending products back to US distributors is a pain in the azz. Your going to pay for the product in the end whats the big deal with paying once. Its different when you look at it from a different perspective.
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#1. Why would you have to sell the product for only the outstanding balance? You would resell it for the full price and keep the original deposit! WIN, WIN, in my opinion!
#2.Paying full price upfront for something that comes in a reasonal amount of time ,like a week or 2 is NO PROBLEM! Paying 100% upfront and waiting for weeks or months IS B.S.!!!
#3. Mopac in Calgary can order stuff with 70% deposit(still too much in my opinion), why can't you?
#4. Hey....it's no big deal anyway to me anymore....if local shops(big or small) want to do business like this, I will just spend every dime through direct ordering in the US.
#5. I don't have to open a shop to prove my point about having stock ON HAND being good for business...as I stated, when I was younger I worked for a man at Canopyland who got very rich because he knew the value of a well stocked business.
RACKMAN
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Mopac has been around a little longer than I have and has a little more capital than I do, Product comes in 1 week usually not 3 months if its going to take that long I wait till the distributor has it before ordering it. Do you get to pay for the products from the US when they get to your door? I sell the back out of products for the remaining price so that if you come in and start complaining after you decide that you finally do want it, Its gone and you helped someone else buy it, I didn't make make your deposit back and pocket it.Its honest and works out for customers, would you complain if you got somethibg for half price
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Mopac has been around a little longer than I have and has a little more capital than I do, Product comes in 1 week usually not 3 months if its going to take that long I wait till the distributor has it before ordering it. Do you get to pay for the products from the US when they get to your door?
ONCE AGAIN.......IF YOU CAN GET ME PARTS IN ONE WEEK, I HAVE NO ISSUE PAYING UPFRONT....JUST LIKE ORDERING FROM THE STATES.
RACKMAN
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Restocking fees are in place for a reason. There is no need for 100% down before receiving the part. Sounds to me like they are broke. When I did order a lot from the local shops a few years back, I never put more then 50% down.
Northridge has never taken my money until the order has shipped.
He has sat on orders of nearly 20,000$ for 2-3 months, while waiting for the last of the stuff to trickle in.
Relationship is everything when it comes to mass ordering, but for the most part, Dave does that for everyone on a smaller scale.
Remember, we are Canadians. The nice guys.
The shops here would not last a month if they were located in the states. The customers there are just a bit more demanding.
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Wow guys, this is a good read!
I get calls emails everyday for quotes on stuff. Mostly custom, and if I am not in the hospital almost dead(some will know that joke!) then custom builds on things like sliderz, bumperz, skid plates etc is within a few weeks, as I need the cash, and the max deposit I will take is %50 depending on materials. But, projects that are new designs or complex custom, may take longer. I do admit that custom rocks as one offs, but multiples are where the money is. I will build twenty sets of sliderz over a week, if there is concrete orders. But, when I only have two or three orders, I will only build a few extra sets. Steel is expensive, consumables add up, and overhead builds up pretty quick! So the hard part is getting the word out that you are about to build a run of TJ sliderz, and make everyone happy with top quality and good price point. I am not retail, i am just a fabricator, so of coarse things are different. But, stocking anything and sitting on it will kill ya. So I am not making any comments to anybody, or about any shops (retail) or any othe fabricators for that matter! I am just saying how it is for me. You want to make everyone happy, but it doesnt work out easily. I want to be unique custom, but at the same time, you need to pump the multiples to justify. My last point is said not with the hopes of pimping shiite, but the truth; I buy local, as much as possible, whatever possible! Canadians are top quality manufacturers, suppliers and our money should stay here. Just my opinion though...
Cheers
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The problem with trying to buy canadian is the lack of demand, no RnD, and simply the lack of folks doing the work.
Canada has no poly performance, spidertrax, ballistic, blue torch, or currie equivelant.
For years Clayton and evo has been the closest thing, and while I support clayton a lot, as do others here, he doesnt have what a lot of the US companies offer either.
Even if you were buying local, you are just paying for some one to UPS a part to their shop (from the states) and graciously double the price for you................
Rubicon express uses springs built at standens. Guess what, standens wont sell you springs.
Now that the sport is spreading, and more people up north are getting into custom work, more options are opening up.
