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Post by rapidotrains on Apr 13, 2016 5:47:43 GMT -8
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Post by davidmbedard on Apr 13, 2016 8:12:57 GMT -8
Sweet relish!
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Post by talltim on Apr 15, 2016 4:15:01 GMT -8
I had an email from the retailer (The Engine Shed in the UK) I ordered with saying that it wasn't going to be available.
What happened with the MBTA, are the numbered ones to be produced or will it be the unnumbered option?
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Post by rapidotrains on Apr 16, 2016 6:52:09 GMT -8
I had an email from the retailer (The Engine Shed in the UK) I ordered with saying that it wasn't going to be available. What happened with the MBTA, are the numbered ones to be produced or will it be the unnumbered option? It seems that Gaugemaster, a UK distributor, reads my emails and whenever I say that something isn't selling well they tell all their dealers "Rapido has cancelled it." We just heard that they've "cancelled" our N scale baggage cars as well. We've done no such thing. The MBTA RDCs will be produced exactly as originally planned. -Jason |
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Post by talltim on Apr 16, 2016 8:32:00 GMT -8
Thanks, I've emailed them to ask them to check
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Post by craigz on Apr 17, 2016 17:40:42 GMT -8
It seems that Gaugemaster, a UK distributor, reads my emails and whenever I say that something isn't selling well they tell all their dealers "Rapido has cancelled it." We just heard that they've "cancelled" our N scale baggage cars as well. We've done no such thing. The MBTA RDCs will be produced exactly as originally planned. -Jason It's distributors like that, that are one reason so many manufacturers and importers are so closed-mouthed about their businesses. A month or so ago a Major Hobby Retailer here told a friend that Atlas' U33Bs were sold out...quite a feat considering that Atlas hadn't even started ACCEPTING reservations yet...and to my knowledge still hasn't started taking reservations yet. I mean, seriously... |
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Apr 17, 2016 18:57:41 GMT -8
LHS retailers have notoriously bad reputations when it comes to product rumors. I've had one tell me that a product was canceled when I had heard that they had just started cutting the tooling that morning (the product came out on time). I've had one tell me that they can't order any Walthers/Shinohara flex track because they're waiting for the container to fill up in Japan (at the time, Walthers kept 5000 pieces in stock). I've had a retailer tell me that a product was going to be delayed for months when the manufacturer just told me that it was coming out sooner than expected.
Many times, retailers will create a story to explain why they can't get something on time instead of telling the truth. It's usually due to unpaid bills, but of course they can't admit that. So they come with some story, like the UPS truck flipping over on the highway and catching fire (that was told to me, too). Other times, they get told some story by a customer or even a competing manufacturer and they just repeat what they hear, no matter how outlandish. Rarely does anyone contact the actual manufacturer to find out what's going on.
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Post by rapidotrains on Apr 17, 2016 21:48:43 GMT -8
Many times, retailers will create a story to explain why they can't get something on time instead of telling the truth. It's usually due to unpaid bills, but of course they can't admit that. So they come with some story, like the UPS truck flipping over on the highway and catching fire (that was told to me, too). This actually happens quite frequently. We get angry calls or email from customers who have been told some story by the hobby shop. Telling the customer that their store is having credit issues is extremely unprofessional. So we have to find some way to calm the customer down without lying to him or telling him that his store is at fault. It's a delicate balance... Very rarely a store owner will say some quite nasty things about a supplier when the truth is that they are having cash flow problems. We will never disparage a store unless they get really nasty about us and we have written proof of it... in which case the gloves come off. I think it's important to be polite and professional, but that doesn't mean we'll let someone drag our name through the dirt without good reason. -Jason |
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Post by Brakie on Apr 18, 2016 3:58:50 GMT -8
Many times, retailers will create a story to explain why they can't get something on time instead of telling the truth. It's usually due to unpaid bills, but of course they can't admit that. So they come with some story, like the UPS truck flipping over on the highway and catching fire (that was told to me, too). This actually happens quite frequently. We get angry calls or email from customers who have been told some story by the hobby shop. Telling the customer that their store is having credit issues is extremely unprofessional. So we have to find some way to calm the customer down without lying to him or telling him that his store is at fault. It's a delicate balance... Very rarely a store owner will say some quite nasty things about a supplier when the truth is that they are having cash flow problems. We will never disparage a store unless they get really nasty about us and we have written proof of it... in which case the gloves come off. I think it's important to be polite and professional, but that doesn't mean we'll let someone drag our name through the dirt without good reason. -Jason Jason,I been though it all from my distributors is sold out to my main distributor short changed my order(that may happen but,not every order) and never once was I told the store's strap for cash regardless how well I knew the owner. A simple "my sales been down and the store's stock fund is lower then normal" would have resulted in a prepaid order instead of not receiving my order which in turn more then likely lead to a treasure hunt in other hobby shops-this was back in the Jurassic Age before the coming of home computers and start phones.. |
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Post by drolsen on Apr 20, 2016 3:08:16 GMT -8
Maybe there's hope for MARC RDCs yet!
Dave
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Post by talltim on Apr 20, 2016 4:23:40 GMT -8
Not had a response from them.  |
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Post by talltim on Apr 27, 2016 2:29:40 GMT -8
Still no response. Looks like I and Rapido have missed out.
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Post by Chet on Apr 27, 2016 13:48:55 GMT -8
I sent an email to them this morning to see if I could order one, undecorated, in DC only. Want it undecorated so I can letter it for my freelance railroad. Got a response back in a few hours. I can order direct as I have no hobby shops at all in my area. Going to give them a call and order one.
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Post by selector on Apr 27, 2016 18:43:23 GMT -8
This actually happens quite frequently. We get angry calls or email from customers who have been told some story by the hobby shop. Telling the customer that their store is having credit issues is extremely unprofessional. So we have to find some way to calm the customer down without lying to him or telling him that his store is at fault. ... -Jason This is beside the topic, but I disagree with your statement in bold. If you know what the offending retailer has stated about you/your operation to be untrue, you have the duty, ethically, to rectify the untruth. It would just pleasantly coincidentally also be self-serving...one of the few win-wins in life. It is never going to be clear to the potential customer, the eventual buyer, that his retailer has lied to him...about you...unless you point out the lie. It would always be the most ethical orientation to any topic to deal with it veridically, meaning truthfully. If the retailer has blamed you, he impugns you. Rather than admit to his own failure or neglect, he seeks a scapegoat. Rather than turn on his customer, he shrugs and says you are the shady character, or a poor manager, or an inept importer. Nonsense! I would think it right to tell the complainant that the retailer has a: lied to him; and b. hidden his own ineptitude. You may not be wise to actually describe the ineptitude, certainly in any great detail, but you can let the complainant know that the retailer is....uhh.....scrambling to get stock shipped to him, or that you are unable to ship stock to him until he catches up on his invoices. Bottom line, the entire field doesn't need business people like "him." It needs people like you, and like those who have little or no trouble bringing your craft and their custom together. |
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