Paul...you hit the nail on the head in your comments about their lack of
people knowledgeable about their own products - let alone able to answer
technical questions about the cars.
That's why we use them only as a "source of last resort"......
Lawrie
British Sportscar Center
-----Original Message-----
From: KILE, PAUL D <Paul.Kile@Aerojet.com>
To: 'mgs@autox.team.net' <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, May 28, 1998 7:52 AM
Subject: Shipping times for Victoria British - slightly long rant
>Awhile back someone was extolling the virtues of Victoria British and
>their rapid shipping. Something to do with the company having a UPS
>shipping terminus directly across the street. Well, I live in Northern
>California (Sacramento area), and I find their shipping times are
>abominable, and it's not all due to UPS.
>
>I called VB today (5/28) to check on my order, and I got the following
>info. I ordered my parts on 5/20, they were shipped on 5/26 (six days
>to get an order out the door? hmm...) and UPS will take 5-7 days to
>deliver the parts (not sure if that is "working" days or not). That
>means that the earliest I could see the parts is June 1st, since UPS
>doesn't deliver on Sunday. That's 12 days to get the order to my door.
>If we assume worst case (7 day delivery with activity only occuring on
>"working" days) that would mean 15 days from order date to receipt of
>parts! I'm glad I'm only doing a slow restoration, and not waiting with
>the car belly-up to get it back on the road!
>
>I have gotten parts faster out of England (small orders traveling air
>parcel post) than I have out of the Kansas prairie! Those UPS brown
>trucks hurtle about so quickly that I am surprised it takes them so long
>to deliver. More disturbing, though, is the long lag time for VB to
>process and ship an order. No excuse for that in the 1990s!
>
>On top of all this, I have no idea of the quality or configuration of
>some of the items I have ordered ("original" style MGB sill plates, for
>example) until I open the box and look. That's a result of VB's
>incredible policy of "no knowledge" salesclerks! At least with Moss and
>TRF, it is possible to talk with someone who knows the parts, or who can
>pull the part and describe its characteristics (original quality vs
>Taiwanese claptrap). VB doesn't even give you the OPTION of talking
>with someone in the know! I was once told that if I had a specific
>question, I could send them a written description of my concern and they
>would convene a "committee of experts" to discuss my issue and would
>respond to me in an unspecified time! What an amazing way of doing
>business!
>
>Well, thanks for letting me rant a bit. Any other denizens of
>California (or elsewhere) that agree on the snail-like pace from VB?
>
>Cheers,
>Paul Kile
>
|