Until now, there simply was not any options from local retailers.
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More bad news for us consumers.....I posted earlier about Mopac requiring 70% deposit(as compared to other shops demanding 100%), but as of this week, they have changed their policy....now 100% deposit is required! Man, I really don't understand this crap. Why is this not a 2 way street between retailers and consumers????? Their should be some sort of recourse for us if a product that you put 100% deposit doesn't come in when the shop said itwould. For instance....if the product is late 1 week you get 5% discount, 2 weeks late.... 10%, and so on.....but no...it's pay me 100% right now and it comes when it comes. And if shops are going to demand 100% upfront, they should be offering us 2 weeks or less to get the product in.
RACKMAN
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As a potential supplier, I can get most off road jeep parts and I don't pay shipping so neither do you. My biggest problem is that I can't compete with internet prices, summit, jegs, etc. buy sooooooo much stuff that they are selling at similar price to what I'm buying at. When I first started my business I tried selling all this stuff, I spent too much time looking up parts for too little money, wasn't worth it. I can't compete with ebay. What I can do is order parts for my friends and myself with no shipping charges and the peace of mind that you get when you order and pay locally instead of giving your credit card number over the phone. I can do this for you too, just email me your part number and what it is and I can look up a price for you, takes two minutes. As far as deposits go, sure, I need a deposit to keep you interested in your parts until they get here, 3-5 days. How much? Well, enough to keep you interested.
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i wish northshore offroad would open a branch in calgary. it sure seems to me that everytime i have ordered something they have it or are getting it tomorrow. i have never waited longer than 5 days to get an order. some definetly bigger than others. i do have a toyota and they sell trailgear stuff which i think is decent stuff. i have spend thousands over the years as many have and i know i would never want to go back to a certain shop in town here and see the owner doing nothing and acting like a big shot telling me he will get me whatever i need no problem. then i say ok lets do it up and i get 2 months or sorry they don't even make that anymore. too bad for you the tires took 3 months to get oh well. not even a sorry. how embarressing for him that he can't even get simple things as fast as i can on my computer from texas. northshore is canadian and they are great to deal with. front lift leafs cost under $300 and $25 shipping canadian. 3-5 days to your door. that's how you run a business. i don't think its a canadian or american thing i think its an attitude thing. owners thinking they are the sh#t because they own the shop and only caring about diesels and 20's. i can't afford to shop in calgary, sorry. i think calgary needs a change, maybe a couple new shops. jeep only, lots in stock. toyota and samuria lots in stock. no rig rocket crap and limited tires in stock. i would pay 100% up front for tires if it was max 2 weeks away. but rock sliders better be in stock. i am sick of greedy people, you know i am going to need new tires again and i would tell my friends and you know i am going to break the part i just bought or a different one why are you screwing me on the silly stuff. why would i go back?
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Am I just getting old, or are some of these posts without spaces, breaks and capitals extemely hard on the eyes to read?
Anyway, I thought I'd add an experience from this past summer. After nationals big sale in July I think it was, I realized I needed to replace my tree saver as mine was slightly frayed. Went in one week later and was told they had some coming in again right away. No big deal to me. I mentioned I'd be back to get one at that time. Went back 2 weeks later and they still hadn't received any. I also stated to them that they are loosing business as little as that was and were forcing me to go stateside if they didn't come quicker because I wanted it for the holiday I was about to go on.
I checked back two months later, still no tree savers in. Remember this is a tree saver, not some specialty piece that only fits one year and type of rig. Lately my philosophy is to check with both our Calgary local shops and North Shore Off Road for the parts. If it isn't in stock at those three places, then I order it from Quadratec from the south. Went home ordered one from Quadratec and had it up here with other parts in under 1 week.
The trouble is, National only has one brokerage company they deal with apparently. Something I was told 1 1/2 years ago. That brokerage company is in the east, as the east National is closer to the crossing than Calgary so everything ends up getting shipped east. Picked up when they do thier run, then needs to be shipped west for the customer. Limited jeep parts.
Modern I'm guessing may only have the items shipped from distributors when the order is big enough to justify shipping costs. Modern does have the biggest supply of jeep parts in stock though.
