Online parts vs local.Story with a rant.

[Chris142]

I know everyone wants to save money. I get it. As many of you know I work at a small 2 person radiator shop in the state that hates small businesses. Our prices reflect what it takes for us to keep the doors open.

Joe buys a radiator online. He pays $50 for it shipped to his door. It's cheap because it's generally lower quality or does not include the necessary adaptors for the oil and trans cooling lines.

So Joe ends up at my shop looking for the adaptors. I have them. They cost me $12 each. He needs 4 of them. I have to mark them up some. So I add $6 to each one for a total of $72+tax.

Suddenly Joe thinks I am ripping him off. I'm not the online store but he seems to think that we are all in cahoots.

Why does Joe think that I should give them to him?

If he had bought the radiator from me I would have made sure that he had all the necessary parts even if it meant I had to give him some.



Anyway that's my rant for the day.

 

[wings&wheels]

Be glad you are still around..... The excellent local radiator shop closed up; unfriendly state to a "dirty" business and good enough parts (for most folks) are only a click away. Pity. I first went there to get a Triumph rad recored. He sourced a core that looked perfect but attached to the tanks slightly differently, so he cut a brass ribbon and soldered it to the edge of the upper tank to look just like the original. Cheapest option? No...Worth it? Absolutely...

I hear you and agree. My hats off to you and the friends of mine that own their own shops...i learned long ago that I wasn't cut out for retail in any way.

 

[Onetor]

Ignorance on his part. Doesn't understand economics. You get what you pay for! That is what I have learned after grey hair and balding. Not your job to educate him either. He will learn or maybe not?

 

[JC1]

Chris,

A lot of people don't know what quality means. They are shopping on price.

Unfortunately you have to deal with all types.

 

[Kira]

If I bought a base item (naked radiator) and could walk into a shop and buy the hardware I needed to make it complete (the 4 adapters) I'd be very happy.

I can conceive of a radiator guy (you) not even talking to the fellow.

What would your company's tab have been for the radiators you sell with said hardware?

 

[ragtoplvr]

I do not try to be nice anymore. I would have just said you need to go to where you bought it, you are their customer. My source for the radiators included the adapters. I do not have any to sell you. If you want to become my customer then my cost is XXX, you WILL have adapters and if you need anything else I will be glad to help you.

 

[forkian]

You (ragtoplvr) think you can treat them like that and gain new customers?

You want to charge more and have terrible customer service skills.

You will be closing up shop in no time. lol

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by Kira
If I bought a base item (naked radiator) and could walk into a shop and buy the hardware I needed to make it complete (the 4 adapters) I'd be very happy.

I can conceive of a radiator guy (you) not even talking to the fellow.

What would your company's tab have been for the radiators you sell with said hardware?

My retail price would be around $140 for our cheaper line tha'ts still very good. I/we wont sell known junk brands. And if he has a warranty problem I'm here to handle it today. Not a few days while shipping the defective back and the replacement shipped out.

Again I have to mark stuff up to stay open.

 

[bullwinkle]

Wish you were around here, there's very few shops left that can handle a passenger/light truck recore any more. Not that most radiators aren't aluminum/plastic junk now anyway, disposable garbage, like most of the vehicles they're mounted on (my rant for the day)!

 

[ragtoplvr]

going on 11 years but we are wholesale only. [censored] one guy off today trying to return another companies parts in our box. I simply told him and showed him why it was not my part. This is a very common occurrence anymore. They want the defect back then they pay the shipping. So many trying to get something for nothing. last month had someone that bought retail wanted to return the part to us, and expected the price he paid retail. I simply explained to him he is not our customer, he is theirs. We use distribution to deal with the customers. He need to return it to them. Then I called his distributor. Turns out there is more to the story. You can be fair. You can not be a pushover.

 

[dave1251]

Keep fighting the good fight. Stay around as long as you can.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by JC1
Chris,

A lot of people don't know what quality means. They are shopping on price.

Unfortunately you have to deal with all types.


That is so true especially in the USA where the never ending crusade for cheap goods is driving quality down all the time.
Americans in particular (not all of course) have come to accept atrocious quality and workmanship as the norm.

 

[Hall]

I buy online and locally but I don't expect the local folks to match or beat online prices. When I pay local prices, I realize there are 'benefits' that are worth it to me.

For "Joe", I would have set them in front of him and told him "these are what you need" and stood firm. Have to ask, did he buy them ?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
I buy online and locally but I don't expect the local folks to match or beat online prices. When I pay local prices, I realize there are 'benefits' that are worth it to me.

For "Joe", I would have set them in front of him and told him "these are what you need" and stood firm. Have to ask, did he buy them ?

No he didn't buy them.

 

[hatt]

Joe will buy them tomorrow.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted by Trav
Originally Posted by JC1
Chris,

A lot of people don't know what quality means. They are shopping on price.

Unfortunately you have to deal with all types.


That is so true especially in the USA where the never ending crusade for cheap goods is driving quality down all the time.
Americans in particular (not all of course) have come to accept atrocious quality and workmanship as the norm.

Buying a trusted brand and selling junk under that brand is a tried and true method to make money.

 

[AZjeff]

Had my own small retail business for 17 years and was in exactly Chris' spot more than once , just change the hardware to camera stuff. Nothing you can do, unfortunately one person can sour your day.

Truth is there are way more people looking for the lowest price oil filters at Rock Auto or $1/qt oil on closeout that there are willing to let a local guy or business make a living. Awe man, don't get me started.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Had my own small retail business for 17 years and was in exactly Chris' spot more than once , just change the hardware to camera stuff. Nothing you can do, unfortunately one person can sour your day.

Truth is there are way more people looking for the lowest price oil filters at Rock Auto or $1/qt oil on closeout that there are willing to let a local guy or business make a living. Awe man, don't get me started.


Did you sell your camera business.... or did it go out of business ?

I agree that the cheap idiots try and get _____ for what a small mom & pop business pays cost. You have to profit on everything to stay in business.

I'm also in the repair business but luckily the cost of all parts are negotiated corporate to corporate so we can only lower our labor time to help the butt hurt customer.

As long as they sign my iPad all is good.

 

[Andrew1972]

I'd encourage the customer to mail order if they are not happy with the price.

 

[doitmyself]

I think that I used to be a "bit" like Chris describes "Joe" when I was young (not anymore). As a DIYer, I wish there was a better middle ground between us and the trades people. Costs to hire a trades repair person does seem exorbitant, but I do understand the excessive costs to operate a business.

I guess one solution for these instances is to use it as an educational opportunity. Explain your quality control. Explain that you sometimes pay more wholesale than what we can order online. Explain that you have overhead costs to maintain parts, skills, labor, insurance, etc.. Do this in some manner that doesn't alienate the potential customer, but makes them want to go to you for warranted excellent work. An easy situation to armchair quarterback - difficult to actually succeed. Cheapskates will be cheapskates.