Monkeyleg
Member.
This is just a rant, so feel free to disregard.
I have a lot of shops on my site, but a lot more to go. Back in March I started calling the first shops on the site--which had been on the site for something like nine months for free--to pay up. The cost is $60 for six months or $100 per year.
The number of shops that came through and paid surprised me. Even some one-man, forty-guns-in-stock stores paid.
Then there's the ones who told me to invoice them and still haven't paid. I have one shop in PA that I invoiced on 3/24. He told me he didn't get the invoice. I mailed him another. Then I called a month later, and he said he'd have his accountant cut a check. I'm still waiting. And this is not a small store by any means. Plus, he's already told me he's gotten new customers from my site.
Another store in NM. The owner said, "yeah, I've had people come in and mention your site. Invoice me for a year." That was on May 5th. When I called him last month, he said the invoice was "right in front of him," but he just hadn't gotten around to writing that $100 check. Also a pretty big store.
Another one in Iowa. And this one maybe takes the prize:
I called one of the partners back in March. He said he'd need to talk to his partner, and I should call back in two weeks. Called back, and he said he'd need to have me talk to his daughter, since she handles any computer stuff. Talked to her, and she said to talk to the partner.
Meanwhile, I get an email from someone who's looking for a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in .300 H&H, SuperGrade or better, in 98%+ condition. That's a $2,000+ rifle, and the guy is serious about buying one.
This Iowa shop mentions in their page on my site that they specialize in pre-64's. So I call the owner to see if he has one as described. Yep, he does. I tell him that I have a customer for him, and I'll have the customer give him a call.
Then I ask if he's figured out what he wants to do about being on my site.
"Oh, I don't think we're interested. We're not really into computers."
Needless to say, that Iowa shop didn't get the buyer for that Winchester. A shop in California did. A shop that had already paid to renew, I might add. And whose owner said that the $100 for my site was "the best $100 I've ever spent."
On top of that, I got an email from a guy wanting to know how to contact the Iowa shop by email. I explained that the owners aren't into computers, they don't have email, and that I would be removing their shop from the site shortly. The guy went to the store, liked it, and emailed me back saying I should keep it on the site, even if it's for free.
Yeah, right. I love working for free.
What are these owners thinking? If they've already gotten new business while they were on my site for free, do they think it's going to stop if they pay? And $100? My buddy paid that much for cabfare to and from the airport for the Shot Show (which he said was terrible).
OK. Rant over.
I have a lot of shops on my site, but a lot more to go. Back in March I started calling the first shops on the site--which had been on the site for something like nine months for free--to pay up. The cost is $60 for six months or $100 per year.
The number of shops that came through and paid surprised me. Even some one-man, forty-guns-in-stock stores paid.
Then there's the ones who told me to invoice them and still haven't paid. I have one shop in PA that I invoiced on 3/24. He told me he didn't get the invoice. I mailed him another. Then I called a month later, and he said he'd have his accountant cut a check. I'm still waiting. And this is not a small store by any means. Plus, he's already told me he's gotten new customers from my site.
Another store in NM. The owner said, "yeah, I've had people come in and mention your site. Invoice me for a year." That was on May 5th. When I called him last month, he said the invoice was "right in front of him," but he just hadn't gotten around to writing that $100 check. Also a pretty big store.
Another one in Iowa. And this one maybe takes the prize:
I called one of the partners back in March. He said he'd need to talk to his partner, and I should call back in two weeks. Called back, and he said he'd need to have me talk to his daughter, since she handles any computer stuff. Talked to her, and she said to talk to the partner.
Meanwhile, I get an email from someone who's looking for a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in .300 H&H, SuperGrade or better, in 98%+ condition. That's a $2,000+ rifle, and the guy is serious about buying one.
This Iowa shop mentions in their page on my site that they specialize in pre-64's. So I call the owner to see if he has one as described. Yep, he does. I tell him that I have a customer for him, and I'll have the customer give him a call.
Then I ask if he's figured out what he wants to do about being on my site.
"Oh, I don't think we're interested. We're not really into computers."
Needless to say, that Iowa shop didn't get the buyer for that Winchester. A shop in California did. A shop that had already paid to renew, I might add. And whose owner said that the $100 for my site was "the best $100 I've ever spent."
On top of that, I got an email from a guy wanting to know how to contact the Iowa shop by email. I explained that the owners aren't into computers, they don't have email, and that I would be removing their shop from the site shortly. The guy went to the store, liked it, and emailed me back saying I should keep it on the site, even if it's for free.
Yeah, right. I love working for free.
What are these owners thinking? If they've already gotten new business while they were on my site for free, do they think it's going to stop if they pay? And $100? My buddy paid that much for cabfare to and from the airport for the Shot Show (which he said was terrible).
OK. Rant over.