A few thoughts I have been having..I guess a bit of a rant

[FixedNotBroken]

So..I understand this is a bit of a rant but it's the way I have been feeling for a week or so and I just wanted to see if you guys have experienced this at all.

First off i'd like to say that I consider myself a part of this forum family and contribute in most aspects of it. I post in the discussions quite often...I like to participate in discussions, ask questions (lots) and pose thoughts which is so much fun for me. Not only do I post in the discussions, but I do sell items in the classifieds. I consider most of the items I have sold to be on the higher end scale and others, not as much. One thing I always do is give "forum deals" 110% of the time...I take a hit and lose money just to help people out here and hopefully someone will return the good favor back to me. This seems to happen often with members here which is another part of this trusting, awesome community. I always ship things very quickly..package efficiently..and go out of my way to make sure the part is perfect and sent with care (usually received within 2-3 days tops. I haven't had any complaints or any transactions that have gone bad but one of late that has been bothering me for a bit. I sold an item (I don't want to disclose the item or the buyer) last week and received the payment on March 21. I had planned on sending the item thursday or friday just depending on when I could make it to the post office because I am up in the hills and away from town (about 30 miles). Wednesday evening we ended up having a huge snowfall (about 3 feet where I am) and we were stuck at our home and could not leave whatsoever..thursday and friday the snow kept coming and it would not let up at all which caused things to get much worse. friday evening at about 1am the power went out and that lasted for two days (all saturday and most of sunday) so we took the snowmobile and loaded food and clothing and headed to our neighbors who have a huge generator with a massive tank that could power their house up to 6 months if something went terribly wrong. My girlfriend and I stayed with them for saturday and sunday because the weather was still bad. I had planned on shipping the wheels (this seemed to be the only thing on my mind because I wanted to get them out to make sure the party was pleased but monday we were still stuck until later than evening and the post office had closed. My girlfriend is pregnant so that has made the situation more difficult as I have to be there with her more and not as much at work. I sent a message to the person stating the situation and that I was doing my best and I appreciated his patience during this situation. Things were fine after the first few messages but I have received two messages constantly harping me about the tracking info and when they will be there, along with the fact that they are eagerly waiting for them which is totally understandable. The item was already lowered in price for the buyer because it's all he could afford so I went even further down in price but the constant messages seem to not help the situation.

I feel as if sometimes we should look at the big picture and make sure we don't take this community for granted..no, I don't know any of you and the only way we communicate is via internet but I would bend over backwards multiple times for people on here just to make sure they are pleased and happy (enjoying riding). This one situation which I couldn't help due to circumstances, seems to bite me in the butt. We are so used to everyone being so nice, getting great deals, amazing service from each other that when something goes wrong or not our way, we get annoyed and impatient (such as shipping from the UK, or some random customer service at a shop that we CANT CONTROL). You are getting a deal already and the person you're buying stuff from on this forum is doing the best they can for you and bending over backwards (most of the time).

In closing..I just wanted to make sure that we appreciate this place for what it is, what it does for us, and what it can achieve and keep achieving. Just look at our mods...they don't even get paid really for what they do..instead they do it out of their own free time because they love this place and want to contribute knowledge, talent, leadership and integrity to it which is awesome.

I always do the best I can, especially when it comes to this place!

[54ny77]

Hell I took almost a year or so to ship an item. Major big woops on my part.

Hey Steve in SLO--sorry for the delay. The technology might have moved on since that tool was relevant...

Think of it as encouraging bike parts consumption while you waited. Patiently....

:banana: :p

[FixedNotBroken]

Hell I took almost a year or so to ship an item. Major big woops on my part.

Hey Steve in SLO--sorry for the delay. The technology might have moved on since that tool was relevant...

Think of it as encouraging bike parts consumption while you waited. Patiently....

:banana: :p

+1..honestly sometimes S##T happens. We need to realize it and the fact that most of the people on here are good people and they aren't out to be selfish and lazy.

[tuxbailey]

If the other party can not empathize, you should consider returning the money and sell the wheels to others. I would think that you will have no problem selling them elsewhere, if not here.

It is a great community (including B&S) here, but if the other party wants to treat it like eBay, they might as well go to eBay.

Did you send the weather report link to the buyer?

[FixedNotBroken]

If the other party can not empathize, you should consider returning the money and sell the wheels to others. I would think that you will have no problem selling them elsewhere, if not here.

It is a great community (including B&S) here, but if the other party wants to treat it like eBay, they might as well go to eBay.

Did you send the weather report link to the buyer?

I didn't. The wheels have been dropped off at the USPS and will leave the facility tomorrow morning. One of the managers at the USPS is calling me as soon as the truck leaves with them on it to let me know exactly what time they leave so I can let the buyer know. I am not upset at all about the buyer and the transaction as it has been smooth, I just want to make sure we keep respecting each other and if something goes wrong that's not in our control, we don't get our panties in a bundle over it you know?

