Garage Alpha
12-24-18, 02:56 AM
#1
Garage Alpha
What a joke. I now don't trust a thing from Garage Alpha. Look at what happened to the door sills. Marketing it as their product, and turns out they were just a distributor that got cut out. Next time they have a new product, find out who is making it and buy it from the source.
12-24-18, 07:04 AM
#2
To me it sounds like the joke is how Garage Alpha got screwed by the manufacturer on that deal by your description...
I guess that is what you get when you go into business with "China".
(broad generalization of a current market phenomenon; not to single out any Chinese individual).
I love you Chinese/Taiwanese people!
Mazda doesn't make all the components of their cars or even their signature rotary engines, but you can be sure they have actual trade agreements so they don't get undercut by the manufacturers.
Garage Alpha mission statement from their website-
I have no dog in the fight, I just don't understand why you are upset at Garage Alpha for helping bring a product for our cars to market and then getting screwed by the manufacturer.
I guess that is what you get when you go into business with "China".
(broad generalization of a current market phenomenon; not to single out any Chinese individual).
I love you Chinese/Taiwanese people!
Mazda doesn't make all the components of their cars or even their signature rotary engines, but you can be sure they have actual trade agreements so they don't get undercut by the manufacturers.
Garage Alpha mission statement from their website-
September 05, 2018
Have a product? Want to sell it? Don't want to be bothered with onsie-twosie sales and stocking items? Then drop us an e-mail. We love working with single product manufacturers to offer their goods all under one roof.
We also love visionaries and can help bring your product to life with 3D scanning, 3D printing, CNC manufacturing, injection molding, custom carbon fiber and custom titanium products.
Alpha Day.
Day One. Alpha Day. The launch of a new concept for creators and tinkerers.Have a product? Want to sell it? Don't want to be bothered with onsie-twosie sales and stocking items? Then drop us an e-mail. We love working with single product manufacturers to offer their goods all under one roof.
We also love visionaries and can help bring your product to life with 3D scanning, 3D printing, CNC manufacturing, injection molding, custom carbon fiber and custom titanium products.
12-24-18, 10:41 AM
#3
What a joke. I now don't trust a thing from Garage Alpha. Look at what happened to the door sills. Marketing it as their product, and turns out they were just a distributor that got cut out. Next time they have a new product, find out who is making it and buy it from the source.
There never was a secret that this was made from a guy in China. The first thread even have a link to the guy.
GA stepped up and bring the product to US customers who either isnt of FB, or wants to deal with US people. Then the guy could not deliver up to the standards required, and refused to take the responsibility for lost goods, as any seller should unless the buyer have specified shipping terms. Common business logic. I guess he could not scale up and handle the increased pressure and commitment from having a distributor.
The joke in this case sir, is you
12-24-18, 11:33 AM
#4
I know that distributors exist. To compare this to Mazda not making their parts makes no sense.
Another company wanted to make something for the FD. Garage alpha then tried to get in on it and then got cut out.
The 10 brands of laundry detergent at the store come from maybe 2 manufacturers. But all the distributors brand it. Nothing wrong with that. But did any of us get a distinct Garage Alpha set? Nope...
Their mission statement says nothing about jumping in on someone else's product that's already being developed and adding cost to it. If they have an original idea, or someone is no longer making a product the community wants, then yes, go for it. But it turns out these doorsills were already coming.
Yes, I feel bad for them getting cut out, but this product was misrepresented. Obviously it was being made in China, but someone else was just starting to make them. Unless I read it wrong, this whole thread was about garage Alpha bringing this to market.
Another company wanted to make something for the FD. Garage alpha then tried to get in on it and then got cut out.
The 10 brands of laundry detergent at the store come from maybe 2 manufacturers. But all the distributors brand it. Nothing wrong with that. But did any of us get a distinct Garage Alpha set? Nope...
Their mission statement says nothing about jumping in on someone else's product that's already being developed and adding cost to it. If they have an original idea, or someone is no longer making a product the community wants, then yes, go for it. But it turns out these doorsills were already coming.
Yes, I feel bad for them getting cut out, but this product was misrepresented. Obviously it was being made in China, but someone else was just starting to make them. Unless I read it wrong, this whole thread was about garage Alpha bringing this to market.
