Email is there any point ???

Sonar · 19 March 2010, 06:59

Email is there any point ???

Well when working in the construction industry I had to contact suppliers and contractors by email most of the time and found I received a reply usually the same day.

I am sending a number of Emails about now for boat items .
so an email goes off two days later I telephone and Get yes we have received your email.

It seems to me the marine industry well quite a few of them anyway either don't know how to return a mail or just do not care too.

However asking about a new boat gets a reply in a few hours and sometimes minutes.

Well the marine industry if you cant be bothered to answer emails DON'T advertise them.

Ranting and raving completed.

Well unless your one of the companies that don't reply to emails then you wont get my business.

Thanks
Robert.

biffer · 19 March 2010, 10:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonar

Email is there any point ???

Well when working in the construction industry I had to contact suppliers and contractors by email most of the time and found I received a reply usually the same day.

I am sending a number of Emails about now for boat items .
so an email goes off two days later I telephone and Get yes we have received your email.

It seems to me the marine industry well quite a few of them anyway either don't know how to return a mail or just do not care too.

However asking about a new boat gets a reply in a few hours and sometimes minutes.

Well the marine industry if you cant be bothered to answer emails DON'T advertise them.

Ranting and raving completed.

Well unless your one of the companies that don't reply to emails then you wont get my business.

Thanks
Robert.

a lot of the marine industry are tired, to some of them it's a fruitless job, a lot of them are probaly fedup with getting 50 emails a day from people who don't really know what they want but want an answer straight away.

i'll agree that a lot of emails wont get answered, but i don't think it's just the marine guys, how many times have you been told" can we get back to you" and they never do, you might just have the hump cos you can't find the answer you want.

have you enquired about a new boat and got an answer back that quick?, knowing that as you're building your own boat there's only a slim chance of you being remotely interested in buying a new one.

chewy · 19 March 2010, 10:44

I only use email if I don't expect an answer back straight away ie its not urgent.
Its probably just as quick to ring the person anyway and get the answer you want?

biffer · 19 March 2010, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by chewy

I only use email if I don't expect an answer back straight away ie its not urgent.
Its probably just as quick to ring the person anyway and get the answer you want?

my phones on 24/7 i'll always entertain a caller, you still might not get the answer you'll looking for

Sonar · 19 March 2010, 13:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by biffer

a lot of the marine industry are tired, to some of them it's a fruitless job, a lot of them are probaly fedup with getting 50 emails a day from people who don't really know what they want but want an answer straight away.

i'll agree that a lot of emails wont get answered, but i don't think it's just the marine guys, how many times have you been told" can we get back to you" and they never do, you might just have the hump cos you can't find the answer you want.

have you enquired about a new boat and got an answer back that quick?, knowing that as you're building your own boat there's only a slim chance of you being remotely interested in buying a new one.

Just before we got our very first rib I emailed about and was supprised how fast they were returned.
now just after bits and pieces decided to stick with Ebay.
if i dont get a reply i go on to the next.

Like a 210 ltr fuel tank one reply the same day no reply from 3 others.

chewy · 19 March 2010, 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by biffer

my phones on 24/7 i'll always entertain a caller, you still might not get the answer you'll looking for

Sorry should have said ask the question you want.

Ian M · 23 March 2010, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonar

However asking about a new boat gets a reply in a few hours and sometimes minutes.

Not necessarily. One relatively close boat builder (no names) lost a sale a few years ago when I was VERY interested but did not bother to get back to me

Subsequent experience has been such that I am very glad they didn't

jyasaki · 23 March 2010, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonar

Well unless your one of the companies that don't reply to emails then you wont get my business.

I actually did much the same when buying my truck, except it was non-returned phone calls that had me change dealers.

But yes, having a business not responding to any inquiries can be frustrating from a consumers point of view. Doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling about them caring about the customer, does it?

jky

biffer · 23 March 2010, 18:22

it's the same with evertbody now days, i've just had a good one today, got ask by email on sunday morn to have a look at a lighting pole on a boat, emailed him back and ask him where it was and what was the name, get a call sunday night about 8o/c telling me what i needed to know, i go down there today and the boats gone, 6 miles there and back, emailed him and he phones back saying sorry but he's moved it somewhere else, 7 miles there, phone him, where's the key, sorry back where i went first thing this morning, i've wasted 5hrs and done 40 miles for nothing, why does everybody leave things to the last minute to get there stuff done, this matey had a radar fitted and it got in the way of a nav light so they took it off, now he want's to go across the channel and want's it put back by wed next week, he's had the radar fitted since sept!!!!!, and you wonder why some dealers don't phone back

willk · 23 March 2010, 19:03

I've started asking certain clients not to email me* with 20 questions, each with feckin' subclauses and but/ifs. It takes 30 minutes to answer one (would take 5 on the phone). You send it off and they email 20 even more stupid questions back...

A phone call can be soooo much better

_________________
* Diplomatically

biffer · 23 March 2010, 19:11

the trouble is a lot of customers think that you're a grand prix pit crew waiting to jump on his boat, the matey can pay for wasting my time or shove the light pole where the sun don't shine

Dirk Diggler · 23 March 2010, 19:55

Email and the internet is one of the worst thing that have happened to this industry.

Lost count of the number of customers who want things that they've found on a website in California etc, and than expect to pay the dollar price for it.

Emails are even worse, bring back the telephone, at least I can work whilst having a pointless conversation.

I once received an email from someone for info on a new build, asking proper sensible questions etc. This went on for several weeks, back and forth, pricing different spec engines, options and electronics.

It all sounded like a sale was imminent, until I rang one afternoon, and the "customers" mother told me that he wasn't home from school yet!

Downhilldai · 23 March 2010, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler

I once received an email from someone for info on a new build, asking proper sensible questions etc. This went on for several weeks, back and forth, pricing different spec engines, options and electronics.

It all sounded like a sale was imminent, until I rang one afternoon, and the "customers" mother told me that he wasn't home from school yet!

I understand bedajim recently encountered an almost identical experience.

willk · 23 March 2010, 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

I understand bedajim recently encountered an almost identical experience.

Surely that was just a Flight of Fancy?

Downhilldai · 23 March 2010, 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Surely that was just a Flight of Fancy?

bedajim in his school uniform

Cookee · 24 March 2010, 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler

Email and the internet is one of the worst thing that have happened to this industry.

Lost count of the number of customers who want things that they've found on a website in California etc, and than expect to pay the dollar price for it.

Emails are even worse, bring back the telephone, at least I can work whilst having a pointless conversation.

I once received an email from someone for info on a new build, asking proper sensible questions etc. This went on for several weeks, back and forth, pricing different spec engines, options and electronics.

It all sounded like a sale was imminent, until I rang one afternoon, and the "customers" mother told me that he wasn't home from school yet!

We had one of those as well!