Ouch. You win. That’s the best.
Who has the best world market OEM FJ60 carb that answers their phone?
- Thread starter pirateslair
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I see a lot of good points brought up in this thread, and i think this is another case where misunderstanding leads to conflict. I have worked for a family business (wholesaling beauty supplies) for over 10 years, so i can't argue that there aren't bad customers or bad business owners out there. I can't argue that there aren't bad apples in every bunch, but i will argue that the vast majority of people are not that unreasonable. I will also argue that most cases like this can easily be avoided if only we understood each other a little better.
Like someone said, we have had vendors that have left for vacation as well as vendors who suffered medical issues/natural disasters, and because of that the customer was left feeling like their business is unwanted/feeling like the customer service isn't top notch. In cases like that, if the customer had a better understanding of what the vendor was going through, then chances are they will proceed accordingly; to either exercise more patience towards the vendor during busy/difficult times, or to go elsewhere but to do so gracefully and without leaving things on a bad note (bash them on the way out).
Vice versa, if we as the business knew things like whether or not our customer is having a bad day, then we can act accordingly so that we do not apply a permanent fix to a temporary issue; so that we do not ban a customer forever for a problem that may only last for 1 day. We try to look at the bigger picture to realize that every customer will have their occasional bad days where they will make our lives hell, but if we gave up on them during their worst, then we certainly do not deserve them at their best. At their best, they are the reason we not only survive, but thrive as a business.
I believe transparency is key; that misunderstanding is the root of all conflict, and that understanding is the solution. For this reason, when i start my own business, i plan on doing so in the most transparent way i know how; which is to broadcast a live feed during the times when i am working. I grew up streaming video games live on Twitch, so this is nothing new to me.
Take Mark for example, because he was transparent with us and helped us to understand his situation, we are now less likely to make his life even harder by dropping a bad review for lack of communication. If his thread was not created, who knows what could've happened in the past few years of mud members trying to reach him. Much like how the guy who went camping got complaints because people did not know he was on vacation, Mark isn't getting complaints because we know what he is going through.
And that's the idea. My hopes is that if people see that i am diligently working and trying my best to give them the best prices and services, that they will let me be and let me focus on my work without giving me a hard time/making it harder in the process. If people see that i always have my phone on me but not my laptop, then they'll understand that phone calls/texts will yield faster responses. If people see that i eat the dollar menu and never at expensive restaurants, that i don't own expensive suits/shoes, that i had to spend 5 months looking at thousands before i found a LC/LX i could afford, that i have to do my own work on it because all i can afford are parts, that i fly economy and etc etc... that they will understand that they are supporting someone simply trying to make a living, rather than support someone who is trying to make a killing.
Personally, if i could see that one business owner is trying to raise money to send his daughter to college, vs another business owner who is trying buy a vacation home/another boat, then i will sleep better if my money went to the father trying to provide for his kids. Personally, i would much rather buy from the sales rep who shows up all dirty and covered in his work, than the guy who shows up looking like he's never even touched the products/services himself. Personally, i am not a fan of sales reps showing up at my door in nice suits and cars, because i can't help but think that i, the customer, is paying for that.
Other than just showing those aspects, having a live feed will save me a lot of time answering other questions as well. If the customer can see the entire process from our end, from when they first pick up the phone to when the packages leave the warehouse, then they are less likely to take up my time with questions regarding pricing/correct quantity/inventory/shipping/packaging/authenticity/whether or not i packed everything and etc. Another good thing about a live/recorded feed is that i can just answer each question once and have a documented record of it for reference/linking later, so that i don't repeat myself to every customer for the common questions. It is nice to be able to address everyone watching/future viewers at the same time. It's also nice to have everything documented in case any issues arise/for accountability purposes.
With all that said, I'd like to thank @65swb45 for the reminder:
"But the biggest question mark is changing consumer expectations with the Amazoning of America. People talk a good talk about supporting the little guy, but their dollars say otherwise."
I admit i am guilty of this, and reading that made me fully aware of that. I have a desire to stand with the little guys, but realize i am hypocritical in my actions/how my i spend my money. It helped me to realize that i am going in the wrong direction with my build, and that what i really want is a "Mud/People-built" rig. I no longer want to build it in the cheapest way possible, the amazon/walmart/big companies way, but rather, i want to be able to look back at the end of it all and know that i played my tiny little part in supporting the little guys. I will be deleting my current planned mods list and go back to the drawing board. Good thing i have only gotten started on building/planning. I have a feeling that i am going to be really proud of what comes out of this, and i appreciate you guys steering me down the right direction, yet again. Thank you.
By the way, for my "business", i will be taking what my parents/coworkers taught me about wholesaling beauty supplies, and applying it to products i have a passion for like LC parts/mods. I have a long ways to go, but i hope i will see you all on the other side.
Like someone said, we have had vendors that have left for vacation as well as vendors who suffered medical issues/natural disasters, and because of that the customer was left feeling like their business is unwanted/feeling like the customer service isn't top notch. In cases like that, if the customer had a better understanding of what the vendor was going through, then chances are they will proceed accordingly; to either exercise more patience towards the vendor during busy/difficult times, or to go elsewhere but to do so gracefully and without leaving things on a bad note (bash them on the way out).