12-24-18, 01:06 PM
#6
What a joke. I now don't trust a thing from Garage Alpha. Look at what happened to the door sills. Marketing it as their product, and turns out they were just a distributor that got cut out. Next time they have a new product, find out who is making it and buy it from the source.
I know that distributors exist. To compare this to Mazda not making their parts makes no sense.
Another company wanted to make something for the FD. Garage alpha then tried to get in on it and then got cut out.
The 10 brands of laundry detergent at the store come from maybe 2 manufacturers. But all the distributors brand it. Nothing wrong with that. But did any of us get a distinct Garage Alpha set? Nope...
Their mission statement says nothing about jumping in on someone else's product that's already being developed and adding cost to it. If they have an original idea, or someone is no longer making a product the community wants, then yes, go for it. But it turns out these doorsills were already coming.
Yes, I feel bad for them getting cut out, but this product was misrepresented. Obviously it was being made in China, but someone else was just starting to make them. Unless I read it wrong, this whole thread was about garage Alpha bringing this to market.
Another company wanted to make something for the FD. Garage alpha then tried to get in on it and then got cut out.
The 10 brands of laundry detergent at the store come from maybe 2 manufacturers. But all the distributors brand it. Nothing wrong with that. But did any of us get a distinct Garage Alpha set? Nope...
Their mission statement says nothing about jumping in on someone else's product that's already being developed and adding cost to it. If they have an original idea, or someone is no longer making a product the community wants, then yes, go for it. But it turns out these doorsills were already coming.
Yes, I feel bad for them getting cut out, but this product was misrepresented. Obviously it was being made in China, but someone else was just starting to make them. Unless I read it wrong, this whole thread was about garage Alpha bringing this to market.
We've gone through and locked / addressed the issue, publicly, on here and Facebook. We aren't trying to sell these things or get customers to take sides. But for some reason you chose to attack our introduction thread, which doesn't even mention the door sills - about these door sills.
As for how this relationship all came to be... Tai / CC was selling on Facebook. A few people thought he was part of that Dominican Republic company that changed names like 5 times and didn't trust him. Additionally, some people just weren't comfortable sending PayPal payments to a non-verified address halfway across the globe. WE knew that he wasn't related to the DR company, so we reached out and offered to organize a Group Buy, help promote the product and build a name for his products in the US. We also sent a number of products to him for reproduction in carbon, to be sold as 'Garage Alpha' exclusive products.
As for prices, Tai / CC quoted us a price per unit for buying in bulk. We didn't negotiate, we just accepted the price. We then sold them via Group Buy for what Tai / CC set the price at ($170) and raised them after the Group Buy ($220) because OUR prices went up after the Group Buy too... we also disabled them on the website after it turned out Tai was taking too long to fill orders as not to create even more of a backup.
The door sills were available before, during and after the Group Buy. We didn't cut out anyone, nor did we have the power to. Ask Zepticon who we told him to buy from after all this went down.
Don't feel bad for us getting "cut out". Feel bad for the people on THIS Group Buy that didn't get what was promised. Although they got refunds, what they wanted was door sills. The only reason Tai / CC and Garage Alpha had an issue was because we demanded our customers be taken care of rather then have to wait month after month while Tai / CC made and shipped products for orders placed WELL after theirs.
Listen, this is all silly at some point. Things didn't work out between two companies. No one lost any money - WE made everything right when our supplier wouldn't. How many times have we seen Group Buys go south from a supply standpoint and everyone with money at stake loses out? Yeah. That's NOT what happened here.
So again, I don't know what dog you have in this fight other then to take a side when no one is upset.
Bottom line, you're coming to an unrelated thread just to vent about... something? What that is, I don't quite know.
12-24-18, 03:00 PM
#7
I don't need to have a dog in the fight. Last I checked this was a public forum on the internet. I'm glad you are making it right, but people have lost a lot of money on shady dealings on this forum over the years. Anyone doing business on here should be putting simple risk mitigation measures into their business practices. This guy apparently doesn't insure his shipments? That's shady (I bet he does and then uses it as an excuse to pocket the money). To protect your customers you should have required insurance, and required proof of it. Or arrange and pay for the shipping yourself with insurance.
