Re: [VAL] Re: Nightmare

[Glyn Judson <glynjudson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    All,

    I guess I should wade in here too to relate my three much smaller
experiences with Inland.  I won't go into excruciating detail or but will
just say that in one case, he personally said he'd try to locate a length of
odd shaped curtain track I needed for my Caravel (I'm sure you all remember
my bugging the list for this item).  I didn't hear from him and called once
several weeks later, only to be told in rather curt terms that he was still
working on it and had to contact Airstream about it and that I would hear
from him with the result.  That one-sided, mildly exercised blast warned me
off sufficiently that I didn't ever call back again, nor did I ever hear
from him on the subject.

    Lesson #1 learned.

    The other two incidents related to ordering and getting certain parts
that were represented as being what I was either told I needed or what I
asked for, neither of which worked and were items I finally offered to the
List as Shifted Cargo.  One item, 10 fuzzy brackets for the window control
rods were said by the folks there to be for '69 Airstreams and just that
year, only to turn out not to fit whatsoever (too short a slot for the throw
of my rods) and by the time I found this to be the case with all the other
projects I was in the midst of, the magic 10 days had elapsed and I was
essentially told to go pound sand when I called to return them for credit.
I think that item alone was near the $80 to $100 area of cost.

    Lesson #2 learned.

    The other occurred more recently when after asking if the width of a
certain part was greater than 1/4" so as to stay in a slot, I was asked to
drive there to measure it myself (from Santa Monica).  I finally did get a
call back from that member of the staff assuring me that the part was as I
had hoped it would be, greater than 1/4".

    They shipped, I measured, it was smaller than 1/4", I called to attempt
a return and was told that the measurement was carefully determined before
shipment, that I had been told of a 10% restocking fee at the time (not!)
and that that phone exchange was clear in the staff members mind because of
their having to measure (improperly) the parts.

    ed.  Duuh, how hard is it to measure to see if a part is either greater
than or smaller than 1/4" wide?  Will it or will it not fall out of a 1/4"
slot?  This is not rocket science.

    We're talking about curtain slides here, not at all a cumbersome part to
measure.  

    I'd estimate that we're talking in the neighborhood of $10 plus
shipping, not a lot of money really but I had been told one thing for
certain only to see that it wasn't the case.  Lesson #3 learned.

    It's been my experience in all business and nonprofit organizations that
scat runs down hill.  That is to say that when a business philosophy is
established at the top, whether for good or ill, it's reflected, nay
mirrored in the practices and attitudes of the staff lower down on the food
chain.  Sadly, I once again feel that my suspicions have been confirmed in
this case and not for the good of all involved on either side of the sales
counter.  

    Thrice burned, forever warned.

    Glyn Judson
    1969 Caravel #508
    Santa Monica CA