Checked a bunch of vendors for a part. Only place i found it showing in stock was a vendor i don't really like ordering from but they had it in stock. 5 days after i order i get an email today that they expect the part to arrive from the vendor 8/18. You would think i would learn.
#2
StarTech
I would rather have a vendor up front straight with me then do that to me. Curious which vendor it was through as most I deal with has the part when they say they got in stock; though, I am leery if they only got 1 or 2 in stock.
Right now my distributor will not even give me a estimated delivery time on anything they don't have in stock and for a good reason. Parts from factories are extremely slow right now. Which why I can only tell the customer the parts are on back order with a unknown delivery time frame.
Even the ball bearings I just odered on a 3 day priority mail delivery may not even get here for a week after they are shipped. Or at least that was the case on the last order that took the a tour of the state before ending up back at the initial shipping post office and finally my shop.
I always make a phone call now if I’m in doubt whether a part is available or not. Make sure I have the name of the person who tells me it is in stock. Only had a couple of times where I’ve been given bad info. Each of those times I make a second call and talk to someone two or three steps up, which has helped getting correct info the next time I call. One distributor even sent an apology. Been doing this since the middle of April.
#4
Mower King
Took 3.5 weeks to get Generac engine parts.....crazy
A warehouse or on line vendor with the parts in stock ?
Your dreaming .
My wholesalers usually have an indication of the number in stock
However as for on line retailers I am yet to find one that is up front with what is in stock, including the ones I regularly buy from
Got 3 B & S cooling fans last week only took 6 months to turn up.
This is why I keep a big inventory.
having 20 mowers sitting around 3 months to a year waiting for parts 1/2 finished is no benefit to anybody.
Glass fronts run on minimum inventory because it makes the PE ratio look good.
The fact that people get pissed and take the unfinished mower to me and never go back to the glass front apparently does not have a column on their spreadsheets so can not be factored into the business model.
#6
StarTech
Being as small as I am I still have nearly 60K in parts too. And I still get things on back order as there is always an odd ball piece of equipment to come in being an independent shop. I just got in a 15KW generator that I repaired three years ago with the exact same problem as last time but now with all the tarriffs the parts are going double in price and take a month to get from Honda. Maybe the customer will earn to run it every few months this time.
