Trackabout In Administration (not receivership)- Rumour????

[tonym]

JT,

All the best in a very difficult situation.

I sympathise with JT on the Tax Man's hard line. They are really playing hardball and with no mercy. They seem to be attacking small business like a rottweiler. A small business in trouble has the least resources to fight. Big business can it appears get away with murder and a deal.

I have been in a similar position with the Tax Man and the lack of any willingness on their part to negotiate was very disturbing to me. My file was passed onto a different officer who was willing to come to an arrangement that the previous officer was not inclined to. The file was "taken" back by the original officer who recanted the deal in progress and even said he was going to make an example of me! I cannot say the amount, but not a lot of money owed to the department.

The bragging that the department will put 800 to 900 businesses out of business A MONTH is a travesty. What is this going to do to our economy and unemployment figures? And that does not take into account the emotional toll on the owners and out of work staff. The department should be doing all in its power to help rebuild and save these businesses, keep the jobs and dollars in Australia and not be feeding the bank balances of the liquidators and lawyers (sorry if I have offended any on this forum).

Sorry for the soapbox, but JT's plight is close to my heart.

Tony.

[cancan]

Sorry to hear the news JT, I did enjoy detouring to your showroom and dreaming about an extenda and did enjoy the few chats that we had. You said it was getting harder to compete with imports and the australian dollar would be making that harder with cheaper imports and higher australian costs.
Hopefully this is not the way we are heading but we have been dealing with foreign companies that have purchased queensland/australian assets and they are employing nearly all foreign staff and pretty well shafting australia, and with the governments blessing. short term gains for long term loss.

Anyhow enjoy your break, put your feet up and enjoy yourself for a while, lifes to short and you need to make the most of it and hopefully will see you at sandy creek.

[Mace]

JT,

All the best in a very difficult situation.

I sympathise with JT on the Tax Man's hard line. They are really playing hardball and with no mercy. They seem to be attacking small business like a rottweiler. A small business in trouble has the least resources to fight. Big business can it appears get away with murder and a deal.

I have been in a similar position with the Tax Man and the lack of any willingness on their part to negotiate was very disturbing to me. My file was passed onto a different officer who was willing to come to an arrangement that the previous officer was not inclined to. The file was "taken" back by the original officer who recanted the deal in progress and even said he was going to make an example of me! I cannot say the amount, but not a lot of money owed to the department.

The bragging that the department will put 800 to 900 businesses out of business A MONTH is a travesty. What is this going to do to our economy and unemployment figures? And that does not take into account the emotional toll on the owners and out of work staff. The department should be doing all in its power to help rebuild and save these businesses, keep the jobs and dollars in Australia and not be feeding the bank balances of the liquidators and lawyers (sorry if I have offended any on this forum).

Sorry for the soapbox, but JT's plight is close to my heart.

Tony.

Tonym, I had to go outside for a moment to recover, now im back and fit to post, i couldnt agree with you more.
Having been there, done that, youre right on the money.  The last thing I wanted to do was turn this post into a negative bitch session, but I have to add the following.

The side issues of GFC, Asian imports, etc, are just that, side issues.  Having had the ATO into my wife and I for a few$ (less than 50k) because of business issues,  I still cannot come to grips with their recovery at all costs atitude. It doesnt matter whatever the political persuasion you have, the ingrained "at all costs" attitude pervading this entity have eroded my confidence in the Aussie creed of a FAIR GO.

Its taken my family 5 years to get our heads financially above water because of the ATO, but we're  nearly there. I just hope JT can move on and come out the other side and share a few  with all of us ASAP.

Mace

[Bird]

I thought the post from the Lifestyle guy was pretty poor form...

On par I'd say....

[Maîneÿ . . .]

Sorry everyone, but while I sympathise with JT and wish him all the best, this post is fast proving the fault lies in people wanting everything cheap.

Come on. Get real. If we keep buying from overseas we'll go broke.

It doesn't take an economics grad to work out if you keep buying from someone else and not selling you'll soon run out of money.
This is only accelarated when you appoint a numpty leader who goes on spending sprees with other peoples money.
How much money are we spending on overseas aid when our own back yard is goingbroke???

Stop buying things cos they're cheap.............
Support Australia, buy Australian, employ Australian, use Australian.

Go on go buy something Aussie, you'll feel better.

Brian,
I fully support your statement above

buying 'cheap' is not the answer - buying 'quality' is the answer - BUY Australian made products

[qlddsl]

Brian,
I fully support your statement above

buying 'cheap' is not the answer - buying 'quality' is the answer - BUY Australian made products

good in theory, but not everyone can afford the top quality Aussie made product. cheap doesn't mean poor quality

[HEM19X]

All the best JT for the future, whatever you decide to do. You health is the most important thing in the world so in the words of Mr Spock.

"Live long & prosper, my friend."

