FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Ok, here's the deal guys. I receive on average OVER 25 emails a day, many of which are very time-consuming inquiries and/or price quotes on all sorts of rare and obscure parts. And many times, a single email contains anywhere from 10 - 20 inquiries alone.

While I take pleasure in helping people find and obtain parts they truly desire, *wayyy too often* I spend *hours* of my and my counterparts' time getting price quotes and product info, only to have people reply with "Oh I can't afford the parts anyway...I just wanted to know how much they were..." or something along those lines. That's unfair to the several very serious customers I have who are ready to buy, and who's emails get lost amidst the plethora of purely inquisitive emails. There's nothing wrong with asking for info, but a) time is money, esp. when people have many projects they're trying to complete - and on a deadline mind you, b) it's simply impossible to handle this volume of inquiries, and c) frankly, I feel that in-depth inquiries that are fruitless are disrespectful to me and my time. That's just me being honest.

I say this because many people seem to think that parts in Japan are dirt cheap, and shipping shouldn't be anything over a few dollars (lol). I ONLY deal with high quality parts that I will stand behind, because that's how I do business. So naturally, those parts come with their rightful expense. Moreover, when it costs $50 or so to ship many parts a few hundred miles here within the US, it's only logical that shipping *thousands* of miles over the sea from one *continent* to another would cost considerably more. Despite this, I have been spending enormous amounts of time and effort trying to streamline and make more efficient the shipping process, both in terms of time and money.

Having said that, this is where I'm at. I sell high quality parts. They're expensive. Nothing's cheap here. So if you're serious about buying, that needs to be understood up front. And IF that's understood up front, then inquiries should be serious - only done if you *truly* have the desire to purchase an item. And as such, you expect to spend several hundred dollars for whatever it is you're going to purchase. In fact, I don't think there's *anything* that I sell that's under $200.

So what's my idea/proposal to take this point home to the RX-7 (and otherwise) community? I'll require a minor ($25 or so) *non-refundable* fee per inquiry, which should hopefully serve as a deterrent to those who make frivolous inquiries. While the fee is non-refundable, it would be credited toward the purchase of any item, should you choose to make a purchase - even if it is at a later date.

And no, the money isn't "easy money in my pocket;" believe it or not, part of my overhead is paying for inquiries, b/c many of the inquiries take an enormous amount of time (such as physically going over to shops like Panspeed, Anniversary Factory Racing, and the like).

So that's my idea, which I've given *serious* contemplation to.

IMPORTANT: Before making your decision and voting on this, please note that I also plan on turning my website into a database of parts available from various JDM vendors and manufacturers (much like JT Imports' older site used to be), and constantly updating it to include new products *along with pricing.* Ie, as I get inquiries for new parts, I'll list 'em on the site, so it's not like the minor fee for inquiries will be preventing people from finding out how much various parts cost; I'll do my best to make that information readily available, as possible. I'll also be making a shopping cart, automating orders and payment, and a few other goodies (And trust me, this isn't cheap to do). So I'll be doing everything to help save other ppl's time, and hope you'll bear with me while I try and save mine

That's my $0.02, and I look forward to hearing yours - especially those of you who are already current customers.

Thanks!
~Ramy
FDNewbie Imports

wanklin

iTrader: (2)

Great idea. Let the dreamers dream somewhere else.

purerx7

iTrader: (61)

I have been a previous customer of Ramy, and I highly encourage the need for a fee to inquire within, its only fair to him. Ramy has the BEST customer service I have EVER experienced. He has gone out of his way to cater to my needs and requests. I would not even hesitate about buying from him again, in fact I plan on picking up a dolphin tail exhaust from Ramy in the future.

Many places charge half of the total price as a deposit, $25 is more than fair, and it goes towards your purchase anyways. You will not find a company with better support and prices than Ramy's.

