clubber

I have only read good things on the web about sterling carbs and a little over a year ago, I sent him $640 and my old carb for a rebuild and mods. It's been 14 months and now I don't get responses by email. He claims that his email is messed up. I've been PM'ing him here since september but now I'm not getting anymore responses here either. Everytime I have been able to get in contact, I get; it will get done in the next week. This has been for 8 or 9 months. So at this point I believe that he is no longer selling carbs on the net but just relying on getting money for services you will never see and he's cashing in and will disappear when he's milked as much as possible. I'd like to believe better of him but after a year, the guy could get into the shop and bang out a carb if he had any honesty. I don't know if anyone has gotten carbs from him but I sure haven't.

73rx313b

iTrader: (40)

sorry to hear man... im one of those idiots with a Holley and i LOVE it!!! good luck

clubber

Ah that was just cold! I may be one of those with a Holley soon too.

Fire85GSLSE

iTrader: (29)

Have you tried all of his emails and pm's? Or tried his website?

I have every pm and email he ever sent me at home as I document everything when I went through the similar issue.

Here is contact info. Hope this helps you two get square!

dennis@sterlingmetalworks.com
denniswilliams@sterlingmetalworks.com
sterling@sterlingmetalworks.com
gorealfast@sterlingmetalworks.com
shitmail@sterlingmetalworks.com
sterlingrex@gmail.com

www.sterlingmetalworks.com/bymc

Fire85GSLSE

iTrader: (29)

Or go Webber / Dellorto like I did for awhile. Going FI now if I ever really do it!

TerrorismSux

Be careful on the Weber you choose. I have the Weber 45DCOE 152 and I personally think its too large for my 1985 GLS-SE 12A. I am thinking of finding someone with the same engine, that already has a Holley and wants to trade to a Weber. If I had some kind of forced air intake it would be perfect, but as it is, it sucks 99% gas 1% air. And when i tune it, it will run great hot, but never start after tuned, so i have to either hold the gas down to start it (50% floods) or unscrew the idle screws all the way.

Im still new to Carbs so just my 2cents

rotaryB-2000

just be a little patient with him...he has alot on his plate i am sure

clubber

Sent Emails to every email listed here a couple of hours ago. Said I want a refund or my sterling soon. We'll see if this goes anywhere.

RotoricanNY

iTrader: (2)

any update?

clubber

Well, sort of. He replied to one of my posts where he told the forum he had family issues. I sure wish he would have had issues before cashing the check but clearly that isn't a problem. Since then, he never replies to emails and pm's and I have heard nothing of any kind. I guess that after people sympathetic to his problems gave him the green light to screw his customers, that is the end of it. I've currently got a Dellorto up and running so at least I have a running car. Seems that's the end and good bye $700.

Rob XX 7

iTrader: (8)

is this guy in Connecticut?

clubber

Nope, New York. Now at 18 months, still no carb or updates from him.

84stock

iTrader: (5)

sad! Sure glad you posted the update. And, I certainly agree about cashing the cheque, that's just crooked.

So, sterling carbs are off to the ******* now!

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

There was a thread about Dennis in the 1st gen section. He is still working on stuff, but has a ton on his plate right now.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...light=sterling

84stock

iTrader: (5)

He has made a great product and contributed well over the years. I have a friend with a sterling and loves it. The thing is, he cashed the cheque and didn't deliver.

If he said "I'm busy, you gotta wait" and just took a small deposit it would be different I am sure. Sure this is just a hobby gone out of control, and naturally family comes first, I get that part.

My suggestion to Dennis, clear this issue up and just commit to building what you "enjoy" building every year. If that means 2 carbs/ year, then you satisfy 2 and that's it, sorry folks I'm booked. That would actually make a sterling carb even more valuable and soft after for those who have one already.

The man in the shack was once well regarded, long ago, than he pissed off to many and he is no longer welcome. Commit to what you enjoy doing and can complete in a time frame which does not conflict with family life and you will be respected forever.

rx7roller02

I think what happened here is not a case of Dennis taking your money and then playing games. He has a lot on his plate, and I get the feeling that this is more a case of him not expecting at that time to have this kind of delay in the process.

rx71king

iTrader: (6)

18 months that... BS .. this is a case of being careful what you wish for . and sterling wish to be mr nikki . now he sed he is to busy to finish one carb .

rx7roller02

Any more smartass comments in this thread and the poster will find themselves on vacation from this forum. The seller has already spoken up. It sucks, life happens this way sometimes, but the guy didnt get too busy because "he wanted to be Mr. Nikki", he has legitimate health issues among other things. BELIEVE ME, someone here that is waiting on their carb deserves to get what they paid for, but waiting on a carb is small potatoes compared to the reasons why sterling has not come through.

Next time, if you dont know what is happening, do us all a favor and dont speak. I am not condoning the fact that sterling has kept people waiting, but you will NOT come in here and bash someone that has been such a help to this community and has fallen on unfortunate hard times....especially when your bashing was spawned from ignorance.

