Thank you everyone for your contributions. As suggested by "edward t" and endorsed by "bbforks" we have started a new thread to focus on creating a code of ethics for internet sellers of forklifts and the questions that buyers might ask to be answered.
We have placed a new thread (
Code of Ethics for selling forklifts on the internet) in the Forum "Business Management".
Thank you, and as always we look forward to your learned comments.
I get calls all thr time, i can buy it of the internet, my responce, buy it.
Ed- excellent idea! I believe an independent code of ethics reference, along with a check list of what questions to ask an internet seller of equipment would make our collective jobs ALOT easier.It would help to weed out the crooks & make selling a decent used lift profitable again. I don't even try to sell anymore because of all the "deals" on the internet, you just can't compete with the numbers if you're trying to be honest.
AS far as how I handle telling a customer he got taken, I usually apologize for the entire forklift industry, as the actions of those 'less than honourable' folks taint all the rest of the industry. [and to myself I say "wow, what a gold mine, this truck will be something good to the service Dept. budget"] and then I tell the customer I will do the best I can to keep his bills as low as possible and still give him a "safe and serviceable" forklift and that I will be as honest as anyone would be with him.
I have been considering working on a set of questions to "open source" that I would like everyone considering buying a forklift or using forklifts today to have to get the answers for in advance of dealing with anyone to confirm their ethics. perhaps what I need to do is start a thread here on forkliftaction to get input as to what those questions should be, or maybe to create a "uniform forklift industry code of ethics" thread, to get input as to what the code should say.
Yeah...we can not believe more on Internet prices. In mainly cases, internet sites and ads shows that they are giving the biggest discount price but in realty the discounted price is much more than the prices given by the offline dealer.
Just had this senario happen again. The lure of the cheap price over rides sound reasoning & BAMM- another piece of crap lands in my lap. How do you nicely tell a customer that they just got screwed? Somehow I think my bills fixing this dinosour will tell him for me!
I had a couple customers buy a truck on the cheap of the internet - their rationale it was cheap & it looked good & had a 30 day warranty (but they had to pay shipping both ways). We were glad to do all the repair work after they found what it cost to ship a lift LTL (both ways) and it is very hard to hear a rod knocking or a motor bearing going out, etc. on a "pretty" picture and very difficult see all the over spray on the cylinder rods & radiator core too. Caveat Emptor!
It is not justforklift trucks
Almost everything is available locally as cheap.The internet provides crooks to unload things that are not quite right with impunity.
we have all bought from the internet, sometimes the convenience makes it worth the risk but mostly we are taking a chance.
Nothing is better than "seeing , feeling etc" first and that can only be done with a local supplier.
I hear ya duo- I tell my customers all the time not to buy off the internet- but they hardly ever listen. They wind up buying some piece of ****, but they got it at a great price! I shouldn't complain though- I get alot of work putting these pigs back in working order as they gradually fall apart.