How Early is Too Early for the Christmas Season to Start?

Let me start off by saying, I like Christmas.  Much like the saying "Everything in its place" though, I think that "Everything in its time" also applies.  A while ago, while wandering through our local "wholesale warehouse" store, I was reduced to shaking my head at the display I saw before me.  Christmas trees and decorations, wrap and other assorted seasonal goodies were out in full glory, ready for the upcoming season.  Sadly, the upcoming season was still over two months away!  It wasn't even Hallowe'en yet.  I understand the retailers motivations - we are after all a retail business ourselves - but surely there must be limits?

Earlier and earlier, the stores have been forced to outdo each other in a race to earn your dollar.  This in turn pushes advertising to start each "season" earlier to promote them, like we might forget Christmas is in December.

Putting aside for a moment all of the people who don't celebrate Christmas, the problem as I see it though is that nowhere do we really see the sales and deals that people crave until, at the earliest, November (Black Friday) and more common (in Canada anyway), Boxing Day.  Even Boxing Day now starts before Christmas, with "Boxing Week" sales.  For those readers not in Canada and other parts of the world that don't know, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas.  It is a nice day to relax with the family, let the kids play with their new toys, moms and dads get to sit back and think enjoy some time off and go STAND IN LINE AT SOME UNEARTHLY HOUR TO POSSIBLY BUY SOMETHING THAT MAY ALREADY BE OUT OF STOCK BY THE TIME YOU GET IN!  These shopping seasons blur the lines between holiday and gotta-get-it-days and no one relaxes.  Online Boxing Day sales now happen (and websites everywhere crash in unison with the amount of people willing to give up hours of their time) on Christmas Eve to get that last minute deal on a mixer! And around it goes.  I like a good deal as much as the next person, but to answer the earlier question, Yes, there are limits.

Oh, and another thing... I actually enjoy Christmas music.  I like the mood that it sets when putting up a tree, wrapping gifts and decorating.  I like the sound of a good Christmas song mixed with the various smells and activities of the Christmas season at home.  Whoops! Christmas season.  Christmas.  Last time I checked, Christmas was in December (See?  I didn't forget!), not November.  Our local stores started playing the odd song in late October. Now a local radio station (one that is set for background music here at work) has begun playing Christmas music non-stop, actually 24/7.  Over a month before Christmas and not even in December yet!  I halfway think that the retail marketing people must pay big money to get this to happen!  I kid but it does seem like all of the holidays and seasons blend together and it's stressful for many people.

As December approaches, and the real blitz begins to separate you from your money, remembering what the season means to you is ultimately what matters.  If shopping and standing in line makes you happy, then good for you.  Go do it.  If, on the other hand, relaxing the week before Christmas with a fire in the fireplace, a cup of (insert favorite beverage here) in your hand and the soothing background of Christmas tunes while conversing with family and friends is your thing, then enjoy yourself.  We all deserve to enjoy the season as we like.

Merry Christmas!  Uh-oh, was that too early?

What do you think?  Is there a point when it's too early?  We'd love to hear from you! Post your comments below.

Saab Warranty

When the subject of Saab comes up in conversation in many circles, another of the most asked questions is What about warranty?  Unfortunately, the answer is not exactly a simple one.

For many years, while Saab was part of General Motors, Saab vehicles carried the same warranty as any other GM car.  At the end of GMs tenure as owner, the warranty was a very strong 3-year/60,000km basic and 5-year/160,000km powertrain warranty including roadside assistance and many other benefits. Those cars are again covered by GM, provided it was sold while GM was still producing Saab cars.

When GM sold Saab to Spyker, the warranty reverted to a more premium-segment standard 4-year/80,000km full vehicle warranty.  This was sufficient for the majority of buyers and being somewhat of an industry standard, was accepted.

Then came the bankruptcy.  We at the dealer level were informed that all warranty was suspended pending the outcome of the proceedings.  This meant that several of our customers were essentially cut loose from a sinking ship and left adrift.  We are still waiting for the final word from Saab Parts North America as to whether or not they we be following the lead of the European side of things and honoring warranty here.  There is no obligation to do so, but there is a certain amount of goodwill to gained by offering this.

At that time, we were still able to cover our newest Saab drivers by providing 3rd party warranties on all of our remaining new Saabs.  For the ones that got "caught in the middle", we were also able to provide reduced costs on coverage, even though the car had already been in service for some time.

Today, we still have access to some of the best aftermarket and 3rd party warranty programs available.  Even buyers of our premium pre-owned Saab vehicles (and other makes) can benefit from these extended coverage plans.

