109 replies to this topic

[gatormark]

JR 10 how commendable. That's what I did,so whats your point? My point was that the track owner watched it happen, and did nothing,thats my point. Not even a " hey man that sux,track time is on me today and I appreciate your racing and buying here for 3 yrs". That's wh busineses close.

[swodem]

Mark is not pissed at the track owner....

My point was that the track owner watched it happen, and did nothing,thats my point....

Not pissed!
Pissed.
Are you or aren’t you?

[gatormark]

Disapointed. I have gotten 10 pms here saying the track owner failed miserably in customer relations. Just bought 3 pheoneix and 2 pro slot motors....online and got freefreight. Now, who lost here?

[MattD]

Not being there and seeing how it happened, personalities involved and history between the parties can make it hard to judge it fairly.   That said if it is as appears it is just another bit of bad business that costs money in the long run.  This trend follows a lot slot car tracks pretty closely.

 

Went to a track a hundred miles away several years ago.   It had not been run on in months and the track  (commercial track) was so dirty and the braid so gunky our cars could not make a lap.   This owner was so happy we came as he was trying to learn about the business and have some people publicize his track.   Great!

 

When we asked if he had some cleaner and we would clean the track for him, he got out cans of lighter fluid and said they were $2 each!!!  Screw that.   Great business decision, track too dirty to race on, owner wants to charge us to clean it for him.   That was 2 years ago and it is for sale now!!!

[Slot-Racer]

I had a similar experience. Could not make even one lap, just kept falling out of the slot. When the car was looked at, I was complimented on the amazingly clean build, but advised to buy tires instead as mine (new by the way) were the wrong type? I simply left and came back after a race day and ran on same track on same lane and nothing was changed on the car, bang! The same car hauls arse!
 
So what was it?
Driving?
Car setup wrong?
Tires?
 
How about a dirty track in that one spot. 

[JR10]

JR 10 how commendable. That's what I did,so whats your point? My point was that the track owner watched it happen, and did nothing,thats my point. Not even a " hey man that sux,track time is on me today and I appreciate your racing and buying here for 3 yrs". That's wh busineses close.

Sorry new to this quoting stuff, anyway I wouldnt expect the track owner to give me a new motor 1 because it cost $13 2- he didnt build it. If he did that for everyone he would be out of business.

Best of luck to you, I hope you go your whole career with no more blown motors!

[Bill from NH]

If trackowners don't somewhat support/back products they sell, customers will stop buying. After all, a trackowner is making a 40% profit off the customer for most items. Buying from your local track can be a comfortable two-way street when both cooperate. Being one-sided, from either direction never works well in the end. The track loses customers & the customers lose a track to run on.

[Phil Beukema]

A motor for $15 screams "buyer beware, purchase at your own risk!" 

 

Maybe common sense isn't so common anymore.

[Tim Neja]

Disapointed. I have gotten 10 pms here saying the track owner failed miserably in customer relations. Just bought 3 pheoneix and 2 pro slot motors....online and got freefreight. Now, who lost here?

YOU did. Because the track you need will not survive without your support. Go race at home then!     Expecting and demanding seems to be your attitude. I'd be happy not to have you as a customer! 

[Don Weaver]

After all, a trackowner is making a 40% profit off the customer for most items.

 
The 40% is his markup. The track's actual profit is what's left over after rent, utilities, wages, taxes, and all the other myriad of expenses involved in running a business. I doubt his profit reaches 5% when everything is counted.
 
Trust me - been there, done that...

[Bill from NH]

Not to play on words, but at the point he sells something, the trackowner makes a 40% profit. How the trackowner decides to use that 40%  profit is his own decision, the same as how he runs his business to minimize costs is his own decision. If he's good at it, he'll have money in his pocket at the end of the month. I don't file business taxes, but I would think a trackowner would claim the 40% as income offset by certain business deductions.

 

I worked at Modelville Hobby in my younger days. I know that track time & car rentals, parts sales, & races don't fully support a raceway's monthly expenses. The owner back then subsidized the raceway selling bikes, mini-bikes, & mini-bike parts. I couldn't believe the quantity of mini-bike clutches we use to sell.

