Like all of you I've had my ups and downs with TRF. Pissing and moaning here
does little good. If you are dissatisfied you can not buy from TRF and
eventually they will go out of business.
But that is not the solution I want to see. And I hope it is not the
solution all of you want to see.
Everyone assumes that the problem is Charles and the way he elects to run
his affairs, I don't know if that is true or not. It is a private family
business so he is free to do as he pleases without interference from
stockowners or a board of directors.
WE need to let our concerns known directly to TRF, send email, write a
letter or phone demanding better service, because in essence we are the
stockowners. We need to make Charles understand that if he wants his little
business and hobby empire to continue he needs to pay better attention to
his customers.
The biggest complaint I hear and have experienced myself is backorders. I
think everybody would be much happier if TRF would be honest in handling
backorders, if an item is only ordered from a supplier once a year say so,
some of us will wait other will go elsewhere, but we won't be pissed off.
That means there is a chance that we will come back and try again for other
needs at a later time. Perhaps they could go as far as recommend an
alternate vendor for a part they don't have and won't have for a long time,
this may sound bizarre but it works. People will remember that you helped
them and come back.
I am coping this email to the TRF email address, I don't know if it will do
any good but it is a start. By the way I have received mail from TRF saying
I am one of there top 20% customers for all the money I have spent with
them, so maybe this will mean something to them, we will see.
Ralph Jannelli
Customer # 089091
Matthews, NC
'65 Spitfire MKII
'72 Spitfire MKIV
'80 TR8 DHC
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Danielson <75trsix@snet.net>
To: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 1999 10:35 PM
Subject: RE: The Roadster Factory demise
>
> I've spent the past 3 years reading the semi annual TRF bashing around
> poor/no delivery and slow credits on credit card orders. I know list
members
> who swear by them and others who swear at them. As a result I've elected
to
> NOT purchase from them. There's an old Marketing expression that says for
> every person who publicly complains, there's 10 (?) who don't. It doesn't
> matter how good the price is, if the product isn't delivered when you need
> it. For all the people who are loyal to TRF, would you accept this level
of
> (non) service from the companies you deal with on a day to day basis i.e.
> heating oil company, cable company, Internet Service Provider, phone
> company, computer store, etc. I think there's a loyalty from long time
> Triumph owners because TRF was there many years ago when parts weren't so
> readily available. The problem is that there are many new owners joining
the
> list every day.............. remember Melanie who bought a TR6 as a
> Christmas present for her husband ........... if he's new to the list do
you
> think he'll buy from TRF after reading these posts? I think not. I've
spent
> the past 30 years in Marketing/Customer Service related areas and I would
> have been fired 29 years ago if I delivered the "quality" of service that
> TRF does. Whenever this semi annual (sometimes quarterly) TRF bashing
rears
> its ugly head I keep hoping the Charles will show up and defend/explain
his
> business philosophy to the list. I'm sorry TRF, but based on all the
> negative posts about the quality of your service I'll be spending my money
> elsewhere.
> Bob Danielson
> 75 TR6 - status at
> http://pages.cthome.net/BobD
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-triumphs@autox.team.net
> [mailto:owner-triumphs@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Bob Kramer
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 1999 6:58 PM
> To: triumphs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: The Roadster Factory demise
>
>
>
> IMHO
> There was once a time when Triumph people were receptive to Charlie's
> enthusiast's approach to running his company. That time has past, we now
> expect to be able to order over the web, and have our parts Next Day Air.
I
> for one will continue to cut him slack, and I appreciate that he is
finally
> taking the advice many have given him. I understand while others won't. He
> should run TRF like a business. Anyone who has managed an inventory knows
> what inventory turns and carrying cost are. If one looks closely at this
> most recent flyer, it is painfully obvious that he has run his company
like
> a hobbyist, not a business. He hoards products on his shelves the same
way
> I won't part with my spare trailing arms, overdrive trannies and gauges.
> Unfortunately, the costs of carrying all those spare blocks and
> manufacturing 2500 of this and 1000 of that far outweigh the business
> benefits. Charles is proud of his green hoses the same way we are proud of
> the dash we refinished and show off. Personally, I'm tired of hearing
about
> TRF's problems and peoples problems with TRF. If a business is failing to
> give credits that are due (a sign of crumbling cash flow) then the
purchaser
> should file with the credit card company. The credit card company will
take
> the cash away, and the business will be forced to sell off inventory to
> regain cash flow, re-trench, and rebuild. Sounds just like what Charles is
> doing. I wish him well, and hope they can get it straightened out and run
it
> in a business-like manner. The banks will come around when the books
> straighten up. BTW, over-expanding, whether it be inventory excesses,
adding
> product lines (MGB) or another business completely (The Inn), is the
oldest
> business story around, and the cause of a large proportion of business
> failures.
> Meanwhile, if you have a TR6/250, there are some pretty good buys in the
> flyer.
>
> Bob Kramer
> 8006 Bernard Street
> Leander, TX 78641
> rgk@flash.net
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <dstauffa@csc.com>
> To: <twakeman@cruzers.com>
> Cc: <triumphs@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 1999 4:02 PM
> Subject: The Roadster Factory demise
>
>
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm not one prone to bash TRF as they have provided me with lots of
> quality
> > parts for my TRs over the years. However, since July of this year I
have
> been
> > waiting for TRF to apply a refund for returned goods to my credit card.
I
> last
> > talked to them a week ago and all I could get from them was that they
have
> not
> > processed it yet and could not give me any estimate when they will.
> However
> > after reading the TRF flyer, I couldn't agree more with the below
> comments. I'm
> > so glad to see that someone else has enough business savvy to observe a
> business
> > without sound financial and capital investment. I would like to see
> Runyan turn
> > this around but if he continues to invest in gas masks, university
school
> desks,
> > a pub, etc. instead of TR inventory, retooling, etc. the following
> comments are
> > prophetic. Maybe Charles forgot that the focus of our hobby is the CAR!
> "It's
> > the car, stupid!". I wager that the only fantasy most of us share is
> having our
> > TR's back on the road and cruising down the highway with the top down.
> >
> > At least we still have Moss and VB.
> >
> > Dave Stauffacher
> > Ramona, California
> > 1970 TR6 PI CP51649
> >
> > If you read the recent intro to the TRF
> > TR6-250 parts flyer.... you can see that Charles Runyan is in way
> > over his head with debt and doesn't have the money to buy
> > inventory for the popular fast moving stuff.
> >
> > Unfortunately this is exactly what I expected when I learned that the
> > owner of a low margin mail order parts house was going to put the
company
> > profits into building an English style pub instead of reinvesting it in
> > inventory.
> >
> > I hope Charles is enjoying his fantasy of being a WWII English pub
owner.
> > And I hope it is self supporting when his parts business folds.
> >
> > It's sad to see the best TR parts house in the US scuttled by its owner.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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