Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 16:45:31 -0400
Reply-To: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: FW: 2.1 hose price deal ...move on!!!!No offenses were
meant!
In-Reply-To: <BAY4-DAV123ZbLAX3cf0001633c@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I am going to publicly apologise to Adam P. for blasting him this
morning on the list. I don't know why I took such offense. Things have
been kind of stressful here lately. We are getting our first mortgage
and have a relative living with us for an extended period. I know these
are all excuses which are not good enough. I have known Adam for the
last couple of years. He has always been honest with me and I have
tried to be with him. Please disregard my earlier post and forgive me
for blowing off steam. Not my normal way of doing things. In the
future any gripes will be handled off list.
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
http://www.eurovan.org
http://www.vwcabrio.org
Phone: (856)-327-4936
Fax: (856)-327-2242
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Man [mailto:vgonman@msn.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 4:15 PM
To: Kenneth Wilford
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] FW: 2.1 hose price deal ...move on!!!!No offenses
were meant!
Pmail.
Just got to say that it is sad that you would treat a customer like
this..................and a good one, and someone that has referred
other customers to you whether they bought or not i do not know....most
recently a fellow needing an ECU in N Charleston.
And, my last quote was for around $600 including the auto trans hose. I
cannot find the email, but i jotted it down in my parts
list............I did not bother to mention that to the list....my
business..please note in my original post I singled out now vendor or
mentioned any vendor's names. This was intentional on my part. But you
singled out and attacked me.
My dealer has referred thousands of dollars worth or vw repairs to me.
Gave me one brand new 1600 beetle engine this year! (worth at least
$1000) Why should i not tend to give him the business when he is
competitive? The last time i ordered a front blower fan from you, i did
it cause it was $30 cheaper than the dealer. If it would have been $10
more, I would have ordered at the dealer. To me it is an advantage to
have a local supplier that can help with competitive pricing. If i
needed it in 2 days and it was for a customer that did not mind the
extra$$. i would have used the dealer........super convenient, I drive
by it every day. Not that you do not ship promptly, mind you....you
do.....I have never had a problem with Vanagains product or service.
You have called me directly or indirectly a liar, and a cheat. Tough
things to call a good customer, and for what, a $50 profit? I am sure
there are many people out there that can take either side on the issue,
but as a customer, I need not buy products from someone that feels that
way about me. I may not have bought that much over the last few years,
but I have put a few hundred $$ profit in your pocket. I could put
more, but how am i to feel?
Should I bend over and take being called dishonest and a liar, or go to
another vendor. What would you do. Same thing that i will, unless I
get what i truly deserve, a public apology. Nothing specific, but you
got personal with your email. You could have compared your prices to my
dealers, but you personally attacked my ethics, honesty, etc. Why?
What did I ever do to you? Nothing but positive things...........
Adam P
Charleston,SC Coburn, WV
81 Westy "The Brick "
70 Single Cab "Whitey"
74 Beetle "Ol Yeller"
73 Transporter (STILL at paint shop)
1988 Vanagon Wolfsburg
1976 Transporter (New CA bus)
1974 412 "Goldmember"
Used Vanagon Parts for sale (mostly aircooled)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth Wilford" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 12:05 PM
Subject: [VANAGON] FW: 2.1 hose price deal ...move on!!!!No offenses
were meant!
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> http://www.vanagain.com
> http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
> http://www.eurovan.org
> http://www.vwcabrio.org
> Phone: (856)-327-4936
> Fax: (856)-327-2242
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kenneth Wilford [mailto:kenwilfy@comcast.net]
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 12:05 PM
> To: 'Vanagon Man'
> Subject: RE: 2.1 hose price deal ...move on!!!!No offenses were meant!
