Manta online shop woes

[Insky]

Evening folks, i was just wondering if there are any members out there who have used the Manta shop and what their experiance of it was.

At the moment my experiance is one of disappointment and frustration. I ordered a new set of decals for the car which were in stock back

on 19th March, and on the shop page it states they usually ship orders every fortnight. Well it is now three weeks and counting and still no decals.

I have the confirmation email and it said i would get another when shipped. Trying to contact them is a nightmare as i have sent them two messages

and never had an answer to both which i think is just plain rudeness. It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has had similar problems.

The car is booked into a car show which is coming up shortly but at the moment it has no decals.

[®evo03]

Irmscher Man runs the shop and I believe it is separate from the club. 

 

[Insky]

Thanks for the info and i've also had some news on the decal front, admin messaged me and explained they were having problems

with suppliers and were trying to sort something out for me.

[Mal Gilliver]

Hi,

I realise it's my first post and it's a negative one - but I ordered and paid for the Manta B Parts Fiche on the 11th of March, I have emailed Paul on the 2nd April and messaged admin on here, with no reply.

Can anyone help ?

 

Thanks,

[Sutty2006]

7 hours ago, Mal Gilliver said:

Hi,

I realise it's my first post and it's a negative one - but I ordered and paid for the Manta B Parts Fiche on the 11th of March, I have emailed Paul on the 2nd April and messaged admin on here, with no reply.

Can anyone help ?

 

Thanks,

Which admin did you message? Because some of them either don’t come on here any more or aren’t around anymore. I haven’t seen anything? Secondly us admins can’t do anything with regards to the shop, or membership issues etc. we can only keep our eye on what’s posted and where it’s posted. 
 

The man you need to speak to is @Irmscher Man he sorts the shop out. 

[Irmscher Man]

7 hours ago, Mal Gilliver said:

Hi,

I realise it's my first post and it's a negative one - but I ordered and paid for the Manta B Parts Fiche on the 11th of March, I have emailed Paul on the 2nd April and messaged admin on here, with no reply.

Can anyone help ?

 

Thanks,

Hi Folks,

Sorry that your experiences with the club shop have not been all that good recently. Things have been difficult as we have run out of decals and when I contacted our usual supplier to get them restocked, I found out that the business had closed down permanently. This was really sad for them, as they had been a well known family business for years, and also a Manta Enthusiast. Anyway, to cut it short, we have run out of most decals now and I have been frantically trying to find a new provider who is decent to work with and will manufacture purely for us (and not undercut us online when we give them the originals). This is on top of having to work 50 hours per week on my own business and doing a fair bit of travelling for work too. Not making excuses, but just trying to put things into perspective.

As well as trying to keep on top of getting new decals made up, I also make the CD's up for the PArts fiches, and these all sold out at the NEC show so I have to make another batch of these up. I think in future I will look at online downloads for these instead, as these will be much easier to organise and dont involve me having to burn a CD, package it up and get it posted out - and then hope that it arrives in one piece. 

We have identified that the emailing via the website is not very reliable. I think it frequently gets misdirected (as some of the emails addresses that it forwards to are now defunct) and when emails do arrive, as they are redirected ones, they often end up in peoples junk mails folders. If anyone wants to contact a member of the committee or the club shop, I think it is wise to do ti via other means at the moment - at least until this is sorted out.

Poor communications has been raised by the committee as an issue that needs to be sorted out as soon as possible, so that is on the agenda for the next meeting in May I believe.

Regards,

Paul.

[Jessopia74]

3 hours ago, Irmscher Man said:

Hi Folks,

Sorry that your experiences with the club shop have not been all that good recently. Things have been difficult as we have run out of decals and when I contacted our usual supplier to get them restocked, I found out that the business had closed down permanently. This was really sad for them, as they had been a well known family business for years, and also a Manta Enthusiast. Anyway, to cut it short, we have run out of most decals now and I have been frantically trying to find a new provider who is decent to work with and will manufacture purely for us (and not undercut us online when we give them the originals). This is on top of having to work 50 hours per week on my own business and doing a fair bit of travelling for work too. Not making excuses, but just trying to put things into perspective.

