[Held for Ransom]

I'll leave my own thoughts to myself.

[72projectbird]

Hopefully it gets straightened out.

I'll say this... It sucks spending $110 for a service, with nothing indicating there's a problem with the service that could potentially lead to long wait times.

Not to mention it's only an email now. Cost went up and we get less, but that seems to be the business motto now.

[74SDformula]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

Best bet would be to turn over everything to the Pontiac Museum.
They will get it all taken care of properly , and digitized.

They also have strong backing support , and network.
Would revitalize the data instead of just sitting on it for 35 years.

My exact thoughts also!

[bluejudge]

This was posted on Facebook yesterday morning.


PHS
Yesterday at 10:38 AM
·
We were hoping to have a better update right now but we still do not have our computer back. We did talk to the repair shop yesterday and they think the new one will work.
Again, sorry for the delays on the information packages
PHS

[72projectbird]

Coming up on week 3

[Rachelsdad]

As an IT engineer and network architect, I can tell you that people stick with technologies and solutions with which they have become comfortable (not a criticism, but an observation; I'm like that, myself). Still, sometimes this resistance to change can lead to a host of unexpected bad happenings (failure of old hardware, continued - and accelerated - deterioration of source materials, etc.). I've been down this route with clients sticking to old backup solutions using tape media which may indeed be fine, but getting the reader(s) serviced to access those archival backups - when critically needed - has proven challenging (and costly) in the past.

Still, it's not our business to run, and Jim needs to make these decisions. I like the idea of partnering with the Pontiac Museum, however, no matter which way Jim decides to go with his internal technology.

[jerry455]

I remember the "old" days, when you could call Pontiac and get a copy of your invoice. I did this in 1983 when I bought my Can Am. The blacked out the prices but I was only trying to make sure it was original. They also used to put a copy of any ads they had of the car.

[bluejudge]

PHS
2h
·
10/24 update. Our old computer does not seem like it can be saved, so we ordered a new scanner today so we can use a newer computer. We should have it next week and can start getting customers their orders sent back to them
PHS

Today’s post

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by bluejudge

PHS
2h
·
10/24 update. Our old computer does not seem like it can be saved, so we ordered a new scanner today so we can use a newer computer. We should have it next week and can start getting customers their orders sent back to them
PHS

Today’s post

Well that's good. I'd hope this would be a wake up call to modernize the operation, but I have a feeling it won't.

[turbo69bird]

As much as things about this service may be annoying we should be happy we have it . How many rare cars have been found and restored / preserved because of this service. Which litterally was thrown in the trash bin of history by GM.

[694.1]

Some of you may remember years ago, when PMD still existed.
They tried to gain control of what was then legally Jims & he had to fight hard to keep the records.
PMD would have ultimately destroyed the data.

[72projectbird]

I don't think anyone is saying the service provided isn't great to have, it just sucks knowing that the service is struggling.

Nobody wants to see it fail. That said, if it dies due to deteriorating materials after being saved from certain destruction if GM had their way, it would be a head scratcher as to why it wasn't preserved better.

[burd]

It takes money

[burd]

No one wants to throw any money towards keeping it running. ?

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by burd

No one wants to throw any money towards keeping it running. ?

Guys are already throwing $110 for what amounts to an email every time they use the service.

Service cost has risen, and any cost associated with printing, packaging and shipping has been eliminated. Unfortunately, if it cant sustain itself now, it never will.

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

Guys are already throwing $110 for what amounts to an email every time they use the service.

Service cost has risen, and any cost associated with printing, packaging and shipping has been eliminated. Unfortunately, if it cant sustain itself now, it never will.

I see a "package" increase coming. Instead of lowering it to entice people who are turned off by the price and generating faster income.

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

I see a "package" increase coming. Instead of lowering it to entice people who are turned off by the price and generating faster income.

It's the way of the world now. Pay more, get less. It's actually why I didn't get PHS for this car for 14 years. I pretty much already knew what it was, but curiosity finally got the best of me.

Marty reports for Ford products is still affordable though, and you get a good amount for the money.

[bdk1976]

Does it take money to preserve this stuff? Certainly. Could some of that possibly be mitigated by a volunteer effort? Not my business, but I do shudder to think that some 'geek squad' type may be working on the current issues they are having.

From a financial perspective I imagine preserving these records is a losing proposition moving forward. I would tend to think PHS' heyday has been in the rearview mirror for quite some time.

There is a large - but finite - number of surviving Pontiacs that PHS covers. A lot of them already have PHS docs. Sure people are going to order it for the occasional project or rare car they need confirmation on (64/65/74 claimed GTOs, RAIV, etc.), but if I had to guess the number of orders they fulfill these days are a fraction of what they were say 20 years ago.

If I had to guess the information that exists will be milked for whatever value remains - likely jacking up prices to try and make up for lack of volume until the situation is untenable. Then, who knows what will happen - hopefully there is an opportunity for to save what may be left, but based on the little I know and the current vibe, it seems doubtful.

I wonder what the perceived/actual value of the archive would be these days and what strings/headaches would come along with it if it were available for purchase at some point, or if there is even some sort of succession plan in place?

[dataway]

It has always baffled me why Pontiac seems a bit like the stepchild when it comes to records and documentation. Some of the other marques have outstanding public domain data, much of it assembled by enthusiasts and offered for free to the community. Some marques still have "classic" data supported by the manufacturer.

[grandam1979]

It would be interesting to know how many cars are looked up per week or month. We had a car done 6 months ago and before that was about 5 years and maybe 6-7 over 25 years. It has changed dramatically you used to get dealer pictures and kind of a formal letter but as said it’s just emailed to you now. With that said it still has all the necessary information to know all about the car you’re checking on. Years ago you could get a quick reply on a car if you were looking at one for sale. I could have used that this last time it was a stressful week waiting for it to come to know what we were looking at before someone else did.