SERVICE IS WORTH MORE: WHEN AN ONLINE DIESEL PART PURCHASE GOES WRONG
This month we celebrated #Canada150, the 150th birthday of this great nation. We are a country that was built on freedom, hard work, camaraderie, and service – values that still ring true to every locally owned business owner.
In honour of #Canada150 (and based on recent events), we thought it was a good time to share why buying local and buying Canadian matters, not just for our local businesses, but for you, the end-user as well.
The online diesel part purchase that prompted this blog post
We sell a diesel component or performance product for $549, but a customer says he can find it online for $40 less. He asks us to price match…and we politely decline. We hate to see a customer leave because of price, however, there’s a reason we have a policy to not match online pricing.
The customer chose to buy the diesel component online anyway, and here’s where things get problematic for him – it doesn’t work correctly right out of the box. It would seem the programmer that was supposed to be pre-programmed for his vehicle is NOT programmed for his vehicle. It’s a blank device!
So, his first call is to our shop asking us to help him with his product – expertise he is not offering to pay for.
We (once again, politely) tell him that he didn’t purchase it from us, so he should contact the company he bought it from which is when he replies, “they don’t support this part, they just sell it.” Our next suggestion is that he should call the company who manufactured the product, and he claims, “well, they said it should work and that I’m doing something wrong.”
Can you see the direction this is headed? He’s frustrated that his online purchase is not working out as well as he thought it would and he’s upset that we’re not jumping in to help him. He doesn’t seem to understand why we aren’t willing to support a product he purchased somewhere else and continues with, “the manufacturer said I just need someone to load tunes on this.”
Here’s where buying local makes the difference: that extra $40 on the price includes our knowledge and expertise to actually get your product working properly. If it doesn’t, we would make it right or refund your money, but now you’re just sitting with a useless piece of plastic and circuitry.
There is obviously a larger problem in this story than the $40. The issue is the customer just doesn’t understand why our shop deserved to be paid for our advice and knowledge. In fact, our conversation ended with him saying, “I shouldn’t have to pay. I just bought this and it’s supposed to work.”
Let’s think about why that extra $40 is so important. Where does it actually go? In the bigger picture (beyond ensuring service and a properly working part), when you spend your money locally, your money supports our local community. Our employees live here. They shop here. They play here.
Why you should consider buying Canadian-made diesel products
When you buy Canadian products, you directly impact our economy in positive ways. Every dollar spent in Canada has a ripple effect that far exceeds that of simple profits made by the businesses who take money in exchange for goods or services. Regardless of what sectors and industries you work in, we are all part of this cycle.
When Canadian businesses are successful, they are in a position to give back to the communities they serve by supporting local charities, cultural associations, etc. Successfully employed Canadians and successful businesses spend their money to upgrade/improve their business and hire more employees as they grow – the profits stay in Canada.
When you buy Canadian, you can rest assured that the people who make the products are treated fairly and are working in safe conditions. We’ve all heard the horror stories of sweatshops in foreign countries, using children and adults as disposable labour. Many consumers are now deciding not to support those practices and demonstrate their principles by not buying products made in the countries that have poor track records for human rights.
When you buy Canadian, you are contributing to the enrichment of our communities. It systematically makes us a part of something greater than ourselves. That one purchase may contribute to the survival of a small local family business. We all want to see our neighbors successful and watch their business grow – everyone benefits if they do.
Canadians have always been quietly patriotic. If there’s one thing the world noticed during the #Canada150 celebration is that we’re a proud bunch. We have every reason to be proud of our country, including the products we make here. We see a “Made in Canada” label as a badge of honour; one we’re proud to contribute to and want others to know about. Supporting local businesses and buying products made in Canada makes us all richer. A foreign-made online diesel part purchase, not so much.
We’re not advocating to buy strictly Canadian only (it’s impossible to do so anyway), but to consider buying Canadian-made products over foreign-made ones first and to buy locally as often as you can.