As well as trying to keep on top of getting new decals made up, I also make the CD's up for the PArts fiches, and these all sold out at the NEC show so I have to make another batch of these up. I think in future I will look at online downloads for these instead, as these will be much easier to organise and dont involve me having to burn a CD, package it up and get it posted out - and then hope that it arrives in one piece. 

We have identified that the emailing via the website is not very reliable. I think it frequently gets misdirected (as some of the emails addresses that it forwards to are now defunct) and when emails do arrive, as they are redirected ones, they often end up in peoples junk mails folders. If anyone wants to contact a member of the committee or the club shop, I think it is wise to do ti via other means at the moment - at least until this is sorted out.

Poor communications has been raised by the committee as an issue that needs to be sorted out as soon as possible, so that is on the agenda for the next meeting in May I believe.

Regards,

Paul.

Paul, the club is suffering. There is obviously an issue with the site and we need to spend some of the club funds to get it fixed if needed, god we need membership over an above stickers!  I can get a sticker pack off eBay within 2days.  
Is there some reluctance to accept help for ppl that have good experience of website development and a possible change it the forum platform?

The webshop is obviously a problem to the guys tasked with running it, even though I have read multiple times it’s separate. So how about this - focus on things that are not available else where and put people’s time to the the best use. It’s PM 101 stuff. If the webshop can’t function as intended, then close it. I am sure other members would rather your time be focused on where it’s needed, along with your own family.

It’s not a personal attack, but more of a stark warning. We will lose membership, and I suspect we already have lost some potential members. So I as this is my club and I try my hardest to support this club on the forums I am getting frustrated with the growing issues.
In the very short time I have been a member, I keep seeing offers of support to help in multiple threads that seem to go unnoticed; let’s take advantage of them and reduce the burden on you. 
Cos we bloody appreciate all the effort you and the others put in and do not want you guys to ever say ‘enough’

 

[Jonathan Pounsett]

Well said. You certainly (and eloquently) reflect my views and I’m sure many others will think the same even if they don’t say so. 
 

Younger members live in a different would and expect instant results. If we can’t deliver they will look elsewhere and they will find the results they seek. 
 

I echo @Jessopia74’s final comment. Thank you for what you do 👍🏻

[®evo03]

Is the MANTA SHOP separate from the OMOC, and members will gain no benefit from anything sold, besides a small discount for being a member of OMOC. 

 

[Sutty2006]

3 hours ago, ®evo03 said:

Is the MANTA SHOP separate from the OMOC, and members will gain no benefit from anything sold, besides a small discount for being a member of OMOC. 

 

Yes, the shop is a separate entity to the omoc purely because if something goes wrong with an item sold in the shop, and a claim is made against it, they can’t come after the omoc club part. Only the shop. The funds made in the shop, from what I’ve heard, just go back into buying more stuff like the T-shirts and hoodies or jackets that are sold at the main event. Plus other stuff obviously. Paul will be able to correct me if I’m wrong. 

[Jonathan Pounsett]

On 05/05/2024 at 16:07, Sutty2006 said:

Yes, the shop is a separate entity to the omoc purely because if something goes wrong with an item sold in the shop, and a claim is made against it, they can’t come after the omoc club part. Only the shop. The funds made in the shop, from what I’ve heard, just go back into buying more stuff like the T-shirts and hoodies or jackets that are sold at the main event. Plus other stuff obviously. Paul will be able to correct me if I’m wrong. 

That fact is very well hidden - almost misleading.

[Sutty2006]

8 minutes ago, Jonathan Pounsett said:

That fact is very well hidden - almost misleading.

What’s well hidden? 

[Jonathan Pounsett]

1 hour ago, Sutty2006 said:

What’s well hidden? 

That the shop is a separate entity.

[Sutty2006]

9 hours ago, Jonathan Pounsett said:

That the shop is a separate entity.

I’m not sure that it has to be clearly marked tbh. I’ve known it for a long time as Paul mentions it nearly every AGM one way or the other 🤣

[BarryD89]

I’m not sure about the liability risk, but I guess it’s been researched.  Would it not make sense to split it into Paul’s Incredibly useful Manta based second hand and new pressing parts, and a club owned - clothing / merchandising, stickers, emblems etc and old copies of Manta Magic etc?  