[Liv2RideHard]

First off congrats with the impending arrival. All the best to y'all. Sounds like you did everything right considering the circumstances. I wouldn't let it bug you man. Look, you have to look out for your girlfriend and baby first and foremost under those kind of circumstances. If the buyer doesn't get it then tell him to bugger off. He is already getting a deal and this is not ebay or CL. You did everything reasonable man. Don't beat yourself up. Whenever I sell something I do my best to get it out the same day and usually ship overnight. However if the buyer takes their time paying and makes the transaction difficult then I don't fret if it takes me a day or two to ship. That is still within reason. Sounds like your buyer was a bit impatient and needs to relax considering what you were dealing with man. Cheers.

[jr59]

A little understanding by both parts, goes a long ways!

As much as I hate it; Life sometimes gets in the way of bike stuff.

[thinpin]

As a recipient in waiting, I've been watching now for 3 weeks to hear from a seller or see the goods turn up at the shipping depot. I've sent two emails in the past 2 weeks without response. I'm assuming a situation similar to your's FNB. At the end of the day I know that more than 95% of my dealings here have been excellent.

[AngryScientist]

dont sweat it, extreme snowfall, lack of electricity and pregnant girlfriend all get passes as good reasons to be late by themselves. you had all three at once and still got them out in about a week. you're a hero in my book.

[oldguy00]

I think most people feel the same way, but there are always bad apples.
The only thing I would have done differently from you in the given situation is that I would have offered a full refund if he/she didn't want to deal with the delay in shipping.
Ironically, I have had more bad buying/selling experiences here than I have had in 10 years of ebaying. No idea why. It seems like a lot of folks feel like when they are selling on a forum, they can get away with inaccurate product descriptions, etc. I've seen (and experienced) the same thing at the slowtwitch forums.

[Steve in SLO]

Hell I took almost a year or so to ship an item. Major big woops on my part.

Hey Steve in SLO--sorry for the delay. The technology might have moved on since that tool was relevant...

Think of it as encouraging bike parts consumption while you waited. Patiently....

:banana: :p
Well certainly no problem there since you were doing me a favor and giving me the tool...what's to complain about?
I am thinking that since this place has been more of a community and less of a business place that we could/should understand the big pictures in each others lives and set our expectations accordingly. If you really need fast and foolproof delivery, go to your LBS or a major online retailer.

[bobswire]

Steve in SLO "If you really need fast and foolproof delivery, go to your LBS or a major online retailer. "
I have to disagree, I get better service from forum members when it comes to receiving items I've purchased than I do from online retailers.

There are exceptions as the OP has stated above but my rule is simple buy form me you'll have it within a week or less. No excuse unless I'm dead.
But that's me When it can't be helped is one thing then communication is the key, what irks me is the procrastinator who is just plain lazy. I've bought items from Ebay or retailers who charged expedited shipping fees (priority etc) then sits on it a over week or more before shipping it.

In todays world it takes but 5 minutes to start an account with FedEx/USPS et al. You'll get cheaper shipping pricing, print out you own labels and they'll even pick up the package the following day if you're unable to drop it off.
Obviously if you live in the boonies you'll have to drop it off.

[FixedNotBroken]

Lets make sure we keep this on topic lol. In the end, I just wanted to get the point across that I hope we can all be understanding if something comes up and not take this great community (great people, patient for the most part) for granted. I feel at times we get spoiled by treatment from people here that if something goes wrong we get upset! lol

[jghall]

Appears to me you kept the lines of commucation open, which should have been good enough. Know it is to many(most) of us here.

As a few others have said, congrats to you and your girlfriend. You have more important things to think about than worrying about this. Wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.

[tiretrax]

I wouldn't let it bother you when someone else is being unreasonable. I am curious who it was because I see a lot of people crying poor that constantly trolling the classifieds. I thought this was not the place to make a living buying and selling stuff, but it seems that there is a cadre of folks doing it.

[Viper]

Dear FixedNotBroken,

You sound like a normal person going through a normal situation. You cannot control the weather and your buyer should be understanding. Your girlfriend is preggors and certainly this is a priority in your life right now. Congratulations on becoming a father (or co-mother as nowadays same-s*x marriage is something we see more often and it's cool...love is love...and children are children end of story). You are a Campy Nut and this is very important. Your offspring will be a Campy Nut. Don't sweat the delivery bro, whoever is receiving your wheels, I am sure they'll come full circle, pun intended.

Regards,
(Viper)

[krhea]

Hey Fixed, I'm with ya man.

I had the reverse situation happen over the past 2/3weeks and it drove me crazy.
I had made a deal for a $30 item I wanted to purchase from the forum. We made the deal, I requested Paypal info from the seller and a couple hours later my world "turned upside down" so to speak and my wife and I went into our "hurry-up offense" mode to get a handle on things.
The fact I had confirmed purchase on an item went into the back of my mind and I never responded to the seller. About a week later in the middle of the night it hit me that I had committed to purchase the item and had left the seller hangin'. Of course by the time I got up the next morning and began facing the "storm" it left my mind again. During this time I wasn't visiting the forum.
Once my wife and I got a handle on things it was the day before I was scheduled to leave town for 10days. Again, I kept forgetting about the item as I wasn't on the site like I usually am everyday multiple times per day. Fast forward...just yesterday it hit me I had this item/seller hangin' in never never land and I sent him an email apology explaining what happened and telling him I'd still purchase the item if he had it and/or still wanted to do business with me. I felt like such a jerk but it was 100% unintentional. It was just "one of those things that happens" but I still felt horrible for falling off the face of the earth in the middle of a deal.

