Date:         Fri, 25 Jan 2002 21:38:10 -0800
Reply-To:     Brent Christensen <sbsyncro@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brent Christensen <sbsyncro@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Vendor bashing in general
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

About once a year I chime in with this same sentiment, but it seems like it
may be the season...

<rant>

When ordering from a "discount" parts place that does business over the web
and specializes in very niche-oriented products (like vanagon parts) you
have to plan for and expect that your need for instant gratification will
not be fulfilled.  If you want that, order the NY Times Bestseller from
www.amazon.com for cryin' out loud, or go to your local dealer - they can
usually get the part within a few days.

Case in point:  recently, my Syncro started acting up, and I diagnosed a
problem with the O2 sensor.  Dealer had the part for $175 (or something like
that), and the "generic" unit stocked by a list vendor was $39.95.  I
ordered the $39.95 unit from the list vendor and then went back to my
business, expecting the unit to show up within the next couple of weeks.
(This is the key element - I was not in a big hurry and could "afford" the
discount vendor's lead time).

All of a sudden, I got a great opportunity to go out of town.  Not wanting
to risk it with a bad O2 sensor, I decided that I better change it first.
Did I get pissed off at the list vendor because after 5 days my sensor had
not arrived yet?  No, of course not.  I had saved over $120 in exchange for
being flexible.  (see www.priceline.com)   Instead, I made a *choice* -
either not go on my trip, or pay my local mechanic to install a unit that he
had in stock.    Looking at the options, I chose the latter.  Did I resent
the list vendor?  No, because I made a *choice* based on variables that I
knew about *in advance*.  Now I have an extra O2 sensor, but I had a great
road trip.  :-)

It just really bugs me when I hear about other great Vanagon owners (and of
course, we are all great!) getting ticked off becasue so-and-so list vendor
did not ship their widget that same day, or it didn't arrive within
such-and-such time, or one of the items was back-ordered, etc.   Hey folks -
this is the price you "pay" in exchange for the convenience and the
discounted price.  If you can keep that in mind while you hit the "submit"
button, you will all sleep easier and spare the rest of the list from this
sort of diatribe.  Keep in mind that these vendors are small,
entrepreneurial, and lack some of the sophisticated systems for tracking
inventory, accounting, and shipping that the big guys have.  Adjust your
expectations accordingly.  And respect the fact that they are often times
providing a valuable service, but not for altruistic reasons - they are in
business to make money.  (what a concept!)

All that being said, I think it is our collective responsibility to alert
each other to genuinely deceptive or predatory practices (I can think of a
couple vendors of VW parts that fall into this category), incompetent
mechanics, etc.  Outright misrepresentation deserves to be dealt with in
very strict and harsh ways.   The trick lies in finding the balance between
frivolous attacks and genuine warnings.  If you have a business issue with a
vendor, dont use the list as a bully pulpit - deal with it on your own.  If
the vendor refuses to be reasonable, then escalate to someone on the list
whom you trust and ask their opinion of the situation.  You may be surprised
to hear that the misunderstanding can be cleared up quickly by an
unemotional third party...

If you made it this far, thanks for listening.  :-)

</rant>

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus"
Santa Barbara, CA
brent@vanagon.com
sbsyncro@hotmail.com
sbsyncro@cox.net