Hi all, if you didn't hear about it, Mini-Madness was selling at the
Historics from the corral without paying the vendor fees. I'm really dissapointed in this behaviour for several reasons.

1) Don't complain about the costs of doing buisness. If you can't afford the fees (a couple of K), don't go.

2) Others worked hard to make everything happen well. Scamming the system isn't something to be proud of, but ashamed of.

3) Now some of the attendees and organizers of the most prestigeous historic race in the country have a living breathing example of bad bahaviour of Mini Cooper vendors.

I wouldn't have said anything, but when the marshals asked him politeley to take his stuff down (and they let him stay) about a half hour later his promo materials were back out. Totally low class.

I sure hope that this was an off day, because to me it was really low life behaviour. I'd love to hear the rationalizations that justify such scummy bahaviour. They are now on my do-not-buy from list for a while, until they earn my respect back. There are enough vendors out there that I'll still be able to get what I need, but I'll be damned if I'll support that kind of behaviour. In the short term, it saved them the vendors fees. In the long term, I hope it costs them more in lost future business, so a real lesson is learned.

This was the only really negative event to an otherwise excellent weekend.

Matt

 

Sorry but I never like these kinds of posts. If you have a problem with a vendor, why not take it up with the vendor? Maybe you've included all the facts, maybe there are more--But what's the purpose of your post-- to dissuade people from patronizing MINI Madness? To what end? Do you have an old issue with MM or just don't like them?

I was offered some booth space at the Historics from a parts vendor but couldn't put it together in time. Would I have been circumventing the vendor fees?

I've had some of own customer service issues and have had to come here a few times to put out fires, so I know what I'm talking about. Some were only misunderstandings-- in other cases the customer was right to be upset. Either way the fires were put out and happy (or at least temporarily satisfied) customers resulted.

I have had no experience with Madness and don't know them except to see them at various events, but it's always prudent to be careful when you slam a company (or anyone for that matter) in print, online or verbally. With the way rumors fly, perhaps soon the story will be that they were arrested and jailed.

Please consider removing your post and calling Madness to vent your feelings. Some of us pay our bills by being in the MINI world.

 

I concur. Bad taste/harmful

 

thanks Matt. On a somewhat similar note, I got an email from Moss recently advertising an OEM wooden shift **** for my MCS at the reduced price of $79.95 or roughly $16.00 off the normal price.I'd been wanting one of these for a while and the price seemed right, so I went through the obnoxious(sorry Matt) process of buying one of these with the multitude of screens to be filled out and the last screen listed shipping and handling of $16.00! there was a screen for comments and I wrote that this much money for shipping and handling for an item of this size was highway robbery and if this was the way they chose to do business, it would be the last purchase I would make from them. Really, if you want full price, then advertise it as such, don't try to make it up with bogus S&H charges.I've bought a bunch of stuff from them over the years, but I guess I'm done. End of rant. I'm really surprised at MINImadness antics.Doesn't sound like them . Jock

 

See, now it's MINI MANIA that's scum and not Madness anymore! Sheesh!

 

Why not ask Mini-Madness to respond to your concerns from this Historics on this forum? That way, everyone would get a chance to see BOTH sides of the story.

I tend to disagree with dvlmini on this one. As a customer, I want to know about (possibly) slimy or dishonest businesses. I do think we need to hear both sides of this story however. I say give Mini-Madness a chance to respond. Maybe they have a legitimate explanation and maybe they don't. I, for one, would like to hear more than just one side.

 

I know some very hardworking people that paid for a spot, and sold some stuff. They possibly took away from their sales though. That's messed up. Had they paid for a spot, or even not done it again after they were asked not to... I could be more forgiving. Bleh blacklisted!

 

Thanks, Matt. I, too, would like to see if there is a reasonable explanation, but what better place to raise the topic than in this forum? I don't see how contacting Madness privately would get anyone anywhere, since this was behavior that could possibly affect our entire community. As FlynHawiian said, they possibly took sales away from other vendors who were licensed to be at the event. DVLMINI, I hear ya, but better to let this one play out than to cut the discussion short by asking Dr. O to retract the post.

 

While I agree with what you say to a certain extent, I feel the story should be told because it's such a small community of mini vendors that things like this hurt other vendors more then they help mini madness.

While I feel that Dr. Obnxs's post could be taken as a declaration of banning mini madness parts, concious readers will look at it as some one who respects the amount of vendors we have now and wants to see them all succeed on an equal playing ground.

I agree that this was bad form on the part of mini madness. I just want to see the close knit mini community stay intact and not turn into a flamming war.

 

Where is the bloody popcorn smiley when you need one?


What were they selling, anyway? A bag of cheap tricks? They've been selling those for awhile now.

 

I agree with Chunkaway, and JoeCool, MINI Madness should publicly respond here...

Thanks for the head up Matt, I, for one, appriciate you going out on a limb to try and inform the bigger MINI community. From other perspectives, there are many non MINI people, that will judge us, as a whole by their perceived actions of a few....

 

Shut up, you drunken fool. NO TALKING during the show.

 

lol...

when someone has something nice to say to everyone, sellers don't mind.

when someone has a problem and shares their issues with everyone,
sellers start going biserk and starts blaming the customer.

imho, not fair to everyone if we only hear one side (just the good)
of the story... we need to hear the good and the bad... if there is
a bad side.

On the other hand, sellers can make more business while taking care
of a problem than just trying to advertise their new products. How
you take care of a problem is actually promoting how you will help
new potential customers... and build buyer confidence.

 

I dont understand.... what other side of the story are people looking for?.. maybe I can make one up..

Madness: Hey uhh, dood, it's like 2 gees to setup a table at historics, uhh screw that man, i'll just park near a MINI vendor that pulls the crowds, and sell stuff out of my boot.

What else would they say? That they couldnt afford the entry fee?

Either way, i still think Jinky and Chuckles should make love.

 

Hey camelpilot u mean this one:

 

Well...I would like to know how they were doing this. Did they just march in with stuff and set-up a table? Was is not in the approved area or were they selling from someone else's booth?

One of the points I'm trying to make is illuminated in post #5...

 

Point taken. I just want the whole story...all of the time and in the first post because many wil read it, form an impression and never come back to hear the rest of the story.

Berserk? No. These are the realities for companies doing business on the internet (or anywhere, in the information age) and are an accepted part of the deal.

I take back my suggestion to remove the post and instead ask the Dr. to come back and edit it to include all the info. I'm moving on and looking forward to a fair and balanced (did I say that?) resolution to this matter. Cheers...Jeff

 

This is what I had requested a loooong time ago. The MINI stage should quit attacking it's own! EVERYONE has had a problem with vendors...to single out vendors was not fair when it was Randy Webb...but that never stopped. Oh heck lets all let loose and dump on the people who support MINI development. Madness, Moss, Mania, Alta, lets here it ALL. I will just sit by the side of the road with my popcorn and Dr. Pepper......

 

I support Matt..... public floggings are a deterent

 

Those were service related complaints.

 

more reason to buy everything from aaron @ outmotoring or chad @ detroit tuned. best mini vendors hands down when it comes to service and first hand product knowledge. and they wont bull shat you, if it dont work they dont sell it.

 

was one mans view (mine) and it's an open thread. Have it it folks!

Matt

 

As i sit, read and think while reading the previous post. If we don't police ourselves, who will?

Of course as a potential customer of any vendor on this site, knowledge is power when shopping.

 

my bad dude, but I was editing it as you were posting this(check the times)

 

They either paid the vendors fees or they didn't.

If they didn't, what's there to defend?