DixieMonteCarlo - Good Vendor ???
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I appreciate a customer letting me know about this thread on this site. I have never been on here because I really can not afford the time to be on here. I thought though I would explain my dilemma so as to see if I could fix a few problems and/or misunderstandings. First, we are only a three person company. We started it part time 15 years ago and went full time the end of 2002. We can only ship out about 600+ orders a month. Once the orders go over 700, we are unable to get the parts out and it will take 7-10 days before we can get caught back up. The problem is, this condition really only lasts from late February early March till about June or early July. After that you have good months and average months. We tried hiring someone just to answer the phone, but that didn't work because they did not have car experience. In fact, our line of product is so focused that we get more technical calls than anything else that ties up the lines and the phone. We try to help everyone, but this time of year it is impossible. I enjoy the smallness of our company. I don't like to bring people on that I can not keep for a long time. Plus it cost an employer unemployment tax to let them go. (Thats right, its not free folks to get unemployment!) So until I sell it or partnership with someone, we will still be short staffed. I really like parts and not being a manager of people. I takes about $250,000 in gross sales just to break even for an employee, let alone make more money. You have to pay for all of their mistakes and you have the extra paper work, taxes, benefits, and work to manage them. If you like doing that, then its not a problem. I have to manage the stock and getting it back on the shelves, make sure most of it goes out (everyone actually helps at this), answer the 100+ emails we get a day, help answer the 8000 minutes of long distance calls we get each month, manage the catalog, new products and their development, help the walk in customers, go to a couple of swap meets a year(which is a lot of work bringing those trailers full of parts, try it sometime and see), etc... My wife handles most of the bills. She helps me in shipping, ordering special order stuff, and keeping me organized which is a full time job in itself. We try to keep our prices as fair as possible by staying lean (except for discontinued parts). We try to keep producing new parts and/or find new parts to offer to help restore your car. We offer technical advice in restoring your car and have never charged for it. Between my employee and myself, we have taken apart over 200 cars and restored over two dozen. We know these cars very well. (and by the way, those used parts that some of you order don't just jump off of the cars you know) We modify and customize parts for people that most no one else does. This takes time though. We check gauges and radios before we ship them to make sure they work properly. We are not set up to be a summit racing who ships parts out automated. They send out cookie cutter parts. Many of our orders are specific to the customers needs. When the simplified site takes your order, it only does a preauthorization. I am still reviewing each shipping cost because many times it is too high and correcting them till I can fix the problem. We post on the corrected amounts. WE do not actually get the money till we ship unless we have to special order it. If it takes more that 7 days to get the order out, many times the money that was put in reserve for the transaction has already been returned to the card. We can not help if something goes discontinued. That is out of our hands. Many times we will try to get the part remade. Another flaw to the shopping cart is that I need to get to do real time stock availablity. I will try to fix that problem as well by summer. Our phone does not offer to take your message and call you back. If you listen to the recording, it gives you other avenues and/or times to contact us. I can not babysit each order or we will never get the parts out. I really do not understand the impatience people have getting their car parts. Most of these cars are not used for daily transportation anymore, so what is the big rush? Why is same day shipping so important? I would rather get my parts in good condition the first time than to have to hassle with returns and replacements. We have less than 1 percent of our packages damaged per year. Also, like everyone, we have terms and conditions of sale like everyone does. We always do what we say and I have even done more than the terms in many cases. If you think I owe you money, give me your name and I will look into the problem to see if we still owe credit to you. I only remember one person I said I would give free shipping to for taking too long on their order and I gave them that money via a refund. I had an ebay person check on his tracking number 2 days after the actual money had been transacted. I think that is being too impatient. If you have not seen your order after a legitimate week, then try to contact us about it. I hate to say it, but I can not be everything that everyone wants. It is ok if you buy your parts somewhere else, but you won't find better parts or someone who can catch mistakes customers make on orders and save you the hassle and money on returns. We give good advice and we never cheat anyone. But we can not handle all of the calls because many of them are not necessary and are keeping others from getting their parts as well. (The smallest orders seem to give everyone in the business the most trouble. Why is that? Because most of these people think someone owes them something instead making their own way and willing to work for what they want. Many of our larger order people had to take time to save for what they really want and are more patient. I have been working on restoring some of my cars for years because I am too busy helping everyone restore theirs.) Most of you will not take the time to read this. I probably wasted my time writing it. I appreciate the person bringing it to my attention and I will try to keep a more pleasant attitude. Point was well taken. We have served over 40,000 orders with honesty and integrity. We will always tell you the truth and we will always deliver the parts or give you the option of giving your money back if we find that one of our vendors can not deliver or are way behind. We keep 90 percent of what we offer in stock at all times. I have over 3000 catalogs I am behind on because we have been revising it and will get out in April. It cost $5.00 per book to print and $3.00 to mail and we do it for free to the customer. It is 11:15pm now and I will be back up at 4:30 am, but not on here. Somewhere I still try to be a Dad, husband, got to church and Sunday School, teach youth at my church, teach a Bible study on Wed. night, do Boy Scouts, and do the sports teams with my kids. All of which is most important. Not much time for anything else. Thanks again for your time and sorry I let you down. I want to know if owe you someting, so I can make it right. Our phone number is 704-888-3607 or 877-243-4943 (877-24DIXIE). Our fax number is 704-888-6581 or 877-243-4940. Our email is [email protected].