DJ_Merle

iTrader: (6)

I personally think this is very fair, getting price quotes on hard to find stuff is obviously harder to get then things that are easier to locate. I personally don't like going to ask about items unless I'm seriously going to buy it or going to buy it within the next little while, because if I'm just asking for the sake of knowing I'm wasting that persons time. This is definitely a fair price for a quote.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Very fair, go for it.

car hugger

iTrader: (1)

I agree with the fee, but just want to clarify that if someone emails you as many as 10 inquires are they looking at sending you $250 dollars for those quotes or will you adopt a sliding scale based on difficulty/time spent searching?

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

I'd also like to know what happens to that $25 if you can't find anything?

scrubolio

iTrader: (8)

i like the idea, i also like the idea of the a complete databased website with basket/checkout features.

also, when e-mailed maybe it'd be a nice thing to have an automated reply with an estimated wait time based on the volume of e-mails/inquiries...if you plan to do a 25 dollar deposit

BlueRex

Refund of course, but it's a rare event when Ramy can't find a source, or price.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

I don't know about that...after all, him not being able to find whatever obscure part was asked for, doesnt mean he didn't do the same amount of work as always.

BlueRex

Good point, I'll just shut-up since this is Rambo's expertise....

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

Ramy, its an interesting idea... and i like it for the simple reason that it will speed up answers to MY inquiries into parts (as it will free up some of your wasted time with "tire kickers"). However, $25 PER INQUIRY seems a bit much... cause as you know somtimes im looking for a number of small parts, or sometimes im looking for something that may or may not be available. I can only imagine what a logistical nightmare it would be for you to sort out all of the "search deposits" and apply them to each particular search, but i also understand what a logistical nightmare actually DOING all of the searches for parts is like.

I know this sounds a little bit strange , but what about something along the lines of frequent-flyer miles? Like "credits" for part searches. For example... every $200 a coustomer spends with you, they get 1 part-search "credit"... otherwise the $25 search fee applies. It would be easy to manage in excel, would be an incentive for repeat buyers, and most importantly make the coustomers ponder what they REALLY want before hand (be that through cashing in their credit, or paying a search fee).

If someone is a repeat coustomer, or has spent a considerable amount of $$$ on your products it would seem silly to charge them everytime theyre looking for something. Also their probability of purchasing the product youre looking for is higher than if they had never bought anything before. Its good for you as it encourages business, and its good for the coustomers as it frees up your time to search out parts for the guys that will actually BUY them. A "search charge" makes sense if you have never dealt with a particular coustomer before (or had flakey ones) , but as a repeat coustomer i would see it as a nuisance to have to paypal you $25 for each thing im interested in.

I'm not trying to tell you how to run your own business... just throwing out some ideas to make it run smoother. I for one do GREATLY value your time, as wasting your time translates into a slower turn around on inquiries and parts orders for myself and others. Ramy, to be honest... its damn hard to FIND some of this **** on our own, let alone getting it to our houses smoothly (ask me how i know). so to have you help me locate these hard to find items is most definately worth something to me, and i want to thank you for that. having the best prices around just seals the deal . so on that note, however you decide to proceed youve got my support. -Heath

zparedes05

I think its a great buisiness decision. But just a suggestion for your website. More RE Amemiya, Knightsports etc. More parts on display in general lol. I hope to make some inquiries myself soon.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Good points above.

IT'd seem more logical to convert the "inquiry fee" to a standard 'search fee", and that of course gets credited to the sale in the event the part is purchased.

IT would also seem reasonable to make the search fee applicable to people who have never completed a transaction with him. Once you prove yourself, the fee could be discounted or removed altogether, as you've proven yourself as a non-bullshitter.

Noxlupus

I have to agree with what RotorMotor. I think frequent buyers, or those who have spent a certain amount with you should get a discount or have the fee waived, or what not.

But to answer your question, I think it's a fair idea. Like purerx7 said, you do have the one of the BEST customer service out there. You've gone way out of your way to cater for (I'm sure I speak for most if not all of us who have done business with you) our individual needs and concerns however petit they may be. You deserve to have some compensation for all your effort either be it via the purchase or said fee.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

Honestly Ramy, virtually every specialty shop I've ever talked to has had thisproblem... people ringing up for "free" advice whn time is money. To some extent, however, this is "the cost of doing business" unless you can truly market your services as a conaultant.

