OME or RTE?

[Ronnie]

Personally, I'd shop around for OME stuff. EE is great with lots of useful info but I'm cheap and still look around for the best prices.

So you don't see the hypocrisy in that statement? If you know there are cheaper vendors out there, and there most certainly are, why not just get all of your information from the other/cheaper vendor. I would imagine Nathan knows just as much about Rovers as does John and Ho and would be happy to give you all the info you wanted to know. I don't have a problem with anyone, or everyone for that matter, buying from Nathan (I've done it) but saying EE's website is great with lots of useful info but then recommend searching out a cheaper vendor is just wrong in my book, but to each his own...

 

[rovercanus]

Ronnie, I did a search on OME. EE popped right up so I naturally checked them out. Once again, great info. But, there was a price discrepancy compared to other sites.
When you bought your Rover did you shop around? Did you Get the most expensive one you found? Was the seller nice?
When I buy stuff, I research it. I love the technical details which EE has a lot of. Thanks EE!
But,the information they put out there is public domain. If they didn't want to share it they wouldn't.
What is wrong with you guys? All I said is shop around. Let the buyer beware.
Now I'm practically be accused of stealing private information and promoting "discount warehouses". I have no idea where that came from. Some people didn't do to good on thier reading comprehension scores I guess.
So for all of those I've insulted for offering a little intelligent advice, grow some skin. If you noticed, I haven't called anyone names yet.
For those of you who would like to save money on certain items, do a search. Use the resource page on this board, that's what it's there for.
I've noticed that EE isn't the only site listed on it.
Remember a few posts back I said I would use EE unless I get turned off by the experience? Well I'm turned off. Will EE miss me? No. Will I miss them? No.
If it makes you feel better, I will take them off my favorite list and not look at them again.
So keep paying too much for the huggy feely good vibes and I'll save some money. I just don't have the disposable income that some of you people have. Now you can tell me I shouldn't have a Land Rover.
I really need to thank you guys for the entertainment.

 

[D Chapman]

I don't think it's fair to single out EE. Other vendors associated with Land Rover charge high prices too.

 

[koby]

Dan, you know why. Don't feign naivete.

It's always the same. Cheap bastards go to vendors like EE, study the information they post intending to inform their customers and you take that information and run to whatever shop that has the cheapest prices.

Even worse is when some dumbass spends 30 minutes on the phone asking about Widget X, then says "OK, thanks" and hangs up. That person calls and asks for information fully intending to go to a cheaper shop. These same worthless fucks would spend 15 minutes to an a half-hour wasting my time when I used to sell bikes. The really audacious ones would waste my time in person. To me there is nothing is more infuriating that wasting a retailers time like that.

The absolute worst is when someone hides behind the veils called "educated consumer" or "smart shopper" At least salvage some integrity by revealing your true intentions rather than lie about it. Dan, it's for guys like you that I don't usually bother explaining myself because my explanation would be lost on you like a 747 flying right over your head.

 

[dave_lucas]

Walter,

?Dave, I am supporting Rover specific discount warehouses err, shops.
Go to anyone of the 3 I listed above. That's all they do. Go to the resources page on this site for their contact information.?

I was not directing that comment at you Walter, I was talking to D about why I feel sometimes you get better service from a Land Rover specific vendor rather than the local Jeep parts house.


D,

?Dave, I know what your saying, and you are right. But, every wheeler needs recovery gear, tires, oil/lubes and filters, etc.... The local shops are good with this. Plus, even big ticket items like winches can be purchased from these local shops too. I just think it's better to keep the money in the community not only for your truck/car needs, but for anything?

I agree on the keeping money in your local community when possible, sometime that is not an option.



Anyhow I am not trying to personally attach anyone, I was just trying to point out that sometimes it is worth paying a few extra dollars for the knowledge or service that a company offers.

 

[D Chapman]

Koby, that may be why EE writes these essays on the stuff they sell? Or, is it because they feel their time is too valuable to answer questions on the phone? I thought these guys had awesome customer service? Well, answering questions on the phone is all part of customer service. Even if you know the joker on the other line is talking from their ass, a person with good service should still answer these question to the best of their ability and never complain about it. I know, I deal with it everyday. I know my prices are the best within 100 miles for the service/care I offer. I have the best price, I sell the very best product avaliable, and I give the very best service. My profit margin is less than my compeditors because he buy/uses the cheap shit and charges a higher price than I do. But, I still loose business everyday to my compeditors beause the public is not educated on these services. My business is growing like mad. We went from 9 customers the first year of business to 140 last year. This year will yet set a new record. To top it off, we just built a brand new 1.3 million dollor building. So, now we have two locations. But, I guess since I'm a cheap ass, I know nothing about service. I know the value of service, and I know the value of offering a good product. But, you have still not answered the question, so I will ask again, why am I a Cheap Bastard?