North Shore Off Road I believe have them shipped very quickly and they are located close enough to the border to make a run there much quicker so the product arrives quicker even if they don't have it in stock.
So figure it out from there as to why things take forever to arrive here. Maybe they'll change that with the B.C. store open now. Who knows.
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I use the same distributor as national, and because of the Canadian warehouse(more of an office with people answering phones) being located in the east shipments come out of Pexter Pensylvania, minimum orders to cover shipping is around six hundred and take 5-7 business days to arrive. There are quite a few jeep parts, just not some of the more extreme companies.
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More bad news for us consumers.....I posted earlier about Mopac requiring 70% deposit(as compared to other shops demanding 100%), but as of this week, they have changed their policy....now 100% deposit is required! Man, I really don't understand this crap. Why is this not a 2 way street between retailers and consumers????? Their should be some sort of recourse for us if a product that you put 100% deposit doesn't come in when the shop said itwould. For instance....if the product is late 1 week you get 5% discount, 2 weeks late.... 10%, and so on.....but no...it's pay me 100% right now and it comes when it comes. And if shops are going to demand 100% upfront, they should be offering us 2 weeks or less to get the product in.
RACKMAN
Sounds like the recession is taking its hold on everyone. I was able to order custom from Mopac last year for 50% down.
Even still, at least Mopac never has more then a 10 day turn around, unless something is back ordered and out of their control.
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. i think calgary needs a change, maybe a couple new shops. jeep only, lots in stock. toyota and samuria lots in stock. no rig rocket crap and limited tires in stock. i would pay 100% up front for tires if it was max 2 weeks away. but rock sliders better be in stock. i am sick of greedy people, you know i am going to need new tires again and i would tell my friends and you know i am going to break the part i just bought or a different one why are you screwing me on the silly stuff. why would i go back?
Calgary needs to change in a whole bunch of ways. DON"T get me started lol
just a funny sidenote on the 100% down thingy. last time i put down money (75%) on a set of tires at a certain place in Calgary i was given 100% guarantee they would be in in two weeks. they were................... and promptly sold to someone else. made me angry cause i had paid for them. on a side note i was taken care of and problems were resolved and i was refunded my money. i appreciated that....
SECOND problem with whole scenario. After being fumed off at not having a set of swampers, I took 1200$ out of my little cash stash and went on a shopping spree.... i was getting a set of 35s..............
2 offroad shops and 3 tire shops later I was still tireless.35x12.50r15 mud terrains were apparently not worth stocking at tire shops... but could be gotten in 'a week' i said i need them tomorrow, my jeeps on jackstands...........
i eventually calmed down and found a set of used meats for a good deal but man was in 'impulse buy' mode.......... good thing nobody stocks anything.
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as for stocking normal none special orders like sliders and bumpers skids and things the most people want even those who dont realy offroad there jeeps
the local shops just dont seem to care about the little jeepers out here
its all about the big rig rockets
it would be nice for the local fab guys to step up and say look plan on making some sliders who wants lets get a big number together and fab them
boom everyones happy
the local shops cant even carry little things like throtle body spacers for a inline 6 but theyll have full intake systems for F350's and 44 inch rubber
and 500 dollar bead lock rims that no one that will EVER buy .
i do have to say if you go in wanting to buy something they will go through there little stock and try to sell you anything they have . but then you walk out wondering why the hell do you have something you didnt need .
and ebay is faster and cheaper then the local shops. no reason to go to the local shops unless u really need something .. but chances are THEY DONT HAVE IT
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Somehow North shore can have the exact same part to my door in 3 weeks that a certain store told me would be at least a month to the shop. Where I can come to pick it up. According to the same shop I dont really need hub-centric spacers since it doesnt matter and even though Im willing to pay for them I cant get the ones I want. I'll happily pay the extra $20 from North Shore.
KL Fab, do you have any pics of sliders or a ZJ?
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Fras, heres a few pics, some more free advertising for Craig ;) haha. they work good. i did the 'jump' test and they held strong. and ran into a few rocks too. works well.
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s37/johnnyzj/006.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s37/johnnyzj/004.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s37/johnnyzj/flexin.jpg)
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Thanks Johnny.
Thread jacked! Sorry guys. back on topic! ;)
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This is a very interesting thread - especially in light of the fact that over on the US JK site, Northridge 4X4 has indicated that they intend to open a warehouse in Canada in the next two to three months.
