Giving Credit Where Its Due

[FridgeFreezer]

email is much more efficient...

That would be true if they read or responded to e-mails, they've not read or responded to mine but expected me to read & respond to theirs

[Aragorn]

Again i'm not siding with them, but i find i prefer emails for all enquiries, so i can see their point.

I get a client on the phone saying "My fax to email service isnt working" usually results in either a) me saying sorry i'll have to call you back or if they really insist a nice delay and lots of "erm, hold on a second" while i look into it, discover everything looks perfectly normal, have to look deeper, and eventually say i'll need more time to investigate i'll call you back.

I'm not sat at my desk with everything in front of me to deal with their enquiry, and nor will the guy answering the phone have any idea of where a particular box of parts is.

If the query is emailed to me, i can investigate promptly but in my own time, rather than being rushed by an expectant ear on the phone and i'm able to solve the problem much more effectively.

Just the other day i was cursing a company supplying parts for the Audi, they're usually prompt on their email responses but had neglected to return a phone call and didnt seem to respond to my emails either, resulting in some parts i required for the weekend not being sent. After another phone call on tuesday, i discovered he had answered my email on friday, but it had dropped into my spam box, and as a goodwill gesture for messing me about, he sent the parts up free of charge. As a result, i'll most definately be shopping there again!

[tweetyduck]

Just the other day i was cursing a company supplying parts for the Audi, they're usually prompt on their email responses but had neglected to return a phone call and didnt seem to respond to my emails either, resulting in some parts i required for the weekend not being sent. After another phone call on tuesday, i discovered he had answered my email on friday, but it had dropped into my spam box, and as a goodwill gesture for messing me about, he sent the parts up free of charge. As a result, i'll most definately be shopping there again!

now if that were LRSeries they'd just ban you for not being able to operate your Email and 'god' forbid, calling them to ask where your parts were in the order process.

Sounds like your supplier had the right attitude to customer service. Good Service = Repeat Business. I've made my feelings on customer service known in another thread and always vote with my feet. 3 strikes and you're out. There's always another supplier.

[Retroanaconda]

Well I sent them an email this lunchtime, and they replied within an hour telling me my order is scheduled for dispatch tomorrow. So hopefully I will see it Friday. So they've still got my vote...for now

Had some very good service from Paddocks as well this week. Ordered a full set of brake shoes (proper Mintex ones) for the Series III, and they turned up next day. Only paid 'economy delivery' too. Not a bad price on the good either, less than £45 including delivery.

[FridgeFreezer]

Well, one massive order to Brit-Car now placed, Duncan very helpfully phoned up to ask what the hell vehicle I was ordering for as with my truck I end up ordering a mix of everything from 1978 onwards

I'll reserve judgement until a box of parts turns up, but so far it's been good.

Their website is a bit unfriendly compared to LR series, but if you know the part number or can work google you can find most things.

[tweetyduck]

Fridge, My bits just arrived with one item on back order and two small items missing or miss picked. I suspect you may to get a couple of items miss picked if its a massive order like mine. These things happen and i'm happy it nearly all came and really happy with the service and support. Helpful, friendly and contactable which is half the battle. If i get the miss picked items before the end of the week they can have A+, 100% and five stars. If not they get a B minus.

I agree the web site isn't as good as LRSeries so i use both to help me choose my parts Is a shame that LRSeries' Duncan is a snotty arse IMHO.

[Aragorn]

I've been pricing up parts for my rear axle recently, and LRSeries are quite a bit cheaper than the others.

Looks like a saving of around £35 (£165 at LRSeries vs £200ish at britcar et al) for mostly equivalent parts when compared with Britcar, LRDirect and Beamends. Paddocks didnt have half the parts listed online, so i couldnt really compare with them properly

[Retroanaconda]

I got my LR Series order today, a couple of bits were OOS and soo are to follow. The chap I've been dealing with, Dominic in the parts dept, has seemed very willing to help and always replies to my emails within 30 mins. I think he has a PDA.

I forgot to order rear wheel cylinders, so popped down to my local (not really, 30 mins away) independent Gumtree 4x4 to get some, and the guys there were equally as helpful. I might try them for my next order of bits, just fax/email a big list over. See what the price difference is. LR Series seem to be a bit cheaper here and there on some things.