We will try to work on communicating better and will look into some of these problems posted on here. Every vendor has simular problems every once in a while on certain parts and that will detain orders. Suppliers promise the parts and then end up being 6 months late even though you ordered 2 months ahead and that gets you 4 months behind on a part. Because they wholesale and are the only ones making the part, they don't care if your customers are mad.
After 12 month of being jerked around about the speaker adapters, they discontinued them. I had to have them remade and I just got 50 sets in stock in February. Unfortunately, the cost went up because they are no longer being made with slave labor, but supporting a good craftsman here in the US. He makes many of my plastic interior parts.
One last thing, then I am signing off of here. Unless someone ask me to respond via phone or email or you want me to start announing new products on here, I will not be on here to reply to any more questions.
We will never sacrifice quality over quantity. We will never try to compete with those that sell generic parts. We will never tell you that a part is super when it is not. Most of the time we have tried all of the parts we sell ourselves and can give you first hand experience about the part. We are a custom shop and run like one. We are not a discount chain. Our ebay feedback speaks for itself. You are welcome to review it.
Unlike almost any company out there, we give away 10-25% each year of our gross profit (not net profit) to those that are less fortunate and charitable organizations. We spend Saturdays feeding the homeless, taking youth on real mission projects where thay learn to build ramps, paint, repair stairs, gutters, do yard work,etc... We take the time to teach them to give back to their local community. We also take the youth to the mountains of NC to work on homes of those in need for a solid week through Carolina Cross Connection. We have done this for the past 20 years. Most probably don't care about these things, but I believe that the reason why we work is not to only feed ourselves but to help those who can not help themselves such as our widows, orphans, handicap, etc... I am a Christian and a Mason. I am not ashamed of it and we will always strive to do our best. It may not be what you want, but it will be what is best. "What if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?" We are only here for a short time, we will be in eternity for thousands of years. The worst thing you can do to a person is to let them die without hearing about the love of Christ. Love for someone else does not mean you are to "Get Your Way", it means that we are fair and respect the other person as a child of God. We try to help when "Help" is really needed. Building your play toy is not a "need" but a "desire". Getting a single lady's car running again so she can go to work and take care of her family is a "need". Desires are fine, but they have to be put into perspective.
Just like I had a foreign customer in Texas say we sent him the wrong part one time and wanted us to pay for shipping it back. He was trying to hang a quarter panel where a fender should have gone. He actually sent me a picture via email to prove his point that the part wold not fit! That crazy picture hangs in our office to remind others that walk in that" The customer is NOT always right!" We will work together because we ALL make mistakes. We are all learning. The only time you stop learning is either by choice or you are dead. We will partner to help each other with our dreams and ambitions.
Have a great year and thanks for letting me ramble on here. I pray you find a higher calling than yourself. God bless!
We will never sacrifice quality over quantity. We will never try to compete with those that sell generic parts. We will never tell you that a part is super when it is not. Most of the time we have tried all of the parts we sell ourselves and can give you first hand experience about the part. We are a custom shop and run like one. We are not a discount chain. Our ebay feedback speaks for itself. You are welcome to review it.