Among the US JK owners on that site, there's a LOT of people singing the praises of Northridge. Not that they're cheaper than the next guy, but that they ship promptly, treat people well, and will invest time with a Jeeper that calls in figuring out what they want for their rig.
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too me that sounds like good customer service! and people go to northridge for that exact reason.
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So all those who are unhappy with the local shops, maybe we should all e-mail northridge and let them know we are looking for a new supplier in canada.
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I think that they're already on the way.
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Wow, so it's not just me ???
I went into one of the shops to get pricing on a lift, sure, I didn't plan on ordering one that day but I needed to know how much to save up. Buddy threw a catalog at me to look over, not much help at all, never did get the pricing I wanted. I've never had good luck with advice and such from that place. Needless to say I've never shopped there.
On the other hand the 'other' place was patient with me, gave me some really good advice (tried talking me out of swapping my D35 for something else and they were probably right, I'd probably never have broke it) and has always got me pricing albiet sometimes it takes a little while. It goes a long way, the service, even though things may take a little bit longer to show when ordered. I'll always call them up first and ask them what they've got before thinking of going else where. But if I can get what I want on-line for substantially cheaper I'll do that too. It's nice not having to deal with shipping and being home when the stuff shows (the ups store is way too far from gome), besides both shops are close to work.
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Sounds like the first place was National. They did that to me too. Asked me what I was driving... I replied "a Jeep". "Catalogues are over there, and we have some Jeep stuff over here". And that was all buddy said to me. So, I snagged some magazines, and up the hill I went.
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^^ What they said ^^
When I was in the initial stages of shopping for a bumper (and just in the beginning stages of figuring out where I want to go in terms of mods) , I started at that place at the bottom of the hill. I told the guy behind the counter that I'd seen the Warn rock crawler bumper and liked it. So what did he do? He rolled his eyes as if I was fool, and told me that I wanted a $1600 Fab Fours bumper...and that I really wouldn't be happy with anything else.
While my subsequent stops by there have not been as bad, I've never felt that anyone there is all that interested in selling my something for my Jeep.
You may have to wait a while before you ge the chance to talk to someone up the hill, but when you do, they are eager to spend some time with you and answer your questions...to the extent of showing you product that is in for other customers to explain WHY a lift from brand X would be better suited to your uses that brand Y. If you've got questions that they can't answer off the top of their head, they'll go looking for that answer for you...and if they have a REALLY hard time finding it, and you're thinking that they're forgotten all about it, they'll call you back a month later when they finally get that answer, because they haven't forgotten you.
Maybe that's just my experience, and maybe that's just the guy that's helped me out a couple of times. I have yet to spend big dollars there - most of my purchases there so far have been things that they already have in stock (tow straps, shackles, reciever mount for shackles). That hasn't changed the fact that I get treated like I matter.
If I can get a reasonably competitive price from them and they can get the product in a reasonable amount of time, that's where I'll buy. I'm not going to quibble on a 5-10% difference in price if paying that premium will get me that kind of service.
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I thought I would chime in on this, again.
I have had some sound advise and the good fortune to get the parts I wanted.
This came from Modern Motors and Drew. 8)
They did have most of what I wanted and what they didn't have I went a differnt direction.
The choice to not stock parts rests squarely on managements shoulders,
The decision not to treat customers with respect is also managements responsibilty.
They need to get good counter people.
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I've been dying to chime in on this! I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I was at the " place down the hill" recently. I was the second customer they had when they first opened the place, years ago. I've spent a lot of money there before. The staff know me well. This is my first xj , and had a lot of parts to buy. The guy behind the counter told me, " We don't have anything for you" I asked how come? He said," NOBODY BUILDS JEEPS ANYMORE! " I got a shoulder shrug, and that was that.
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Northridge wharehouse will be in calgary in a few months or so....
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Their warehouse for Canada is going to be in Calgary??
If that's the case.... ;D ;D
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not 100% sure its in calgary
Dave from northridge told me Alberta
i cant see it being in Edmonton and I dought Lethbridge
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Well my order to North Shore went in today. Apparently it is possible to stock JKS disco's and spidertrax wheel spacers. The guys I dealt with took them off the shelf today to wait until my lift and shocks get there in 3 weeks, to my house 2 days after they have them. Only 50% up front!!! I wont post the deal I got, but there is now NO reason for me to shop in Calgary
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Northridge wharehouse will be in calgary in a few months or so....