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12-25-18, 04:58 AM
#8
Ban Peak
iTrader: (49)
I don't need to have a dog in the fight. Last I checked this was a public forum on the internet. I'm glad you are making it right, but people have lost a lot of money on shady dealings on this forum over the years. Anyone doing business on here should be putting simple risk mitigation measures into their business practices. This guy apparently doesn't insure his shipments? That's shady (I bet he does and then uses it as an excuse to pocket the money). To protect your customers you should have required insurance, and required proof of it. Or arrange and pay for the shipping yourself with insurance.
If you ordered sills, waited, and are very upset about not getting your order you should discuss it with GA, not trash post in this thread. These are stand up guys who will not leave you hanging ( which is why everyone received a refund instead of waiting forever).
There are are plenty of other group buys which take even longer to have a product come to fruition at arrive at your door. Your aggression here is unfounded.
12-25-18, 11:40 AM
#9
I'm not lacking background, nor do I have aggression. Someone other than GA was already investing in making a product, GA jumped in and marketed as theirs, and then got cut out. From the beginning, why didn't they simply say they saw this guy making parts and are distributing them to reach more people in the community?
Yes many group buys take longer, and many don't even come to fruition. But how many do this? Is this structure in effect on other products they offer, or is this a unique situation?
Yes many group buys take longer, and many don't even come to fruition. But how many do this? Is this structure in effect on other products they offer, or is this a unique situation?
12-25-18, 12:40 PM
#10
I'm not lacking background, nor do I have aggression. Someone other than GA was already investing in making a product, GA jumped in and marketed as theirs, and then got cut out. From the beginning, why didn't they simply say they saw this guy making parts and are distributing them to reach more people in the community?
https://www.rx7club.com/group-buy-pr.../#post12296683
Corncarbon is mentioned here:
corncarbon the maker has never done it but is willing to make a prototype
You should have read the thread before signing up.
12-25-18, 01:02 PM
#11
I read the whole thing a long time ago. All it says is there is a maker, nothing about someone named Tai (maybe same person?). It never implies that this was someone else's product. You were the one that even brought it up saying you noticed it on Facebook where people were calling him a scammer (looks like they were right too), e.g. no insurance on shipping, blatantly selling garages alpha's remaining order.
If there is more background on Facebook, great, it should have been pasted over here too.
If there is more background on Facebook, great, it should have been pasted over here too.
12-26-18, 12:24 PM
#12
I read the whole thing a long time ago. All it says is there is a maker, nothing about someone named Tai (maybe same person?). It never implies that this was someone else's product. You were the one that even brought it up saying you noticed it on Facebook where people were calling him a scammer (looks like they were right too), e.g. no insurance on shipping, blatantly selling garages alpha's remaining order.
If there is more background on Facebook, great, it should have been pasted over here too.
If there is more background on Facebook, great, it should have been pasted over here too.
Jesus. Sit down, have a coke and a smile, and shut the **** up. Or better yet you could go **** to AEM and Holley/HPI for rebadging and marketing Mercury Marine IGN-1A coils (actually MM probably are remarketing something else, but who cares) as their own awesome and proprietary gear. Or how about all of the ECU manufacturers who spec and sell sensors or connectors at a huge markup that you can just order your own damn self from Mouser or DigiKey.
There's a reason why Honeywell et all and all their customers don't care that these parts are being represented as a 'secret sauce'. It's because they're providing a service such as accessibility, ease of use, and gaurantees of functionality (or in this case potentially quality assurance/more established and by extension trustworthy - 'Murican vendor). They're doing a service and being paid for it, nobody is trying to pull the wool over your eyes, as a business they saw a relationship with a manufacturer going sideways and remedied it as best they could all while being transparent with their actions.
Oh and full disclosure I'm a somewhat satisfied customer of theirs. I say somewhat because I think their gear is a bit over priced but its exactly what was advertised so guess what? They held up their end.
12-26-18, 12:53 PM
#13
Nice language, maybe you should take your own advice. You are a "somewhat" satisfied customer? What does that even mean? What a rave review.
