Dan your spot on here. You cant expect Main dealer service for half the price you have to compromise so as regards new premises and employing extra staff thats a no go. Maybe some young schoolgirl leaver to take/reply to messages would be ok. Organising his workload and paperwork thats a different story.
As regards some people having experiences worse than just paperwork, thats the nature of the business. Ive had a engine pack up not 100 yards from the garage but thats life, with Ali i believe he would/will do his best to see that he meets you somewhere in the middle not something you would get with bigger firms.
Craig.
Ali-SLS
Re: Ali-SLS
Hairdresser at heart.
Re: Ali-SLS
Surely his one-man show business is the same as the likes of CLCM with Willie? He is on his own is he not?
He looks through his diary and slots you in when he can. Sometimes it may be weeks away, but you know where you stand.
He looks through his diary and slots you in when he can. Sometimes it may be weeks away, but you know where you stand.
1999 MX5 1.8 SE - Pikey fun spec
2006 Focus 1.6TDCI - Dull, sensible, commuter spec
2006 Mondeo - Dull, sensible, towing spec
1992 Bay Mare - 1 Horsepower jumping machine
2006 Focus 1.6TDCI - Dull, sensible, commuter spec
2006 Mondeo - Dull, sensible, towing spec
1992 Bay Mare - 1 Horsepower jumping machine
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Lazydonkey
- Posts: 5139
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 6:24 pm
- Location: Glasgow
- Contact:
Re: Ali-SLS
Mark i've used Ali in the past and would use him again in the future. Unlike some i dont need the car back the same day so i'm usually happy to leave the car with him for a week, so many of the issues affect me less. Yes he can be a pain to get on the phone from time to time, but he's helped me out on a Sunday before where he really didnt have to even take my call. Swings and roundabouts.
In saying that getting someone to answer the phone, take bookings and communicate with customers would be a massive step forward. He could do that from his existing set up i'd imagine.
In saying that getting someone to answer the phone, take bookings and communicate with customers would be a massive step forward. He could do that from his existing set up i'd imagine.
Focus ST estate, i3s and more pushbikes than strictly necessary.
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
Re: Ali-SLS
I suspect Ali needs to turn some work away - not by ignoring calls/ texts but by saying I can't do 'x' until next week/ month, rather than accepting work and then having a backlog. He then needs to put aside 15 minutes or whatever it takes at the end of each job or daily if it's a long job, to produce invoices and make return calls.
Ali is too obliging and when people rock up with a problem he tries to sort it out - often this takes longer than expected and the booked in work falls behind.
A one man business needs to teach/ tell customers to phone at certain times and not to turn up expecting anything other than to be given a future time slot.
Ali is too obliging and when people rock up with a problem he tries to sort it out - often this takes longer than expected and the booked in work falls behind.
A one man business needs to teach/ tell customers to phone at certain times and not to turn up expecting anything other than to be given a future time slot.
2015 Lotus Evora
2022 Polestar 2 LRSM Plus
2023 Skoda Kodiaq Sportline
2022 Polestar 2 LRSM Plus
2023 Skoda Kodiaq Sportline
Re: Ali-SLS
I didn't want to get overly involved in this debate as I do my own work on the car and if there's something tricky or I'm a bit unsure off I'll ask for the assistance of the likes of Robin, Fd etc.
However, in the very dim and distant past I used to work in the motor trade as a service receptionist - most of our day we weren't overly busy - even though this was a main dealer. Mornings between 08:00 & 09.30 and again between 16:00 & 18:00 was our peak time. We had the staff rosters for the next 2 weeks on the wall and nothing was computerised. We allocated slots of work depending on what was required and only booked in the work that we knew we could turn around same day. We had two senior mechanics who did all the major C services so we only allowed for a max of 2 per day when both were working but we generally kept that to one a day so there was a senior available to assist as required. Anyway I digress.
Ali knows that a service will take him X hours and that he can fit Y number into any given day - this way he can schedule his work to fit. There will be some customers who have a major requirement but don't mind waiting - he can use these to fill in between works when he's quite providing that he always books an hour or two slot per day to make sure work takes place.
As for the Admin - between say 07:30 & 09:00 he's booking in today's work and future jobs 09:00 - 16:00 (for instance) he only works on cars, all calls go direct to the answerphone. 16:00 - 18:00 is the invoice and stamping, collection of cars and returning phonecalls & e-mails.
But it's hard to say no - not only are you losing money (I don't think this is Ali's main driver) but you feel like your letting folk down.
That's all I'm going to say in the matter - I don't use the services as previously mentioned so I probably shouldn't be posting on this thread.
However, in the very dim and distant past I used to work in the motor trade as a service receptionist - most of our day we weren't overly busy - even though this was a main dealer. Mornings between 08:00 & 09.30 and again between 16:00 & 18:00 was our peak time. We had the staff rosters for the next 2 weeks on the wall and nothing was computerised. We allocated slots of work depending on what was required and only booked in the work that we knew we could turn around same day. We had two senior mechanics who did all the major C services so we only allowed for a max of 2 per day when both were working but we generally kept that to one a day so there was a senior available to assist as required. Anyway I digress.
Ali knows that a service will take him X hours and that he can fit Y number into any given day - this way he can schedule his work to fit. There will be some customers who have a major requirement but don't mind waiting - he can use these to fill in between works when he's quite providing that he always books an hour or two slot per day to make sure work takes place.
As for the Admin - between say 07:30 & 09:00 he's booking in today's work and future jobs 09:00 - 16:00 (for instance) he only works on cars, all calls go direct to the answerphone. 16:00 - 18:00 is the invoice and stamping, collection of cars and returning phonecalls & e-mails.
But it's hard to say no - not only are you losing money (I don't think this is Ali's main driver) but you feel like your letting folk down.
That's all I'm going to say in the matter - I don't use the services as previously mentioned so I probably shouldn't be posting on this thread.
S2 Elise (cobalt blue with stripes) - toy spec
Caterham 7 - hillclimb spec
Yamaha Thundercat - 2 wheeled toy spec
Caterham 7 - hillclimb spec
Yamaha Thundercat - 2 wheeled toy spec
Re: Ali-SLS
if he's still busy after years of bashing threads/poor admin then he doesn't needs to change 
Re: Ali-SLS
Seems to be a recurring theme here..
Being honest, were it not for this forum and discussions at knockhill i woudl not have heard of SLS, i had never used Murrays so never knew him.
Running various business's myself i agree theres some mentoring or certainly administration help required. Just to clarify if Ali reads this, this is never meant to start slaughtering him or his business as i am acutely aware of the power of an internet forum, but my case is bordering on the ridiculous, as i am sure he would agree
Being honest, were it not for this forum and discussions at knockhill i woudl not have heard of SLS, i had never used Murrays so never knew him.
Running various business's myself i agree theres some mentoring or certainly administration help required. Just to clarify if Ali reads this, this is never meant to start slaughtering him or his business as i am acutely aware of the power of an internet forum, but my case is bordering on the ridiculous, as i am sure he would agree
Motorsport K20 Elise
Re: Ali-SLS
foz01 wrote:Seems to be a recurring theme here..
Being honest, were it not for this forum and discussions at knockhill i woudl not have heard of SLS, i had never used Murrays so never knew him.
Running various business's myself i agree theres some mentoring or certainly administration help required. Just to clarify if Ali reads this, this is never meant to start slaughtering him or his business as i am acutely aware of the power of an internet forum, but my case is bordering on the ridiculous, as i am sure he would agree
how long has he had your car?"Here for a good time not a long time"
Re: Ali-SLS
3rd post on the thread (in the interest of not going round in circles)Scotty C wrote:foz01 wrote:Seems to be a recurring theme here..
Being honest, were it not for this forum and discussions at knockhill i woudl not have heard of SLS, i had never used Murrays so never knew him.
Running various business's myself i agree theres some mentoring or certainly administration help required. Just to clarify if Ali reads this, this is never meant to start slaughtering him or his business as i am acutely aware of the power of an internet forum, but my case is bordering on the ridiculous, as i am sure he would agree
2010 Honda VFR1200F
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
Re: Ali-SLS
I don't want to really get involved but I felt the need to post my experience. I have used him on numerous occasions for fitting lots of stuff, including dampners, coil packs, ht leads, ball bearings, doing services, fitting harnesses etc. Every single time I have used him he has given me a great price which you would not get at a main dealer. As this is about an hours drive away I have phoned booked in, in advance and made the trip over and stayed while the work was done. I think he provides a fantastic service at great prices, I like watching the works and he definitely knows his way around the cars.
