Guys,

Is it me or would you all that agree that there needs to be an improvement in the communications between sellers to buyers and vice versa?

It has been my observation that sellers are taking too long to communication with us after we have already sent in our money. Why is that and what is so hard about saying thanks for your purchase, I'm a little backed up right now but will get your product to you in blank time frame?

Don't get me wrong guys this is not a bash but an observation so there is no need to have a 20 page thread on this. I am just a little frustrated about the level of communcation I am not gettting after my money have been sent and spent!

Again, I don't about you guys but this is what I expect for my hard-earned money sent out there into the abyss:

1 - Communication within 24-48 hours (let me know something)
2 - Status/update on the progress of my order
3 - Provided with a tracking number when product has been shipped
4 - Guarantee (within reason) that this product is what they claimed it to be. Basically don't sell BS and then leave the buyer dry with hearing them out or refunding their money (if they are not happy).
5 - Be respectful of my and others money ( I work long hours for it and giving it away is not ideal for me)

If I have missed anything please chime in your thoughts.

thanks and best regards

@

 

I couldn't agree with you more! Man do I have a story for you. Unfortunately it is too long to tell. Lets just say I paid (PAYPAL) for a Y PIPE on April 7. I am still waiting.....

 

i hear what your saying. It seems like it takes sellers a while before they will even return an email or anything. So did you get ahold of Paul? if so did you work out a good deal?

 

in many cases, the guys processing the orders aren't the same ones taking the orders. the ones taking the orders pass on the info to the process guys. when the processing guys get done, they pass the parts on to shipping.. none of them ever really know how long the order has been sitting around the shop- nor do they really care because they're working as hard as they can and can't get it out any faster.

in my case, I'm doing everything from sales, marketing, design, production, shipping, customer service, etc.. I spend more time answering "where's my stuff?!" emails than I do anything else. The fun part is that I still keep the threads updated with current status, yet the emails come anyway! It's EXTREMELY annoying and time consuming to constantly answer these questions when the buyers can go to the same thread where they saw the group deal and get the info.

some companies don't even go that far, but they're usually bigger and more backed up than I am.

 

If this is about the y pipes, quit complaining. You willl get your parts. It's a shame that you people are getting a discount then crying about how its not at your doorstep the next day.

Learn some patience. No seller likes to be bombarded with emails everyday asking where your **** is, how come you haven't emailed back. Sellers have lives. It's not like they just sit on their computers all day long waiting to reply to the emails that all the impatient people send.

 

Learn some Patience? Bull sh*t! If the seller has taken your order and money, you have the right to know the item will be shipped or is expected to be shipped. The seller can say it is on back order, should have it by ......

Hard earned money is spent. A GOOD seller will communicate with his customers.

 

You have a right not to be ripped off, but you DON'T have the right to hassle the seller about it until they ship a rushed product, or get fed up and return your money and quit.

I've gotten to the point of returning a few people's money and telling them I don't want their business, simply because I spend 8 hours of emailing back and forth on a $40 ground kit, then they wind up hassling me every day for a week until I have it done. screw that. in that 8+hours I spent dealing with this one retarded customer, I could have made $350+ making additional parts for other people.

would you rather spend your time answering 500 emails a day, or making parts and shipping them out?

 

IBTL IBTL and IBTL

 

good point

 

Matt93SE, get a grip dude! I don't care how many e-mail you have to answer . If I were taking someone's hard earned money I would get back to them within 48 hours with a note of Thanks for your business and a promise to do what I can to get their expected product to them as fast as possible. Both I and others realize that many of you (sellers) are working alone and probably have other jobs (maybe) but you have taken on this responsibility. And the second you accept monies as payment owe them something.

So complain if you will about receiving complaints from buyings but you will have to deal with it. I have purchased items on ebay and received them the next day or same week. I realize dealing with org members purchases take weeks. I also realize that eBay has an auto software that thanks you for your purchase. That is a component missing from buying from an Org member.

Now perhaps you need to take a time management class or hire some employees to help you but you will answer some questions I guarantee it! And returning someones money is the most stupidess thing I have ever heard of and show your poor business skills. On top of that would get you a poor sellers rating (if you care).

 

So waiting two months for a Y-Pipe that was paid for in April is acceptable to you? If so, you are a fool and a nut!

 

Um yeah. Matt and me have been selling stuff for some time now. There is a BIG difference inbetween good communication and some nagging/whiney kid that doesn't understand business and how to run a business.

Now you idea sounds great. I guess he should even contact the buyer 5 times a day for updates right? Guess what? That means that cuts into his time for design/production. Now there is only x amount of hours in the day. Do you want him/me to ACTUALLY make the stuff and ship it or sit down and hold up production to answer emails? Many of which will be just repeat replies because the person just bugged Matt/me 12 hours ago.

