Why such poor service placing orders if economy is so bad off?

[quad2xtreme]

Placed a call to JD Performance on Monday wanting to order 2 sets of upper a-arms. Haven't heard a word back yet.

Can't get the lawn service company to give me a quote for putting lime down on the yard. Started this process back in January. Going to give them till the end of the month and look for a new company.

Want a fairly large amount of concrete work done to extend my drive way around the side of the garage to park the 24X8.5' trailer. Couldn't get a quote from 2 companies who promised to come out.

These are just quick examples off the top of my head. I am amazed. Honestly, I can see why my employer has been growing in this economy while others aren't. It is easy pickings with so many companies hiring people who aren't interested in being part of the success of the business. Too many want to be paid just for showing up but not contributing. Just another form of welfare.

[aDviSol2y]

When business is poor, your service gets poorer. Due to less man power, lower wages, shorter business hours, fewer delivery days etc. We see all to often in the Steel industry. You would think that when you have less to do, you would perfect your skills. But usually thats not the case.

[Stiles86]

i work in a paper mill, and we actually took a step back and looked into beter quality when orders went down, to keep the compatition away from our customers that we have(mostly pepsi) and cause of that we didnt lay off or shut down but things are just about back to normal..... but i hear what you are saying i do masonry on the side and when i actually get a job i do my best if i lived down there i would hook you up good luck with ur projects

[yellowzo3]

I've always wondered this as well. You'd think people would be doing everything they can to keep customers happy or just keep customers in general.

Businesses can't use the excuse that they're so busy and forgot about it, etc... because we all know most businesses are just struggling to stay afloat right now.

I guess the only upside to this economy is that all the companies with poor business practices will get exposed and weeded out and eventually go under. With so many people looking for work customers don't have to deal with issues like that anymore. When work was plentiful you may have just dealt with a poor contractor because they were the only ones available. But now you have your pick from almost all the contractors in your area.

[quad2xtreme]

Good news is I did get in touch with JD Performance today and ordered 1 set of upper a-arms. He was super nice to deal with and seem really knowledgeable so hopefully it was just a mistake from my leaving a message and not actually talking to a person.

[quad59]

Originally posted by quad2xtreme
Placed a call to JD Performance on Monday wanting to order 2 sets of upper a-arms. Haven't heard a word back yet.

Can't get the lawn service company to give me a quote for putting lime down on the yard. Started this process back in January. Going to give them till the end of the month and look for a new company.

Want a fairly large amount of concrete work done to extend my drive way around the side of the garage to park the 24X8.5' trailer. Couldn't get a quote from 2 companies who promised to come out.

These are just quick examples off the top of my head. I am amazed. Honestly, I can see why my employer has been growing in this economy while others aren't. It is easy pickings with so many companies hiring people who aren't interested in being part of the success of the business. Too many want to be paid just for showing up but not contributing. Just another form of welfare.

I think part of the problem is that their are alot of tire kickers out there. My brother has a construciton company and 90 percent of the people who call him for an estimate are full of &^% and just wanting a number for a project they might within 8 years. He usually tries to judge the seriousness of the job by the conversation on the phone and skips others to avoid wasting his time.

[hondaracer31]

We were just talking about this today, Jon. I am SWAMPED with work, to the point of not having time to put the quad back together let alone ride it. While other contractors have absolutely nothing.
I think it comes down to reputation. The good ones get stronger while the bad ones go under.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by hondaracer31
We were just talking about this today, Jon. I am SWAMPED with work, to the point of not having time to put the quad back together let alone ride it. While other contractors have absolutely nothing.
I think it comes down to reputation. The good ones get stronger while the bad ones go under.

I agree...

Im as busy as I want to be myself, actually have turned some crap jobs down simply because I dont have the free time to do whats needed and would rather not take the job versus doing a half azzed job. Somehow the folks have understood that:p

I think the economy has turned ever so slightly(not more money but people are being a bit smarter). People are looking to spend their dollar and get the most for it....and with that said, they tend to go to the most reputable company around. For an up and comer, this should be a good time to go after new business but most are scared to invest in themseleves etc.

[SRH]

Originally posted by Pappy
I agree...

Im as busy as I want to be myself, actually have turned some crap jobs down simply because I dont have the free time to do whats needed and would rather not take the job versus doing a half azzed job. Somehow the folks have understood that:p

I think the economy has turned ever so slightly(not more money but people are being a bit smarter). People are looking to spend their dollar and get the most for it....and with that said, they tend to go to the most reputable company around. For an up and comer, this should be a good time to go after new business but most are scared to invest in themseleves etc.

agreed, ive also noticed most ppl are settled into the new state of the economy and have freed up in there spending, everyone as a whole has less money , but as ken has said its a matter of adapting your business to the times beating out your competition

[ScottB125]

A friend of mine builds alot of race car engines and he said all the his suppliers laid everyone off and let inventory dwindle to nothing. When you call with an order, they have to make it...nothing is on the shelf. He's waiting months for oil pans, etc...


I have been trying to get one of my turbos rebuilt for about 2 months now....people just aren't in a hurry nor do they give a ****.

[CJM]

people just dont have the cash, I work roadside service for an AAA contractor and as a mechanic on the side.

AAA call volume has PLUMMETED to the point where every contractor is fighting to have work. People wont purchase AAA itself, they wont buy the batteries we peddle (2 years ago no issues at all in that btw) to save cash, they let cars sit b/c they cant afford them, etc.

As a mechanic the shop is nowhere near as busy as it was in previous years and people wont repair it till it breaks down and they cant drive it anymore. Where i was being called to help 2-3x a month they dont even call me anymore cause they barely have work for the 2 guys there.

Friend of mine is a contractor/carpenter and they cant get work easily, no more million dollar additions really, half the people they give estimates to dont bother and materials and costs went up. Went from a 3-4 person crew to 2 person too.

[hondaracer31]

I went to work at 7 this morning and just walked in the door at 9 tonight. No breaks all day. This is 6 days a week for me.I have NO problem keeping busy...

[CJM]

Originally posted by hondaracer31
I went to work at 7 this morning and just walked in the door at 9 tonight. No breaks all day. This is 6 days a week for me.I have NO problem keeping busy...

Yea, but what kinda biz are you in?

[hondaracer31]

construction. Moving dirt.

[CJM]

Originally posted by hondaracer31
construction. Moving dirt.

Might just be your area vs here. We went from a huge building boom to close to nothing it seems.