My inention wasn't to knock ACS, because I still actively spend a bunch of money with them, buying things that you can't get elsewhere and frankly, it's just easy for me. Contrary to many peoples experience, I have pretty good luck with them, and get along with Jim Irwin well. I think he's a decent guy running a decent business.
My point was that there are other alternatives and that absolute cheapest $$ isn't always the best. For example, Fabian at Affordable Panels also does a remarkable job with many products and is able to support them to his customers (which you'll find he has an excellent record).
Moreover my point was this....yes, you can get support from the mfgr after you buy it somewhere esle, but the whole darned purpose for a dealership network is to martket, sell, install, and SUPPORT the products for the mfgr. That's why there is margin on products. If mfgrs didn't care about dealers supporting things, they'd allow everyone to sell things at cost, and when someone calls me for support, I'd just tell them to call the mfgr. Put yourself in their shoes, yes they will support you, but as their products grow and the compay grows the formula of buying one place and getting support in another just won't work too well. When you call the mfgr after buying it somewhere else and Joe Bob who bought it from the mfgr both call them for support, who do you think is going to get better support? As an example, If you buy from a good dealer and manage to screw up some connectors, pins, etc... and call them, they almost always will just send you some replacements for free. That's what a few extra bucks buys you.
Here's a phenomenon that happens even to lowly dealers like me on a regular basis - I'll just pick one of many products. I spend many hours on the phone each week with people who call and say "I'm trying to put in my TruTrak servos (or Dynon or GRT, et.al)".....and have some questions I need your help with (since we've installed a number of these things and also make the harnesses for them). How excited do you think I am when the guy tells me he bought them somewhere else because they were a few $$'s cheaper than what I sell them for? Yes, I'm glad to help, but if there are two people waiting that want help or even advice, and one bought the stuff from me, guess who gets first priority? - or - when guys ask if I can just "throw a couple pins" (or BNC, etc..) into an envelope for him since it's only a few pennies.
Anyway, if you think I was "giving someone a hard time" about my "competition", you'r way off. I'm not even in the same league as ACS, barely a speck on the windshield to them. I respect the hell out of Irwin and I don't consider them my competition at all. I was merely trying to make a point, since the mantra of the posts was "xxx is cheapest", I was trying to make the point that whoever "xxx" ends up being, "Cheapest" may not always be best. As usual, I'm sure I've managed to lose some future potential customers with my "advice", but that's all it was....advice. I wasn't ragging, flaming, or giving anyone a hard time. If it came across that way, I apologize.
All these posts that I make are as a fellow RV builder giving advice...NOT to stump. Unlike some of the businesses or people out there offering advice, I have built and fly more than one RV of my own, hence the ability to give at least a little insight from both sides.
Cheers,
Stein.
Cheers George
