New Performance Years website!
 

We are looking at vastly improving our PerformanceYears.com home page.

We know the home page needs a major makeover, as well as the online ordering section.

One big question to ask you guys though....

How important is it to you that you see what is in stock when you order?

Very important. If it's not in stock, I do not order it. I'd rather have that information than thinking it is available, ordering it, then finding out later that it is out of stock.

Agreed, it needs to be shown at some point during the process. Even if it's at the checkout stage, as long as we can delete out of stock items, that's enough.

Also, pics and better clarification would help. I took advantage of your close-out items and selected a center console glove box insert. Only to find out the insert was for a standard shift not an auto shift console. THERE WERE NO PICS - Just the year of the application. Not only did I have to pay for the return shipping but, I was also hit with an unexpected re-stocking fee.

I would be nice to see what's in stock and how much.

But in Ziggy's case, that's just plain wrong. I'd be very ashamed of what you did to him PY. How you handle your mistakes should be vastly improved.

I agree, its important.. if its not in stock I want to order from someone who can ship right away!!

Kind of off the main topic, but the biggest gripe I have when using the online system to locate parts is the constant default to a "item number". Seems like that happens every time I change my search to another item. Same with the all catalogs default vs. the specific body style. It gets old quick when you are searching to see if an item is carried by PY and you have to reset the default each time.

GT, I'm surprised you would make a comment like this. First off, both you and Ziggy are now forcing me to jack this thread. Secondly, you have no information about the circumstances that caused Ziggy's response and therefore have no reason to make such a determination.

1. Ziggy bought the insert on a blowout special online for $9.50 less 2% online order discount. The part was normally $21.00
2. The item had the correct description. He must have just missed that. The picture was taken 12/14/2000 at 10:14am. It's been on our website since then. The item was for manual transmission and it appears like Ziggy has an AT. The item # is W11730
3. There was NO restock charge. He was refunded exactly $9.31 which is $9.50 less 2%.
4. This happened in 2012.

Forgive me for sounding a little unsympathetic but both of you guys need to think a little bit before you post. For 30 years we've been one the most fair, helpful, passionate Pontiac suppliers in the Country. I think 30 years worth of doing the right thing for our customers deserves a little more respect than getting unfairly trashed for a .19 cent mistake on Ziggy's part. :rolleyes:

I agree that it would be nice to have a picture for every item we have. We continue to add pictures on a daily basis. We now have taken close to 12,000 pictures. Unfortunately we have about 75,000 sku's! It's just not possible to have a picture for everything. There isn't a Pontiac supplier in the country that has more pictures than we do. But rest assured, we continue to add pics.

As far as the return is concerned, I posted my feelings in GT182's response.

Seeing something is in stock is definitely a plus. Factor in the prevailing "gotta have it now" mentality, and (IMO) it's a must have.

Rather than trying to tie it down to an exact number, approximations could work.

In stock
Low inventory
?? Call for details
2 week delay

Our wholesale site has pic's and inventory of every item we have in stock. That's about 10,000ish pieces.
Very time consuming but also a great sales tool.

also fix you Paypal option.

eric....ask yourself the same question....is knowing if an item is in stock or not important to you?

Much rather know what isn't avail before I place an order,
rather then getting a box of air with a back order notice.

Don't necessarily need pics but a full detail description is key.

None of what I order is time critical - really - and sometimes it's weeks before I get it onto the car. I only use your on-line system to look at parts so the picture would be more important to me - I usually call in my order anyways, have even done so while driving. Your people are always knowledgeable and can help me decide on a part & suggest others I may need & if I order early enough, it's here the next day! :D

Let me first clarify this.

IF we were to do a new site with no real-time stock status, we wouldn't just send you a box with 5% of the complete order. We'd let you know before billing and shipping.

However, with all the responses, it does look like we are probably going to keep our system with real live inventory tracking so you can track what is in stock when placing an order through our site.

