Fran's new avatar

[JohnC]

Fran, so what's the hidden meaning behind your new avatar, are you officially a ricer now?

[Keith Hardy]

No, he's doing porridge....

Sorry Fran but that's what it looks like mate.....

[Gregg]

My take is that Fran's new avatar is indeed a bowl of white rice. I believe that it is a direct result and the inspiration stemming from the post of another forum member. Fran' efforts to run a business and monitor the continual attacks and backhanded comments posted herein, certainly hasn't dampered his sense of humor. I would change his avatar to a bowl of white rice with either a big red bullseye imprinted on it or a red circle with a line across it. Just say NO! By the way, I prefer fried rice.

[JohnC]

Hmmm, maybe he has crossed over.... first the sheep, now Japanese motors.

Me, I can't speak about the sheep, but the Toyota V8 is a real nice piece of work.

[Fran Hall RCR]

You mean my " white on rice " running a business , it's not a hobby....avatar ...??

Must I be mindful to only post in my "paid for, prior to yesterday" section of the forum.??..

Which is where 90% of my posts are , if anyone would take the time to check........

Life is too short to take everything so seriously....there are real issues in the World much more important than whining about our toys....business or not.

[Steve26]

Well said Fran, YOU ROCK!!!

Steve

[I LOVE GT40- Paolo]

Originally Posted by gt40fran

Life is too short to take everything so seriously....there are real issues in the World much more important than whining about our toys....business or not.

Completely agree..

[Mark Worthington]

Originally Posted by Gregg

My take is that Fran's new avatar is indeed a bowl of white rice. I believe that it is a direct result and the inspiration stemming from the post of another forum member. Fran' efforts to run a business and monitor the continual attacks and backhanded comments posted herein, certainly hasn't dampered his sense of humor.

Hi Gregg. As you know, I was the forum member who stated that Fran is "all over this forum like white on rice" in the context of what I perceived to be a disparity in the advertising rate structure for vendors. I think the phrase was descriptive of Fran's activity level on the forum. I meant no harm, and I trust none was taken by Fran. Had I intended to mount an attack or make the comment truly backhanded then I would have used a similar, but more vulgar turn of phrase.

[Fran Hall RCR]

Mark..

Why dont you ask me personally if I am offended...? My phone number and email are on my website.

One thing to remember is that I, and others do pay for the priviledge of advertising and posting on this forum.
It is a priviledge to belong to this forum and the priviledge could so easily be revoked for any advertiser or regular member...lets not lose sight of why we are all here ...

Of the range of current manufacturers I think that I am the only company owner that was a regular paying enthusiast supporter prior to being a GT40 replica company ...so it was cars first,business second.

As I said for PAID advertising I have the same size banner ADD as any other mnaufacturer.

I have the same manufacturers forum as others too.

One thing I do currently have over other manufacturers is more products in my line up and more active builders in the USA than any other domestic replica GT40 manufacturer...
Of the kits we have built and shipped less than 30% are on this forum ... they are proud of their builds and I enjoy complimenting them on their progress and achievements ..especially as some guys are building to a very high standard in a very short time.

I also pay to sponsor another forum ..ClubCobra...we also advertise in Kit Car, Kit Car Builder,Vintage Motorsports along with others so your pressumptions of 50% from this forum are unfounded and misinformed....and the cars are much less than 50K...

I have many friends on here and enjoy the "to and fro" of our exchanges....and will continue to do so...when and where I see fit.

This is not the first time that you have used RCR/me as your sounding board for no apparent reason...

Waiting for your call....

[Mark Worthington]

Fran, try not to get your underoos in a bunch when less than 100% of the posts on this forum about you or RCR are less than 100% flattering. You’re a big boy and a successful businessman, you should be able to take a little constructive criticism.

It is a priviledge to belong to this forum and the priviledge could so easily be revoked for any advertiser or regular member...lets not lose sight of why we are all here

Is that a threat?

Of the range of current manufacturers I think that I am the only company owner that was a regular paying enthusiast supporter prior to being a GT40 replica company ...so it was cars first,business second.

So what? It’s cars first for 99% of the forum members. There are only a few businesses who post frequently on the forum, notably, yours.