I have to say, it feels good to enjoy and respect this forum enough that it drives you crazy and makes you feel like a jerk when you have these things happen and they affect another member.

Be it a $30, $300 or $3000 item I still appreciate being treated right and treating others right during a deal. Again, my apologies to "jowens".

KRhea

KRhea

[Fishbike]

Communication is key. Stuff happens and most reasonable people are very understanding when someone on the other end of a deal is being straight up with them.

Part of the problem is we live in a world where everyday we are hearing about some new type of scam. So many people are just hyper-suspicious about everything and everybody. Of course some people are just self-centered I-want-it-now cry babies.

The benefits of the forum is you have some sense of a person's character before you buy or sell. Call me crazy but you can tell a lot about someone by his or her ability to wax endlessly on the pros and cons of tig v. lugs.

[old_fat_and_slow]

.

[Fishbike]

So who do you feel more trustworthy the pro Tig-weld guy, or the pro brazed-lug guy? :D

Now there's a new thread topic if ever I saw one!

[FixedNotBroken]

Dear FixedNotBroken,

You sound like a normal person going through a normal situation. You cannot control the weather and your buyer should be understanding. Your girlfriend is preggors and certainly this is a priority in your life right now. Congratulations on becoming a father (or co-mother as nowadays same-s*x marriage is something we see more often and it's cool...love is love...and children are children end of story). You are a Campy Nut and this is very important. Your offspring will be a Campy Nut. Don't sweat the delivery bro, whoever is receiving your wheels, I am sure they'll come full circle, pun intended.

Regards,
(Viper)

Thanks Viper, everything is okay and taken care of. He has been very understanding and things are cool. I appreciate the kind words and the priority reminder as we all need those sometimes..especially us here who are addicted to the B word :roll eyes: bikes :) anyway..my point of this thread was to make sure and point out that we don't take it for granted..respect the fact that all of us have separate lives other than this community and stuff comes up..I am never out to burn anyone or to be lazy. If it comes off that way, I apologize ahead of time because it's not how I was raised, nor who I am. I go out of my way for people on here and it's a bummer this certain scenario didn't let me go full out to please someone as usual.

[FixedNotBroken]

Hey Fixed, I'm with ya man.

I had the reverse situation happen over the past 2/3weeks and it drove me crazy.
I had made a deal for a $30 item I wanted to purchase from the forum. We made the deal, I requested Paypal info from the seller and a couple hours later my world "turned upside down" so to speak and my wife and I went into our "hurry-up offense" mode to get a handle on things.
The fact I had confirmed purchase on an item went into the back of my mind and I never responded to the seller. About a week later in the middle of the night it hit me that I had committed to purchase the item and had left the seller hangin'. Of course by the time I got up the next morning and began facing the "storm" it left my mind again. During this time I wasn't visiting the forum.
Once my wife and I got a handle on things it was the day before I was scheduled to leave town for 10days. Again, I kept forgetting about the item as I wasn't on the site like I usually am everyday multiple times per day. Fast forward...just yesterday it hit me I had this item/seller hangin' in never never land and I sent him an email apology explaining what happened and telling him I'd still purchase the item if he had it and/or still wanted to do business with me. I felt like such a jerk but it was 100% unintentional. It was just "one of those things that happens" but I still felt horrible for falling off the face of the earth in the middle of a deal.

I have to say, it feels good to enjoy and respect this forum enough that it drives you crazy and makes you feel like a jerk when you have these things happen and they affect another member.

Be it a $30, $300 or $3000 item I still appreciate being treated right and treating others right during a deal. Again, my apologies to "jowens".

KRhea

KRhea

There's a good story there..you didn't do it on purpose, it's just a thing called life yeah? I do respect this place..it's only been positive for me so I have nothing to complain about. I am glad the situation worked out for you though, my best to you.

[beeatnik]

I had a situation with an unbroken Campy-loving forumite where there was a verbal agreement for the purchase of a Campy gruppo. I was a serious buyer and the seller agreed to terms. We were hammering out a few minor details, which I don't recall as they were secondary, but essentially it was a done deal. Within a 24 hour period I received a few communications from the seller and it was obvious from his impatient tone that he wanted to back out of the transaction. When I replied that "life had intervened" and informed him that I would paypal payment immediately, he responded that the group had been sold. I came to discover that he sold the gruppo to another forumite for a lower amount. It was obvious to me that he felt that he had found a more worthy member of the community. We exchanged a few tense PMs and then I got over it. Maybe, I should have started a thread. :banana: