Purchasing aftermarket mods

[EEngel]

I am just a little curious to see what other people go by.

 

[rbattelle]

I assume you mean when selecting who to purchase from, NOT what specifically to purchase. For example, if I know I'm going to buy a Warn 12000 lb winch then the only thing that distinguishes one shop from the next is the price and possibly customer service.



-Ryan

 

[EEngel]

Vendor List

Does anybody else think we should have a sticky thread on venor reviews?



Kind of like E-bay has. We could have postitve / neutral / negative feedback on the service you recieve.



Then you could look-up a vendor and see how they have treated TDR members.

 

[EEngel]

Who VS What

rbattelle,



I was going by the assumption that you already have an item in mind, you are just debating who to purchase it from.



Like on your winch example. If vendor A was $15 cheaper, but had questionable sales ethics or warranty issues, would you choose vendor B or just save the money.

 

[EEngel]

Vendor Contributions

rbattelle,



Also, I guess a "good" vendor may ask what your plan is on the part and maybe able to point you to another product that may better serve your needs.

 

[SRadke]

I prefer to deal with vendors that are local to me, can/have offerd advice, and I have plans of future dealings with. The convienience factor and supporting local buisness is big to me. If he doesn't have what I want I'll go elsewhere but I always ask first.



-Scott

 

[LightmanE300]

EE, the poll really wasn't specific enough for me to answer. When you say 'vendor' you don't differentiate between retailers and manufacturers. If the poll were based on manufacturers, aside from the product's merit, I'd decide based on reports of their good/bad customer service, as well as TDR/other forum members' statements. If we're talking about retailers and one specific product, I'd have to split my answer based on the product itself. As Rbatelle mentioned above, if the product is common and universal - such as an EDGE EZ, I would shop for the absolute cheapest price, knowing in the event of a problem, I would be taken care of by edge. If the product was something like a Scotty3 for example, I'd prefer to purchase from Scotty/Rod simply because I know they will give great service/take care of their customers if there was a problem. Testimonials from forum members regarding customer service are HUGE. Of course, there are always disgruntled folks who will have an odd case and try to smear the reputation of the vendor, however a majority of good reviews means a lot to me. Just my . 02 ;-) We sure love to give our . 02 on these forums don't we? Could it be we have significant others that tune us out?

 

[nickleinonen]

i mostly go by price [being things are harder to get in canada than in the usa]...



i've purchased from 2 vendors so far [BD in bc, and NADP in ab] both canadian located to save me duty fee's...

 

[EEngel]

Survey

LightmanE300,



The survey should have been posted as "retailers". The reason I asked the question was that on the Edge / Juice group buy, a good nuber of small vendors chimed in with offers to sell them as well. I was just curious what other members looked at before purchasing.



As for the sig others not listening..... Does "what did you say honey?" and "you never told me that" sound about right?

 

[EEngel]

Local Guys

SRadke,



I also live by the rule of purchasing local when I can. I always go to the local dealers first for my private things (like trucks). I also try to hire local labor when I can. I live in a small town, so it seems like it helps.



Unfortunatly, on the group buy, there really would be no "local" vendor for everybody.



BTW, do you have relatives that farm in Minnesota?

 

[SRadke]

SRadke,



I also live by the rule of purchasing local when I can. I always go to the local dealers first for my private things (like trucks). I also try to hire local labor when I can. I live in a small town, so it seems like it helps.



Unfortunatly, on the group buy, there really would be no "local" vendor for everybody.



BTW, do you have relatives that farm in Minnesota?

I hear where you're coming from. I'm fortunate enough to have a major (at least as these products go) distributor of diesel performance parts about 100 miles from me and he get's most of my buisness.



As for relatives, no, they're mostly in Michigan or here in Oregon.



-Scott