Unlike almost any company out there, we give away 10-25% each year of our gross profit (not net profit) to those that are less fortunate and charitable organizations. We spend Saturdays feeding the homeless, taking youth on real mission projects where thay learn to build ramps, paint, repair stairs, gutters, do yard work,etc... We take the time to teach them to give back to their local community. We also take the youth to the mountains of NC to work on homes of those in need for a solid week through Carolina Cross Connection. We have done this for the past 20 years. Most probably don't care about these things, but I believe that the reason why we work is not to only feed ourselves but to help those who can not help themselves such as our widows, orphans, handicap, etc... I am a Christian and a Mason. I am not ashamed of it and we will always strive to do our best. It may not be what you want, but it will be what is best. "What if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?" We are only here for a short time, we will be in eternity for thousands of years. The worst thing you can do to a person is to let them die without hearing about the love of Christ. Love for someone else does not mean you are to "Get Your Way", it means that we are fair and respect the other person as a child of God. We try to help when "Help" is really needed. Building your play toy is not a "need" but a "desire". Getting a single lady's car running again so she can go to work and take care of her family is a "need". Desires are fine, but they have to be put into perspective.
Just like I had a foreign customer in Texas say we sent him the wrong part one time and wanted us to pay for shipping it back. He was trying to hang a quarter panel where a fender should have gone. He actually sent me a picture via email to prove his point that the part wold not fit! That crazy picture hangs in our office to remind others that walk in that" The customer is NOT always right!" We will work together because we ALL make mistakes. We are all learning. The only time you stop learning is either by choice or you are dead. We will partner to help each other with our dreams and ambitions.
Have a great year and thanks for letting me ramble on here. I pray you find a higher calling than yourself. God bless!
wow dixie monte - I don't think those guys care how the business is run or what you do with your employees or money or charity or family or your views on god. They just want their parts in a reasonable amount of time. I don't think any part should take over 2 weeks to get to someones door unless it's not in stock, which the customer should be notified of on backorder or something.
Um, yeah, thanks Dixie.
Big long diatribe on how we should be more patient with you and your costs are x amount blahblahblah.
So when I order a part (not that I ever will from you), you charge my card, and I dont get anything from you, not even a potential ship date, I guess I should say "ah it will get here someday".
Thanks but no thanks. Your the worst kind of vendor. The kind that promises the world, takes the money and would rather bash the customer who is inquiring about his order instead of stepping up to the plate and making sure the customer is taken care of.
There are plenty of parts vendors out there, and I have dealt with pretty much all of them rebuilding my car. You were the worst to deal with and will not get anything from me. Ever.
Big long diatribe on how we should be more patient with you and your costs are x amount blahblahblah.
So when I order a part (not that I ever will from you), you charge my card, and I dont get anything from you, not even a potential ship date, I guess I should say "ah it will get here someday".
Thanks but no thanks. Your the worst kind of vendor. The kind that promises the world, takes the money and would rather bash the customer who is inquiring about his order instead of stepping up to the plate and making sure the customer is taken care of.
There are plenty of parts vendors out there, and I have dealt with pretty much all of them rebuilding my car. You were the worst to deal with and will not get anything from me. Ever.
DixieMonteCarloDepot said:
I've delt with this many times and I don't understand either. I've been ****ed over because of it and I know a BUNCH of AWESOME guys in the Oldsmobile community who won't even go on a forum anymore. And these are the guys with the highly saught after stuff at great prices...
BUT... it may help to just send a follow-up to let them know they aren't getting ripped off because that is what everyone thinks happens... don't worry you are not the only vendor that does this. But seriously I've seen allot of people bitching about vendors on this so you should probably put up a disclaimer, I know I had to on my for sale ad dealing with just plain idiots...
Being a private vendor is HARD WORK.
NOT EVERYONE CAN BE WALMART or YEAR ONE!
It takes pure passion for someone to startup a buisness like this to preserve these cars, especially when no one else is doing so.
If you want Walmart service go to Walmart or go out there and physically find the part yourself, if you want quality and to deal with someone who actually knows something then it's gonna take time. Plain and simple, these people have to put food on the table too while running this UNPROFITABLE business. They do it because they are passionate.
I've run into allot of jerks online in the past, I won't name names but it's no one on this site. Some people like to hide behind a keyboard and shoot off their mouths and it's a lost cause trying to defend yourself and you tend to stoop to their level in the process...try talking to me like that in person...
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