> The response from one supplier has been, "Well you are a
> Triumph owner so you must be on the cheap. It's your MO."
Hey Jerry, I neglected to reply to this before... BUT, that comment is not
too far from the truth. The majority of Triumph owners will shop around to
get the best price they can get, even if we are talking about fractions of
percentage points. However, then they call people like me when their cheapo
parts do not work or do not fit, or have some other problem that the other
vendor cannot or is unwilling to solve.
This is one of the reasons I do not advertise that I sell MG Midget or
Triumph Spitfire parts. The problem with budget sports cars, is that the
owners are always going to be budget minded. I have had Midget and Spitfire
owners ask to buy used brake hoses in the past! They also tend to ask about
about a lot of other used parts to use immediately that would have severe
safety consequences if the part failed as soon as they used it.
I am not unloading on British car ownership. But the fact of the matter is,
these are entry level classic cars. While a good number of TR6 owners can
afford and are willing to spend decent money for good parts and good
service, there are an equal number of owners who will fight over a few
pennies or go the lower quality route to save a buck (or bucks).
I have always had the policy that I will not sell anything that I would not
use on my own cars. And I ridgidly stick to this policy... this policy is
on of the reasons I average only 2-3 returns a year (and my return policy is
extremely liberal, both in duration and reason). If I refuse to sell crap,
I do not have to worry about refunding money for what parts a customer says
are junk.
So there you have it, straight from my mouth. British car owners tend to be
on the cheap side - some are OK, some owners are really bad; Jag owners are
the worst.
What was wrong, was for Auto Rust Tech to assume you were cheap too... and
to make it known in that manner.
Kai
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Kai M. Radicke
Wishbone Classics
* British Car Parts *
www.wbclassics.com
Ph: 215.945.7250
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