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is it just me????

6K views 37 replies 25 participants last post by  F-1Rodder 
#1 ·
I'm building a 36 ford from scratch.I've encountered many problems so far, but none as frustrating as dealing with suppliers in the hot rod industry. The other day I ordered a serpentine pully setup from a supplier, told him I had a small block Chevy 350 with a short water pump and an old style power steering with a press on pully. I ordered all brackets and pullys. I asked the supplier if I needed anything else to accomplish my change over, he said no.
The stuff all arrived and I started. Let me first say I think most manufacturers of these parts are very close to running out of ink as their first problem, and the reason I say this is that they rarely give good instructions and or pictures such was the case with this serpinetine set up from Zoops. The picture supplied with this bracket kit looked much like a 4th generation fax, you could barely see it. In any case I moved on ever so carefully. when I installed the Zoops pully onto my waterpump and gave it a spin I could not believe it as the pully seemed out of round where the belt rode. My God, for the price of this part say it ain't so. After a while I said I had better check everything with a dial indicator "see my background is in the machine industry, now I'm a safecracker". After checking the pully, it seems it was out of round by .022 thousands which is a huge amount for a machined part by anyones standards. but I still wasn't convinced it was the pully, maybe the waterpump shaft was bent. I removed the pully and then checked the pump collar where the pully bolts it was out about .001 thousandths, very acceptable.

I called tech support at Zoops. I told the man my delemma and what I believed was wrong - that the pully was out of concentric, not actually out of round, but machined so when bolted to the pump it acts like it's out of round. In about 2 minutes he went from helpful to saying "hey if you don't like our parts send them back" in a very gruff manner. I thought he would be happy with my telling them that they had a problem, but no way. He said that they had seen original pullies out of tolerance up to 1/16th of an inch or .062.

I guess I was or am upset at paying a lot of money for a part that I felt should be built a lot better. I am not sure if the owners of Zoops know how this person is treating customers or not, but if I had emloyees that didn't treat my customers with more dignity and respect than this gentleman, I would be grateful to hear about it.

Is it only me or has anyone else been treated badly ???

bomo
 
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#2 ·
You aren't alone having problems,some companies are worse than others. Alot of times instructions are worthless,or you find what is to be a bolt on part doesn't fit until you cut, drill,bend,or change in someother way a part or parts that connect to the bolt on parts you just paid for.
Hopefully you got the name of the person you talked to on the phone and it wasn't the owner, that is who you need to contact. No matter how pissed you are be polite and let them know your problem and how you were treated.One of Two things will then happen,you will be taken care of and be satisfied that they want happy customers,or you will find the opposite.If thats the case,you won't be buying parts from them again and no one else will if you can help it.
I don't know why but I have had more trouble with companies located in California than any other area of the country it seems like once they find your from the mid west they think you just got off the tractor.
If enough people have problems they won't be around long and another vender will give the products and service we all expect.
 
#4 ·
Its not just you. I do this for a living and the quality lately just is not there.I think half the problem is out of the 200 sets they sell only about 10 of us really build a rod that goes down the road on its own(not trailered).There are a lot of make beleive guys that will buy parts and keep them in there closet till they die or bring it to some one to build and we end up fixin it(most times we are the jerk because we wrecked the cust parts) On the other hand if you make a really good purchase and it was a good install,dont forget to call them up and tell them how good there product is.This has helped me more than a time or 2 when something did go badly. I remember a certain brake co that is only 30 miles from my shop i would not buy a thing again after getting bad parts more than one time.Well i had delt with the owner all the time and he treated people very badly,he got smart and hired some one else to answer the phone and i am back as a customer .He is back in the shop watching quality and i use there stuff all the time.Even call if i dont like something and it seems to get fixed. Not just you. LOL
 
#5 ·
PHAT
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!!

I ORDERED A KIT FOR POWER STEERING HOSES BASED ON THE NAMESLESS AFTERMARKET FRONT END KIT PART NUMBER. IT WAS A NAPA NUMBER SO I GO TO MY NEAREST NAPA STORE AND THEY ORDER THIS HOSE NUMBER FOR ME. IT ARRIVES AND I BRING IT TO MY SHOP AND TRY AND INSTALL IT. YOU CAN'T BELIEVE THE TIME I SPENT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS SO CALLED SIMPLE HOSE INSTALLATION. AFTER FRUSTRATING MYSELF FOR SOME TIME I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THE PHONE TECH TELLS ME THEY USE THIS PART ALL THE TIME AND "YOUR THE ONLY ONE HAVING A PROBLEM" GOD I HATE THAT STATEMENT!!.HE ASKED IF I'D LIKE TO TALK TO THE MAN HIMSELF (THE FAT GUY) I SAID YES I WOULD. HE COMES ON AND IS SUPER NICE AND ASKS MY PROBLEM AND I EXPLAIN. HE SAYS LET ME GET ONE OF THOSE HOSES I HAVE ONE RIGHT HERE, I'M THINKING GREAT I MUST BE STUPID IF HE HAS A HOSE RIGHT THERE IT MUST WORK.

