Another thread in here about the same product. Expect this time, I still have not received it. Already had processed my credit card. Claiming the package was shipped out on 7/11/08 but has been unable to produce a tracking number. I feel the only the reason my card was charged was because I had brought up. As to why my card was not charged yet. But they had claimed it shipped
Original thread here.
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=770217

And just in case they delete it or edit it. A printed pdf version of the thread so far.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FWSSF3Z7

 

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/how-strong-do-you-think-these-welds-772092/
https://www.rx7club.com/lounge-192/how-strong-do-you-think-these-welds-772099/

Update got the brace. And this thing is a joke.

 

Email Sean and return the item..Get your money back, problem solved.

 

Well until my money is actually refunded. That is the case. I have paid $144 and receive a hunk of welded crap. To me that's bad business ethics. No matter the customer. If you are going to put your name on a product. At least have some pride in it. If they refund the money then this is a different story. And I will post it to reflect that.

Also the reason to posting the pictures of the welds, is because I'm not a certified welder, I have not even held a welder. To me it didn't look right. So I posted to see what everyone else thought of them. When you get 99% of the people posting say they look like crap and can see signs of failure. You wouldn't be upset with your wasted money?

 

Thanks for the pics and warning. Those welds look like real crap.

 

For your information. I already have sent it back. Your about a day late on your comment.

 

i think he did the right thing..

I was actually going to order one but after reading this..i would rather to get from elsewhere

 

One of the most mature things i've read on the forum in a while.

 

unfortunately, you're right...but that's another issue entirely. This thread is a classic example of an appropriate way to show disapproval of someone's actions vs being counter productive when trying to get your message across.

 

After you had created a thread in the 3rd generation section, detailing this situation in its entirety; I see this thread as being over the top. It is looking like you are trying to hurt this companies reputation as they have already offered a refund and you were already planning to ship the item back.

Now, had you sent the item back and never gotten a refund, then I would see this thread as being merited. Until you get ripped off (and a few days of waiting in between shipping is NOT ripped off) you really need to focus on getting things resolved and not posting multiple threads about the same topic.

I vote this thread gets deleted, since you can find more information in the 3rd generation section.

You need to stop being mad. They are fixing the problem. Do you continue to slam EVERYONE once something doesn't go your way? If so, I would hate to do business with you... just in case i took 1 or 2 days too long to ship. There would be 3 threads about me!

Relax bro, life is too short to stress about a company that acknowledges their error and is showing willingness to resolve it.

 

Interesting. The guy handles the situation in a very professional manner and he gets ripped for it? He didn't cause the situation and if A Spec had delivered on time a quality product all would be well. I for one am glad he's posted here and in the other thread as the product is not of high quality and now we know. A Spec is doing the right thing by giving him his money back but for the rest of us, do you really want to buy a part that looks like that?

Maybe this will make A Spec rethink the parts they are sending out and we'll all benefit from it with improved quality from them. If not, they'll suffer. It's classic business 1.0: Do the right thing and sell quality and you will be rewarded. Sell stuff like this and customers will tell many, many people about the crappy situation. And with the Internet available, it's much easier to get the word out, like in this case.

 

David, I'm going to disagree with you here. While the part that he got was basically trash, the fact remains that he was able to return it and get his money back with no problems.

Additionally, I would not consider creating 4 separate threads to be handling a situation in a "professional" manner.

I would also say that his impatience and obvious unwillingness to be reasonable i the thread linked below are very far from professional. And while I have no personal feelings about the situation and have no problem with either party involved, I do think that he was being irrational.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=770217

 

FYI this is an incorrect statement. I have not received my money back as of today.

 

my appologies, then. Have you sent the brace back already?

 

Yes if you would kindly read the thread I linked in the first posted which is the same one you posted in the post I quoted from you. It was scheduled to be delivered yesterday but it got their too early and they were closed. They redelivered it today. And if you do the tracking you will see. It has been delivered today at 9:45am. And know I am waiting to see their response.