Matt's time = $. If he has to devote 5 hours of repeat unnecessary communication (5 hrs x $40 = $200) on a $60 ground wire kit, exactly where is the sound economics in that?

Customer service is good UP TO A POINT.

It's pretty clear that you don't sell in any great quantities by yourself. If you did, I think you would understand.

 

Buddy,

I do not need to sell anything to understand that when someone spends their hard earned money to show them respect!

If you two have been selling for some time then you should be familiar with the type of questions that you are going to get. I would even go so far to say that you should invest in a website (if you don't already have one).

Perhaps you two should sit down together and review all of the questions that you get on a regular basis and write up an FAQ addressing all of the questions that you normally get. And if you can not afford a website or see need for one put this information up on Cardomain. There you have a free multi-tiered web hosting at no charge to you.

And I don't know how old you are and really don't care but I would guess based on your thoughts of customers (those people who’s money you have taken) that you really have not learned how to be a customer yourself.

You guys are forgetting a lot here! TRUST! I as a customer trust in someone who I do not know to and who has accepted my money to not cheat me and to send to me the product that I have so paid for at a reasonable time.

I am sure you have been in the shoes of these people before, correct? So I will end this by saying that there is nothing you can tell me that I already do not know from my 34 years of being on this planet about doing business and customer service. Remember this, there is a right way and there is a wrong way to do business - which way are you?

Peace

Chris

 

Start selling stuff, then you will see peoples points of view. I bet you are one of the people who emails twice a day DEMANDING to know where your stuff is.

If you have all these ideas, then do something with them. Otherwise, just STFU. Have you even bought anything from Matt?

 

BWWHAHAHAHAH!!!

Okay, let me illustrate the OTHER side for you.

I recently completed a group deal for Lower Tie Bars for 3,4,5 gens. It will take me about six weeks from the initial post about it until I ship the last ones out the door. In that time, I've handled the money of over 40 .org members, and not a single one has complained about my lack of "customer service". In fact, every one of them has said it is 100% exemplary.

One of the main reasons for that is because I spend at least five hours a day sitting in front of this computer answering emails and updating members on parts. I do my best to answer all emails within 24 hours, if not sooner.

Now, assume that it takes 3 minutes to hunt down an email address and email a customer about the status of their order. Since I have many people ordering multiple items for many cars, I can't simply pound out one form letter and send it to 40 people. Sooo, simple math here. 3 minutes x 40 customers waiting on parts = 120 minutes. that's two hours a day just for that.

Now, go back to my 5 hours a day of already doing the work that I'm doing on here- taking orders, processing payments, ordering supplies, returning questions to potential customers, etc... that puts me at seven hours a day JUST in office work!

you wouldn't want to put in more than an 8 hour day, so why should you expect more from me? (in fact, I usually put in about 12 a day. Today, I was up at 8am this morning answering emails, hit the garage at 11am, came in and ate lunch while I was sitting at the computer again answering more new emails and checking the group deal forums for any new posts in my threads, then it was back out to the garage to sweat for a few hours. I finally came in from the garage at about 9pm and ate a cold dinner that my wonderful wife left out for me since 6pm.)...

........So back to the 8 hour day.. If I spend 7 of it in front of a computer, that leaves me ONE HOUR a day to actually build parts!
Hire a secretary or a helper? riiiiight. after the huge price of shipping, steel, and machine shop time, I don't even make minimum wage-- so how the hell could I hire a secretary?!

I don't know where you've spent your 34 years on this planet, but I've been running my own small business for long enough to realize you can't please everybody. I have every right to turn down a sale and return someone's money if it's a bad business deal- which I have done on several occasions because it wasn't worth it.

You and I are talking about completely different ends of the field. I provide a product for a price- a damn fair price too. You may work hard for it, but trust me in the fact I work DAMN hard for it as well. I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to make "customers" like you happy, but that seems to be what you're expecting. You want to be waited on hand and foot, and expect vendors to smile whille they're taking it up the ****. For that, you're going to be paying a lot more money than what I'm asking for my parts.

I do understand your point of view, as I am on your side of the fence as well. I'm currently waiting on parts from.... *counting* NINE suppliers. Guess what that makes me- yeah.. a CUSTOMER. woah. amazing. I don't just crap out brake kits and lower tie bars. I buy the raw materials from other vendors.

What goes around, comes around. I treat my suppliers and customers well. My customers come back for more, and my suppliers smile when I walk in the door. Must be doing something right.

Thank you, have a nice day.