Various occasions such as when the dampners went he took off the broken ones and gave me others to keep the car mobile and arranged for them to be sent away for reconditioning. Eventually the dampners really needed replaced so I bought new ones and had them sent and Ali delt with that part. When they arrived he called and arranged to get me in and fitted them. Would the car have been mobile while I had the dampeners sorted if i went elsewhere? Who knows but i was totally grateful for the effort he put in for what i thought was not much in reward for money against the hastle he had.
Fitting the harnesses I called him few days before collecting them and the day I collected them I phoned to see if he was about. He was not at the garage but went out his way to go and open the garage just for me and spent time fitting the harnesses again for money which was probably not worth the hastle.
The premises are what they are and Ali is a one man band with a good heart on him. He goes above and beyond the call of duty, I've known him to work through the night to help some people out and in fact it's not just on a one off occasion. The guy is very tetermined to keep everyone happy and this may be the results of him taking a lot on.
Bear in mind he is working on cars during the day so every phone call wont be answered but I have never had any issues reaching him and any text or voicemail vie sent he always gets back.
By phoning and booking the car in at a suitable time I've always arrived got the work done and finished the same day paid and been very happy with the service. One occasion I left the car to get sorted and he phoned and kept me updated with the progress and it was ready later on in the week.
Maybe ive been lucky, but I have used him at least 6 or 7 different occasions and always received good service from the guy. There is no doubt in my mind that i would rather pay to use him than the dealer. I feel that the great pricing he offers along with the fact that you can see what works been done, know exactly who is working on your car and speak and deal with the same person really makes it attractive. When he is under the car simple things like saying that looks on its way out maybe want to bear that in mind etc are something ive never experienced through a dealer. My experience of dealers are you drop car off it disappears behind the scenes you come collect it and pay the bills and your on your way. Ali is a really truth worthy guy who is really upfront and honest with you and i think that very important. He gives his honest opinion and will not rip you off for anything that won't be needing done to your car.
This is my personal experience with dealing with Ali so I though i would put it up. Not want to be involved in any debates and not dismissing any others experiences but I felt obliged to post
Various occasions such as when the dampners went he took off the broken ones and gave me others to keep the car mobile and arranged for them to be sent away for reconditioning. Eventually the dampners really needed replaced so I bought new ones and had them sent and Ali delt with that part. When they arrived he called and arranged to get me in and fitted them. Would the car have been mobile while I had the dampeners sorted if i went elsewhere? Who knows but i was totally grateful for the effort he put in for what i thought was not much in reward for money against the hastle he had.
Fitting the harnesses I called him few days before collecting them and the day I collected them I phoned to see if he was about. He was not at the garage but went out his way to go and open the garage just for me and spent time fitting the harnesses again for money which was probably not worth the hastle.
The premises are what they are and Ali is a one man band with a good heart on him. He goes above and beyond the call of duty, I've known him to work through the night to help some people out and in fact it's not just on a one off occasion. The guy is very tetermined to keep everyone happy and this may be the results of him taking a lot on.
Bear in mind he is working on cars during the day so every phone call wont be answered but I have never had any issues reaching him and any text or voicemail vie sent he always gets back.
By phoning and booking the car in at a suitable time I've always arrived got the work done and finished the same day paid and been very happy with the service. One occasion I left the car to get sorted and he phoned and kept me updated with the progress and it was ready later on in the week.
Maybe ive been lucky, but I have used him at least 6 or 7 different occasions and always received good service from the guy. There is no doubt in my mind that i would rather pay to use him than the dealer. I feel that the great pricing he offers along with the fact that you can see what works been done, know exactly who is working on your car and speak and deal with the same person really makes it attractive. When he is under the car simple things like saying that looks on its way out maybe want to bear that in mind etc are something ive never experienced through a dealer. My experience of dealers are you drop car off it disappears behind the scenes you come collect it and pay the bills and your on your way. Ali is a really truth worthy guy who is really upfront and honest with you and i think that very important. He gives his honest opinion and will not rip you off for anything that won't be needing done to your car.