 

[rovercanus]

Fair enough Dave. Your statements where intelligent and you brought your point across without insulting somebody. Sometimes it is worth the extra couple of bucks for service. But a couple of hundred?
It's nice to know that there are people on this board that can do that.
I have never pump a vendor for information if I did not intend to purchase from them. There are people out there that do that, but I'm not one of them.
Please have EE and the other information intensive web sites remove themselves from search engines so I do not accidently access thier information. That would be unethical of me. Also I promise that if I do get on a site and look at thier data, I will buy from them no matter what the ass-raping they give me.
Feel better Koby? Golly, I hope so!

 

[rovercanus]

My business is growing like mad.

Dan, may I never be your customer!

 

[cmondieyoung]

So keep paying too much for the huggy feely good vibes and I'll save some money. I just don't have the disposable income that some of you people have. Now you can tell me I shouldn't have a Land Rover.

I don't have any disposable income either. But if it means scraping and saving for a few extra months to feel good about a purchase, so be it. I'll never take my junk to Land Rover because Land Rover doesn't give a flying fuck about my truck, about my wallet, about good local trails, and about its own staff (ask a master tech how much he makes off the $95/hour labor charge). If it means bringing my service manual with me down to the local guy with dirty hands, and the two of us spending an afternoon figuring it out, fine. It's fun, you meet people, rap about cars, and the couple extra bucks you spend is appreciated.

It's a hobby, right?

Seems like so many people are just out for that instant gratification shit...which leads them to several places... like Wal Mart, Midas, and Discount Tire.

 

[mikem]

Just some comments....

1. Most rover shops are relatively small operations...they all need support from the relatively small rover community.

2. Koby lives in SoCal, so EE is a local shop for him.

3. EE's website is ADVERTISING...if its supposed to be a customer-only service, it should not be publicly available. It costs John and Ho no more if 3 people or 3000 people look at their website. The more people that look, the more likely that some of them will buy something. Looking at a website is like window shopping, it does not create a moral obligation to purchase something.

4. There is a significant difference between looking at a website and talking to someone on the phone or face to face. When you talk to a vendor (via phone, face to face or email), you are talking up his time for you personally. If that time doesn't generate a sale, it is a waste.

So,
Koby: chill out...your aggressive support for EE is costing them sales.
Walter: relax, ignore them.
Dan: quit trying to bait Koby.
Dave: keep up the good work.
Mike Noe: go out and buy that soap right now!

 

[rovercanus]

But I'm having too much fun Mike!

 

[cmondieyoung]

I think Koby has every right to be furious at even the subtle implications of this thread.

Taking info from one site and using it to make an "informed" purchase somewhere else is just a euphemism for being a flagrant cheapskate.

Our culture is descending into this nostalgia about local operations... and everyone loves the "close knit" Rover community except when it comes to their own wallet.

Huge retail chains have sprung up overnight in this country... fed by the apple of the American Dream.. make more, spend less, fuck everyone else. It's the new great American disease, and it's ruining everything unique about local economies. Import tuners and Jeeps are good examples of this--they're the ones who buy their shit at Napa or off some corny neon-signed website offering discount parts. Not us, right? We're enthusiastic about our vehicles, understand the cost they incur, and reflect this on the purchases we make---purchases that go to the people who make a community like this one possible.

Perhaps I'm speaking in the grandiose terms I comfort myself with, but I believe the point stands.

There really isn't any excuse for trying to get "cheap" parts for these vehicles, especially if you're an enthusiast enough to spend countless hours here.

 

[p m]

Craig, NAPA is an OEM or OEM-replacement parts supplier, unlike K/S/C or PepBoys or Autozone. Nothing wrong with them, and no upgrade parts from them, either.

 

[Peter-man99]

I am not really going to comment on what anyone else should do, we all have our own lives and circumstances and do what we feel is best, and that's different for everyone (whether you agree with it or not)

I live in a place with very little rover knowledge, even the dealer is a couple of hours away. I have been really lucky to find a helpful friendly garage and will take busines to them when I can. Other than them I have had to rely on the internet and EE has been a fantastic resource. I have even emailed John and asked him a couple of questions. He was super helpful and since we all lead busy lives I really appreciate him taking the time to answer my simple questions. His patience and helpfulness convinced me I would like to do business with him and his company. I haven't boughten the lift yet but when I get money money saved I will buy it from John and they guys at EE.