[tweetyduck]

Dominic is the arse i had to deal with. I mistakenly called him Duncan before (few times actually). Its strange how hes been nice to some and not to others. Just wait till seomthing goes wrong a see how nice he stays. I agree they are cheaper but I'm happy to pay for good service. Since hes "banned" me from shopping there i've not got a lot of choice anyhow. I can honestly say i've never heard of any retailer banning anyone from buying product. Just seems like lunacy. After all i only asked for a delivery date and questioned why the status had not updated in two working days. Obviously i hit a nerve.

£35 is a lot on £200 though...Brit-Car needs to look at thier pricing to compete.

[Retroanaconda]

Well that's what I asked too. I was told dispatch would be within five days, and that an estimate wasn't possible. My order status went to 'Card payment cleared' before 'Dispatched'.

It's hard to tell someone's tone or mood from emails, they are very impersonal. One of the reasons I like to speak to people. The only way I can judge his helpfulness is the fact that he's going to look for some 11" brake backplates for me and hold them if he finds any. Well, he said he's going to

LR Series are not very quick on dispatch time, they say within five working days and mine was dispatched on the sixth day. Either they are very busy or don't have enough time. I may be expecting too much, but usually if I order something from someone and it is in stock then I would expect it to be despatched the same (if ordered in time) or the next working day at the latest. It wouldn't take long to walk around the warehouse and put things in a box, so I guess they must have other reasons as above.

That's one of the reasons I'm going to see if my local parts place can offer similar prices. At least I can go and get it in person there and not worry with despatch/delivery times. Most places can get genuine parts in within a day or two if not in stock I've found, same as Land Rover parts depts. can.

[zoltan]

Dominic is the arse i had to deal with. I mistakenly called him Duncan before (few times actually). Its strange how hes been nice to some and not to others. Just wait till seomthing goes wrong a see how nice he stays. I agree they are cheaper but I'm happy to pay for good service. Since hes "banned" me from shopping there i've not got a lot of choice anyhow. I can honestly say i've never heard of any retailer banning anyone from buying product. Just seems like lunacy. After all i only asked for a delivery date and questioned why the status had not updated in two working days. Obviously i hit a nerve.

£35 is a lot on £200 though...Brit-Car needs to look at thier pricing to compete.

Calling him an arse online is a damned good way to stay banned IMHO

[tweetyduck]

Like there’s even an option to get unbanned and I’d even shop there again anyhow. Get real.

Why would anyone want to be treated with so much disrespect and outright rudeness and still want to shop there? The person in question might eventually learn that customer service is a part of business and to frankly abuse customers who are willing to spend money in their store is just not financially sustainable. I'd copy his snotty Emails here so you can see what a complete waste of time he is but i can't be bothered.

He obviously thinks its OK to deliver this type of service and if only one other person doesn't buy something there due to my comments then I’ve helped that person make a better choice of supplier. If i ran my company in the same way I’d go out of business. I only asked two simple questions and received a barrage of terms and conditions. When i said OK and asked to swap something for a more expensive part he just got nasty. I'd actually call it arrogance. I must have been so privileged to shop there. Well i'm very happy with the other supplier even if some parts are more expensive, others are less.

To comment to Retroanaconda, i actully went to LRSeries as the are "local" and i commented on this to them and still got the same attitude. I'd rather keep my business local and support my local commerce. Not in this case, well not any longer.

I also agree if they are showing an item in stock it should be same day dispatch unless its a larger order and they ship together. This could be an option on the web site. One other site i use offers this option although it sometimes costs slightly more in postage which i'm happy to pay if i need things quickly. This should be the same with all suplliers however it seems only the bigger ones are able to accomodate. Obviously due to staff numbers and IT systems.

[FridgeFreezer]

Calling him an arse online is a damned good way to stay banned IMHO

And banning customers like naughty schoolchildren is a great way to stay in business I'd hope if he's reading this he's making notes on how to improve his business, not getting upset because Neill called him a berk.

As I said in my post, I was really hoping LRSeries would live up to how good their website is and prove a good alternative to the lowest common denominator that is Paddocks. As it is, a silly issue with payment that would've been solved with a phone call has ended up with me taking my business elsewhere.

