Re: important note about boge shocks availability

[u3109@calv1.cray.com (Mike W. Young)]

Eliot,

You talked to Dave at RD about a container full of
Boge shocks stuck at customs.

Were these shocks imported by Boge, or RD?

When I have talked to RD they have been less than informed
about the products they claimed to be able to provide.
None of what I was after has ever been in stock.

In fact a friend told me they have very little in stock,
no store front at all, and do no service. Perhaps that has changed.

I remember you quoted a few months back that RD beat the next lowest
quote by $30 per shock. I wondered why they had so much head-room
compared to other "greedy" discount vendors (Who had them in stock).

Try mentioning RD to most any other mail order vendor and nothing 
but venom comes out. Sometimes that's a good sign that you got a
good deal, but most comments I got were not related to RD pricing.

I wonder a few things, and they might be worth checking for your
own protection.

A) Is RD authorized by Boge to sell Boge products?
	If not you might not have a warranty if one fails.

B) Is Boge cutting RD out of the distribution channel for "low-balling"?
	Price fixing is not allowed, but ask any Sony dealer, or 
	Specialized Bicycle dealer how hard it is to restock if 
	they sell at "Blow-out" prices on current models.

I can't understand how Boge with world-wide distribution could screw 
up at US customs. If the delay is because the container was imported
direct by RD then you will not have a Boge USA warranty.

Might be interesting to call Boge Customer Service and verify the RD story.

I am curious to hear the outcome. Seems like you mentioned your shocks back
in August. Thats along time, even if the parts are coming from Germany.
 
Beware, if it sounds to good to be true...

No flames intended towards RD, but this triggered the consumer watch-dog
in me. With the boom in mail order sales, a few shady characters have
prospered, and I'm not saying RD is shady, but it might be worth asking
a few probing questions to clarify the situation. 


Regards,

Mike Young