 

Oh.. just a bit more to throw in... here's a short quote from a gentleman that's getting ready to send me $3500+ to build an engine for him:

Must have no clue what I'm doing.

 

Of course, anyone who sells a product via internet or whether it's through distributors/reps should ALWAYS qoute a lead/shipping time before ANY money exchanges hands. Once that date has passed, the buyer certainly reserves the right to know why it has not been shipped and when it will be shipped. BOTTOM LINE

 

KLoWnPR109, both you and your raggity Maxima can kiss ma azz beaotch!

And for the record no I have not purchased anything from Matt. And for additional records I started this thread after reading multiple complaints from others about there stuff and lack of communication. I think ALL OF US would agree that waiting two months for something you paid for is unacceptable unless it is a special order.

So Matt and Jeff this was not about you guys because I have not dealt with either of you. And Matt you are right what goes around surely will come back to you should you treat someone negatively.

Like most threads this one has taken on another direction; one that I did not intend for. I did not intend for this to turn out to be a knock down drag out argument over the deifinition of a customer, seller and the justifications of both.

I have been an eBay customer for five years now and can honestly say that I have had only one problem out of all of the things I have purchased for both car and home. Never in the two and half years of owning my Max have I purchased from an Org member until this year. I made the mistake of thinking I would receive the same service I had grew used to with eBay...ma bad!

So now in learning the difference all I ask for out of this is COMMUNICATION in exchange for my again hard earned money! Now if some of you are modding a car and still living at home with mommie and daddy then you have know idea what that (hard earned money) means.

So just remember for your money you are owed more than just a thanks now shut up and wait! That is not right nor is it fair! Matt and Jeff, trust me I understand more than I have mentioned in this thread! I sell on my much larger level and deal with far bigger numbers that you have mentioned but that is neither here nor there.

So keep the love coming.....

Chris

 

I hope this does not turn into a big name calling contest.

I think there are two sides to this story (as there always are).

Up until about a month and a half ago I have always been on the customer's side of this ballgame. Placing orders and waiting for parts. Without actually selling things it seems easy to be upset when your hard earned money is in someone else's hands and you have not heard anything for more than a few days.

Now that I am on the other end, I see the "light" if you can call it that. It is tough when you sell a product and say you get... thirty orders within two weeks. You want to be given a day or two just to get everything processed, packaged, and shipped. And live a normal life on the side while you can.

Now it is understandable to get emails every now and then from concerned members. No big deal there. But imagine the amount of potential emails you can get! If half of the thirty people email you, you have 15 emails to respond to. At about ten minutes per email, checking over their order, finding out why it isn't out yet, or simply saying "give me a few more minutes please so I can get you stuff shipped!" that is a lot of time spent on replying to emails. Couple that with the time it takes to either manufacture, or order, parts for the items you are selling, along with the ongoing customer service to new potential customers buying parts.. you end up with a good amount of time that must be invested into these parts.

Now granted a few people may have some bad experiences dealing with products they have purchased here, I believe that you have to sit down, be patient, and see both sides of the coin before going off on any single vendor, or all vendors at once.

In Matt's particular case, I have to give him credit. He produces great, and I mean GREAT quality products at reasonable prices and like he stated, he does everything himself! YES EVERYTHING! From marketing, to production, to financing, to organizing shipments. The guy is a one-man army. Now that I am on the side that sells products I have a new respect for him.

In the end, all that matters is that the community of enthusiasts can maintain a level of respect for each other. Both those modifying their cars, and those that sell the modifications to the enthusiasts. There are valid points on both sides, but in the end I hope we can just be happy with a good quality product.

 

Well said Derrick,

You may have possibly earned a potential customer!

Chris

 

ummm..i have a quick q...did you just say you were 34?? yet the above statement came from you?? I might not be as old as you are, but I sure as heck know I'm A LOT MORE mature than "a certain 34-year old" we've come to know and love. Petty name calling is the lowest you can go in an argument..in this case, how low will YOU go?

edit: I just re-read your handle. That explains a whole lot. Carry on folks.

 

Hmmm, so you missed all of that other content huh?

lophix and any others that want to drive the direction of this thread some where other than its intended direction.......I am not going to get into silly stuff but I will not stand for you or anyone else who decides that they want to say "STFU" because they have nothing to legitimately add to this thread.

Now if you want to debate on levels of maturity, my handle and my age go right ahead and knock yourself out. But you will be doing it alone and not with me. I have no time.

Read the entire thread and ALL comments please. My comment was by directed to one person by name and not intended for you or any other person in this thread. I felt that he did not read the entire thread and thus had nothing of value to add but try to throw negativity in here.

This is not a debate but an opportunity to seek answers and share thoughts and experiences and possible come up with solutions to better help US ALL.