I hope to see you out on the track somewhere.

All the best

Mark

[Black Diamond]

Johnny, take care mate good luck with every thing.

BD

[Tracey family]

Thinking of you in what is obviously a very difficult time.

We are proud Trackabout owners and cannot thank you enough for the fantastic product and probably the best customer service we have ever received. You should be very proud of what you have achieved mate.

Look after yourself.

  Scott and Glenyse

[snakehips]

I'm sure, like many others, whilst I've seen him lounging around under an awning with Carlisle, Roothy et al in videos and magazines, I don't know Johnny and don't own a Trackabout (but they were on my shortlist - and I own a Complete Campsite now-another Aussie brand  ).

However I can tell from the comments on this site and from Johnny's own posts that he had a fantastic product and provided service and attention to his customers way beyond what most people would find acceptable in this country, which generally speaking has a 'don't give a toss about the customer' service ethos.

If a business with a great product, fantastic customer service and a pre-existing positive reputation can't succeed in this country we have no hope.  Perhaps if Australians factored in quality and customer service alongside price to their purchasing decisions there'd be a chance, but that won't happen I fear.

Good luck John, stay healthy and best wishes to you, your family and your staff from another stranger.

[tropicbird54]

I am in shock!
Can't imagine the camper trailer world without any Trackabouts!

So very sorry John, to read of your plight, but as others have said, if it's affecting your health then it's time for a change,  as hard as that might be.  I remember while talking to you last year here in Cairns, you were so looking forward to getting away sometime in your own camper.   Now's the time to do it!  Imagine how many camp fires you can be sharing with all those tracky owners out there?  "They're everywhere - they're everwhere" haha

Thank you for a magnificent camper and for being such a gentleman.
And thank you to your team for doing such an awesome job building these campers.

Looking forward to seeing you out there.

All the best,

Lester and Sharyn      

[Mountain Trail Campers]

Hi Johnny,

Mate, I'm sorry this has happened to you, and I wish you well in the future with your health and endeavours. 

Owning a camper trailer manufacturing business is difficult in all aspects, I know that we have constantly strived to build the best product and not the cheapest product, which I know you did the same.  Its not only the product, its the marketing, camping shows, after hours calls and enquiries, research and development and time away from family.

John is absolutely correct regarding the Chinese products.  We have customers come into our factory who have owned cheap Chinese campers and now they cant even sell them for half of what they paid.  I have the same attitude even with our factory tools such as welders, hand drills, sewing machines, etc.  We only use the best equipment but it never lets us down, just like our camper trailers.

Next time your in Albury John, drop in and say gedday.

[Maîneÿ . . .]

good in theory, but not everyone can afford the top quality Aussie made product.

cheap doesn't mean poor quality

Then I think we should buy an "Australian made" less expensive product 

Keep the money and the jobs in Australia, don't send it overseas, where will our grand kids work, if they get old enough ??

Take 'snatch straps' as an example, there are Australian made straps for about $60 with an 8,OOOkg rating
then at the other end of the scale there is the $19O model with the same 8,OOOkg rating, but they really do look nicer 

[Squalo]

good in theory, but not everyone can afford the top quality Aussie made product. cheap doesn't mean poor quality

But it usually does mean poor aftersales support, and poor resale value.

I think if people were more willing to sacrifice a few things they could easily be in the good gear rather than copies of the good gear, but that sort of attitude seemed to die out with the last generation.

Sorry to hear of this JT, Trackabout are at the top of my list as far as top level CTs go, and you've been a sterling ambassador for the industry in general. I hope the company survives for the sake of your team and to carry on the goodwill you established.

[Big Nath]

Best of luck JT!

Cheers

[outback jack]

good luck for the future jt

[JCAT]

Very sorry to hear of your plight JT.

I could not believe it when I first read it yesterday.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do from now on, I am sure many manufacturers will be lining up for a man with your knowledge, reputation and experience.

But first take a long well deserved holiday.

[Bird]

JT,

All the best in a very difficult situation.

I sympathise with JT on the Tax Man's hard line. They are really playing hardball and with no mercy. They seem to be attacking small business like a rottweiler. A small business in trouble has the least resources to fight. Big business can it appears get away with murder and a deal.

I have been in a similar position with the Tax Man and the lack of any willingness on their part to negotiate was very disturbing to me. My file was passed onto a different officer who was willing to come to an arrangement that the previous officer was not inclined to. The file was "taken" back by the original officer who recanted the deal in progress and even said he was going to make an example of me! I cannot say the amount, but not a lot of money owed to the department.

The bragging that the department will put 800 to 900 businesses out of business A MONTH is a travesty. What is this going to do to our economy and unemployment figures? And that does not take into account the emotional toll on the owners and out of work staff. The department should be doing all in its power to help rebuild and save these businesses, keep the jobs and dollars in Australia and not be feeding the bank balances of the liquidators and lawyers

well said.

