Author Topic: who woulda guessed.... (Read 17310 times)

Spinalguy · « **Reply #15 on:** February 28, 2009, 01:41:35 PM »

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'.

w squared · « **Reply #16 on:** February 28, 2009, 02:16:32 PM »

Quote from: dunl on February 28, 2009, 11:06:07 AM

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.

dunl · « **Reply #17 on:** February 28, 2009, 03:16:09 PM »

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.

hps4evr · « **Reply #18 on:** February 28, 2009, 05:15:29 PM »

"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.

Fredduck · « **Reply #19 on:** February 28, 2009, 06:52:18 PM »

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.

Bnine · « **Reply #20 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:53:00 PM »

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

hps4evr · « **Reply #21 on:** February 28, 2009, 09:42:24 PM »

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...

RACKMAN · « **Reply #22 on:** February 28, 2009, 10:26:45 PM »

Quote from: Spinalguy on February 28, 2009, 01:41:35 PM

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

Spinalguy · « **Reply #23 on:** February 28, 2009, 10:54:48 PM »

Justin,
That is unacceptable.

Bill,
as always, well stated.

morerpmfred · « **Reply #24 on:** February 28, 2009, 11:20:02 PM »

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.

esi · « **Reply #25 on:** March 01, 2009, 10:51:21 AM »

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.

FullMetalJeep · « **Reply #26 on:** March 01, 2009, 12:15:03 PM »

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!

calltrex · « **Reply #27 on:** March 01, 2009, 11:07:52 PM »

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.

JasonL_031 · « **Reply #28 on:** March 02, 2009, 09:21:38 AM »

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

RACKMAN · « **Reply #29 on:** March 02, 2009, 03:07:43 PM »

Quote from: esi on March 01, 2009, 10:51:21 AM

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

Calgary Jeep Association