>
>
> I don't see why you should be able to publicly post wrong information
> and not expect someone to respond to it in a public way. If you had
> just gotten the hoses from the dealer and not posted about it to the
> list as some type of price coup then I would not be upset, and we
> wouldn't be having this conversation. If we were here face to face I
> would tell you the same thing because that is who I am. Are we ready
> to never talk to each other again or have some type of flame
> war/fight? I'm not. I just wanted to show the other folks and you in
> a public way why your "deal" (you said it not me) was not such a deal.
>
> PS if you read my post you would know that I included shipping in the
> quote. So you really only did save $6!
>
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> http://www.vanagain.com
> http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
> http://www.eurovan.org
> http://www.vwcabrio.org
> Phone: (856)-327-4936
> Fax: (856)-327-2242
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Vanagon Man
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:28 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: 2.1 hose price deal ...move on!!!!No offenses were meant!
>
>
> No promises were made or given..I just kept saving until it is time to
> install my new motor. No order was in with vanagain. i have had and
> will continue to have a good relationship with list vendors. kenn is
> great, and i have bought many things. I also left a message with
> Vanagin a few weeks back for an AFM, and no return call was made, so i
> bought it else where. Do I feel bad? Not really, although i would
> have preferred to give Vaanagain the business for the AFM, and I would
> have saved a few $$.
>
> I also have a fantastic relationship with my dealer....something not
> many others can claim. They are willing to help finding obscure
> things.
>
> I was not trying to squeeze $6 savings, but I saved much more than
> that, for no freight. The price was with tax for my state. And I got
> them in 2 days for free. Good deal for me.
>
> Vendors on the list need to stop worrying about it when someone saves
> a few bucks. It is not personal. It is as simple as the price here
> was competitive, no shipping...........made sense to me in my
> situation. And hey...$500 more in parts from the dealer is going to
> improve my relationship with them. I have referred quite a few people
> to Vanagain and bus depot for parts.................darn straight i
> used a catalog, which i paid for, for the part numbers.............why
> shouldn't I? Are you paying vw licensing fees for your use of ETKA?
> If i asked the dealer they would have found the numbers anyway. Some
> of these diagrams i have seen on the web on various sites may or may
> not be direct pirating of ETKA in the first place! Nuff said. Silly
> argument to bring up in the first place. Internet is public domain,
> and the catalog i paid for is for me to do whatever i want with.
>
> And as to it, it probably took Kenn more time to type that email than
> the profit he would have made for the order. Since i posted, only one
> person has asked for the dealer info. I do not think it is costing
> ANYONE any business. And, I use Vanagain for parts from time to time
> cause they generally know what i am talking about. That is your
> niche. Not that your outfit is the only place to get
> parts.............there are literally dozens
> of places. I did not buy a lesser quality part like EMPI for my vw
> hoses..........I bought the same parts straight from the source.
> Forgive me for not using a middleman, and getting free freight. Same
> could be said of
> all the other little things i bought from the dealer. i got the part
> number from a catalog, etc., and stop in. No one is getting screwed
> here...except me for being categorized as a cheat and a liar. Better
> to make those accusations in person..they would not fly face to face
> between any of us. You have my number and could have called me if you
> were so upset. Why didn't you? The same reason most customers vent
> on the list.............they just don't do it, and the internet is a
> faceless way to say something about a person that you would never say
> face to face.
>
> Hard feelings were never intended.nor did i ever intend to be "black
> listed" from list vendors............
>
>
> Adam P
> Charleston,SC Coburn, WV
> 81 Westy "The Brick "
> 70 Single Cab "Whitey"
> 74 Beetle "Ol Yeller"
> 73 Transporter (STILL at paint shop)
> 1988 Vanagon Wolfsburg
> 1976 Transporter (New CA bus)
> 1974 412 "Goldmember"
> Used Vanagon Parts for sale (mostly aircooled)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kenneth Wilford" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 10:47 AM
> Subject: Re: [VANAGON] 2.1 hose price deal (this upsets me!)