GOOD DEAL as long as the prices are fair and in Canuck bucks. It's about time someone tapped into a frustrated consumer market.
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this has to be the best rage rant ever
too bad we couldn't print it off and send it too the "shop at the bottom of the hill"
see if it would sink into ther heads that ALOT of boys are not happy at all
STILL WAITING FOR MY ALTERNATOR TO BE FIXED ON WARRENTY UP TOO 6 MONTHS NOW
>:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
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GOOD DEAL as long as the prices are fair and in Canuck bucks. It's about time someone tapped into a frustrated consumer market.
Unless something out of the ordinary happens, I would expect prices to be lower, but not incredibly so....there needs to be more competition for that to happen.
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Well my order to North Shore went in today. Apparently it is possible to stock JKS disco's and spidertrax wheel spacers. The guys I dealt with took them off the shelf today to wait until my lift and shocks get there in 3 weeks, to my house 2 days after they have them. Only 50% up front!!! I wont post the deal I got, but there is now NO reason for me to shop in Calgary
Yup, I've had nothing but good service from North Shore since I heard about them. If they suspect a long wait they even recommended I order direct through the states instead of making me sit and wait for them to get it.
Friday morning I ordered a set of tires from them and they just rolled to my front door at 9:30 this morning (Monday) already. I'll add they were also $105 PER TIRE cheaper than a phone call to National on Thursday afternoon.
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anybody else excited about northridge is coming to canada in 2 months or so :-[ :-[
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From what I've noticed on their web site months ago, I'm not at all excited about them coming up here. From what I saw at that time they only go back as far as YJ. If you don't go back further than that then you may as well go down with Chrysler. ;)
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From what I've noticed on their web site months ago, I'm not at all excited about them coming up here. From what I saw at that time they only go back as far as YJ. If you don't go back further than that then you may as well go down with Chrysler. ;)
I've gotten lots of cj stuff from him, he just doesnt list as the demand is low :)
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do they just deal with jeep parts? anything else like dana 60 stuff or other aftermarket transfer case?
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I just deleted a big rant I wrote and would like to remind our members how good national 4wd has been to our club. How many door prizes have they donated in the last couple of years? I have lost count. They have supported our club for many years now.
They are in business to make money, if they thought there was money to be made stocking more jeep parts, they would. I've ordered parts from both modern and national, I know it is going to take longer than they say, something always comes up. I am sure for the most part they do their best.
Sure, sometimes the some of the staff at these stores have some attitude, but after a couple of visits you figure out who to talk too and who to ignore. The economy is changing a little, I imagine you are going to see businesses wanting your money make some changes in the way they do business.
It will be good when Northridge comes to Alberta, hopefully they will have a retail outlet not just mail order, i heard that they were looking at Ponoka, seems kind of strange to me, Red deer makes more sense you would think. I will gladly drive for an hour or two to pick up parts I know are in stock. If my rig is down because I need parts now pricing is secondary.
I would be fine with a 100% downpayment as long as is fully refundable if they don't live up to their delivery time (they won't do that of course). When someone takes your money guarantee's delivery in two weeks then two or three months later you are still waiting, that is totally unacceptable. And that's the only negative thing i will say about local stores.
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I just deleted a big rant I wrote and would like to remind our members how good national 4wd has been to our club. How many door prizes have they donated in the last couple of years? I have lost count. They have supported our club for many years now.
They are in business to make money, if they thought there was money to be made stocking more jeep parts, they would. I've ordered parts from both modern and national, I know it is going to take longer than they say, something always comes up. I am sure for the most part they do their best.
Sure, sometimes the some of the staff at these stores have some attitude, but after a couple of visits you figure out who to talk too and who to ignore. The economy is changing a little, I imagine you are going to see businesses wanting your money make some changes in the way they do business.
It will be good when Northridge comes to Alberta, hopefully they will have a retail outlet not just mail order, i heard that they were looking at Ponoka, seems kind of strange to me, Red deer makes more sense you would think. I will gladly drive for an hour or two to pick up parts I know are in stock. If my rig is down because I need parts now pricing is secondary.