Keep the feedback coming though. Updates are in store for sure!

I agree with 400 4sp that the return to default is a pain in the butt and my biggest gripe. The in stock posting Yes/No is unique to PY for online ordering, I don't think your other competitors have it.

I always appreciate knowing what is/is not in stock when I order. If I need something ASAP, I have to find a supplier who has it.

To be totally honest, it has been a couple of years since I tried to order on-line from PY b/c whenever I went to try to find full-sized or comparable parts or what have you it was IMPOSSIBLE to use the site to find parts for various reasons. It was literally the clunkiest site I had ever used, and I buy nearly everything I use in life on-line b/c I live in a remote location. I ended up having to call on the phone each time just to determine if you all had what I was looking for. I am never ordering during normal hours, so that deterred me from trying to order after that.

So, any improvement would be beneficial. It griped me most of all b/c I wanted to support PY, but the on-line process was too time consuming to work for me. Not really complaining like it sounds, but hoping that it will encourage a more user friendly site that BRINGS A TON MORE BUSINESS. In the same vein, Pics are crucial for sales. Most of the time, I will not buy if I can not see it. Burned too many times. 75k items or not, undoubtedly it would boost sales. If you put one for every new item as it came in and then a goal for a certain # per month to add from current inventory it would get done eventually and you would only have to maintain in the future once completed. I have done gigantic projects like this. If organized and motivated, they get done and bring benefits.

Sentiments like yours are well documented. We absolutely get your frustration. We plan to continue to find new fullsize parts and we plan to keep taking pictures. We've also continuously tweaked the online order system. However, the Fullsize parts parts business is as you put it 'the clunkiest' we've ever seen! Clunky in, clunky out. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that there are only 3 full line, fullsize Pontiac online catalogs in existence. And I will guarantee you there won't be any more. Sure we could take the time to add a picture for every single fullsize product we make. But the cost to do so would far outweigh the additional sales. It's just that simple and that depressing when it comes to fullsize Pontiac parts. There has been almost no new product development in this line over the last 20 years. No bumpers, fenders, hoods, trunk floors, floor boards, dash pads, headlight bezels, grills, parking lights, tail light bezels, tailpanels, trunk lids, rocker moldings, suspension etc. And there NEVER will be. The fullsize product line is a financial loss for PY. The only reason we have it is to allow the real Pontiac enthusiast to have a one stop shop for all their Pontiac needs. Except for a handful of opportunities that we continue to investigate (and have had some success with), the fullsize Pontiac owner will continue to be forced to find most needed items by being a very good detective. :(

There simply isn't a big enough market to support the investment needed to produce the above strategic items that would in turn energize this product line.

So while I totally understand your frustration in your fullsize Pontiac online shopping experience, I must submit that most of your frustration should be aimed at lack of availability of parts and not the shopping experience itself. PY carries the same parts that Ames and OPG carries and we have a comparable amount of pictures and descriptions of those items.

Sadly for everyone, the success of the other Pontiac lines pays for the lack of success of the Fullsize line. I think its true for all three suppliers. And in business, you traditionally don't carry a loss leader that's 1/3rd of your product line. Yet we do it anyway. So when I see a post like yours, it's pretty darn depressing and a part of me says why bother. :( I have talked many times to my competitors and the sentiment is similar. Again I know it's frustrating as a fullsize owner, but take a step back and picture no choices at all.

No kidding. It is depressing when you've dragged a project ('65 Catalina) out for over a decade and during that time it's been a very slow drip of new parts. Sure there are some entrepreneurs out there making battery trays and few other things, but nothing BIG in years. Sure be nice to have some out sheet metal patches, but that'll never happen. However, there's no excuse for rubber or plastic parts not being made, i.e the clutch rod boot for 65-68 B Body.

Anyway, keep of the good work, and we'll keep buying the parts. BTW, I agree that the online buying site looks very outdated and needs a total makeover, so if the customer can see if it's in stock or not, that would help a lot.