Please clarify the "DECISION". Is it to get out of business, or has it
already been sold to the organic farmer? I would like to think that Bill
would give the group a chance on the purchase.
If it is already sold, we should find a way to contact this guy. Maybe this
farmer only wants inventory and not the right to build parts. I heard that
he has a fleet of machines to keep going. This sounds a bit strange because
in most cases, an ET is NOT the unit to use in a agricultural operation due
to the ET's limited range. A farmer would want a machine that can go for 10
hours. Maybe he just uses the tractor only to move stuff around in barns or
maybe he just uses tillers or just mowers. Also, chances of him needing
snow
blower parts are quite slim in Costa Rica. Or maybe he will be the new
"Bill".
As far as being cheap goes, I'm sure there are times when he has been taken
advantage of, but many times there is more to the story. I can tell you
that
one ET of mine came with some "custom" wiring and components that would
have
not matched the drawing.
The $26400 is not a salary. Its an up front payment, on top of his sales to
help compensate for his support. It keeps sounding like Bill is quitting
because of a lack of compensation for his support. Again, no one ever said
that Bill needed to offer unlimited phone support for free. The 900 number
is a great idea that has been around for years that would solve the
problem,
assuming that he is getting out because of a lack of compensation. For
example, he could have had the first 3 min free and $1 a minute after.
That
way the people that don't know how to do things would pay and the
knowledgeable people would not, which is the way it should be. In this
example, if he spends 4 hours per day on support calls, that earn him
$50000
a year for his support services alone (depending on the number of free
minutes offered). I would imagine that a 900 number could be setup in 2
weeks with little effort on Bill's part.
Dean Stuckmann
> If all of this list members would pony up with the $100.00 Clay would
come
> up with 264 X 100.00 = $26,400. Would you work for $26,400 working 10 to
> 12 hours per day? Sorry not I.
> Bill Gunn has made the DECISION and the man with the organic farm has
come
> up to see Bill about 2 weeks ago. Bill said that he maybe he should have
> made the decision last fall.
> I have bought well over $2000.00 from Bill over the last 15+ years,
talked
> to him on the phone and went to his shop dozens of times. Bill Gunn has
> asked me to tell the list the decision has been made and no $100.00 per
> member from this list will keep him in business. Keith Stieg, You are
> totally right some people are just cheap. Bill has told me many of
stories
> over the last couple of years how people would treat him. Just recently
a
> conversion kit was bought for about $86.00, then Bill has to spend 2
hours
> on the phone helping the person to get it connected up right. The
diagrams
> come in the box with the conversion kit and all wires on the Elec-Trak
are
> numbered. Yes maybe I have an advantage being retired from Submarines and
> having taught electronics at a local college, but come on we need to
take
> the time to read. Sorry for being so hard, but Bill said a couple of
> years ago he was thinking of quitting and a couple of people came to his
> shop to check the situation over and maybe buy him out. Bill said that
> there is not enough money in it for the amount of time that has to be
> invested. We have asked too many FREE questions and NOT BOUGHT from
Bill.
> I have said this in at least 3 other E-mails. It did not surprise me that
> Bill quit.
> Clay or anyone please call Bill Gunn if you like, THE DECISION HAS BEEN
> MADE. I will not be sending $100.00 to anyone.
>
> Now that Bill is gone I fully agree that we need to stick together and
> share information as best we can to keep these 30 year old charming
> tractor working.
>
> In short, your money is a day late and a dollar to short, so now you can
> keep it.
>
> Please let us move on to sometime other than the loss of Bill Gunn.
>
> Garry Freese East TN
>
>
>
>
>
> At 01:33 PM 6/12/2004, clay northsuburbs com wrote:
>> Actually what started me on this was two fold...a lot a people talking
>> about the bleak future of our Elec-Traks and my phone call to Bill
where he
>> basically accused most of his customers (us) of being cheap and using
him
>> for his knowledge, but then buying it for a dime less somewhere local.
>>
>> I on the other hand, would pay twice his price to get what I need from
him,
>> as opposed to starting to cannabolize other machines to keep mine
running
>> (that will definitely be the end of Elec-Traks).
>>
>> I thought that there were more of me in the ranks (wanting to maintain a
>> classic, while still efficiently cutting my lawn). I now think that we
>> (originals) are in the minority, or at least not speaking up very much.
>>
>> I asked Bill about selling to a membership group and he thought of it
>> before, but basically had no faith in his customer base and 'knew' it
would
>> not work. I, being the optimistic side of his thoughts, thought that it
>> might work. I also run a distribution business (OEM parts), and if I
were
>> in his shoes and someone offered me 15-20k to keep doing what I am
already
>> doing for another year, I would jump at it...particularly if I was on
the
>> fence about it, and not quite making enough money to makew it
worthwhile.
>>
>> Send a check if you are on the fence, because that's the only way this
will
>> work. I keep reading about a lot of excuses not to send the check, even
>> though nobody says it will NOT work...and it is money you will get back
if
>> it does not work. Everyone elses plans involve time and planning and
a lot
>> on money...mine is pretty easy and pretty cheap, given the limited time
>> that we think we have.
>>
>> -CLay
>>
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