[Sutty2006]

3 hours ago, BarryD89 said:

I’m not sure about the liability risk, but I guess it’s been researched.  Would it not make sense to split it into Paul’s Incredibly useful Manta based second hand and new pressing parts, and a club owned - clothing / merchandising, stickers, emblems etc and old copies of Manta Magic etc?  

From what I gather, and has been mentioned before at AGMs is that its protection from the club itself should anything bad happen from a business perspective. Nothing else. 

[BarryD89]

1 hour ago, Sutty2006 said:

From what I gather, and has been mentioned before at AGMs is that its protection from the club itself should anything bad happen from a business perspective. Nothing else. 

As opposed to taking people money and not supplying the goods for months?  There’s surely a reputation risk for the club, and whilst Mantashop is separate entity, its uses club logos, and is accessed from the club web site with the same look and feel to the rest of the site. 

[Jessopia74]

59 minutes ago, BarryD89 said:

As opposed to taking people money and not supplying the goods for months?  There’s surely a reputation risk for the club, and whilst Mantashop is separate entity, its uses club logos, and is accessed from the club web site with the same look and feel to the rest of the site. 

Completely agree Barry. Potentially we lost members as they order a minor bit, then get fed up and never come back/join. 

[Mal Gilliver]

On 03/05/2024 at 20:00, Irmscher Man said:

Hi Folks,

Sorry that your experiences with the club shop have not been all that good recently. Things have been difficult as we have run out of decals and when I contacted our usual supplier to get them restocked, I found out that the business had closed down permanently. This was really sad for them, as they had been a well known family business for years, and also a Manta Enthusiast. Anyway, to cut it short, we have run out of most decals now and I have been frantically trying to find a new provider who is decent to work with and will manufacture purely for us (and not undercut us online when we give them the originals). This is on top of having to work 50 hours per week on my own business and doing a fair bit of travelling for work too. Not making excuses, but just trying to put things into perspective.

As well as trying to keep on top of getting new decals made up, I also make the CD's up for the PArts fiches, and these all sold out at the NEC show so I have to make another batch of these up. I think in future I will look at online downloads for these instead, as these will be much easier to organise and dont involve me having to burn a CD, package it up and get it posted out - and then hope that it arrives in one piece. 

We have identified that the emailing via the website is not very reliable. I think it frequently gets misdirected (as some of the emails addresses that it forwards to are now defunct) and when emails do arrive, as they are redirected ones, they often end up in peoples junk mails folders. If anyone wants to contact a member of the committee or the club shop, I think it is wise to do ti via other means at the moment - at least until this is sorted out.

Poor communications has been raised by the committee as an issue that needs to be sorted out as soon as possible, so that is on the agenda for the next meeting in May I believe.

Regards,

Paul.

Hi Paul,

 

Thanks for letting me know the score, a download would be cool, I have been sent STL files and the like from WeTransfer before, it's just a a link in an email.

 

With respect to all the other comments - I am in the Rover SD1 club and all the same things are said there - especially about the underlying web technology and updating it

 

Thanks

[Irmscher Man]

Right - grab a cuppa as this has turned into quite a long reply!

On 05/05/2024 at 12:12, ®evo03 said:

Is the MANTA SHOP separate from the OMOC, and members will gain no benefit from anything sold, besides a small discount for being a member of OMOC. 

 

As Steve has mentioned in his replies, the shop is financially separate to the club membership. This is mentioned at every AGM and throughout the year whenever anyone asks about it, so I dont think this is misleading anyone. It is only financially separate though. It is not a private business.

We voted to split the shop and the membership accounts at an AGM quite a few years ago, just so that the club shop would stand on its own two feet and not need any subsidies from the membership money. So, none of the membership fee that we pay goes towards buying goods for the shop. The benefit to club members is that we have some club branded stuff to wear, and t-shirts for our national meetings etc. We also get them at a decent price, as the club gets the items manufactured and sells them with little or no mark up. Any money made goes straight back into the bank account to buy more items.

I should probably also point out that the shop is not a business and does not make any profit. It is just another part of the club that funds itself and provides members with the opportunity to buy club related regalia. There have been quite a few issues with the website, as the shop runs on the same platform as membership (i.e. on here). If you have had a few weird experiences when trying to re-join, you will know what I mean. There are some glitches that obviously need sorting out and we are looking into these at the moment with the web admin.

