@Poetpaul I’m really sorry you feel we haven’t dealt with your enquiry appropriately. The last few months have been an incredibly busy period for us and so we took the decision to hold off on new customer appointments for a period of two weeks, as we needed ‘all hands to the pump’ to meet some important deadlines and to get vans out of the door. We also didn’t want to commit to any new work, until we could finish some large projects. If you’d given us a chance to explain this before hanging up, I’m sure we could have given you a clearer picture.
With regards to a quotation being emailed over, we would have been quite happy to do this; however, we don’t have a record of your request for a quote &/or contact details, which might explain why you haven’t received anything from us. Each quote we provide is based upon the customers’ own requirements/spec and individual van spec, so we don’t have a set price list in a ‘menu format’; however, we do state all our prices for the typical items like soundproofing, insulating, lining, windows, leather, elevating roofs, body kits, wheels etc. on our website, under the various sections.
Although an appointment may only take 10 minutes, we aren’t to know that at the point of first enquiry, and we always ensure that we dedicate however long it takes with each & every customer when they come in for an appointment. Sometimes that can be 10 minutes and sometimes it can be 4 hours. In addition to this, we don’t employ ‘sales staff’, as someone above mentioned – as we prefer to ensure that someone is available who has the full knowledge of designing, using and converting Transporters, so that you get the most out of your appointment. I think the comment above referring to a ‘Gaz’ for T6 body kit distributors was referring to another company, as we don’t have a Gaz here & we don’t have a distributor for body kits.
Many converters operate a “strictly by appointment only” policy, whereas on our website, we just ask that “If you wish to discuss a conversion, please call first to make a prior appointment”. We prefer to try to accommodate everyone, as it’s understandable that people may be passing and want to pop in, but at busy times it’s not always possible; hence the two week timescale we quoted.
The reference above to our lack of comment on this post is not because we don’t care – it is quite the opposite in fact - we are working some very long days, nights and weekends to try and meet our customers’ timescales / deadlines / holidays etc. and so any spare time we have is spent winding down, rather than browsing / commenting on the various forums. We could simply employ a team of admin/sales people to answer calls & emails & post on social media, forums etc. but ultimately our customers want to speak to someone who knows what they are talking about & feel confident that they are getting the right advice / guidance.
Whilst the easy way to meet the demand may be to take on more members of staff, move to even larger premises etc etc. we prefer to grow in a more steady & manageable way. We have been in business for 15 years and so aren’t some new start-up company, jumping on the band wagon of the rise in popularity of the Transporter. We’ve been around a good while and know that quality staff don’t grow on trees & being bigger doesn’t necessarily mean being better! We always have 6 – 8 vehicles in build at any one time and despite having a team of 15, our lead times can range from 3 - 9 months, so inevitably there may occasionally be some waiting time for appointments &/or quotes.
Whilst we’re very flattered that you think we all look young
@Roadrunner, we range in age from 28 – 51 (the average being 36!) and can assure you we’ve all aged a hell of a lot more than that over the last few months!! There’s certainly no big-headedness around here – just heads down, working on our customers’ vehicles & trying to meet everyone's deadlines!
Regards,
Graeme