[John Streisguth]

Disapointed. I have gotten 10 pms here saying the track owner failed miserably in customer relations. Just bought 3 pheoneix and 2 pro slot motors....online and got freefreight. Now, who lost here? 

 

And if one of them blows up after a half of a lap, then what?  

[Bill from NH]

And where's the online track? I haven't seen one of these on eBay.

[DOCinCanton]

Gatormark: I guess that you are getting your wish. Bill Pinch told me that the track in Avon Park is closing. Congrats. Maybe Bill's info is wrong; we will see.

[gatormark]

Doc, I have not heard that. AND if it does its because the owner has repeatidly failed in the basics of businesss sir. Come see the track and the establishment, get a take on the owners attitude and then come back on here and tell me why. Owner does not like kids, has refused to update his FB page for three years, does not post race winners on FB page. failes to sweep the floor and keep the bathroom clean enough for Ladies to use it. I could go on and on Doc. The last time the place was vacuumed a customer did it. Owner constantly questions racers about where they bought motors,bodies etc etc etc. We had a nice kids program going but he ran them off with his attitude. Last Saturday he decided to no longer rent cars because a Dad with two sons tore up his 6 dollar rentals Lol. Never mind that man might come back and buy a couple of cars and controllers. Come on down Doc,then judge. This is a small town and when your ruto prospective customers the news travel fast.de

[Phil Beukema]

^^^ Where's your next closest track?

[gatormark]

Next closest rrack is an hr and a half away. Look, my point is the owner feels the 8 guys who run there should carry the place,and if ya don't show up twice a week he blames you for the place not making it. We are a good group of racers but the success of the biz does not lay on our shoulders. The track is a great track,big,fast etc. It has huge potential if done right. Oh well,enough of my bitching. Sorry for the complaining but it was sure fun when we had the kids and adults involved and most of us miss it. No more posts from me. Im out.

[Bucky]

If true its a shame neither FSCS nor GRRR ever raced there. I understand the organization/track owners perspective in wanting to support tracks that send racers to support the series and other raceways, but as a racer it wouldve been fun to race there. Were quickly running out of tracks in Florida.

[DOCinCanton]

The main issue with the Avon Park track is that the owner has never established a steel stamped car class or a retro scratch built car class at his track. Therefore, his racers do not have a great interest in travelling to the other tracks. It's appropriate that if a new track wants a state level organized race, the track sends some racers to the other tracks that are currently in the series.

 

It is not too late now for the Avon Park track to land an FSCS or GRRR race in 2019. But the racers there must act now and begin to come to these State level races.  We have 3 more FSCS races and 4 more GRRR races in 2018.  I don't know how many parts he has for these car classes, but I think that he has to have parts that racers need during race day. Tires, motors, braid, bodies, chassis, etc. Pit space is another issue.

 

Personally, I would like to race at the Avon Park track, but that track owners has got to make the first moves.

 

Hopefully, the future for this track will get better.

[Bucky]

If he does land a state level race and stocks the parts needed during race day, what assurances will he make regarding a blown up motor? Can we get his policy in writing?

[tonyp]

You got to be kidding.

[gatormark]

Doc, the track owner started all the new racers, including me on wing cars instead of what the country runs....flexi ie mosetti and jk chassis. Most of them run wings, some of then really high dollar cobalt and opens,i went the other direction, mosetti gtp and nascar. Been trying to spark flexi interest to no avail.

[MSwiss]

No more posts from me. Im out.

???

[gatormark]

Mike, I was replying to Doc's statement so I'm not out.

[MSwiss]

Let's try to keep this thread on track.

 

It seems as if you started this thread as a further excuse to trash your local raceway owner, (which seems like quite a bit a of your posts here, have been about).

 

Comments about the guy's washroom are unwarranted, and aren't going to solve anything. He doesn't have any presence here on Slotblog, so trying to shame him isn't going to work.

 

And none of us are going to travel down to Avon Park to clean it, so why don't you either approach him, face to face, or drop it.