Frankly I don't care if britcar are more expensive - their website works, they answered their phone, gave me honest advice on what I needed and so far haven't done anything to p*ss me off. Just as I'd rather order genuine and do a job once than britpart and do it twice, I'd sooner deal with someone helpful and pay for the convenience than be messed about by some muppet for the sake of a few quid.

[zoltan]

Has he actually been banned or is it simply a case that his I/P address will no longer work on that site: it is temporarily locked out. A ban as such would imply there is probably another side to what was said on the phone that hasn't been been mentioned. I would certainly tell a customer not to come back if they were unreasonable rude and obnoxious to me or my staff over the phone.

Anyway, as they've been friendly and helpful to me I find it hard to imagine otherwise and I'll continue to use them

[Happyoldgit]

<mod mode on>

Just a reminder that we all need to be mindful of potential implications both individually and to the host medium when posting personal names and the like on a public forum.

<mod mode off>

[tweetyduck]

^^^^^What fridge said.^^^^^

Steve, very mindful of that. Everyting i've said is true and i think its been said enough now. over and out.

[Godlykepower]

Steve, dont suppose you fancy going back into <mod mode> and assessing the usefulness of this thread?

It seems to be going round in circles, but ultimately going nowhere.

Every single retailer out there will get mixed press, and as far as I can gather, this thread is all about the mixed service received at one place in particular, and how you can get better service, but pay a bit more elsewhere. WOW! Just like every other shop in the world!

We have tried this "Definitive supplier list" a few years ago, and it was dismissed for being un-workable then, and I see this thread as trying to head that way, but cant seem to progress further than a rant.

[Happyoldgit]

I understand what you are saying Martin Rant or balanced discussion - as with all things I suppose it depends on your own experiences, interpretations and POV. If threads get closed someone, somewhere will inevitably cry foul and say their freedom of speech is being curtailed. On the other hand others will object when threads are allowed to run.

[jcwcooper]

I've never used lr series before but I do like their website however I have used paddocks quite a few times and too be honest they genrally are pritty good, they tend to be cheaper than most and offer a good service..... It can get annoying that they have a Habbit of sending britpart stuff!

However I almost always use my main lr dealer ( ottons Salisbury) they keep quite a bit instock of more everyday things, you get a choice of genuine or pattern parts as soon as you start to spend any £££s with them you get some discount and the prices are not that distant from paddocks ect to start with and if they haven't got it they will overnight it and it will be there to collect the following morning.

They need to hit their sales targets A bit of negotiation may see you come off well. So don't always write off the main dealers

That's my two pence worth

Dave

[jcwcooper]

Double post

[FridgeFreezer]

Well, my bits turned up all present & correct, it's a welcome sight to open a parts delivery to find a load of "Genuine Land Rover" boxes staring back at you compared to the usual Paddocks disappointment of "we thought britpart would do even thought you asked us not to send it".

The non-gen-but-still-OE parts are indeed OE, brake pads by Mintex, UJ's by GKN. The one part I bought non-gen (steering column UJ) which I was doubtful about I was promised would be good quality, and does seem to be.

Martin - although I agree threads like this can descend into slanging, I think so far it's been useful - I certainly thought LR series were decent from looking at their website and from the few people I'd spoken to who'd used them and been very pleased. However, now not only has that been somewhat tempered by my own experiences, but for example if I was outside the UK I would probably think twice before using them given the experiences of others. Doing things from another country is difficult at the best of times so info like this is well worth it.

Likewise, from looking at Britcar's less fantastic website I would easily have dismissed them had they not come recommended, as I had never even heard of them. As it is, they have done really well and I will be using them again.

[petethepilot]

I will add my spoon to this soup also... As FF mentioned, for us "Outlanders" the communication via email is vital. Although sometimes you will have to call to avoid sending too many emails back and forth. And if the company doesn´t have secured payment site, you will have to call them to give your credit card details. ( I never send them via email anymore, last autumn someone in Spain was using my card to buy airline tickets...)

My experience is, that many companies in UK don´t answer the emails, they just ignore them. Or they will first answer, but then the dialogue kind of fades away...and they will never answer you again. I am sorry to say, but this seems to be more of the rule than an exception in UK-based companies.