Jul 24, 2008 9:45 AM

Delivered

Schaumburg, IL



9:23 AM

Delivery exception

CAROL STREAM, IL

Customer not available or business closed

2:34 AM

On FedEx vehicle for delivery

CAROL STREAM, IL

 

We'll agree to disagree I started and grew a very successful multi-million dollar per year company off of the basic premise of having a high quality product and offering unsurpassed customer service. Using this philosophy I kicked my competitors' collective a$$es and was quite successful. I was always amazed at the number of companies that just didn't seem to get that if you treat the customer right and always did the right thing you'll succeed.

Did A Spec sell this guy a quality product? The evidence is pretty clear on this: no. And did they deliver it on time or refund his money back promptly? Again, no. I'm not saying they're not nice guys, heck I don't know them at all and haven't bought from them. After seeing the quality of the brace they sell, I'd be hard pressed to buy from them now. And I'm sure they're busy so their communication is slow but isn't that the point? They didn't communicate in a timely fashion with this guy and he got pissed and then to add insult to injury, they sent him a clearly inferior product, causing him to go out of his way to post about it on this forum. I do know he'd be much happier to have received in a timely manner a quality product. It's a lot of hassle to have to track down something like this and then to have to send it back.

Unfortunately, the automotive industry, and the RX7 community in particular, is full of stories just like this. I've been on the receiving end too many times for me to count. Show me that one place that does high quality work, communicates promptly with its customers, and delivers in a timely fashion and I'll show you a very successful operation. Just doesn't seem to exist much now days.

 

Banzai Racing is a perfect example. Great communication, great product, super fast shipping.

 

Unfortunately sir, you need to get your facts straight, and find something better to do with your time than defend a situation as minute as this one.

1. It was delivered on time. Read the original thread. I SPECIFICALLY TOLD HIM UPON ORDERING IT MAY TAKE A COUPLE WEEKS!

2. He was refunded the day that brace was in my hands(I handle returns), sorry there was a delivery attempt on a day we weren't open.

3. Please explain how we did not communicate in a timely fashion? Did you even read the original thread? Clearly not...Ill link you to it.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=770217

There was more than enough communication, and more than enough effort put in on our behalf to make the situation correct. For every 20 happy customers you will always have that one that you can never seem to make happy, and that is this guy. It was a $129 brace, you guys act like it was a $3600 turbo kit! IS THE WORLD COMING TO AN END???

I am honestly beginning to wonder... 4 threads about this?

The funny thing is I would have had no problem refunding his money, AND, sending him a NEW BRACE FREE OF CHARGE. Those that have dealt with me know that is my style...I love being given the opportunity to exceed the customers expectations in a situation like this. A simple phone call and an ounce of patience can go a long way sometimes. But when you have a customer that is so determined to bash and complain about one simple issue, why would I want to go out of my way to help him out? At that point a simple apology and refund is all that is deserved...

And for those that do understand how petty this really is, I do thank you. We are not here to rip anyone off, sell an inferior product, or cause "internet enemies".

 

Did I read all the threads before posting? Yes. And I've now reread them prior to this posting just to ensure what I am going to say is accurate.

First, your communication with the customer is not the worst I've seen, just not the best. You could have called him and communicated in a much better fashion. You tell him twice the brace will be ready "next week". We've all heard this before from vendors. IMO, it would be much better to give an actual realistic date instead of stringing out the customer. Again, not the end of the world as you shipped the product out on the 11th it appears.

Now how about the tracking number? You didn't supply this to the customer and it made him extremely nervous. Your explanation? "Sean would have issued you a tracking number but he was unable to get in contact with me during that time, and I am the one who accesses our account." Sorry to sound so pointed, but this doesn't matter to the customer and why should he care? All he know is he didn't get the tracking number. Your company SHOULD have immediately supplied the correct tracking information to the customer and you wouldn't have the problem. Again, excuses don't matter, the end result does and in this case, it meant no tracking number.

