Pollywog Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Here is an example. I wanted to buy something from a UK vendor the other week. I was happy with it and just wanted to go ahead and pay. The online store was not setup to figure out shipping to Canada, but allowed the order to go through..... .....This is 2014. It is easy to automate it all so that all he needed to do was package and label Have you ever seen Royal Mails pricing strategy? They make it difficult enough to setup a website for UK shipping let alone worldwide, trying to setup a website to calculate the combined sizes of a range of goods as well as weights, with sizing / pricing strategies that differ for various world zones, and then further restrictions on what items can and can't be sent to individual countries it's a nightmare!AND by the time you finally get the website working properly they go and make drastic changes to their pricing strategies all over again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 The guy sent three emails before finally sending a shipping price. He then needed me to phone and give CC details to complete the order.Perhaps he enjoyed chatting to you?This is 2014. It is easy to automate it all so that all he needed to do was package and label it.Polywog is right - keeping up with the changing shipping costs was almost a full time job. Our shipping calculator for every size, weight & destination had 22,000 entries and the shipping calculator code had to be re-written at least once a year because of new restrictions which the old code could not cope with. The alternative (how most companies do it) is just charge over the odds and appreciate that on average it will cover the shipping. Even if you make it spot on - you still get loads of emails telling you someone else is cheaper! If they are cheaper - you are still paying, it's just incorporated in the item price.Every time someone sends an email asking the same question, put it on the website.When someone sends you a question which is covered on your web site - where do you put it?Answers on a post card - I'm too lazy to read my email Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 And don't forget DPD, Sh*tefrieght, and all the other non Royal Mail monkey delivery companies Although DPD get my lowest score - how can you lose a whole Defender rear door for God's sake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Okay Simon. But if the order load is too high, it is time to hire someone. That is business. If you can't afford to hire, the margins are too low and it is not a good business. The shipping cost end is best handled with flat rates for areas with set carriers. Good software is the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 That's me told! Best of luck with your business - it sounds like you've got all the bases covered. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Perhaps he enjoyed chatting to you? LOL. No, just an email saying he had been too busy and will get to it and then another and a third with the price. All your profit is gone if it takes all this effort to find a shipping price. I buy a lot of stuff mail order. I've been buying a lot of stuff mail order for 30 years, long before there was an internet. There are a lot of small companies that do the internet sales thing well. For me, it makes a big affect on which supplier to choose. As the guy spending money, wasting my time is an important consideration. It was just last week I bought a part from a UK store that I can get in Canada and the States. Their price with shipping was about the same as the best from the States. The ease of the web sale and better shipping options won the order. The scary thing is I can normally get Land Rover parts cheaper than you guys in the UK. Shipping is usually less than the VAT I don't pay and the wholesale parts accounts have great deals on shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 That's me told! Best of luck with your business - it sounds like you've got all the bases covered. Si Well, not having a day off in 10 years does not sound like a nice way to live. There are always options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 As always Red, your subtly and empathy amaze me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Okay. You want empathy for someone that forms a business and then overworks themselves? I can show empathy for someone that is in a position that they cannot control. Good lord. If you are not happy with your job, do something else or change things so they are better. You are not living in China with limited freedom and opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Nope, lost you there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 ^^^ sounds fair If you're too scared to phone or it's not urgent enough then it can wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugitive Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hi, my name is Steve and I am the owner of Foundry 4x4. First of all I would like to apologise to mikec if the service you received was not up to scratch. We will take on board your comments and try to ensure that all our emails are responded to quicker. I'm not trying to make excuses, but at the moment my wife and myself (along with a very grouchy 3 year old and a very bored 6 year old) are out in Ireland visiting customers (both trade and long standing retail), so we have left our staff a little stretched!!!!! I can see all points of view here, an online store should do everything it says on the tin - you should be able to order the parts you want/need with clear prices and shipping and have no need to call the company unless you really want to. But and this is the big BUT I am a Land Rover person and not a computer person, I do employ part time both a Web designer and an IT consultant, but to be perfectly honest both speak in a language I neither fully understand or am able to fully translate (no they are not foreign - both are British but speak computer geek [no offence to those of you who understand this strange language!!!]. I am almost entirely in their hands and in fairness they seem to have an uphill struggle trying to get shipping to always work out as it should due to the complexities of various couriers requirements and Royal Mails ever changing price structure. I'm sure we will get there in the end, but at the moment despite spending copious amounts of hard earned cash on various "bolt on" shipping programs none of them seem to work quite right..... Your business can and does take over your life, I often describe it as having another child. You strive to make it as perfect as you can but sometimes you get it wrong, and obviously on this occasion we have let a customer down. What we will do is take it on the chin, look where we can improve and implement those changes. I have no doubt we will get it wrong again in the future, and once again we will have to self scrutinize and try to improve. The bottom line is important to every company but to be perfectly honest it is not what always motivates you in business. Trying to be the best at what you do is what motivates me and no doubt countless other business owners - not the pursuit of the quick buck! Simon suffers from the same affliction and it can turn your passion into something that entirely takes over your life. So, all I would ask is before criticising us on Forums and turning us into self loathing paranoid wrecks, if there is a problem, or for that matter a suggestion on improvement, then please give us a chance and email us and let us know about the problem. If we do nothing to rectify the problem or are not able to offer a plausible answer then by all means we deserve all the scorn heaped on us. I don't often go on forums so please be gentle........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I must be overworking myself, I'm losing the plot ! I thought I was reading the last page of O'teunico's 6x6 thread, and was wondering how the conversation could have drifted so far off topic ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like that ^^^ good to see some honesty and desire to sort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Noisy Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hi Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like that ^^^ good to see some honesty and desire to sort Yep, Ditto. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Welcome to the Forum Steve! On the whole, they are a good lot on here - so I doubt anyone will give you a hard time without justification. If they do, it will not just be you sticking up for you! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugitive Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I'll try my best not to upset them Si! I usually find as long as you are upfront and don't bulls**t then there is very little to go wrong (well that's the theory). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hi Steve, we have met but I doubt you'll remember. I'll take the opportunity to thank you for all the excellent service you have given to my clients over the years. You and your staff have never let my recommendations down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 ... or change things so they are better. I think you'll find that's exactly what Si has done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Well said Steve and Welcome. It's good to see feedback from a supplier on the forum Much respect and I hope it bodes well for Foundry 4x4. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugitive Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thank you all for the positive comments. It is daunting for suppliers to jump into a thread, especially one where you are being scrutinised. Sometimes though you have to step up to the mark and publically apologise if you have not provided the service expected of you. I know Simon has built up an excellent rapport with the people on this forum, and although I confess I am highly unlikely to post anywhere near the posts that Si has (1. my typing speed at best is slow, and 2. I prefer spannering on our project vehicles than going back onto the computer after spending 8-10 hours working on quotes etc etc), I do look in at the forums to see what is new and glean information regarding vehicle problems and fixes (very useful) - remember even us in the trade are still learning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugitive Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Hi Honitonhobbit please pm me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Ok to get back on topic :0 service kit came today so top marks for the quick delivery. Now is there any instructions for this? It doesn't look to hard but I'm a little put off by the fitting instructions mentioning the spring being an ass to get back on again, don't wanna make any more work if I can help haha I'm guessing its a just a matter of undoing the bolt and taking a part but just wanna check first cheers mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Ignore that the instructions are in the kit doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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