To: type2@type2.com; vintagebus@type2.com; vanagon@vanagon.com Subject: The Bus Depot & Ron's Trip to Europe List Members, Ron wants me to tell everyone that he, Evon & Baby Haley are having a fantastic time in Europe! They are traveling in a Eurovan 2.4L Diesel, converted to a camper by a company in the Netherlands for use as a rental. Ron says the performance is very similar to the 1.9L Vanagon Westy, cruises effortlessly and is very economical in Europe where fuel is much more expen$ive than here. While enjoying the sights, Ron has found time to discover a number of parts which are either rare or non-existent in the USA. So we will have a container of parts arriving here in mid-November. We will publish information about the new items soon after Ron's return at the end of this month. We would also like to say that the new web site has been an overwhelming success during the first three weeks. Literally. The number of orders has exceeded what Ron & I expected to see at the outset. And the volume of incoming calls does not seem to have diminished. Unfortunately, these factors, plus the "fun" of switching web hosts at the same time, which required re-routing all email traffic during the first ten days or so, left us with far more than the rest of us could handle without Ron. We are very sorry for our inability to respond to the initial web orders as quickly as we'd have wished, and we are very concerned about not being able to answer some of the phone calls coming in. I know that some people are unable to reach us by phone, and that many of the web orders placed between October 5th and October 12th were processed very slowly. This was partly due to the re-routing of the messages, and trouble-shooting of some initial "bugs" in the ordering software. We received only a handful of orders in the first few days, and then almost 100 the next two days as they were delivered to the new address! And despite our best intentions, it has been almost impossible to respond to many of the email messages you have sent. Ron and the rest of us at The Bus Depot would like to thank you all for your patience and support while we get caught up on the backlog, and adjust to the new processes we have in place. I am pleased to say that I am now processing the web orders within 24 hours of receipt of the order to me. And we have improved the confirmation receipt and eliminated the bugs we are aware of. There are three of us working hard to respond to each and every one of you, by phone and the internet, and to see that all orders are filled promptly and accurately. When Ron returns on November 2nd, we should find that we are able to help everyone better than ever. At that time, I will be able to devote full time just to the web site, web orders and email feedback. Once again, we appreciate your patience during this time period. Ron & I are confident that we will all be pleased with the results of these efforts, and the efficiency they bring to our ability to respond to everyone. During the past months we have said that for the most prompt attention and rush orders you should call us. With the new web site, and the fact that most parts numbers and prices are all on line, web orders are now the fastest and surest way to place an order. I am having the entire database converted to a database software package that should speed up the search process on part number and key word searches on 10,000 items as well. Those without web access, or who wish to call are still as welcome as ever, but there are delays in getting through, and in the ability to quickly respond. I didn't even mention that we switched accounting and inventory software this month, did I :) Thank you, Jerry, Mari & Dan |
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