"He was refunded the day that brace was in my hands(I handle returns), sorry there was a delivery attempt on a day we weren't open." Am I missing something here, or was the failed delivery attempt made on the 23rd, a Wednesday? You are not open on a Wednesday? That would be interesting news for your customers.

Two other forms of bad customer communication:

"FYI, everything is not instantaneous. Judging by your tone, I guess I shall educate." Frankly, if I were this customer I would be kind of pissed with this remark as you are implying he doesn't have knowledge and needs education. And your remark to me "find something better to do with your time than defend a situation as minute as this one" is a bit off-putting isn't it? Curiously, by posting what you did to me you've now elevated and continued the discussion, causing more potential customers to look at this thread. Given the quality of the brace, I'd think that's the last thing you'd want.

Speaking of the quality, I note you didn't discuss it in your posts. Are you pleased with what you sent out? Is that the quality A Spec customers can expect from your work? I hope not. I know you've indicated you've sent the customer a new brace free of charge but, based on what I've seen, that's the last thing I think he'd want.

To me, your communication and product quality needs to improve. Hope it does and you enjoy much success. Kind of sounds like I lecture and teach on this stuff, doesn't it? That's because I do. I help many entrepreneurs successfully start and grow businesses. The old adage, "the customer is always right" continues to be the best motto along with "always, always over communicate and deliver a superior product"

 

why does it matter if it was a cheap brace vs. something much more expensive? do you only provide good customer service to high paying customers? so what's the threshhold for the amount one has to spend there to deserve good service and a good product? putting aside the shipping delays and communication issues, bottom line is you sold him a shitty product. yes, to your business and to your bottom line this is a petty issue, but as a matter of principle it speaks volumes.

 

I personally don't think A-Spec is a bad company, but if this guy keeps posting **** like that it may change my mind. Sean should have a talk with his employees.

 

My money was finally refunded. Its showed up in pending transactions Monday. And was fully processed into my account today. After the difficulty to get the first brace that I paid for and the end result of that. I wouldn't trust the quality of work on a free one.

As far as I am concerned this matter is over with and I have asked Rx-7Doctor to lock this thread but not delete it.

 

Reopened so A-Spec can respond at their request.

The only members allowed now to respond in this thread are A-Spec and RotaryBuddha.

Thank you.
Doc.

 

I only want to address a few points here as I never got to say much of anything.

First, the customer was told two weeks or so, that we currently haven't been stocking them. This is for two reasons. One orders are not common so I get a few made then when time allows or if someone calls needing one I will get more made. The customer expressed we need not to worry he wasn't in a hurry. Then it became more of a priority to the customer. At that point I made the call and said please knock one out quickly, this person suddenly has a need for it sooner than originally expressed.

The second is they are being redesigned to allow for different fitment issues such as aftermarket motor mounts and so on, and also made with bushings to eliminate a good amount of transmission noise transfer.

We still got it to him within the timeframe we mentioned. So sorry David your mistaken on that point. Regardless of how you want to cut it. And as far as a clear delivery date, I wont do it. I tell customers up front that I would rather not tell them X and suddenly for some reason it didn't happen and we look like we just said X to get the order. As for failed delivery attempt, if fed ex comes, and I am not in for some reason then what? Since we open at 9:30 and at times I literally have to drive around looking for him because he comes before then on some days even though he has been told numerous times deliveries need to be after 9:30, what does that have to do with anything? Better yet, I've had him leave missed you stickers with me in back welding since nine times out of ten I am here early doing just that before it gets too warm. Or we've gone to subway to get lunch, only to come back and have a missed you sticker on the door. So..... I'm sorry I can't have someone stationed at the door 24/7 and while that may seem like I'm being pissy, I'm not. Just be a bit realistic in fact that you can not control everything, and it's always easier to say shoulda coulda after the fact.