What I would suggest you do first, is invest some time in expanding the detail and info on your site, to hopefully answer most of the questions for the casual browser... even if you quote your worst-case pricing on some items. For really rare parts, you could implement a search fee... perhaps refundable if the item is actually procured.

Good luck!

mirabile

I know that Ramy is well respected, and a great member of the RX7 society. That being said, respectfully, I believe you would be making a business mistake putting a 25$ fee on parts questions. The only way I could see this being feasible is if people were paying for the "use of your database of parts" on your new website. Otherwise, you are considering your time to answer an email worth 25$. If anything, build into your purchase pricing a small increase to cover your overhead. As much as you will deter dead beats, you will absolutely be giving up serious buyers who are just trying to research pricing. One example that may be convincing- I managed a plastic surgery business for a while, we crunched a lot of numbers and found the most effective way to book patients was to offer free consultations. When there was a fee on consultations they dropped in number, and the surgeries also dropped in number. The Dr. also directly answers patient emails. This treatment increased customers, and the Dr.s loss in the smaller fees was well counter - acted by the increase in clients. I think you would find the same result if you put a fee on questions. PS, you didnt reply to my email
Just my .02c

TMadlem84

I know this doesn't work with all parts... but what if you offered free price quote ranges & charged the deposit for an exact price?

Say I ask you about buying some Recaro seats. You tell reply to me with "those usually cost around $3,000 to $3,500 for a set. If you would like me to find a set & get an exact price, you will need to to place a deposit for your purchase of the seats".

This way you take care of guys that want the seats (in this example) but may not have realized they were so pricey.

wptrx7

I think more information on the webite would reduce inquires more so than the $25 charges. You already have hundreds of inquiries, and I am sure on the same thing asked over and over. So start there first, go with what you already have and start updating your website. I only email you because I never found anything on the site that I was interested in or have not purchased.

Luigi

Natey

iTrader: (19)

I'll be the Devil's Advocate:

Part of owning a tuner shop is answering stupid questions. Customer service goes a long way when it comes to building a successful business, IMO.
When you're dealing with JDM stuff, especially some of these obscure parts from companies that closed they're doors long ago, you're gonna get a lot of (what seems to you like) stupid questions from potential buyers. It's only natural to get as much info about the thing you're about to drop your paycheck on as you can before you buy it.

I know, and most everybody here knows that Ramy has a GREAT rep on this board, and he's about as honest as they come. But for a n00b, or someone who's never viseted this site, I can see how they'd ask a few (read:a LOT) of questions.

Maybe you could get someone to answer teh phone for you...someone who's got some knowledge of JDM FD3S parts. That way you can concentrate on what you started this business for in the first place, and all the inquiries will get answered.

preludesh2000

iTrader: (1)

like you and others said expand the website (more pics, prices, and availablilty)

time is money yes ...but i to run a business(home remodeling) and there are plenty of times i go out to peoples homes and nothing happens/spent...

but i understand where your coming from, as long as the 25dollar fee is deducted from the total price ....i personally see no problem with it...
good luck

brad

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

You guys' points about a detailed website deterring dumb and repetitive questions are not valid, in my experience.

I had my website designed with TONS of technical information on engines and rx7s, plus TONS more information on procedures and options for the engines I can build. Just about anything that I offer, anything that the customer needs to know about how I operate, is mentioned in detail on there, probably twice.

My website designer was even startled at the amount of information I provided him to construct the site with, and pretty much doubled his price for sorting through it all once he saw what I wanted.

Yet mysteriously, after all this, I still get the same old dumbass emails. "Hey, yeah I have an 86 nonturbo rx-7 with 250k miles and i wanted to know a price to get it rebuilt. Also how much to convert it to turbo. Oh, and how much for making it 3 rotors instead of 2".