>
>
> > I am upset by this post for the following reasons:
> > 1. Adam and I (I thought) had a good relationship going. He has
> > asked for pricing on this kit from me a few times over the last six
> > months and we have talked via email. Every time he promised that
> > when it came time to buy these he would get them from me.
> >
> > 2. I am sure that without Van-Again or Bus Depot or Bus Boys coolant
> > hose chart getting all of the proper hoses for your van from the
> > dealer would be next to impossible. Even if you have the ETKA it is
> > not easy to understand and there are variations from year to year.
> > So
>
> > you used our info to buy the hoses somewhere else. Not nice.
> >
> > 3. You are telling folks that you got such a great deal on these
> > hoses from the VW dealer. First of all most VW dealers that you
> > asked for a
>
> > discount would tell you to have a nice day. Yours gives you
> > probably 20% discount because you are doing a lot of purchases with
> > them. Mine
>
> > gives this to me and also delivers for me because I spent at least a
> > couple thousand with them a month. But most dealers would not do
> > this
>
> > for someone who was not a business or who didn't spend good amounts
> > of
>
> > money with them every month. So it wouldn't work for most folks.
> >
> > 4. You got such a good deal. $521 for this set of hoses. If you
> > lied to the dealer and told them they were for resale and gave them
> > a tax id number then you didn't pay sales tax. However most people
> > would have to pay sales tax. That would come to $26.05 in South
> > Carolina (5% sales tax). So your total from the dealer would be
> > $547.05 if you
>
> > were honest. I sell these hoses in a kit for $569 for your 88
> > Wolfsburg. You would have the List discount of 5% on this order. So
> > that would change the price of the kit to $540.55. Shipping from me
> > would be $10. There is no sales tax since I am in NJ and you are in
> > SC. Your total from me would be $550.55. So you actually saved (if
> > you were honest) $6.50!
> >
> > Wow what a savings! Wasn't it worth going back on your promises for
> > and using other folks information without paying for it by
> > supporting them financially? Especially folks who have been there
> > for you in the
>
> > past. Go team!
> >
> > 5. Getting Vanagon parts from your local VW dealer in 2 days is not
> > the norm. I have a great dealer but it can take him from 2 days
> > (the absolute fastest) to two weeks to get me things that I order.
> > And again he actually likes me and wants to do business with me (not
> > the norm for most VW dealers out there). I have these hoses on the
> > shelf and ready to go at all times. If you needed them I could
> > overnight them if you were in a bind.
> >
> > In conclusion I just want to say thanks to those folks out there who
> > have supported myself and the other list vendors down through the
> > years. You are the reason why we are still here. If folks want to
> > shave a couple of dollars off here and there go for it. Just don't
> > expect me to think it is a great deal when it really isn't.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Ken Wilford
> > John 3:16
> > http://www.vanagain.com
> > http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
> > http://www.eurovan.org
> > http://www.vwcabrio.org
> > Phone: (856)-327-4936
> > Fax: (856)-327-2242
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> > Behalf Of Vanagon Man
> > Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 9:04 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: 2.1 hose price deal
> >
> >
> > before anyone sets down the satchel to buy a hose kit, if you have a
> > good dealer, call him and ask him to be competitive. I have
> > developed
>
> > a relationship with my parts dealer at VW, and he is selling me all
> > the hoses and the AT cooler hose for $521. and no shipping cost, he
> > will have it in 2 days. If you are ready to buy, pmail me and I will
> > give you his number, he will do mail order, but you will have to pay
> > freight.
> >
> >
> > Not too bad in my opinion.
> >
> > Adam P
> > Charleston,SC Coburn, WV
> > 81 Westy "The Brick "
> > 70 Single Cab "Whitey"
> > 74 Beetle "Ol Yeller"
> > 73 Transporter (STILL at paint shop)
> > 1988 Vanagon Wolfsburg
> > 1976 Transporter (New CA bus)
> > 1974 412 "Goldmember"
> > Used Vanagon Parts for sale (mostly aircooled)
> >
>