84stock

iTrader: (5)

Okay, I'll back pedal a bit and say "ditto"

84stock

iTrader: (5)

One more turn on the pedals, another ditto.....well put

rx71king

iTrader: (6)

put yourself in clubber shoes ...$640 in limbo. you no whats going on in his life. everyone else on this site does not know..............

rx7roller02

Remember when I said you were speaking from ignorance?? That is exactly what you have just done again. In this very same thread, on 2/14, clubber himself posted this:
Like I said, sterling made it known on this forum what has been going on. I dont know sterling off of this forum and have never even spoken to him except for online. The only information I have about whats going on in his life is from the same exact place that clubber learned about it--on a thread on this forum.

Like I told you, if you dont know, dont speak. Everyone on this forum knows exactly what I know because they got it from the same place that I got it from. I do believe that I have made my point to you clearly enough.

chiquirx7

iTrader: (7)

i think sterling should give clubber a refund and his carb back we all have family issues

nitsudg

I have kept respectfully silent about my affairs with Dennis of Sterling for three years. I have seen a lot of posts on both sides about it. It is time to speak up.

There are several people on this forum--now including a moderator--who believe it "unfair" of Sterling's customers to post about their bad business dealings with Dennis. They spout off insinuating we the customers are crybabies for posting that we have not gotten what we paid for. They also insinuate that we are somehow being MEAN to him or "unsympathetic" because we are "expecting too much of him". Their (and Dennis's) excuse is "Dennis's personal problems".

Let's get some things straight that we can all agree on: First: EVERYONE has personal issues from time to time that may keep them from performing at 100%. Understood. Most of us including myself have sympathy intact as we should for people who are struggling.

Second: Dennis is probably the nicest and most well-intended guy in this forum, not to mention one of the most capable and most helpful. The one carb he has sent me is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. He is a CRAFTSMAN and a perfectionist. I understand the desire to "protect" Dennis due to his good intentions, skills, the fact that he is a nice guy, and the amount of help he has given to people by posting to this forum. Even I have made a three year long effort to "protect" him by keeping quiet about my misgivings.

But that has NOTHING to do with letting others know that they should not send him money because they are more than likely going to get burned in several ways.

First: money.

I believe it unfair of someone to call out a disappointed customer as jaded or "being unfair to Dennis due to his health or other issues" when that person hasn't got $400, $500, or $600 invested (or nearly $900 dollars in my case sent over three years ago) and only disappointment to show for it. That is a TON of money to me, and frankly, the forum SHOULD be a place where people who are disappointed can post about it so no one else has to go through losing that kind of cash and having the amount of headache that I and apparently multiple others have had. BTW, I paid him by paypal, and like others experienced, he had absolutely no problem accepting the payment. He just has a problem fulfilling orders.

It is easy to tell us to "forget about it" or to "let him off the hook" when you don't personally have that kind of money invested.

Does anybody who has experienced what it is like to throw away $900 sympathize with the customer yet? How many paychecks is that for you? What ELSE could you have done with that money?

Second: the fair expectations of a business deal.

I asked Dennis at the BEGINNING of our dealings what I should expect for a delivery date. He told me no more than three months for the factory rebuild carb and 6 months for my custom carb and gave me his word on it. My first carb took a year and a half of "respectful begging" to show up. The other is still not here after both having been promised "to be coming next week" AT THE VERY LEAST 10 times apiece. I have invested HOURS in phone calls and emails to get what I paid for. Eventually, the emails and phone calls stopped being returned--until I threatened to post to this forum and to contact an attorney. But then, I only got more empty promises and still no second carb.

In order to help him fulfill my order:
Somewhere over a year in, he had sent me a sterling as a temporary substitute since it was taking so long for him to get me my FIRST carb. Like I said, he is a well intended nice guy. I talked to him at the year and a half mark after he finally sent my first carb of course inquiring about when I would get the OTHER one and he asked me to return the substitute sterling he had recently sent me because it would help him fulfill his orders and get to mine faster. I trusted that by doing so it would motivate him to fulfill MY custom order NEXT (as he promised) so I sent it back and guess what? STILL no custom carb. So now, I don't even have any collateral that I could have either used on my car and called the business deal done or sold on the forum or on ebay to try to make up for my loss. If I had kept that carb, we would be relatively even other than the extra I paid for custom work.

Furthermore, a year ago, to further help him out, I even told him to forget custom (even though I had paid more for it) and just send me a sterling. Still no carb.

So, even after my good faith efforts to help him out and make his job easier for him by sending back the substitute carb (thereby keeping me from using it), and then by no longer asking for custom work that I had already paid more for, still no carb. Does this sound like a fair business deal? Anybody sympathize with the customer yet?

Third: the use of "personal problems" as an excuse.

