Seems like these days, the internet rules. People seem to choose the cheap, internet ****** over the places who have put hard time and effort into an actual location. I find that there is less and less loyalty to local shops. Now this is outside of the fact that there may not be a local shop to use, where the internet is the only saviour.

 

yeah. Some shops are combatting that by refusing to install parts brought to them, which makes sense. But at the same time, forces these kids to go a low rent shop that'll probably mess up the install.

 

I would love to be loyal to certain shops.. But, not every shop has all the products and sometimes they wont come down on price. It forces you to go to another shop, bottom line...

 

So price is more important to you. Just cause a place won't come down as far as you want, doesn't make them bad. They obviously have set margins and have to operate a shop. You cannot expect them to always match the internet ******.

 

Price is an issue but I think that loyalty to a shop is more important. You buy from them because you trust their judgement and know that if anything goes wrong, they will take care of you. Buying from people you trust will give you better piece of mind. This is my job everyday but I work in a different industry.

 

+1

I've had horrible experiences with incompetent stealerships, and lesser known local shops. I'm not an expert on high performance mechanical stuff, but have dated enough guys who build cars that I have picked up a decent amount of knowledge in that regard.

So I showed up at Forged Perf late one saturday (not realising they had closed for the day). Sharif was still there & invited me in and took a lot of time advising me of the best mods for my budget. They were also in the process of starting a new build on an '07 Z that evening, so I stuck around and watched & learned what I could. The guys at the shop were great and very helpful... And people were dropping in & out all afternoon. Everyone knew eachother - Sort of like a big extended family. It was great!

 

It's good to hear about shops like this.

 

There has to be one there to support in the first place.

 

1. Price
2. Customer Service

I tend to shop around and go with the best pricing. If I have a bad experience with the company, I never purchase from them again.

 

price always seems to have a factor in things, but im way into getting to have a relationship with a shop. i would much rather pay a bit more for a product and have someone who is willing to help me even if they arnt installing it. customer service is a big part in things for me.

and if by any chance he reads this.

Thanks Mike!

 

Ok, so price is everything and there is no loyalty.

 

Nice to hear!

 

I understand that.

 

For me personally, if there wasn't a shop (with a great reputation) local to where I live, then I'd be making a road trip to where there is one (within reason). I guess it's just a matter of priorities... Price definitely factors in for me like most people, but quality and workmanship are ultimately my number one priority. I don't mind paying for quality (within reason). Sometimes you just gotta go where the talent is if you want it done right.

 

thats the situation im in. I live in carson city NV and there isnt ANYTHING down here. I order all of my stuff from intense power in AZ, and the guys there are so damn helpful its not even funny. The staff there doesnt hesitate to help me over the phone with anything i need or a question. I will most definatly make the drive to AZ to have the do my F/I setup when th etime comes here soon.

 

+3 or 4

I shop around and find exactly what I want by Talking to the shops I'm considering buying from. The ones who can get me the best deal are nice, but being able to give an honest opinion without worrying about making a sale, that's what makes me loyal to the vendors I try to give my business to.

oh, check PM.

 

Long thread, didnt read it all but my

I would rather buy from a company that knows that the hell
they are selling, price's from what I have seen do not vary
much 10 or 20 bucks here isnt a dealbreaker 2 me. There are
plenty of sites and stores who can only tell you what the product
states on the box or display big whoop! I want someone who can
answer my tuner questions and then direct me on how to go best
about doing it, sooooooooo to answer your question tech, Quality service/Knowledge then price

 

Good to hear!

 

You don't need to cop an attitude. You asked for honest opinions. If you feel you are losing business because you're prices are to high, I suggest you find a way to be more price competitive.
Why should a consumer pay a higher price from you when they can get the same exact part cheaper?
You talk A LOT about lack of consumer loyalty, what about customer loyalty from the vendor. Many vendor related threads on here lately suggest that customer service/loyalty are extremely rare.

 

For me, the customer service and the relationship to the person you buy the parts from is a big part. I have no problem paying more for a part if i am ordering it from someone who i feel like i am friends with.

Here a few months ago i was looking for a part...this part could have been ordered from Japan and got here within a few weeks but the person happened to be going to Tokyo. They mentioned to me that they would personally pick this part up when they are there from the shop that makes it and then ship it to me when they return. It was a shift ****, so it wasn't like they were going far out of their way or it was going to take any extra effort to bring it back, it is just that when they said that it made me feel really cool with them and it made the transaction a lot more personal, kinda like a friend/family member bringing something back for you. Because of this small thing that this person did i will always give them the opportunity to get my business, and if the price i get from him is not too far off the others, i will still buy it from him. There is a point where i will have to overlook friendship for the benefit of my bank account, say that X wants to sell me a seat, that is about $500, for $75 cheaper than Y, i will go with X. If the price is only 40 or 50 bucks i will go with Y. I will of course give Y the lower price and see if he can be more competitive, but i will pay the extra just b/c i feel like i am friends with Y.

You helped me recently buy sending me a part that i normally would have had to spend $120 to get, and you sent it to me for free...i have never done anything for you and i didn't send you a dime, not even for shipping, that is huge and i owe you big time. Even though it might not have cost you a lot, it's the fact that you helped me when you had no reason to. <---You are definately going to get some business from me b/c of that.

When i am looking for a part i usually pm a lot of the more active sponsors to get prices. Some of them are very helpful to me, much more so than others, one sponsor even told me that i should pm X-person b/c they are usually cheaper or they are probably going to have a better price. <---the person who told me that will no doubt get some business from me.

I guess i kinda have a preferred list, where i remember who helps me out and who gets more personal with me, and those are the people who will get business from me. There are a few people that i feel like i owe my allegiance to, and when i do get money for parts i will spread my business out between them.

So to answer your question, price isn't a big deal to me(but it is considered)...it's the people that are working for the company that i remember and when they do favors for me or i feel like they went out of their way to do something...i will do favors for them and go out of my way to help them, even if it means paying more for something. I have even bought things i didn't really want/need as a thanks to people that have helped me out.