I would be fine with a 100% downpayment as long as is fully refundable if they don't live up to their delivery time (they won't do that of course). When someone takes your money guarantee's delivery in two weeks then two or three months later you are still waiting, that is totally unacceptable. And that's the only negative thing i will say about local stores.
Doorprizes are good, as is support for a club. But you hit the nail on the head when you said that they're in business to make money. They wouldn't have donated those door prizes if they didn't think that it was sound to do over the long term. They made an "investment" in club, looking for a "return" of increased business from the club members. The door prizes are like buying flowers for your date - it'll win you lots of Brownie points, but you can lose all the ground that you just gained if you start acting like a jerk.
Throughout the times I've been into the shop that seems to be in question here, they have yet to give me a good reason to go back. The reasons that I would be loyal to a business are price, availability, being locally owned, and providing good service.
1. Their markup means that unless I get truly HOSED on shipping, it's cheaper to by from a US place. Not always by much, but there's certainly no cost benefit to shopping there.
2. Their in-stock selection is minimal, and the wait times are longer than ordering directly from the US.
3. I think that they're locally owned, so that's one count in their favour.
4. Service. Well, not only have I been given the cold shoulder, but when one of my co-workers went in to look at a set of new wheels for his Dodge 1 ton, they treated him so poorly that he turned on his heel and walked out - vowing not to return.
If they were to get their act together, provide good service, and decrease the wait times (or require less than a 100% deposit), I'd be willing to shop there. Not under the current circumstances. I'll keep ordering my stuff on line, or go up the hill to talk with Drew. Even if he can't always get me the pricing that I'd like to see, or may end up not being to get parts in as fast, he has always invested his time in treating me right.
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I agree with that as well, but I do have one question. Why does it take longer for a big company like National to get a part in than it takes to get it from a US company like Quadratech or IRO? Also saying that shipping time is "probably around a month" isnt really any kind of guaranteed, not when you are dealing with an order worth close to $2000.
I would have no problem with 100% deposit if it gave me some protection as well, instead of the dealer having both my money and parts. Say i give the dealer $1000 for parts, 2 months go by and nothing yet. I have ZERO recourse against them since I cant stop payment on my CC and Im pretty sure they would be fairly hesitant to refund money on a part that is probably gonna come in sometime down the road. Now if i put 50% down on parts and they are not here in 2 months I can maybe reorder or the dealer will be more motivated to locate the items or try harder to fix the problem since they might be stuck with a product on which they are out money.
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no the problem is that we are such a little corner of the market and the boys at the bottom of the hill don't care
they dont care if our parts take months to get here cause there figure there are only two shops in town and they can do as the please cause there isn't alot of place we can turn too
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i still us ebay
if im going to wait and have to pay shipping and put down 100% then ebay is still cheaper and i dont even have to leave my house .
so untill the store down the hill can start getting there stuff together then i wont be spending much money there
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Modern has always treated me well and either has had the parts I need in stock or got them in within 2 weeks for me. The staff are also friendly and helpful. That being said when it came time to buy my lift I ordered direct from the states and save about $700 vs ordering from either of the local stores.
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no the problem is that we are such a little corner of the market and the boys at the bottom of the hill don't care
they dont care if our parts take months to get here cause there figure there are only two shops in town and they can do as the please cause there isn't alot of place we can turn too
There are other local sellers of products, and the owners of the shops are in it for profit, its not a hobby for them, typically a new 1 ton that wants a full set up will bring cost around 10K plus and the $400-500 tires that last 30k when not rotated mean quick return customers. I'm not saying its right, but stocking is the owners ultimate descision. Staff can relay to the owner that there are alot of jeep inquiries and nothing in stock. If anyone remembers this post and is looking for products send me a PM with your model and what you're looking for and I'll get you a quote, some products I can quote within an hour or so some will take a phone call during business hours, most of the time I can get american equivilant pricing and save you the shipping and the duty. Try me and see what I can do for you.
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I'll bite.
Pm me pricing for 10 Forged Currie Johnny joints. 2.5", 9/16" bolt hole, 1.25" Right hand threaded shank.
Thanks