I have prices for a basic rebuild clearly listed under "engine pricing"...who would have figured to look there before asking? I have information on doing an FC NA-turbo swap in both the pricing and technical sections. IN my FAQ I clearly state that I do not import JDM engines including 3 rotors, and that I do not offer custom fabrication for engine swaps and the like.

Yet here I am, after spending 3 grand and THOUSANDS of hours writing the website, answering this same old ****.

People don't read most of what you write for them. They go to your website, look around for about 2 or 3 minutes to see that it is well put together, they find the "contact us" tab, and fire off emails or phone calls. Just like on ebay, no matter HOW MANY pictures you put, no matter how BOLDLY you write the shipping and description of what you're selling, you'll get questions about exactly what you already wrote, and you'll wind up with a winning bidder that has no clue about what you said, and simply saw the pics and started pecking numbers on his keyboard for the bidding.

Having a well developed website WILL NOT deter time-consuming stupid emails. Trust me on this, I have done everything within my power to stop them from being necessary.

Noxlupus

I went to Engine Pricing, and it has nothing about 2nd Gens. Only Engine Model you have listed is 3rd Gen. Good information on the 3rd Gen I have to say. And in fact I've booked marked your site for the very useful information you have on it.

Going to the Technical information section - I could not see any information on there that would help me figure out the pricing on the scenario you mentioned. While yes, you do state that you do not imports JDM engines, it doesn't say anything about me providing the 3 rotor engine to you. In fact, FAQ 1: Q: Do you sell jspec/japan imported engine? A: No, I do not import or sell any jspect engines. I can only build from what you bring me. This would make me believe that you could / would rebuild a 20B if I provided it to you.

FAQ 7: In regards to installing Turbo on a no turbo rotary, you refer them to the turbo conversion write-up pages - yet you don't provide a link. I went to the Tech section and couldn't find the turbo conversion write-ups. I did find the 93-95 Emission Removal AND Full Non-sequential Conversion write up, but the title makes it sound like the emission removal is part of the non-sequential. Meaning if I wanted to remove the emissions stuff but keep the Twin in sequential form, I would probably skip this write-up since I wouldn’t' know where the emissions stuff ends and where the turbo conversion begins and vice versa. Yet, why would I read this page trying to find information on how to go from no turbo rotary to turbo?

Anyway, I hope I haven't pissed you off here RotaryRessurection, cause you've been very helpful in the pass with my ignorant questions. My whole point is this. While you do have a very informative site, the information is not clearly / well laid out or easily accessible. Some information you might think is on the web, aren't and if they are, again they are not easily accessible. While you do have a point a very true, even if you have a very informative website you will not stop all calls from coming in (some people just rather talk to a person then to read / research, etc.) it should slow them down if said information is readily accessible and intuitive. Having all the information in the world about everything under the sun about these cars will do no one any good if said information is not easily accessible or laid out in a intuitive manner. Granted, what is intuitive to you may not be to me, and vice versa. I know, this is what I struggle every day with as a UI (User Interface) programmer.

wptrx7

And in Ramy's case, he doesn't have an 1/8th of what he sells on his website (not that he needs to list everything), but it is in no way as detailed as rx7store.net, roary extreme's site, Jt imports' site, etc. Yes, I understand he is new (in comparison), but when he does get it up to spped, it will reduce the amount of questions.

And in a business where you are here to serve customers (and almost specifically a buisness based on inquires) he should be past patient with the inquires. Both of you guys may know your buisness like the back of your hands and think these questions are redundant, but, if the average customer could do this themselves, we wouldn't need you.

It only sounds like a penalty , than a way of weeding out what you percieve as ignorant questions.

Juiceh

iTrader: (4)

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...ne_prices.html
You have to goto the 2nd gen section to get 2nd gen engine prices..


http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...to_turbo2.html

Once again you are looking in the 3rd gen section not the 2nd gen section of the site.