This is my personal experience with dealing with Ali so I though i would put it up. Not want to be involved in any debates and not dismissing any others experiences but I felt obliged to post
1999 S1 Elise 111S - Fun Spec
2004 Mercedes Benz CLK 200 - Daily Driver Spec
2004 Mitsubishi Shogun- Dog Transport Spec
Re: Ali-SLS
And that was 2 months ago!Shug wrote:3rd post on the thread (in the interest of not going round in circles)Scotty C wrote:foz01 wrote:Seems to be a recurring theme here..
Being honest, were it not for this forum and discussions at knockhill i woudl not have heard of SLS, i had never used Murrays so never knew him.
Running various business's myself i agree theres some mentoring or certainly administration help required. Just to clarify if Ali reads this, this is never meant to start slaughtering him or his business as i am acutely aware of the power of an internet forum, but my case is bordering on the ridiculous, as i am sure he would agree
Motorsport K20 Elise
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Stevoraith
- Posts: 1068
- Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:31 pm
- Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife
Re: Ali-SLS
From an outsiders point of view......
I've never used Ali although I have been to his premises to collect my brothers car.
I think the things Mark sets out are too much to expect. You don't need your car washed etc, you don't need 'nice' premesis.
I think it was Keith who got spot on what I would expect if I was using him for a specialist service which was significantly cheaper than a main dealer.
If someone is working on cars all day you can't expect them to answer a phone. He should have a message on his mobile which explains this and says when he will call back.
He should then set aside half an hour or whatever at lunchtime and at the end of the working day where he returns calls.
The local garage I use have a good old fashioned diary which they write jobs in- if he was to keep a record of what he's got booked in he could let people know a realistic date when he could do their work.
All I would then ask is for my paperwork and a reciept to be ready when I pick the car up. For services this can be a simple tick sheet which he has already printed off- would take two minutes per car max.
For more complex jobs he needs to treat it as part of the job, much like putting the final few screws back in- the car isn't finished and he can't move onto the next car until the paperwork is done.
No expensive overheads needed for new staff, premises, or car washing, just a bit more organisation.
That's my take on it anyway.
I've never used Ali although I have been to his premises to collect my brothers car.
I think the things Mark sets out are too much to expect. You don't need your car washed etc, you don't need 'nice' premesis.
I think it was Keith who got spot on what I would expect if I was using him for a specialist service which was significantly cheaper than a main dealer.
If someone is working on cars all day you can't expect them to answer a phone. He should have a message on his mobile which explains this and says when he will call back.
He should then set aside half an hour or whatever at lunchtime and at the end of the working day where he returns calls.
The local garage I use have a good old fashioned diary which they write jobs in- if he was to keep a record of what he's got booked in he could let people know a realistic date when he could do their work.
All I would then ask is for my paperwork and a reciept to be ready when I pick the car up. For services this can be a simple tick sheet which he has already printed off- would take two minutes per car max.
For more complex jobs he needs to treat it as part of the job, much like putting the final few screws back in- the car isn't finished and he can't move onto the next car until the paperwork is done.
No expensive overheads needed for new staff, premises, or car washing, just a bit more organisation.
That's my take on it anyway.
VX220 2.2 - Gone
BMW 335d Touring F31- Fastest car on the road
MINI Cooper 1.5- More fun than the BMW
BMW 335d Touring F31- Fastest car on the road
MINI Cooper 1.5- More fun than the BMW
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skellyjohn
- Posts: 535
- Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 9:23 pm
- Location: Linlithgow
- Contact:
Re: Ali-SLS
I'm Lotus-less just now but I took my car to Ali since he started up.
He rescued me countless times - coming out to the house on at least 4 occasions. Like many have said, better communication would solve a large chunk of people's complaints and if taking on a school lever - even part time - added 10-20% on to the bill then fair enough. But at the end of the day, Ali is what he is and if you can afford a £25k plus Lotus then you can probably afford the MMC prices. But for those that see their car as a luxury they can just about justify and afford then it makes sense to use Ali and take the issues that go with it.
