XTR2Turbo Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thursday morning rant ...... I find it amazing, in this day and age, that I have emailed three UK motorsport companies asking for simple prices and spec (just to note that I am not talking about the Westfield factory who did reply next day) and not one has replied yet after 7 days. I appreciate some may prefer to discuss over the phone but not even a call back (I give my mobile) or a reply suggesting a name and who I should call. But frankly I prefer to have the info in email not a call initially. should be much more efficient alround and I have the facts to compare. Also much of my research is done outside normal working hours. Frankly if they can't be bothered to reply for a sale what confidence does it give you if there were ever any after sales needs. I honestly wonder how they stay in business. /rant over David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 There seems to be a lot of businesses that don't look at their emails regularly. I've always treated email as I treat a phone call. I've sent a web site generated query to Omega Watches and still have not had a response. First one was over a week ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Try sending the email in triplicate and make sure the title references to "sales" or "sale" advice or "price" etc. company's get tons of spam daily so will delete 99.9% of all incoming if the message is not immediatly recognisable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 It is absolutely scary the shear deluge of spam mail we get to our company email addresses, even with expensive filters in place, some gets through; the big worry is of course whether legitamate email is occasionally getting blocked. Plus of course, it has been Autosport week when motorsport suppliers offices tend to be short staffed and often responding to even more queries than normal... If its important, I always phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 They were probably all at the Autosport Show from last Wednesday onwards and are only now starting to catch up back at the office.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreigM Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Its my pet hate as well, due to my work environment its much easier for me to email than call, and I just prefer it - things written down don't get misinterpreted or changed/denied. I had the same problem last week with a well known supplier trying to place a £1500 order for a dry sump and they just disappeared off the face of the planet, with the result that I started to shop around elsewhere. It turns out they were at autosport, but given we had been communicating beforehand they didn't even warn me they would just disappear for the best part of the week and they only just got to me before I ordered elsewhere yesterday. Its bad business to not respond to email - in this day and age that if a customer is serious they will call is a VERY flawed and outdated view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Bernie, my comms was from their enquiry form on their website. Still not had an answer. I'm only asking for the nearest service centre to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterm135 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 If its important, I always phone. Good advice, but.............. make sure you have someone who can at least answer a phone, after a round of emails this week i got some replies, which i followed up by telephone, some of the responses were ****htening! One well known tunning house just picked up the phone and didn't even speak! When eventually they did speak i asked some questions, to which the answers were extremely vague. Considering i was looking to shell out 2k + on bits, i would expect them to have answers to my questions. As usual i ended up going back to SBD, who not only answered the questions but even gave advice, i know who will get my business again and again. Why i even tried to go somewhere else makes me feel the idiot now! Rant over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I know what you mean Peter, mind you, with some of those tuners they're like that when you meet them too, (both Rolling Road and engineering type places), it's usually the older, traditional ones where I've come across it, but for all they're fantastic at their job, I don't know if it's too many year breathing the wrong sort of fumes or what, but they can be, er, characters! Mind you, I work at the fairly specialised end of a fairly specialised field much of the time, and I know plenty of guys like that; their attitude is one of, "I've got plenty of work, I'll always have plenty of work, now stop interrupting me and wasting my time" to anything that comes from outside their normal sort of work catchment area/client base. Very, very, occasionally, when I'm dealing with an awkward customer, I almost envy their couldn't care less approach! The rest of the time I just call them danglers! The thing is though, rightly or wrongly, in some more traditional industries, and the sort of light engineering that older motorsports places used to fall in to falls into that class, they're often very high overhead businesses, (expensive machine tooling etc) and the majority of employees are of the engineer/fitter/machinest type, so they're light on service staff. The computer's something ancient in the office that someone comes in once a week to do the books on almost. In our commercial IT side, we do support work for a few companies like this, the only electronic communication they're happy with is the fax. But the fact is they're damned good at what they do, do. And the business just wouldn't support "an IT whizz" on staff, their words. It's not an excuse for poor service, but then sometimes, I'd rather know that my engine machining was spot on, or that I'd been supplied the bit I really needed, even if it wasn't what I'd mistakenly asked for even though I might not get "instant" service. I order from online shops when that's what I want. Edited, sorry just reread the mini rant, sounds like it was all addressed to Peter, it wasn't. Sorry Peter! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Just as an aside, and I ask this as a genuine question, no sarcy-ness implied or intended, (I'm probably just the wrong generation), I'm curious to know what's now considered "right". To me, if I'm for what ever reason having a conversation with someone and they stopped to take a phone call, then unless it was obviously an emergency, I'd consider them rude. (fair enough checking the phone display etc, or even apologising, answering and saying they'll call back). Certainly that how I try and behave. (talking more about the work environment here). Because of this, if I'm phoning someone, and I have to leave a message, or just get the call dropped, etc. I usually assume the other persons with someone, fair enough, they'll call back, or I'll try later etc. Am I now doing it wrong, should I just be blanking whoever I'm dealing with, and attending to the new call, I see it all the time, so I do start to wonder if this is just the new accepted norm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 pah i dont even reply to phone calls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I look at like this; If I have a customer in front of (on the other side of the counter) and the phone's ringing I answer it as the customer in front of me can hear it but the customer on the other end can't see the person in front of me - phew! If it looks like it's going to be along telecon I will take the callers number and ring back. Likewise, if I bother to publicise an email address I will check it regularly. To me it's the same as a ringing phone - it needs answering asap. A friend of mine has his own pub. No food just a minimum of 36 beers available. I was at the bar supping and talking whilst Eddie served a stranger. The phone was ringing and ringing and ring... ok you get it. The newbie says "the phones ringing" (like we couldn't hear it). Eddie responds with "I know, but I can't sell beer down the phone" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 One reply received As others have said, if you have a flashy website and put an email on there - check it. Otherwise say call this number for enquiries and don't give an email. Likewise if you are at a show for a week get a smart phone and route email to that or set an out of office.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windy Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thursday morning rant ...... I find it amazing, in this day and age, that I have emailed three UK motorsport companies asking for simple prices and spec (just to note that I am not talking about the Westfield factory who did reply next day) and not one has replied yet after 7 days. I appreciate some may prefer to discuss over the phone but not even a call back (I give my mobile) or a reply suggesting a name and who I should call. But frankly I prefer to have the info in email not a call initially. should be much more efficient alround and I have the facts to compare. Also much of my research is done outside normal working hours. Frankly if they can't be bothered to reply for a sale what confidence does it give you if there were ever any after sales needs. I honestly wonder how they stay in business. /rant over David I feel the same too. Part of the problem is I'm too busy at work to make phone calls during office hours, so have to do everything when I'm at home. All the firms are closed then, so email is the only option. And ref the enquiry with engines at Ginetta. They really can't be arsed to reply so they're not going to get them shifted. Lazy companies won't get my business. I think its the general state of industry whilst in a recession you know? What does everyone else think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Graham Yes - Ginetta won't be getting my order. I'm not chasing them anymore either. I don't know the reason. If they don't have the info or are busy how hard is it to send a one line holding statement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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