As for the tracking number I was here by myself and Ryan was sitting in a doctors office on that day seeing if he needed to have his tonsils removed if memory serves. I could be wrong though, he may have been picking material up as well for all I can remember. I could've probably found it had I tried a bit harder. Was it perfect? Nope. Was it the worst customer neglect or service, nope. I unfortunately get pulled in too many directions at times and If I need to get something boxed up, welded up, or built, or am answering any one of god knows how many emails/PM's that customer wanting a tracking number can wait a few hrs, while I take care of other customers also needing their product/car/questions done or answered. All it takes is one thing to put other things a bit behind. I believe he had a tracking number by the next day. Again while not ideal. It was hardly mistreatment.

As for the "let me educate" or attitude people seem to think is there. Ryan as well as others and myself even via email had told the customer more than once that it will take a few days to get through processing. He was refunded within a few hrs. He refused to listen and insisted on us being misinformed or misleading on purpose. After being as nice and polite about it as possible and having the customer insist you are wrong, guess what you may start to get a bit offended by essentially being accused of not doing, what you said multiple times you had done.

Here is the bigger picture something was purchased, it was delivered within the time mentioned, it was not up to par, faulty, etc however you want to call it, clarify it, whatever. The customer was refunded within a few hours of receiving the returned item. That is a fair transaction. Was it a good one? Hardly. Were we ever treated with attitude, you bet. Was the customer? Hardly, until the insinuations/accusations started.

It works both ways David, and sorry to say customer isn't always right. There is another saying that says.... You can make some of the people happy all the time, all of the people happy some of the time but you can't make all of the people happy all of the time. Some customers no matter what you do, it wont be good enough, to think otherwise is foolish. If you've been in business as you claim to have been with your experience you're more than aware of the truth to it, and have experienced it first hand. And this in no way means I think he got a quality product or a good experience, so no-one should imply otherwise.

Could he not have opened the package up and said WTF? This is not what I was expecting, or this is garbage, contacted me immediately, and said hey I would like to return this right now, I'm not sure this is to my liking. Sure he could have. Did he....? Nope. Instead he posts up numerous threads with the intent of doing damage. BEFORE trying to return it or contact me. Makes claims/insinuations, that we are not refunding him promptly, or mistreating him in some way, publicly again with intent to do some sort of damage, and drags others with third hand info and opinions in to the situation. Putting us immediately on the defensive.

Please keep in mind I'm not saying he had a good experience, or that he received a quality product even, but in no way was he ever put off, brushed aside, or left hanging. As Ryan has said in the past; we have even said, not to worry send it back and we'll refund you and sent out a new one free of charge, simply for the headache. I even sent the pieces of one for free to a customer, after for some reason, the first two wouldn't fit his car so he could fit it himself and weld it up. This was not any fault of our own, the two fit cars here fine. Some cars have been hit, tweaked, some use other motor mounts etc. But I didn't leave him hanging either. Plain and simple.... treat others the way you want to be treated. Wether your a business owner OR customer. Do that and you can't go wrong, start being demanding, condescending, accusation-al or insinuative and expect to be treated with a little less warmth.

Those who comment about the said value is a issue, it's not, your correct, but your not putting the comment into full context, you are grabbing on one thing and making it something it is not. A customer is a customer period regardless.

Unclehungry, Ryan is not going anywhere he does very well, and when if the day comes you deal with him personally, or me, you can then make a fair call of judgement for yourself. Oh and also.... YOU ROCK!!

Rotarybuddha, your free to post reply anything you wish. I covered what I need to and wont need to be back in this thread. You certainly didn't get a good example of our brace, nor can I make a bad experience a good one. I hope you got whatever damage you were after and despite what you may think I sincerely hope you enjoy your RX7 that is the point after all isn't it?


~S~

 

I have dealt with him personally and you, and I had not one problem with him or yourself. I'm the guy who tried to buy a bunch of those turbine housings off you. I didn't mean to leave the impression that I thought he needed to go. I Just that he wasn't doing A - Spec any favors with his last reply. And as far as me rocking, I ******* know it