Morris Minor Owners Club

Purely out of interest who would prefer to be able to read on here about someone that has had a bad experience with a trader?

I realise there is a risk of traders being slagged off for tiny things and ruining reputations but on the other hand I feel that its unfair traders can sell absolute rubbish and get away with it.

If a trader really is doing a fair trade what do they have to worry about? Is it fair we can praise a good trader but the bad ones get away with everything?

Do you think it could be good to let people know about there experience with traders GOOD AND BAD and only IF it is factual?

This would also be on the terms that it does not effect the views of the MMOC this is strictly individuals views on a trader i.e. the MMOC cannot be held responsible for loss of sales or damage to reputation.

The way I see it... everyone here is getting more and more annoyed with the poor quality of spare parts but the traders don't seem to be doing anything about it. Maybe this is the way to get them to realise....

The T&C's are as they are for a reason - on more than one occasion in the past traders have threatened legal action against the club as a result of comments posted here. Defending such action, or even just taking legal advice about the merits of such action, would prove costly and the club has a responsibility to sensibly manage members funds. I'm sure the majority of members would not be happy if a large amount of club funds were spent on legal costs as a result of something someone posted on here (particularly if they weren't even a club member!).

It's all very well suggesting that posts should be only factual but how on earth are the moderators going to know what is factual and what isn't without making enquiries from both parties and conducting proper fact finding? If something is posted which is not true it could be hugely damaging for a business.

Best thing to do if you are unhappy with the service provided is to complain directly to the trader. Complaints about any advertiser in Minor Matters should be put in writing to Ray Newell so that the club is aware. In relation to defective parts, judging by relevant posts here the majority of traders will supply replacements if made aware of the issue, and may also take it up with the manufacturers, so return them if unhappy with the quality. As stated in my message in your other thread, unfortunately people want to buy cheap and that has resulted in quality suffering. The club has raised some issues directly with traders eg poor quality coils and electrical items, and discussions are currently ongoing to see if quality can be improved.

SO! a pretty useless poll then eh!

Because it's a can of worms.

Better quality parts are going to cost more money which puts people off buying them.

Better quality parts are going to cost more money which puts people off buying them.

Not being able to tell the difference between good quality parts and overpriced rubbish parts is certainly one reason that people don't always want to spend more!

I would happily pay 5 times the price for 'standard' suspension bushes if they were guaranteed to last 5 years / 50k miles. The originals lasted double that or more.
Instead there is a choice between rubbish bushes that last barely 12 months or upgrading to funny coloured poly bushes.

Original chrome bumper blades lasted well - some of the new ones have been struggling to last a year, and it's been like that for the last 10 years.

It's often not a complaint against a trader ,but the part,just like saying "all 1960's british cars were rust buckets "

it's a comment on the cars and only tangential to the dealers /manufactures

If you can't tell a factual story then lets stop compliments too

also whilst I have my soap box out ,why not adopt ,the same stance as the Lambretta club of GB e.g. Non members can read the posts but only members can post? or other sites which have restrictions on posters etc

why not let traders advertise on the site? for a fee?,plus the right of reply,trip advisor seems to do this and some of the comments about hotels etc.a very strongly worded

lambrettalad wrote:It's often not a complaint against a trader ,but the part,just like saying "all 1960's british cars were rust buckets "

This poll, and Andrew's other post, are specifically in relation to complaints/bad experiences with traders though, which is an entirely different issue to general moans about parts quality. And discussing specific, individual ongoing complaints/issues with a bunch of strangers on an open internet forum, regardless of who the complaint is about, isn't really the best way to go about things and may actually end up damaging your case if you intend seeking professional advice about the matter.

As previously posted, the club is well aware of issues with parts quality and is currently in discussions with traders about this so it' not a case of just sitting back and doing nothing.

With regards to the messageboard being open to only club members to post, I'm not sure how that would make any difference to the club stance that this is not a forum for complaints? If traders were happy for negative comments to be posted here about their service/business it wouldn't be a problem but the previous threats of legal action have meant that the position is as it is. The trader advertising issue has been raised on several occasions previously but as often repeated here, if you have any ideas or suggestions in relation to the club the best thing to do is forward them directly to the club office for the Committee to consider.

I do not understand why traders can advertise in our club magazine but not on our site

It's interesting to see that in the July / August issue of Minor Matters, "Technical Tips" accuses a named supplier of welding gas of having a poor admin system. Not a reflection on quality of parts, but certainly quality of service. I am not complaining about the T&Cs here, but do wonder if the article could be repeated on this site? After all, although I trust the author, I haven't investigated the facts

I read the article and suspect that if the company was named here it would be removed. I'm tempted to try!---but--- Better Override Compulsion!

And - what about the individuals on here who are actively buying cars - 'doing them up' - sometimes even begging parts cheaply.... and certainly using the forum as a source of information rather than bother to look up the Manual - and then quite blatantly selling the cars on for a hefty profit? Surely these too are 'traders' and should disclose themselves as such. I wonder if they declare the profit to HMRC ??