He rescued me countless times - coming out to the house on at least 4 occasions. Like many have said, better communication would solve a large chunk of people's complaints and if taking on a school lever - even part time - added 10-20% on to the bill then fair enough. But at the end of the day, Ali is what he is and if you can afford a £25k plus Lotus then you can probably afford the MMC prices. But for those that see their car as a luxury they can just about justify and afford then it makes sense to use Ali and take the issues that go with it.
s1 111s (kind of)
Re: Ali-SLS
I've got a feeling some better times at SLS are just around the corner 
Ali will soon have some news for you, but rest assured he is taking all these comments very seriously, and is going to really step up his game in 2011. This thread has been really useful for him in getting an understanding of what his customers want, where he has been doing well, and where he hasnt.
There have been a few things to get sorted, which he's been working towards since this thread started last year.
Hopefully by the end of the month you'll get an understanding of his vision for the future of SLS.
You will all be pleasantly suprised, and I think the business you know now as SLS and the new version will be virtually unrecognisable.
Anyway, not going to steal anymore of his thunder.
Just to clarify, i'm only acting as an advisor in this new venture, when and if required. Hopefully the only time I'll hear from him is when my car is ready for collection 
Ali will soon have some news for you, but rest assured he is taking all these comments very seriously, and is going to really step up his game in 2011. This thread has been really useful for him in getting an understanding of what his customers want, where he has been doing well, and where he hasnt.
There have been a few things to get sorted, which he's been working towards since this thread started last year.
Hopefully by the end of the month you'll get an understanding of his vision for the future of SLS.
You will all be pleasantly suprised, and I think the business you know now as SLS and the new version will be virtually unrecognisable.
Anyway, not going to steal anymore of his thunder.
Just to clarify, i'm only acting as an advisor in this new venture, when and if required. Hopefully the only time I'll hear from him is when my car is ready for collection
AMG GT-R
Atom 4 - CM425
Lotus Esprit S4S
G30 M5 Comp
Ferrari 599
Lotus Elise S1 "Shed" spec
Atom 4 - CM425
Lotus Esprit S4S
G30 M5 Comp
Ferrari 599
Lotus Elise S1 "Shed" spec
Re: Ali-SLS
I've only ever used Ali twice. Once for a straightforward service on my yellow car (was A or B.. can't remember)... and once for a C-Service, with belt change & to fit upgraded cams on my aqua car.
Both times I left the cars with him & agreed a day to pick them up again. The yellow car was ready for me arriving as agreed.
The aqua car I received a phone call to tell me the handbrake cable had seized & he needed to order one in. I made him aware I was going away for the weekend (hopefilly in the Elise) so we re-arranged pickup for the Saturday morning. I think I had to wait something like 45mins after turning up while he finished off the job on the Saturday... which I don't think I can grumble about. (I'm sure I bumped in to X7LDA down there that day).
Like others, I didn't get the Invoice at pick-up... I remembered about 6mths down the line and chased... and it arrived via email after a few weeks.
So for me, I was happy with the work performed by Ali & communication was fine, but would agree that paperwork on pick-up should be standard. That was a few years ago mind you, so maybe he's hit a tipping point with work & gone a bit mental since then.
Although I no longer have my Elise, I hope he can pull it back again (in view of Andy's post above) as there's not a massive amount of choice for people who don't want to travel & he's a decent enough bloke.
Andy
Both times I left the cars with him & agreed a day to pick them up again. The yellow car was ready for me arriving as agreed.
The aqua car I received a phone call to tell me the handbrake cable had seized & he needed to order one in. I made him aware I was going away for the weekend (hopefilly in the Elise) so we re-arranged pickup for the Saturday morning. I think I had to wait something like 45mins after turning up while he finished off the job on the Saturday... which I don't think I can grumble about. (I'm sure I bumped in to X7LDA down there that day).
Like others, I didn't get the Invoice at pick-up... I remembered about 6mths down the line and chased... and it arrived via email after a few weeks.
So for me, I was happy with the work performed by Ali & communication was fine, but would agree that paperwork on pick-up should be standard. That was a few years ago mind you, so maybe he's hit a tipping point with work & gone a bit mental since then.
Although I no longer have my Elise, I hope he can pull it back again (in view of Andy's post above) as there's not a massive amount of choice for people who don't want to travel & he's a decent enough bloke.
Andy
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