When it comes to protecting your vehicle (and your bank account!), we have many options to help!  Call us today for information about extended warranties and what they can do for you!

Tis' the Season... to Shop?

When the US celebrates Thanksgiving, it means that we north of the 49th are subjected to a barrage of Black Friday promotions from electronics to cars to flooring sales.  

The term "Black Friday" was originally coined in association with a financial crisis in the US in the late 1800's. Later, it was used to describe the mess of traffic and crowding on the day after Thanksgiving when many people were taking advantage of an extra day off and shopping for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
Eventually the term evolved more towards the idea that is signaled the time of year when retailers finally "got out of the red and into the black", referring to finally turning a profit.  Ultimately, it became a day that, to our friends south of the border, begins the month-long frenzy of the Christmas shopping season.

To some of us in Canada, it means a long wait at the border, longer waits at checkouts, possible hotel room and meals and wondering whether we really are getting the best deal when we go across the line.  More and more in recent years, Canadian retailers have been watching the masses go south and were unable to do much to stem the flow.  Now it seems these same folks are getting smart to the fact that if they offer the same or similar deals, more people would stay here.  To hear the various news reports, the tide is turning - slowly.  The prices are getting much closer to parity but is it enough?

In the automotive business, we have always had a larger difference between the US and Canadian prices.  It was always explained away as population differences, transportation costs, taxes and other similar reasons.  Much of this is true and it is difficult to sell a car in Canada on par with the US.

On the other hand, can a "big box" electronics retailer afford to mark down particular high-volume items, such as TVs, for a short period of time?  Certainly for a few days, one must think they can.  If they want to keep Canadian shoppers here, there really isn't much of a choice.  One does have to wonder though, does a Canadian division of an American company care?  If the money all goes to the same place, maybe not.  A fully Canadian company will have the added challenge of competing against that.

As mentioned earlier, more Canadian retailers are now having Black Friday sales. Prices are much closer to those down south, but is it enough to make up for sitting in border line-ups and dealing with crowds at the same stores there as you could shop at here?

Time will tell if the Canadian stores will be able to keep shoppers here.  Are you planning to go south to shop or not?  Let us know in comments below.  

In the meantime, the best advice from many so-called cross-border shopping experts out there is to check and double-check US and Canadian ads before going shopping.  We may even have a deal or two ourselves!  That new purchase may not be as expensive as you think right here at home! 

Parts and Service for Your Saab

Over the last few months, many changes have happened with Saab and its related businesses.  We can all agree, from employees to customers, that it has been a challenge to get parts to repair our Saabs in a timely manner.

When Saab Cars North America ceased operations, many questions were raised as to what it meant for parts supply, warranty and repair and service capability.

Speaking from our standpoint at Springman's, the answer was "Not much."  We were still able to service and repair Saab vehicles, order parts for the service department, body shop and counter-sale customers.  We still had the tools to diagnose issues and perform routine maintenance.  Warranty issues were partially resolved when GM stated that they would honor warranties on all Saab cars sold while they still owned the brand.  Anything after was a different story.  We will look at this in another post.

What we did have an issue with was timely delivery of parts from the warehouse in the US that serviced North America.  It could take awhile, sometimes weeks, to have the necessary parts in hand to do even a routine repair or replacement.  Can anyone say 9-3 key?

All that changed when Saab Automobile Parts AB assumed control of the North American operation for distribution of parts.  From immediately filling stock levels in the warehouse to cutting down delivery times, Saab Parts fixed much of what was wrong with the system as it currently was.  Part of the change included signing up dealers and repair facilities as Official Service Centres.  These OSC's are directly linked to Saab Parts North America and we are now able to much more quickly order and receive those much needed items to get your car back on the road.

From a communication from SPNA:

"Some highlights of our parts sourcing activities are out- lined below:

• Allentown fill rate is at 80% and rising, up nearly 30% in 2 weeks.
• Sweden fill rate is at 90% and rising daily.
• Received $2M in air orders (10 shipments).
• Received $2M in sea shipments (14 containers).
• $7M in additional inventory is on order and in transit.
• More inventory is arriving daily.
• Many of the highest demand parts are now in stock.
• Very large order of body panels is scheduled to arrive in September, be sure to place your orders now!

Our network continues to grow. Since opening our doors for business on June 7th, we have signed up 179 OSC’s in the U.S. and Canada. All OSC’s are listed on our website and are searchable in the geo-locator function."

