Thread: WHEN WILL PARTS SUPPLIERS LEARN

Originally Posted by Mr Whippy

Going back 10 plus years, if you wanted a price for something you would ring the company and most times would get an answer there and then. More often than not nowadays they take your number and ring back.

This can be very annoying at times, and they often don't get back to me for a few hours.

We are constantly waiting days sometimes. I am really not very patient in this situation and if I get too busy in the workshop to ring THEM back ity just ends up not getting done until later I find myself having to apologise to customers etc on a regular basis which should really not be happening

JC

I won't even deal with a company that has a website with just a number and the usual "call for more information". There must be some sort of an Australian business website template they all use: 1) Put company name up here, 2) Put company phone number down here. 3) Done!

I have done a lot of emailing and phoning in the past and maybe half got back to me. They're on a blacklist if they can't even manage that.

But recently I bought some engine parts from Precision International, (and I had only heard of them recently through this forum), and I found and bought everything online in about twenty minutes, and the order turned up about a week later. Perfect!

Originally Posted by garrycol

Ordered online from the US - the delivered price is less than half the aussie price and will be here by about next Wednesday.

Garry

Received tracking details last night - items despatched and in the hands of the UPS within 3 hours of the online order.

Yonks ago I was in the queue to pay at a large wrecking yard, one of those where you get one of their greaseballs to remove the part and you take it to the gate where the owner held court and took the money. The guy ahead of me presented the part at the gate and was told $xx which I thought was bloody expensive. The guy told the owner that was too much and offered a bit less. The owner took the part from him, threw it into a nearby scrap bin and repeated $xx if you want it. Great customer service and business promotion. I can guarantee that was one customer who never returned.

Brian,

I can relate to that. The wreckers that don't deal with the run of the mill Falcodores seem to think that it is a license to print money. In the last couple of months where I've been trying to find parts for my project D3, I've had some laughable moments hearing some of the prices quoted. For 5 parts I was quoted a total of nearly $4000 including shipping, and one part was priced at nearly 95% of the new dealer price.

Instead I've got a mixture of new and used parts being sea freighted from the UK for just over a quarter of that.

Originally Posted by isuzurover

7 day delivery ex-uk (i.e. they weren't paying warehousing costs).

I got that recently where I tried 3 local suppliers for an inter cooler for the L322. None kept them in stock, and quoted between 7 and 10 business days delivery ex UK. Local prices were between $740 and $980. Got one myself out of the UK in 5 days - it is usually quicker than that, but at £100 plus delivery I had it at my door for under $200. It is a genuine part, made in Germany. It is these sort of things that confirm in my mind how we are being ripped off here by most.

I say most as I did have a starter motor die a couple of weeks back, and ended up buying off the repairer, as he quoted me a realistic price against what I could land one for myself, and had it the next day - That was Dan at Romsey Land Rover by the way, they are a great crowd out there.

Ordered a full stainless exhaust, waterpump, thermostat and brake pads front and rear for a TD5 Defender- £400 delivered from the UK, price for an exhaust in Australia is in excess of $1000. The bit that gets me is locally produced stuff is sometimes cheaper if ordered from abroad??? you'd think if they had any sense they would make it so cheap it would make you buy it here rather than ship it from the US/UK

Originally Posted by nedflanders

.....The bit that gets me is locally produced stuff is sometimes cheaper if ordered from abroad??? ......

Yes, I purchased an ARB Dana 60 Nodular Iron Diff cover, mail order from USA, Delivered it was cheaper than buying the ARB Salisbury cover over the counter locally from ARB - exactly the same item.


Its also cheaper for us to buy items (under $1000) from UK than the people that live in UK have to pay.
the postage for my Allisport Intercooler was less than VAT the locals have to pay.