CML's Shopatron

[Chequered Flag Racing]

just spoke to CML re springs for 12th car to see if they had stock rather than phone around all stops

turns out there online 'Shopatron' emails their dealers to see if they have stock as CML don't actually stock items. You need to place the order through the Shopatron which you need to sign up for

all I have to do now is sit back and wait for an email from a dealer and hope they have them in stock

[stoff]

I've ordered off there before. Package came with a CML invoice...

[Darren Boyle]

It only emails the dealers who take part in the shopatron program, not all of us who deal with them......

You will find that most of the bigger accounts and larger stores are too busy to ploice this every day and do not particiapte in the program.

We ourlseves are way to busy dealing with what we already have to have time to reply to "hundreds" of emails a day on shoptron stating we have the parts, then only get given/awarded a VERY small handful of the orders that we can fulfil. It goes by the shops location also as well as stock, so a shop owner/manager can waste all day checking stock and putting it to ne side to then not be given any of the orders if another shop is closer

The other thing with shopatron is that it wastes one day while it puts your "request" out for tender amongst all the shops, then after 24 hours it awards your order to the closest shop who can fulfil it, so your order does not even move anywhere for between 24/48 hours. "Most" of our customers have already got their packets in that time scale, let alone them not even leaving the store they are coming from......

"Apparantly" CML do not sell direct from there themselves....

[sldmodels]

It's a good idea, but it is too slow for all concerned, and doesn't give the shop the full ammount for the goods sold - ok, you don't have to be involved in the program if you don't want to, but I think there has to be a better or easier way.

Personally, I'd like to see some kind of shared database of all the shop in the UK you can visit, as no one shop will have everything, but there's a good chance that between us, we will have what you want.

[Big G]

Originally Posted by sldmodels

Personally, I'd like to see some kind of shared database of all the shop in the UK you can visit, as no one shop will have everything, but there's a good chance that between us, we will have what you want.

doesn't that involved multiple P&P costs that someone has to cover?

I work for a mail order company and we have 2 warehouse locations and I still cringe at splitting the orders to send some parts from 1 and some from the other even if 1 part will travel 1st class and the rest courier. If we have people travelling between location (8 miles apart) I'll get the stock moved, but if it was between shops this wouldn't be possible.

[sldmodels]

Well there's no way of doing it and keeping eveyone happy, but if you put in several items, the website could search through it's list, and give you the people who have them, then you have the choice about where to order from, it moves the emphasis back to the customer giving them choice of where to buy.

No system is going to be perfect, but given enough time and effort and co-operation, we could get something pretty close to it.

[carty]

I used shopatron recently, waste of time, in the end i found the part myself in the U.S. and received it before the uk sourced parts arrived

[SlowOne]

I've used Shopatron from the CML site and received excellent service. Bought the part, received the goods a few days later. No fuss, no problem, no reason to avoid using them again.

[plod]

I was going to use, but didn't like the blurb about your info being sent out, and made me very wary

[sldmodels]

I think the only info sent out is your name and address, (least that's all I ever got), and I think, if a shop abuses those details, then they'd get kicked off the list of shop, plus also, there's the issue of the data protection laws, so if that's all that is stopping you, then I don't think you have anything to worry about

[Chequered Flag Racing]

it's come up trumps

Thank you for your Order #3*4*3*0*4 placed on the CML Distribution website.

Your order has been shipped.


Ship date: 05-13-2010
Tracking Number: DL*******GB
Carrier: Royal Mail (UK)
Estimated time in transit: 1-2 Days

Fulfiller: Roundabout Toys Limited

[steelie600]

Its a cracking idea imo, never used it as im good mates with a cml dealer, but if you canj wait a couple of days a fantastic idea

[tymill]

CML's shopatron has helped me find some obscure vintage AE parts that I'd really struggle to find in the UK otherwise.

On a couple of occasions, the parts have come from tiny little shops in small towns - which is very good in my books. The small vendor gets the business, and I get introduced to vendors that have stockpiles of old NOS bits that I need. It's win win in that regard.

Cheers,
Ty