As I said for PAID advertising I have the same size banner ADD as any other mnaufacturer. I have the same manufacturers forum as others too. I have the same manufacturers forum as others too

Yes you certainly do. The last time I counted there were 34 unique subforums on GT40s.com, of which RCR’s is but one. But, as a practical matter, nobody has time to click through 34 different forums, so I expect most people who browse the forum do what I do, and hit the “New Posts” button. And when they do, they may think this is the RCR forum, because you are all over it, like white on rice. It gets tiresome to load up a build thread with a bunch of pictures and scroll to the bottom only to find that the most recent post is you putting up a couple emoticons, or to read the incessant, mindless backslapping and leghumping that goes on amongst the RCR crowd, or to read that you have intervened again and answered a question that was directed at somebody else. I don’t expect you to stop it, but you should realize that a lot of forum members are getting tired of it.

I personally don’t post as much as I used to because there isn’t as much new tech on the forum as there used to be (a bad thing). The signal/noise ratio has dropped off and, honestly, a lot of the noise is from and about RCR. Even worse is that some of the forum members who used to be active and who always brought good tech and advice to the forum are now either gone or rarely post any more.

That said, on the signal side of the ratio, you are as capable as anyone of bringing the tech when you want to and a lot of the RCR build threads are fantastic and I’m just blown away at the high level of craftsmanship and passion that is exhibited by your customers. For that they are to be congratulated and you should be rightly proud. I love the build threads and I read every one, and I have the highest respect for the guys who are building their RCR cars to a high standard.

I also pay to sponsor another forum ..ClubCobra...we also advertise in Kit Car, Kit Car Builder,Vintage Motorsports along with others so your pressumptions of 50% from this forum are unfounded and misinformed....and the cars are much less than 50K...

You are an astute and successful businessman. Congratulations. I am convinced that the majority of your customers spend time at GT40s.com before they write you a check. If this forum weren’t so critical to your business you wouldn’t spend so much time here. Nor would you spend so much time, online and offline, sticking your nose into everybody’s business and trying to quell even the faintest hint of negative publicity. Relax. Let it go. Let your product speak for itself.

This is not the first time that you have used RCR/me as your sounding board for no apparent reason...

See what I mean? Please give me an example. With a link. Just one. Other than the white on rice comment.

[Gregg]

Originally Posted by Mark Worthington

Had I intended to mount an attack or make the comment truly backhanded then I would have used a similar, but more vulgar turn of phrase.

Mark, that comment is really sad. I acknowledge and agree that everyone has a right to disagree with anything posted on the forum, however, I do believe that in most instances it can be done diplomatically. Sometimes not though. Your point regarding advertising etc would have carried just as much weight if it was generic without singling any vendors out.
As far as I can remember, all of your posts, except a few dealing with "Oliver" have always been positive. Oliver is a different subject and his projected return, if true, will be unfortunate.

Edit: Wow, alot can happen while one is typing!

[Fran Hall RCR]

Hi Mark....

If I am not mistaken you/anyone are not forced to read anything I or anyone else posts.....I think its called the "ignore button"

[Gregg]

Ah rice bowl, I see the meditation therapy is working!

[Bill D]

I prefer chow mein

[Fran Hall RCR]

How about some sour grapes to go along with the whine and cheese...

I know that was mean......I apologise

Lets just enjoy the day....

[Big-Foot]

Now you can read this anyway you choose. I am trying to convey my feeling in a very impartial and level manner but I'm sure that some will slant it.

Having built a number of cars not only for myself but others over the years, I consider myself a Semi-Professional / Professional Builder.

When I was reviewing all of the GT40 kits and preparing my spreadsheet with Pros / Cons to each manufacturer - one of the key areas of concern was Support.
I view support on a few plains.
1) Responsiveness to Emails
2) Responsiveness to Phone calls / VoiceMails
3) Responsiveness and presense in public forums (such as this one).

I graded each on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being tops.

The one vendor that had the highest score in Support was RCR. The other vendors that I was dealing with (some of which will likely read this thread) should realize that they well could have had my business and it is this that may well have contributed to the loss of that particular purchase.

That said - The other vendors may well choose to step up their interaction with potential and current customer base. I've not made my final purchase but so far RCR is still tops on my list.

So with that - Fran - you continue being you and continue to support your past / present and prospective customers through your interaction here and elsewhere on GT40s et al..

Thanks for the bandwidth...

[John Lowe]

Dear Mrs Rice

I just love what you cook up in that kitchen of yours and you never get cross even when I can't tell the difference between a clutch plate thingy and a dash of soy sauce. Hope this is the right forum for such delicate matters of taste (some of the trainee chefs clearly lack a discriminating palate and sound off at the strangest of things)

I remain feeling that life's always a blast for some and will ever remain annal for others

Yours, Trainee soux chef

John

C/O Home for The Terminally Optimistic, England