[RVRC] Group by opportunity. Honda Generator!

[N2GJ_AMSAT]

Here are the details of the Honda Group Buy - inadvertantly left off
my forwarded message.  Sorry.

Gary talked to them and they'll give us the group discount with a
minimum purchase of 10 generators - as of yesterday, he had 3
commitments.


73,
-----------------------

COFFMAN  ELECTRICAL  EQUIPMENT  CO.
3300 Jefferson Ave.
       Phone:  (616) 452-8708
Grand Rapids, MI  49548
   Fax:  (616) 452-1337


Dear Radio Enthusiast,

In 2008 we were contacted by John Miller, K6MM, president of the
Northern California Contest Club.  To make a long story short we
negotiated a deal with John’s organization to provide the Honda
EU2000iS inverter generator at a special price to his members.  The
program was a huge success – the members purchased approximately 70 of
these generators through the club.

John sent a message regarding this program to several other clubs.
Please read some comments from his letter:

“In the spirit of "Sharing The Wealth", I wanted to let you know about
a large group purchase of Honda generators that our Club has just
completed.

In early June, many NCCC members discussed the need for a reliable
inverter generator for Field Day, Emergency Preparedness, and general
home use.  After some research, we decided upon a 2KW generator -- the
Honda EU2000i.

Perhaps you are familiar with this generator, which has received
excellent reviews from contesters, DXpeditioners, and on eHam.net.
Because of Honda's inverter technology, the EU2000i provides clean
"sine wave" power, making it safe for use with computers and our
sometimes-sensitive radio gear.  I used this generator at two
different Field Day sites this past June with excellent results.

The EU2000i lists for $1080.  After some research online, and many
phone calls, I found a supplier in Grand Rapids, MI who was willing to
work with us on a lower price if we could get at least 10 units
ordered.  Their name:  Coffman Electric Equipment Company -- and their
online store is Steadypower.com:
http://www.steadypower.com/catalog/honda_eu2000.php

 I did an extensive interview with Coffman Electric, which has been in
business for over 50 years, and was founded in the early 1950s by
Perry Coffman, an electrical engineer and ham radio operator (I'm
trying to track down his callsign).  According to AH (American Honda),
they are one of AH's best dealers in the US with virtually no customer
complaints.

Coffman Electric was the only supplier I contacted who was willing to
ship individually via Fedex Ground to each buyer's shipping address
(with a tracking number).  The other suppliers (including Mayberrys
who advertise in QST) all wanted to ship a large palette to one
location and have them distributed from there.

The price we settled on for a minimum purchase of 10 generators:  $880
per generator (includes Fedex Ground shipping).  I sent out the
request for 10 units.  What came back was an amazing 56 orders.  Yes,
56.  We re-negotiated to a price of $860 -- which, after a little
coaxing from me included a free high-quality $20 Honda storage cover.
We then collected $860 from each member (personal checks) - a total of
$48,160.  I wired the money from our Wells Fargo account to Coffman
Electric on Thursday, July 10, 2008 (praying that I wouldn't have to
buy a one-way ticket to Bora Bora).  True to their word, CE starting
shipping the next day, and over a two week period, all units were
shipped.  As of Thursday, July 31 (exactly 3 weeks from when we wired
the $$), all units were safely in the hands of our Club members.
Average delivery time from MI to CA:  4 business days.

So, why am I passing this information on to you?  Well, why not share
the information with you guys?  We're all in this great hobby
together, and if your Club members have a need for a reliable 2KW
generator, the Honda EU2000i may be a good solution.  If so, feel free
to follow up with Coffman Electric.

Disclaimer:  I have no personal interest in Coffman Electric
whatsoever.  No relatives there and no hidden agenda.  The Club is not
benefiting in any way from this recommendation and neither am I.  I'm
just sharing our successful experience with you.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to help.  Best of luck, and CU in
the next contest!”

The above comments were received in a letter from Mr. Miller in August
2008 and used with his permission.  I shortened them somewhat and
removed any personal information on individual club members but I
believe the essence of the experience is intact.

A couple of comments here.  The actual number of units purchased by
this club was closer to 70 by the time we were through.  Also, the
list price of the Honda EU2000iS is now $1,149.95.  However, we are
prepared to offer the same deal from now through July 31.

PROGRAM:

If your club orders 10 or more Honda EU2000iS generators we will sell
them at $860.00, including shipping (Continental U.S.) and a free
Honda generator cover.

DETAILS:

    * Generators must be purchased through your club.
    * Club must be a registered non-profit organization.
    * Generators will be delivered to the individual members.
    * Offer is good through July 31, 2010.

If you are interested please give us a call at (888) 331-5344.  Any of
our staff would be happy to discuss the program with you.

Sincerely,

Don Delaney
Marketing Director
Coffman Electrical Equipment Co.
djdelaney at steadypower.com

 -------------------------------------------------------------------


73,

GJ

Gerry Jurrens N2GJ
mailto:n2gj at amsat.org



On Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 8:11 AM, Gerry Jurrens <gjurrens at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'll be participating in this deal from Gary Wilson, K2GW, the SEC & Asst. Section Manager for SNJ. Incidentally, I will also be putting my fresh-from-Field-Day older Honda Generator 2KW up for sale - it's louder, heavier & not as good on gas by a little bit, but very serviceable. It has both 120 vac & 12 vdc output. $250 OBO.
>
> -----
> Gary Writes:
>
> FYI. I got this from my club call sign.
>
> If there's enough interest, we could create a combined order as a minimum often is required.   (10 - GJ)
>
> I already have one (which was coincidentally bought from Coffman 5 years ago) and love it. This is the small red one-handed-carry generator that goes with the Red Cross comm van.
>
> They can also be paired with a simple cable to provide 4000 watts in something that one person can still move around (by moving them one at a time).
>
> 73
>
> Gary, K2GW
>
>
> GJ
>
> Sent from my iPhone
> Pls 4give typos & brevity!
>
>