Vice versa, if we as the business knew things like whether or not our customer is having a bad day, then we can act accordingly so that we do not apply a permanent fix to a temporary issue; so that we do not ban a customer forever for a problem that may only last for 1 day. We try to look at the bigger picture to realize that every customer will have their occasional bad days where they will make our lives hell, but if we gave up on them during their worst, then we certainly do not deserve them at their best. At their best, they are the reason we not only survive, but thrive as a business.
I believe transparency is key; that misunderstanding is the root of all conflict, and that understanding is the solution. For this reason, when i start my own business, i plan on doing so in the most transparent way i know how; which is to broadcast a live feed during the times when i am working. I grew up streaming video games live on Twitch, so this is nothing new to me.
Take Mark for example, because he was transparent with us and helped us to understand his situation, we are now less likely to make his life even harder by dropping a bad review for lack of communication. If his thread was not created, who knows what could've happened in the past few years of mud members trying to reach him. Much like how the guy who went camping got complaints because people did not know he was on vacation, Mark isn't getting complaints because we know what he is going through.
And that's the idea. My hopes is that if people see that i am diligently working and trying my best to give them the best prices and services, that they will let me be and let me focus on my work without giving me a hard time/making it harder in the process. If people see that i always have my phone on me but not my laptop, then they'll understand that phone calls/texts will yield faster responses. If people see that i eat the dollar menu and never at expensive restaurants, that i don't own expensive suits/shoes, that i had to spend 5 months looking at thousands before i found a LC/LX i could afford, that i have to do my own work on it because all i can afford are parts, that i fly economy and etc etc... that they will understand that they are supporting someone simply trying to make a living, rather than support someone who is trying to make a killing.
Personally, if i could see that one business owner is trying to raise money to send his daughter to college, vs another business owner who is trying buy a vacation home/another boat, then i will sleep better if my money went to the father trying to provide for his kids. Personally, i would much rather buy from the sales rep who shows up all dirty and covered in his work, than the guy who shows up looking like he's never even touched the products/services himself. Personally, i am not a fan of sales reps showing up at my door in nice suits and cars, because i can't help but think that i, the customer, is paying for that.
Other than just showing those aspects, having a live feed will save me a lot of time answering other questions as well. If the customer can see the entire process from our end, from when they first pick up the phone to when the packages leave the warehouse, then they are less likely to take up my time with questions regarding pricing/correct quantity/inventory/shipping/packaging/authenticity/whether or not i packed everything and etc. Another good thing about a live/recorded feed is that i can just answer each question once and have a documented record of it for reference/linking later, so that i don't repeat myself to every customer for the common questions. It is nice to be able to address everyone watching/future viewers at the same time. It's also nice to have everything documented in case any issues arise/for accountability purposes.
With all that said, I'd like to thank @65swb45 for the reminder:
"But the biggest question mark is changing consumer expectations with the Amazoning of America. People talk a good talk about supporting the little guy, but their dollars say otherwise."
I admit i am guilty of this, and reading that made me fully aware of that. I have a desire to stand with the little guys, but realize i am hypocritical in my actions/how my i spend my money. It helped me to realize that i am going in the wrong direction with my build, and that what i really want is a "Mud/People-built" rig. I no longer want to build it in the cheapest way possible, the amazon/walmart/big companies way, but rather, i want to be able to look back at the end of it all and know that i played my tiny little part in supporting the little guys. I will be deleting my current planned mods list and go back to the drawing board. Good thing i have only gotten started on building/planning. I have a feeling that i am going to be really proud of what comes out of this, and i appreciate you guys steering me down the right direction, yet again. Thank you.
By the way, for my "business", i will be taking what my parents/coworkers taught me about wholesaling beauty supplies, and applying it to products i have a passion for like LC parts/mods. I have a long ways to go, but i hope i will see you all on the other side.
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^^^
Wordy to be sure...but EXTREMELY well said. Thank you for taking the time to do so
.
Wordy to be sure...but EXTREMELY well said. Thank you for taking the time to do so
.
This has been said in other threads with similar griping, but I've seen first hand how a one-man shop operates, not just MOR, and unless you have had to juggle phone calls/emails/PMs while getting the work or parts out, you will not have an appreciation for how much time (i.e. money) the 'customer service' part of a business takes.
If a guy spends productive hours communicating, then someone else will inevitably blast an angry post about it taking two months to get a carb returned! Just ask FJ40Jim about those! It's like a small-business can't win in this Nordstrom's service with Walmart prices world!
As usual, Mr. Algazy's thoughts are spot-on and no B.S. I wish he were the one deciding Hillary's Criminal intent!
Why you gotta bring the former first lady into this? It's a f$*king tech forum. Jeesh. Don't you have a Facebook page to do that sh!t on? It's the one thing I love about MUD. Why you gotta F that up?
Rant over. As you were...