Re: Catering to used-car buyers?

["Ian J Haseltine" <jim_haseltine@email.msn.com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Jouko Haapanen <joukoh@vtoy.fi>
To: Ian J Haseltine <jim_haseltine@email.msn.com>
Cc: quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: 31 December 1997 21:17
Subject: Re: Catering to used-car buyers?


>I guess what I'm getting at is that there is no way a medium sized dealer
>has everything in stock, but we do the best we can, of course I can only
>speak for our humble efforts here.
>
>Sorry to hear that the part you needed was not available, but unless a part
>actually moves in inventory from time to time, we cannot have all the
>tidbits.  We try to have all the usual (and some unusual) parts necessary
in
>case of car-down situations.  Trim/body/upholstery etc are certainly not
>these types of parts, but timing belts, idler pulleys, brake parts etc are.
>
I understand the reasoning re. large or unusual parts, but the bits that I
wanted were nyloc nuts in 13&10mm sizes and some clevis pin retainers and as
such probably not unique to the RHD Ur quattro. I would have understood if
they had some but not all the parts or even if they didn't have them in
sufficient quantity, but they didn't. What would they do if during a service
they discovered that such a part needed replacing? Telling a customer that
they can't finish the job because they have to wait 24 hours for a 10mm nut
to be delivered won't help to keep that customer loyal IMO - especially with
their labour charges at over 40GBP/hour.

Jim Haseltine
88 Ur quattro