You mentioned it's overpriced, gee, maybe resellers can cause price inflation and sometimes without adding value.
And again, just like earlier in this thread, this is nothing like Honeywell, and nothing like 3rd party suppliers for Mazda. Apples and oranges.
You mentioned it's overpriced, gee, maybe resellers can cause price inflation and sometimes without adding value.
And again, just like earlier in this thread, this is nothing like Honeywell, and nothing like 3rd party suppliers for Mazda. Apples and oranges.
12-26-18, 12:59 PM
#14
Nice language, maybe you should take your own advice. You are a "somewhat" satisfied customer? What does that even mean? What a rave review.
You mentioned it's overpriced, gee, maybe resellers can cause price inflation and sometimes without adding value.
And again, just like earlier in this thread, this is nothing like Honeywell, and nothing like 3rd party suppliers for Mazda. Apples and oranges.
You mentioned it's overpriced, gee, maybe resellers can cause price inflation and sometimes without adding value.
And again, just like earlier in this thread, this is nothing like Honeywell, and nothing like 3rd party suppliers for Mazda. Apples and oranges.
We also acted as a shipment point for customers that ordered direct from Tai/CC who’s product was damaged in shipping (we shipped replacements and provided shipping labels for returns) to avoid sending back and forth to Taiwan. We also were able to act as an exchange point for people that changed their mind on colors / weaves. We were also able to act as a return point for people that got orders with two lefts / two rights, again, instead of shipping back and forth to Taiwan.
Im not saying we were essential to these getting to market. We simply facilitated and offered all the benefits of dealing with a known quantity, with a website and a verified PayPal account in the US. Oh, not to mention, as a paying vendor here in the forums.
I still don’t understand what your issue is.
12-26-18, 02:28 PM
#15
Originally Posted by TwinCharged RX7
Nice language, maybe you should take your own advice.
Originally Posted by TwinCharged RX7
You are a "somewhat" satisfied customer? What does that even mean? What a rave review.
Originally Posted by dguy
I say somewhat because I think their gear is a bit over priced but its exactly what was advertised
Originally Posted by TwinCharged RX7
You mentioned it's overpriced, gee, maybe resellers can cause price inflation and sometimes without adding value.
Originally Posted by dguy
It's because they're providing a service such as accessibility, ease of use, and gaurantees of functionality (or in this case potentially quality assurance/more established and by extension trustworthy - 'Murican vendor).
Originally Posted by TwinCharged RX7
And again, just like earlier in this thread, this is nothing like Honeywell, and nothing like 3rd party suppliers for Mazda. Apples and oranges.
12-26-18, 02:48 PM
#16
I'm not throwing a tantrum. You are the one taking the time to repost multiple sections to try to make a point that isn't even applicable. I'm not debating why distribution networks exist (which seems to be what you are trying to explain in vain). I'm saying the way this one worked was not a good example.
Look at how the other vendors do it, it's not a difficult model to follow, and you don't see this drama on their threads.
Look at how the other vendors do it, it's not a difficult model to follow, and you don't see this drama on their threads.
12-26-18, 04:01 PM
#18
I'm not throwing a tantrum. You are the one taking the time to repost multiple sections to try to make a point that isn't even applicable. I'm not debating why distribution networks exist (which seems to be what you are trying to explain in vain). I'm saying the way this one worked was not a good example.
Look at how the other vendors do it, it's not a difficult model to follow, and you don't see this drama on their threads.
Look at how the other vendors do it, it's not a difficult model to follow, and you don't see this drama on their threads.
Everyone else is rebuking you, no one else, across three different threads (ya know, that are actually related to the product) has complained let alone caused “drama”.
12-26-18, 05:55 PM
#20
The vast majority of people got their product. A few switched styles/colors. At the end of the day - six people got refunds (out of 50+).
No it’s not “ok” and yeah it sucks. But I’ve had the same thing happen to me when ordering an intercooler kit from GReddy. The distributor just ran out of stock and I got a refund. Does that make GReddy the bad guys? Or the shop the bad guy? Really, neither. I just bought elsewhere. It happens.
I swear, I still don’t understand the point of all your posts.
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