You want to talk about "personal problems" as an excuse to garner sypathy for a job not done? How about the CUSTOMER'S SIDE? I HAVE HAD PERSONAL ISSUES that DENNIS was well aware of. Am I supposed to post MY personal information as an excuse for why I THE CUSTOMER should have had my carbs sooner and to garner my own sypmathy? Fine. I will. How about having NO GARAGE with a driveway surrounded by pine trees with Tornados and HAIL STORMS coming thru every February and March with limbs falling and trees snapping and hail the size of softballs and no way of moving my cars without carburetors? I have spent HOURS duct-taping cardboard boxes together and doubling up car covers to try to protect my cars in case of a storm direct hit. I repeat--Dennis was WELL aware of MY "personal problems", and yet, it did NOT motivate him to get me my carbs that I paid him for any faster. Where is MY sympathy from Dennis?

Fourth: More "personal problems" as an excuse: Further cost.

Six months in, I finally had to pay for a towtruck and PAY FOR STORAGE UNITS to protect my cars for a year basically because of Dennis. At $115 a month for EACH 10x20, that comes to $2400 dollars. If I had had working carbs, I could simply have moved them under a local overhang for the night and not have had anything to worry about. I spent a lot of money (that I would not have had to) to protect my cars because I couldn't move them without working carburetors and there was no way I was just going to leave them in the driveway any longer waiting for the next storm to destroy them--and thank God I did, because a small tornado did in fact rip through the yard, tore stuff up, and took out several trees which fell right smack where my cars used to sit. Anybody sympathize with the customer yet?

Finally: The cost of HEADACHE.

Does anybody out there enjoy having to constantly harangue someone to do what you paid them to do? Or enjoy investing time you could be doing something else in tracking down just what is going on and trying to gain more empty promises?

I sympathize that Dennis has some heavy stuff going on. But the amount of headache I have gone through due to this situation is absolutely unacceptable. Whether about money, stressing about my cars getting destroyed, building cardboard garages, having to beg for someone to do their job, or just the pain in the *** that all of this has been, I have had enough stress and loss of sleep to suit me for the rest of my life.

There is no way I am going to "let Dennis off" due to having "life issues" when the lack of a carburetor means that my cars are at risk of potential totaling out. No insurance company I know of is going to pay to repair a ton of hail damage on a 79 Rx-7. They would total it. Period.

Nor will I let him off when this much money is at stake. I understand that life issues come in the way of fulfilling responsibilities at times. But how long does it take to build a carburator? 8 hours? 16? A full day? A week? A month?

At least 1095 days have passed since I ordered (and paid for) my carburetors. That is 156 weeks. 7780 hours.

Surely he could have taken even ONE month out of 36 to finish my carburetor.

In NO WAY is this not rediculous and unacceptable. And if you disagree with that, you don't have your head screwed on straight.

Please contact me if you have an unfulfilled order from Sterling.

rx7roller02

nitsudg,

lets you and me get some things straight here and now.

1--AT NO TIME did I EVER say to "let him off the hook". NOT ONCE. NOT EVER. So, if you are going to come in here and post, you are going to either TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH OR GET LOST. Sterling has stated that he knows he messed up, he knows he owes people, and he has since told me that he has completely stopped selling anything new until such time that he can get back on his feet and handle his already pending customers. NO ONE SAID TO LET HIM OFF THE HOOK. If you post falsely-accusing crap like this again you will find yourself getting a one-way ticket outta here. You can stop talking out your back side any time now. What I DID say was that I do not in any way condone sterling(or anyone else) keeping people waiting.

2--you said this:
Once more, stop talking our your ***, or simply stop talking altogether. I NEVER said that no one should talk about THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH DENNIS. What I DID say was to one individual, who was clearly making his story up as he went and was simply bashing a guy. He has no dog in this fight, he is NOT a customer of sterling, and he is NOT waiting for anything to be delivered to him by sterling. What he DID do was talk trash and make claims that sterling "was trying to be Mr. Nikki". If the person that I made those comments to is a customer, I certainly wouldnt know it, because his only action here was to kick a man thats already down. And once again, I made it clear that I do not condone sterling keeping anyone waiting, but I WILL NOT TOLERATE people talking out their *** just to bash someone out of ignorance. The guy further claimed that sterling couldnt even let anyone know what was going on--another BS lie, as shown.

Look, I made my position clear. I do not know sterling anywhere except for online, it isnt like I am trying to take up for a friend or something. And the insinuation you are making that I am basically telling our members to go get bent and "forget about it" is not only completely false, but COMPLETELY UNAPPRECIATED. If you have something INTELLIGENT TO ADD, feel free. But if you post like this again, you will be looking for a new forum to post on.

Have I made myself clear enough? The guy left people hanging, it sucks and I sincerely wish I could fix it for you. But I cannot. In the meantime, telling lies, accusing moderators of being shady, and making such insinuations WILL NOT BE TOLERATED ONE SECOND LONGER. Is that understood?? You could have simply added your experience to the list without lying about what I have said and done here. Try it again and see how far it gets you.