Just wanted to share my past Marlin experiences with everyone on this forum.
As some of you know I was one of the first customers to buy a 5Exi kit, and I believe my car was the second or third to go through SVA and be driven on the road.. I still think mine holds the record for the longest road trip (UK-Sweden) ;-)
Also, as most of you know I have signed up for Marlin's race package and will be racing in the Castle Combe Special GTs this year (my third season of racing with Marlin prepared 5Exi).
So as you can imagine I have had plenty of involvement with Marlin over the last few years - which is why I feel that I should mention my personal experiences...
I have to say that Marlin crew is extremely dedicated to their products and I always got the impression that they made time to speak to me and answer any queries I had...
Sure, like any other business in the UK, there were occasions when I felt that I was let down (things like unanswered email, parts turning up 2 days late, etc) - but more often than not it turned out that there was a perfectly logical explanation for their 'poor' service. Overall however, I've always firmly believed that I could 'count' on Marlin - which is why I was very surprised to hear about some of your recent experiences.
Obviously Marlin are currently going through a tough phase with their factory move - but lets be realistic - we all know how stressful it is to move home - nothing ever goes right.. I can't even imagine the magnitude of problems that can occur when moving a whole factory!!
However, I am absolutely confident that everyone at Marlin at trying their hardest to resolve their current issues and resume their usual service (and like Terry says hopefully offer even better service and products).
Marlin is a relatively small company that very much cares for its customers (far far more than any bigger factory would).
As an example, I was once in Marlin factory for a car check up before my big UK-Sweden trip.. Marlin discovered a problem with the transmission on the car at about 5pm. Any other factory would have said - bad luck, we'll look into it the next day! Marlin however worked into the evening to resolve the problem and I was on my way at 10PM!! That kind of customer touch is not often found! I challenge anyone to give me a similar example with Westfield, Caterham, etc?
So my message to any current or future builders is: GO FOR IT! Don't think twice!
Terry: I personally think that your idea of setting up a dedicated 'Marlin forum' is spot on. I am sure it would go a long way towards improving the service that you provide to your customers - present and future! Let me know if you need any help with setup of the Forum - as you know IT is my game ;-)
Good luck & see you in Castle Combe for the first race..
Dylan
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