Class Politics Laser Performance Uk Has No Small Parts

I had an idea that this season I would make up a small parts bag so I would hopefully not be caught out with any unnecessary breakages.
My first mistake was to try & phone L/P uk, after some time the voice mail kicked in so I left my name & a phone number in hope of the return call.
My second mistake was to assume they would call me back.
Now my third & largest mistake,
I went on the Laser Performance UK website & all the parts I thought I might need was there, my shopping basket was full & nothing was out of stock.
I payed & was delighted how easy it had all gone.
NO not that easy, life wont let it be that easy.
I had a nice email from a lady I wont name yet saying she is trying to run the retail & website side single handed, & since late last year they don't have any small parts to supply to me & pointed me to a couple of other marine chandlers who they supply, & yes you can have your money back or the parts will be in in June.
Now I believe there is some law against having a website, taking peoples money & not having the goods.
I will see what trading standards have to say on Monday.
 
Now I believe there is some law against having a website, taking peoples money & not having the goods.
I will see what trading standards have to say on Monday.

Most places won't bill your credit card until they ship, so they never actually took your money.
 
Picture this:
You run a business that builds a toy exactly as it has been built for forty years.
You invested millions to purchase that business just a few years ago.
The business has a certain niche in the market and you have guaranteed sales of new products and replacement parts for those products.
The suppliers have been selling to your company for 40 years and both you and each of your suppliers has a pretty good idea about almost EXACTLY how many parts will be consumed during the year by your manufacturing lines and aftermarket business.
The bulk of your sales occur during the spring "fitting out" period and the brief summer season when most of your customers use your summertime oriented toys.

Do you fire you purchasing agent? Do you sell the business?
Do you bang your head against a wall until the pain subsides??
 
Easy. They do not have the cash to finance their inventory. Better then to sell it on to the retailers. They get the cash and a (smaller) profit.
 
They had the same problems last year although it was not just limited to small parts. Sails, hulls and foils were also difficult to obtain and there was a long waiting list.
 
Radial, Full or both?

I can understand Full as there is rumour that the new sail has been approved......
 
Expect the current sail shortage (Full at least) from LP to go on for another 2 months..
There are some murmurs that there will be no more Hyde supplied sails.
 
Who would approve a new sail? The ILCA? The design rights' holder? One or more builders? The ISAF?
 
Well torrid I stand corrected,
they only take the money when the order is shipped.
With doing a sage payment on a debit card I automatically assumed the payment had gone.

It does appear that they are stocking sailboats & purple marine & such like with spare parts,
possibly easier than having to employ staff to sell them themselves.
But one other point not mentioned is if LP are stocking all these other dealers with these supposedly one design parts
why are they all selling them at such a massive difference in price to each other ?
Take the old style boom end block,

LP UK shop £4.90
Rooster £7.62 but has free shipping
Sailboats £8.28
Purple Marine £9.95

Some parts nearly double the price & they was the ones that the good lady at LP recommended to me.
 

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