On 07/05/2024 at 11:13, BarryD89 said:

As opposed to taking people money and not supplying the goods for months?  There’s surely a reputation risk for the club, and whilst Mantashop is separate entity, its uses club logos, and is accessed from the club web site with the same look and feel to the rest of the site. 

So, to address this, I am aware that some orders have gone missing either in the system when ordered, or in fact in the postal service when they have been sent out to people. We need to get the system issues sorted, as at least we have some control over this. The postal service is quite frankly the worst it has ever been in living memory.

Saying that the club is a 'separate entity' might imply that it is 'privately run' - which is isn't. It is still part of the club and hence runs on the club forum. In fact it is me that has made all the club logos etc over the years, and has helped to write and populate the whole website, so the club uses the same platform for the Forum, the Website and the shop. All of the history pages about the club and the items about specific models were written by me in the early days of this website......not just the shop part.

So personally, I see the club in two parts for accounting purposes - Membership and Shop. This has worked well for the best part of 20 years and both sides of the club have managed to function and remain financially viable.

On 07/05/2024 at 06:58, BarryD89 said:

I’m not sure about the liability risk, but I guess it’s been researched.  Would it not make sense to split it into Paul’s Incredibly useful Manta based second hand and new pressing parts, and a club owned - clothing / merchandising, stickers, emblems etc and old copies of Manta Magic etc?  

Splitting things up is actually a very good idea Barry, and it is something that I have been thinking about for quite a while now. I have had to find new suppliers for some of the items the shop sells, as some of our old suppliers have closed down. I found a place quite local to me that has just set up a service where they provide embroidered and printed garments to small clubs via their own website. They sell everything from Polos/ Rugby Shirts/ Sweatshirts and Hoodies / Jackets and umbrellas and Tshirts etc. All we would need to do is provide them with club artwork and help with choosing and designing the clothing. They then sell direct to club members from their own website and manage all the payments and shipping. They can even make special items to order. I am discussing how this all works with them at the moment and will be bringing it up at the next committee meeting as a potential way of improving things. It would give a better service, with more options and be run by a professional business, rather than from someones kitchen table.

As for my own little parts service that Barry mentioned, that is separate to the club and is 100% a separate entity. This is usually just parts that I either refurbish or new parts that I have found and bought up in bulk. That would have to be done on a separate platform but that is my problem to worry about really and I may just stop providing these things via mail order as it is a lot of work when you have a full time job and a young family anyway. This would be for things like the new Card Radiator trays that I am working on and even things like the Manta Hatch models that I have just bought from Germany.

19 hours ago, Mal Gilliver said:

Hi Paul,

Thanks for letting me know the score, a download would be cool, I have been sent STL files and the like from WeTransfer before, it's just a a link in an email.

With respect to all the other comments - I am in the Rover SD1 club and all the same things are said there - especially about the underlying web technology and updating it

Thanks

I know from talking to friends in other clubs that most of them suffer from the same issues. Trying to run a club is hard work when you add up all the tasks that need doing and it has broken some people in the past......sometimes with tragic consequences. We have been through a couple of different web platforms over the years, and the one common trait is that they all need administering. It requires people with some basic skills to do this, and not everyone is interested in spending their evenings in front of a screen looking for errors in a SQL database. It is one of the problems we have now that everything is online - people expect same day service for things but it all needs a lot of work behind the scenes. We have one Web Admin (not me), and he is the only person with full access to everything, and to be honest, that is probably the safest way. When you have several people making changes, things can get confusing. Is it ideal? No - but it is the same for most clubs like ours unfortunately.

I hope this helps to explain things a bit more as to how things run. I appreciate that not everyone gets along to an AGM but it is at these meetings that things like this gets discussed and people can ask questions and also look at the accounts for the club and the shop. Nothing is ever hidden and if anyone wants to see anything or ask any questions, they are welcome to reach out.

It is time for a change really, and hopefully we can make things a lot better in the long run......and please accept my sincere apologies if you have found that the service from the shop has not been as good as expected in the past.

Keep the ideas coming, as they are all useful.

Paul.