Charles A. Runyan asked me to post this letter for him:
November 14, 1995
TeriAnn Wakeman and Friends,
I have been forwarded several pieces of correspondence from the Internet.
Several points have been raised, and I am not sure of the purpose of some of
the remarks that I have seen. From what I can see, this correspondence
started with an entry from TeriAnn, and various angles have been picked up
by others. I shall do my best to clear the air.
First, The Roadster Factory is still very serious about TR2 and TR3
parts, and we have always had a catalogue. This was outdated, and when we
ran out of copies this summer, I decided not to reprint it. I worked on a
replacement whenever I had time during the summer, and it will be mailed to
about 8,000 people tomorrow, November 15th. This is not an absolutely
definitive catalogue like our TR250 and TR6 catalogues, but it does list
most of what you would ever want for your TR2 or TR3. I want to write the
definitive catalogue for these models, but I haven't had months of time to
spend on it over the last couple of years. The market place has been
responding to frequent smaller publications, and that is what I have to do.
You can help me to produce a bigger catalogue by giving me as much business
as possible without my having to hold a sale or special every month.
Second, I believe that The Roadster Factory has the most knowledgeable
sales staff in the parts trade, and we have two or three people on the
staff, John Swauger, Dave Hagenbuch, and myself, who know as much about TR2
and TR3 as anyone. John even knows most of the part numbers by heart. Not
every younger salesman is a TR2 and TR3 expert, however. If you call with
questions that require expert help, it may be best to ask for John Swauger
or Dave Hagenbuch.
Third, The Roadster Factory is not playing any games with customers about
what is in stock and what is not in stock. We have a good on line computer
system that is up-to-date all the time. We aren't going to tell you
something is in stock to get your order only to phone you back an hour later
to say it isn't. Yes, it is possible for two salespeople to sell the same
part without this being noted until the order itself is input in our data
processing department. This could not be a common occurrence.
Fourth, someone seemed to receive a misprinted tabloid newsletter on MGB.
Our printing and mailing are now done by machine at an outside company, and
this sort of problem can occur. Surely, however, it is not widespread, as
we have not had any other complaints. If you get a defective publication,
it is a simple matter to phone us toll free to receive a replacement.
Fifth, I regret that I am not on the Internet regularly and that I will
not have time to remedy this situation any more this year. In early 1996, I
hope to get some Internet skills myself, so that I can answer notes
directly. If you need to get in touch with me, you can use my e-mail
address which is (covcar@aol.com). I try to copy mail received every few
days. At the moment, however, I do not have the time or skills to answer a
large numbers of letters. I will try to remedy this in early 1996.
Lastly, I believe that The Roadster Factory is still the best and most
interactive company in the British parts tarde. I have always sensed a
close relationship with customers, and I believe that a close partnership
between the customers and the parts company is essential. I truly believe
that nearly everyone on my company does his or her best to serve our
customers well every day. I know that we have never tried to deceive our
customers in any way, and I worry that small items tend to get overblown on
the Internet with everyone wanting to add some comment, so that a chance
remark becomes a mountain of criticism which may not be deserved but which
may harm a company's relationship with patrons who've always been treated well.
Surely, The Roadster Factory has problems that we must overcome every
day. All businesses have. You may be assured that we are trying to solve
our problems and that providing the best possible service is our daily goal.
We've learned a lot about British sports cars over the years and you will
see better catalogues for more models as time goes on. We have also
developed a new purchasing system this summer to keep more parts in stock
every day. We make a sincere effort to run our business well.
Regards,
Charles A.
Runyan
Proprietor
Dana P. Henry
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