As we can see, things have stabilized and are becoming more solid by the day. Parts for your Saab will be available for a long time to come!

We at Springman's are proud to be able to continue to be the one-stop shop for all your vehicle maintenance, repair and parts needs!  Contact us today!

What's Happening With Saab?

One of the most asked questions we at Springman's get on a regular basis is What's going on with Saab these days?  From our regular customers to curious shoppers, everyone wants the latest news.  Is Saab dead?  Alive?  I hear they are making windmills.  I hear they are not Swedish anymore.  I hear that electric Saabs are what I will have to buy?  What's the scoop?

As someone who works to make a living selling cars, I can tell you that we wish we had the answers to all of your questions, but we don't.  What we do know is that exciting and interesting things are happening and these things point to a company that is looking ahead to make sure they will be around long into the future.

Let's take a quick look at what we do know about the company right now and see where things currently stand:

First of all, Saab is very much alive.  Maybe alive in a different sense of the word, but things are moving forward.  Assets from the bankruptcy were finally sold in June 2012 to National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) and the deal was completed in August.  NEVS is owned by Hong Kong-based National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd, an energy company with operations in China.  They are also a majority share-holder in State Power Group of Beijing which is a pioneer in clean, renewable energy.  National Modern Energy has also just completed and opened a battery production facility in China.  This factory is already producing batteries for powering large fleets of electric buses in China.

Now, you are probably thinking Wait a minute!  What do battery plants, renewable energy and electric vehicles have to do with Saab?  NEVS is looking forward with an eye towards efficient, non-polluting, clean transportation choices.  For the most part, this means electric.  In Saab, NEVS saw several things.  Saab was already known for in their work on small, efficient engines to power their cars.  Through use of turbos, E85 fuel compatablity and more efficient computer controls, Saabs were becoming the benchmark of power, fuel-efficiency and emission cleanliness. Also in development was Saab e-Power, an all-electric Saab 9-3 that was nearly complete.  Add the philosophy of Saab design and sensibility, and the fact that there was a modern state-of-the-art production facility in Trollhattan sitting ready, NEVS was able to buy infrastructure and a known brand to build upon.

NEVS has stated that they intend to have a vehicle to market in 2014.  Based on a re-worked version of the current 9-3 model, the car will be a first-generation electric vehicle bearing the Saab name.  Following this, approximately two years later, will be Saabs second generation EV based on the Phoenix platform.  The technology is being developed jointly by engineers in China and Japan and is cutting-edge.  The design and manufacturing will take advantage of Swedish expertise in these areas.

NEVS has already hired several key people in Sweden to begin the process of stating production.  From bringing in managers and production staff who previously worked with Saab, to meeting with several key suppliers about supply chain, it seems that National Electric Vehicle Sweden is firmly in the driver's seat.

Next time, we will take a look at Saab Automobile Parts AB and the availability of parts for all of those Saabs already out there!

Springman's Saab and Auto Centre is now an Authorized Goodyear Dealer!

We are proud to announce that Springman's is now an Authorized Goodyear Tire Retailer.  We have a full range of all-season, winter and truck tires to fit every vehicle and need.  Along with rebates on Goodyear and Dunlop tires, Springman's is including mounting and balancing for free.  Rebates are valid from now until December 31, 2012!  Click here for more details!

What's Happening at Springman's!

It's been a while since we posted here on the Springman's blog but we are still here!  We just wanted to jump-start this blog with some tidbits of info, news and specials and generally let everyone know what we are up to!

When it was first announced that Saab Automobiles was going into bankruptcy, our first thought was Where does that leave us?  The answer was simple - exactly where we were.  We had already been waiting for the assembly line to start for awhile and we had received no new inventory for some time.  We still had a service and parts business alive and kicking, servicing our new Saab guests and our previous Saturn family and friends.  Additionally, we still had one of, if not the, largest and cleanest Pre-owned inventories in the area.

When word came down that Saab was bankrupt, and throughout the following roller-coaster of new owners, new new owners and no owners, we carried on business-as-usual for the most part.  We still have a large, clean and top quailty pre-owned inventory.  We still have full service and parts departments, covering all makes.  We have a full-line, top quailty auto body repair shop.  We are a Saab Official Service Centre, providing authorized parts and service for all Saab vehicles.

And as always, we have fresh baked cookies to keep you going when you stop by for a visit!

Over the next several entries, we will expand a little on what is happening with Saab, Springman's and the automotive world in general.  We hope you will enjoy what we have to say and are glad you dropped by!