FridgeFreezer Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 A tale of two companies this, I was surprised by both, but for different reasons. I recently decided to get myself a custom set of nice HT leads for my truck, a-la the Magnecor set Nige has on his 90. So, Nige was good enough to post the original scanned Magnecor order form with all the lengths used to make his leads. One Sunday evening a few weeks ago, I stuck the scanned order form to an e-mail and sent two identical requests for quotes - one to Magnecor who originally did the job, and one to Fastlane as recommend as a cheaper alternative by a fellow forumer in the MS thread. Monday morning, 9AM there is a straight reply from Fastlane, with a quote. Nothing from Magnecor. Friday-ish I get a call from Magnecor asking for the name & address of the person that originally put the order in (why does that matter when you've got a scanned order form I wonder?). Midweek the week after I get a call from Magnecor asking how quickly I want the leads because they're about to be very busy and I really should buy them NOW if I want them quickly (true or not it sounded a lot like marketing BS to me). Told them no rush so far (still no price given yet, natch). So, I get bored waiting and Monday phone up to order the set from Fastlane - they know what they're talking about, don't mess about, take my card details and promise the leads will be with me in 48 hours. 48 Hours later, a set of leads turns up from Fastlane - well made, exactly the right lengths, fit nicely, very similar to Magnecor although the connectors aren't quite as posh I doubt it makes any actual difference to performance. Me = happy bunny. Yesterday at ~5pm I got a missed call from Magnecor on my mobile whilst driving, rung them back and the conversation went like this: "Hi, I had a missed call on my mobile" "Who's that?" "John U, who's this?" "Magnecor, we just phoned you" "Aah yes, thanks for getting back to me but I've got a set of leads from elsewhere now" "Well we would've appreciated a courtesy call mate, I've just wasted 20 minutes pricing this job up for you" <click, brrrr> Judging by the SA accent it was actually the guy who runs the company, if that's his phone manner he can shove his quote up his ar$e! As a rough guide, the price from Fastlane for a set of 8 leads was ~£50 delivered. The same thing from Magnecor, when they can be bothered to quote, is knocking £200 or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Werid I dealt with Magnecor, and the chap with the SA Accent and seemed helpfull, but things do change At the time I had wished that there was an alternative to their costs, but I couldn't really find anyone / anything close, now it seems there is However, the conversation above is an amazing indicator of a comapny out of touch with service and with Magnecor proces being top notch, you'd expect service and attitude to match........ It would appear they have also ramped up their prices, Mine when bought were around £110 Glad me measuremenets worked Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I agree, it's absolutely not your problem if they're not able to produce a quote before their competitors have quoted, produced and despatched the same product. I just got a set of HT leads (and spark plugs) for my MG from sparkplugs.co.uk - they had to be made specially since they had none in stock so I guess it would be a similar process to get custom length ones. Quite impressed with their service - it took a few days but I was emailed every couple of days to let me know the progress with my order. Now I've got some bling blue leads (under the cam cover, under the engine cover, under the tonneau cover, behind the seats... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 If that had happened to me I'd have rung back and told the guy a few truths about how not to run a business. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Steve, I have to agree with you - talking to customers like that is a sure fire way of going out of business. Also, 20 minutes sounds like a lot to price up a set of HT lead FF, bloody good price. I'll have to remember that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 If that had happened to me I'd have rung back and told the guy a few truths about how not to run a business. True, but then I kinda think why should I bother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Entertainment Value ? Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 True, but then I kinda think why should I bother hi mate are your coil packs in the same place as hybrids as i want to move mine there and get a set of the fast lane leads i was going to do the same as you and email the sheet that nigel posted what leads did you go for as i noticed they do a few differant types? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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