[jk]

Congrats on your 1000th post Johnno    , wish it was on a happier note but please make sure it's not your last mate 

[Alloy C/T]

So so easy to say buy Australian  made and manufactured , just have a look from where your sitting , how many things including what you'l type your reply on  are actualy made in Australia or even if made here are an Australian owned company  , sweet fa and we all let it happen , who's to blame ? We ALL are because we all want high wages and cheap [price wise] goods.

[Matto]

This is sad news for Australian small businesses, and especially for John and Rae and all the team at Trackabout.

Through my chats with John, one thing that stood out was how proud he was that they did all the work onsite at Moss St, with Australian workers. He rallied against some other manufacturers who advertised "Australian Made", but in reality simply assembled imported bits and pieces or used low-cost labour to save a few bob. JT was very passionate about giving young people a shot, and teaching them skills that they would be able to use for the rest of their lives. He was keen to use the best Australian products, and consequently end up with one of the best, no-gimmicks campers you could buy (and an addiction to Bling).

For the new members, here's the Indestructible Trackabout story that Singo mentioned:
http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=11341
Just one of the things that JT would do behind the scenes for the local community, things that most of us would never hear about.

It's a terribly hard decision to have to make, and I hope it works out for John and Rae. As everyone else has already said, hopefully once this is all over you guys can kick things down a gear and enjoy life.

I'm a proud Trackabout owner, and will continue to be.

Cheers,
Matto

[swamprat]

So so easy to say buy Australian  made and manufactured , just have a look from where your sitting , how many things including what you'l type your reply on  are actualy made in Australia or even if made here are an Australian owned company  , sweet fa and we all let it happen , who's to blame ? We ALL are because we all want high wages and cheap [price wise] goods.

Sadly all true. Who knows the answer? It was the same when the Japanese goods hit the market in the 60's. The sad thing is that no matter where you go there seems to be too many shops selling the same things, too many wineries trying to make it in a small market etc. etc. and if you visit the camping shows there seems to be too many manufacturers making the same campers, caravans and motorhomes.

What can we do? Stop selling our Iron Ore to the Chinese. That will teach them to flood our market with cheap goods! Maybe they will then buy all the hotels we sold to the Japanese and Singaporeans that cover good food growing land in QLD.

The other situation at the moment is the plight of the car industry. How many of us use an Australian made tow vehicle to move our campers? Not many I'll bet. Not that long ago you could see no end of Holdens and Falcons towing the family caravan for the big holiday every year.
I don't think things will get any better until we get better ourselves.
Time for a bex and a good lie down!!

[rockman]

Not good news John ... Best of luck with the future .
Having been there myself ( maybe not on your scale ) .. best advice I could give ... Don't look back - keep looking forward .

Cheers Jim

[V8100]

Really sad news mate i too as have probably quite a few members here been in this predicament. Probably just varying in scales.  I will in 2 weeks pay my last ever payment to the tax department.  Unfortunately though this cost the jobs of all that worked for me just because the ato wanted to play hardball.

On the upside a job that pays holidays super etc is so much less stress and both me and my family are reaping the benifits now.  When one door closes another always opens just follow it and see what that room has to offer.

Good Luck mate I hope someone else can now pay for your adventures.

Eddy

[Trackabouts Better Half]

Hi guys and ladies

Thanks heaps for your kind comments about John and Trackabout.  He feels really touched by the support shown here on MySwag.  I don't personally know all of you - I've had the pleasure of sharing drinks with many, but not all - but your comments are very moving.

We are not sure what the outcome will be, but are hoping that someone with a few dollars in their pocket sees the sense in picking up the Trackabout brand name and the goodwill which so obviously exists, and builds the business back up.

One of the hardest things for John was last Friday when he had to let the staff go and hand over to the administrator, who by the way is a nice guy, just with a tough job.  I know it's a hard thing to let one staff member go, but to have to lay everyone off, especially in this economic climate, was heart wrenching.

Reading through this thread I see a lot of proud Australians, which is great.  However, times are changing and all advanced manufacturing in Australia is under threat.  Maybe the ultimate outcome will be that we need to develop a new industry altogether and leave the manufacturing to countries where they can do it low cost. Just saying ....

I keep telling John to look forward, not back.  But its tough for someone who has worked for himself for 27 years.  He has eaten, breathed and slept Trackabout for the past ten years.  Cliches like 'every cloud has a silver lining' and 'when one door closes another opens' are quite appropriate right now and what is getting him through.  I am a big believer in things happening for a reason and having watched the stress that John has gone through the past 18 months and watched his health deteriorating, I think this could be a good time for a change. Together we will pick up the pieces and move forward, because that's what we do!

Again, thanks to everyone for their kind words.  See you on the tracks

Raewyn