I also look for values when buying. My wife has a hard enough time with the prices associated with these cars. In looking at sliders I was trying to get an idea of total cost so I emailed Dave about shipping costs. He emailed back and offered to make a set of sliders available (even though they were currently out of stock) if I needed them immidiately. I mentioned that I was just getting an idea of how much I need to save and that I was also look at RTE sliders for specific design reasons. Dave complimented RTE and their service and wished me luck in my decision making. That is the type of person I want to establish a relationship for doing business with.

I used to be an assistant manager at an appartment complex. I was looking at the price we paid for certain products and I knew we could save money on a lot of things we use, specifically paint. We used a lot of paint and I could save the owner more than half on the price per gallon. When I asked the owner about switching he said he was aware but knew the guys at the local paint shop personally. He also knew that if there was ever a favor we needed they would be there for us.

I may pay extra for certain parts but I also believe that if there are more stupid questions or I get in a pinch they will still be there for me. I could be wrong, and be that as it may, I will take my chances.

This doesn't mean that I don't look for the best prices because I have to. I don't make that much, I have rent to pay and 2 kids that are my life and my wife stays at home with the kids. I have to shop for the best prices, but there are somethings you can't put a price on, and a friend being there when you need a hand is priceless, and to some degree that is what you get with excelent customer service.

Some may disagree and I respect that.

 

[cmondieyoung]

Craig, NAPA is an OEM or OEM-replacement parts supplier, unlike K/S/C or PepBoys or Autozone. Nothing wrong with them, and no upgrade parts from them, either.

Haha, fair enough. Just trying to make a point.

 

[rovercanus]

I haven't found any huge retail chains for Rover parts. Go visit Steve at RTE. Small shop but great, to me, LOCAL service.
Sorry, I still think you have to be damaged to pay too much for parts just because you saw it or researched it at a certain site. I've already stated I will not use EE for information or parts any more because according to some of you they are not about Land Rover enthusism, but just selling expensive parts to the masses that can't use a search engine to save some money.
Am I a cheap bastard? Well I guess I am, and proud of it. You go right ahead and support high prices. I'll keep shopping around thank you.
And Koby gets pissed about a lot. We all flame others, I know I have but, I also try to be helpful. Do a search of replies by Koby and most of them will be flames or generally negative comments about whatever the subject is. Hey this is the internet, you just have to put up with it.
I am having fun though!

 

[curtis]

My goodness Craig Lee, even when you are right I have this notion to tell you to STFU.

Here is the real deal. I really do think the EE guys take the brain rape thing in stride. John explained it this way to me recently: Some people are going to brain rape them and buy somewhere else anyway. That is just what they do. All businesses suffer from it. It is evil? Sure, but it is like taxes, rent, & bills: it goes with the territory. They are giving opinions, not engineering studies and there is little in the way of intellectual property no matter how well the information is layed out.

The other side of the coin is that some people ARE going to buy from them out of loyalty to the service they provide. These types of customers will pay more, drive further, and go to extra lengths because they are LOYAL. They do not consider saving a few bucks a big deal because they grasp the bigger picture.

So who would you rather have as a customer? The guy who brain rapes or the guy who is loyal? Further, would you rather do business with someone who discounts, or someone who charges a fair price for what you get? In the end there are retailers for both types of buyers and I am not so sure that this is a bad thing.

 

[cmondieyoung]

And Koby gets pissed about a lot. We all flame others, I know I have but, I also try to be helpful. Do a search of replies by Koby and most of them will be flames or generally negative comments about whatever the subject is.

A man after my own heart!

 

[rovercanus]

That's funny. I've never "brain raped" EE. I've just looked at thier site. If that is brain rape then I'm an intellectual molester!
Hell yeah, I'll support venders that have done me right. Enthuiasts share knowlege with out the stigma of a sure sale. When I called Steve at RTE about lifts he didn't say "Before I answer any questions I need a statement of purchase intent from you".
He answered my questions intelligently and gave me needed advice enthusiastically. Yes, I bought springs from RTE. I didn't just "brain rape" them.
It's funny how some of you can attack RTE's products but take insult when I mention another vendor has some high prices.

 

[EricSiepmann]

I think Walter you're forgetting one thing. It cost John and Ho time and money to put the information out on their site, regardess of how many people can view it. Second, the information is organized as a sales tool, not as a resource. They are indeed selling their wares in a virtual shop. So are you "Brain Raping" when look through their site? That depends on intent. All businesses encourage traffic through their sites or stores and expect window shoppers to a degree. But when you eBrainRape is when you go to the EE site first, educate yourself with the content knowing that you won't purchase anything from them to begin with.

I agree with the posts above about establishing a relationship with a vendor. I have done so with EE and have benefitted as a result of it. We're talking nominal dollars in price discrepency here. Not enough to waste my time searching the entire internet for the cheapest price. And in the end, I value my time more than anything else. I'd much rather being doing other things than shopping.

FWIW,

EWS