Now thank you as I will carry on.

 

Well I've explained my policy on how I sell things. I don't think I've and anyone complain about I handle my business. Look me up in the seller's section if you wish.

Your suggestions only really help the buyer and burden the seller. What about the sellers?

I deal with purchasing/expediting/export logistics all day at my real job.

 

Personally i have dealt w\ many people through my years on the internet wheter being ebay or max.org and it all comes down to reputation. Check who you are buying items from. I have been envolved in around 50 or so online deals and never once had a problem. People with good reputations online try to keep it that way to entise more business. It is a basic business principle. On any auction site check people's auction feedback. It you see a line of negative responses it is a heads up not to buy from a person. On a site such a max.org they have a feedback section. People like Matt try their hardest to respond to all messages that are sent to them in a resonible amount of time. You have to cut some amount of slack and understand this is not thier job, it is something fun they do in their free time to make some extra money, so hense in turn is a business. Most people that do deals in the group section do post if there is delays, or what the status of the orders are. Personal emails are hard to do when there is 40-50 people and you are trying to get everything together to ship....there has to be a level of understanding. Check the thread most with post what is going on there! Remember that they are trying to save all of us money!

On a personal note Matt is God , his products and services are of the highest quality and i reccomend him to all. I also look foward to business on our new engine project (Hehehe) ~Charlie~

 

I say that we all should stand back and look at every angle. Custumer service is based on both the customer and the seller. There is no reason why a seller should have to put up with an individual who is either rude or just a pin in the arsh. However, the customer should get some info regarding their purchase as well. As long as they dont expect to get multiple emails daily regarding their order. We all here on the org need to appreciate each other for what we bring to this domain. Remember we all here take pride in our cars and want to do nothing more than help each other out. So lets all just try to be in the other persons shoes. Remember, respect isnt just given away. It must be earned.

 

Exactly the point I was trying to get across, topdog.

When you come in with guns blazing, expect to get a hostile response in return- which is what I did. A person complaining about lack of customer service-- when I've been in and seen these group deals, then worked one myself-- has little to stand on. Running a group deal is a far cry from regular ordering and purchasing. When you want to get a discount by buying in large quantities (group deal), something MUST be sacrificed- usually it's longer wait times and a lack of personal communication with the seller. Now, if one person were to come up to me and say "I'd like to buy 50 of your lower tie bars. Can you quote me a price and delivery time?" Sure.. you can get personal attention, since I'm dealing with ONE customer. but dealing with 50 times the amount of email for the same sale? no thanks.

I am sympathetic to the buyer, as I sat through the warpspeed GD as well. took me over 6 weeks to get my Y pipe and I even had a small problem with it when it got here. a week or so later, Dallas called me and we worked out the problem. easy enough.

Buying and Selling is a two way street. good communication should come from both sides, not just the seller.

 

This isn't ebay though. You just seem to have grown accustomed to this service and are comparing apples to oranges.

As far as waiting 2 months, I would have absolutely no problem waiting that long if I am saying 50-60 dollars. I guess I just have more patience and trust in the people that I buy from than others do.

A little example, I sold a bodykit to someone off of ebay. I sent it via Greyound which obviously uses buses to ship. The guy that purchased it from was skeptical at first. It costed me less than $50 to ship, whereas UPS and other companies would have charged at least $125ish. However, since he had never heard of people using greyhound to ship, the guy is skeptical for some reason. Nevermind the fact that I'm saving this guy more than $100 bucks by using this shipping method.

Once I got his money, I had it shipped out and told him it would be there shortly. I didn't have the tracking number as I was not the person that shipped it since I was at school and the kit was 500 miles away from me at home. Shortly thereafter, all during final exams and cramming for them, I check my email less than 2 days after. I have about 7-8 emails from this guy demanding a shipping number, saying that I'm ripping him off, and even uses profanity to get his "point" across. If I hadn't needed the money so bad, I would have stopped shipment and sent him his money back. He was freaking out because he hadn't heard from me in two days. Might have been bad judgement on my part, but I ignore stuff like that and didn't respond at first. I later sent him an email that day explaining the situation and he is still freaking out and thinks I'm ripping him off.

The point of my email was to have some patience and that it would be there shortly. He seemed to fail to realize that I'm saving him at least $100 bucks on shipping, but all he can do is complain that he doesn't have a tracking number.

Thats one of the few bad experiences I've had. Am I a little slow on communcation? Most likely. I have a life and schoolwork to do and school comes first. However, anyone that has ever bought from me has gotten their product. I'm still shocked that someone would question me after not hearing me for only 2 days. It's like some people just wait at the front door for their parts to come in, and if they dont, they start to freak out.