If you are contacting companies in US or even in Germany, they will usually serve you nicely and politely. Customer service? I think that is!

Also it is vital that they will contact you if they don´t have something, and ask you what you want to do, wait until all the shipment is gathered or send it partially. And of course, when you are paying hard cash for expensive carriage, the time when you get your shipment and open it, will really feel like a christmas because all you have ordered is really there!

It´s also very important that the web sites are informative and easy to use, with good quality pictures truly presenting the product you are possibly buying!

In my experience there are only few companies in UK, who are willing to serve us "Outlanders" and do that on solid and repeated manner. Those have been Paddock´s, (despite the some Britpart s**t), Famous Four, Devon 4x4 and Foundry. I have also experienced very good service from many private sellers in ebay in UK, which has been amazing compared to so many mediocre companies. John Craddock has also been fine for me.

Also just few days ago I got excellent service from NoiseKiller UK, allthough I haven´t got the verification of the shipment leaving yet.

Gary from the Alive tuning has been a reasonable bloke and usually very fast in his business, answering mails even in saturday evening and sundays!

So IMHO this conversation is really very important for us from somewhere outer space, (as it sometimes feels, even though we are in EU, and the postal prices are the same thru-out the Europe...) so please let this continue as a very useful tool of the trade. And if possibly some of them traders would accidentally read this and if the miracle could happen and the cows would fly...

And thank´s for the information gathered from this site I´ve had the knowledge to steer away from some rather "stinging" companies around, if you know what I mean! Otherwise I could be confused by fancy ad´s in the magazines and nice web-pages...

[Aragorn]

Well i thaught i should probably post my experiences with LRSeries here now i've been burned too.

I'd assembled an order for my rear axle parts and placed it on the 1st of March, around half 4 in the afternoon. Order totalled around £190. I went with them, because they were significantly cheaper than anyone else.

On tuesday, i had a bit of a brainfart and decided i wanted to hold off on the order until i'd worked out exactly what i wanted to do with the rear axle. Emailed them using their silly web form requesting the order be cancelled. Tuesday passed with no reply, so i sent another email on wednesday morning again requesting the order be cancelled.

Midday Wednesday i get an email reply asking to confirm if i really want to cancel as the order is booked for shipping that afternoon. I reply that i do still wish to cancel. He replies back saying the order has been cancelled, and that i will be charged £10 for the privelege.

Slightly miffed at this "handling fee" I decide to do some digging at this point, and sure enough under the Distance Selling Regulations, i'm entitled to a full and complete refund of all monies paid, if i cancel within 7 days of ordering, the so called "cooling off period". Even had the order been shipped out, and delivered, i'd still be entitled to a full refund of ALL moneies paid.

I email him back pointing this out, and stating that i should be charged nothing. I apologise for wasting his time etc.

He replies to that email with nothing short of a tirade, claiming that the £10 was a "gesture of goodwill" and that his terms and conditions state that all returns (bearing in mind this "return" never even left his building) have a 15% handling fee, and since i've dared challenge him with the law he is now going to charge my card with the full 15% fee. He also took the opportunity to "ban" me from his store too!

I (stupidly) decided to wait and see what he did, but sure enough today a charge appears on my debit card for £28. In hindsight i should have called the bank immediately and cancelled the card when he came out with the "tirade"

I've spoken to the bank today about getting the money back, and will be speaking to trading standards on monday about the companies complete disregard of the Distance Selling Regs.

I realise i did mess them around, but on the other had, had they responded on tuesday they wouldnt even have got as far as packing the order, and its entirely my rights as a consumer to change my mind, and they have completely disregarded the law, illegally charging my card with this "fee".

So overall a big thumbs down from me!

[mike4444244]

You should be fine, I'm fairly certain they aren't allowed to charge any fee despite what their terms and conditions say.

Its starting to read like how to ruin your company's repuattion in 5 easy steps this

I have bought from them before and apart from a few minor "kwality" vs OEM swaps and one veeery long delay on an order I thought they were ok

Mike

[Aragorn]

Ye it seems the consumer law is on my side, but at the moment they have my money!

I'm just hoping the bank can do a chargeback, the woman in the branch wasnt really sure, but put a query thru to head office.