On Wed, 8 May 1996 RWynne1494@aol.com wrote:
> As far as backorders are concerned, I think that we all have to realize why
> backorders happen: Generally the backordered parts are parts of high demand,
> and there are not many suppliers for these parts, so the parts may be
> backordered to TRF, as well as from TRF.
No, we do not need to understand *why* backorders occur. Read on.
>
> Secondly, It is a lot less costly to order say 10 pieces than it is to order
> 1. Unless you want the prices of the parts we all need to sky rocket, we
> need to sit back and wait untill there are enough orders pending to offset
> the cost of single production or shipping runs of parts from suppliers used
> by The Roadster Factory.
Not relevant, read on.
>
> I realize that we are all in a hurry for parts when we order them, at least I
> know that I am. The summer months are upon us and we are all hungry to
> finish up our winter projects and get the cars back on the road where they
> belong. Maybe we should have thought about that back in January, before the
> crunch was on. Very seldom have I ever had to wait for more than a month or
> six weeks for a part to arrive. Instead of placing blame on TRF for not
> having the parts you need in stock, try placing some of the blame on
> yourselves for being somewhat shortsighted on the parts you need for a
> project.
TRF factory is in business to supply parts , at price, to consumers. As
a retail establishment, they *should* have parts *in stock*. A good
business man knows the cyclic nature of his business, and adjusts his
inventory accordingly. It is not *MY* fault that a company can not
properly manage its inventory, it is the *COMPANY's* fault.
I don't care why items are backorderd. The goal of the company (well,
its really maximize shareholder value) is to satisfy the needs of its
consumers. I had a battery cable on back order for over 1 year. If I
found out that the company waited for 9 other orders from consumers
before they placed the order with their supplier, I would *never* do
business with that company again. One of the risks associated with a
retail establishment is that they must purchase inventory *before* an
established demand exists
Think about this, how would you like to go to a bar, order a bottle of
beer, and then be told you must wait until 5 other people order a
bottle so that the bar can get a discount on the beer by buying it in a
6-pack. Same thing. The bar needs to have inventory to anticipate the
demand.
With that said, I *do* like TRF. I really appreciate the way they
attempt to keep supplies for all parts of my TR-6, and I rarely hear
any gripes about the quality of their products.
However, companies that are not aboe to focus on their core business run
the risk of alienating their constomers, and this appears to be the case
with TRF. Car people want car parts, ont teddy bears. When I have an
order that requires only a few parts, I order from TRF. I have always
liked their phone service, and when they actually have the parts they
arrive quickly.
However, if I have a job that requires many parts, I will not consider
TRF. I will not have my project wait for 10% of the parts while I have
the other 90% sitting in the basement. I plan on rebuilding my front
suspension, am looking to Moss or TriuphTune (they have a nice kit, all
the parts for a suspension upgrade - shocks, springs, bushings, and a
single part #) because I'll increase my odds of getting a shipment that
includes *all* the parts I need.
Yes, TRF is good, but in the current world of global ecenomies, they are
not the best game in town anymore.
Greg U
gurban1@umbc.edu
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