WHEN HE RETURNS HE ASKES IF I'M PUTTING THE CERTAIN END INTO THE RACK AND I SAID YES I AM BUT THE OTHER END IS NO WHERE NEAR FITTING THE BACK OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP. AT THIS POINT HE INFORMS ME THAT WELL YOU MUST REALIZE THAT THIS PART MUST BE MODIFIEDED DUHHH, WHAT??? I SAY GEE COULD YOU HAVE AT LEAST WRITTEN AFTER THE PART NUMBER THAT "some modification may be needed" or would that be asking to much? i said i assumed that a part number would fit as if if the didn't tell me to modify it, he replied well that was your mistake to assume. i said thanks for your help, have a great day. no wonder people have trouble building a car. i think i missed my calling. instead of being a safe cracker i think i should writ istructions for hot rod companys.

bomo
 
#6 ·
Bomo I have gotten the same run around from that same supplier you are talking about.(i installed a lot of his stuff before he got to BIG I.E FAT lol) I NO longer use his stuff or recommend him.I have also removed a few of his frontend kits(because they were just unsafe) and turned people to other companys.I dont think that will be a company that i will every use again.Just for you guys reading this its the supplier of frontend kits that is the most well know(spends about 50 grand a month advertizing i bet)
So....again its not just you.
 
#7 ·
Right on! Wow, it's nice to know your not alone. I bought a set of vintage rally wheels for my Monte Carlo. The wheels and beauty rings where fine, but 2 out the 4 centers looked like crap. The plating was so poor it looked almost like spray paint in some spots. I ended up rejecting 3 other pairs after that to Dummit Racing costing me the shipping charges each time. Finally I get a call from the "re"saler and basically he says I'm being too particular and they can't do any better. So I start looking around to find out where I might find 2 more good centers and what I come to find is that everybody pretty much gets these parts from the same Chinese manufacturer (theres your trouble). Are we afraid of these people or something, can't we tell them they need to work on thier Q.C. program?
Even better, aren't we here in the States qualified to reproduce this stuff our selves? What I have to say to resalers is, if you would not or could not install it on your own car, then don't ship it out to me, and if you can't distinquish the difference between good or poor quality than you need to be working on the farm for someone else! Amen.
 
#8 ·
Im glad I am not the only one with these problems!
I think the problem is that the phone order takers for most aftermarket parts companies have little or no knowledge of the parts they sell. They are just there to take orders. If you are like me, when starting a new project, I purchase parts that are stock piled in my shop for about six months before they are used or installed, then they don't fit or are defective and by now the warranty has expired. There are however very reputable companies out there. And if you ever have a good experience with a purchase or part, let the company know. Most are actually trying to do a good job. I have found that the general managers at some of the aftermarket parts companies are actually very receptive to constructive, civil and intelligent complaint letters.
 
#10 ·
Originally posted by bomo:
<strong>I'm building a 36 ford from scratch.I've encountered many problems so far, but none as frustrating as dealing with suppliers in the hot rod industry. The other day I ordered a serpentine pully setup from a supplier, told him I had a small block Chevy 350 with a short water pump and an old style power steering with a press on pully. I ordered all brackets and pullys. I asked the supplier if I needed anything else to accomplish my change over, he said no.
The stuff all arrived and I started. Let me first say I think most manufacturers of these parts are very close to running out of ink as their first problem, and the reason I say this is that they rarely give good instructions and or pictures such was the case with this serpinetine set up from Zoops. The picture supplied with this bracket kit looked much like a 4th generation fax, you could barely see it. In any case I moved on ever so carefully. when I installed the Zoops pully onto my waterpump and gave it a spin I could not believe it as the pully seemed out of round where the belt rode. My God, for the price of this part say it ain't so. After a while I said I had better check everything with a dial indicator "see my background is in the machine industry, now I'm a safecracker". After checking the pully, it seems it was out of round by .022 thousands which is a huge amount for a machined part by anyones standards. but I still wasn't convinced it was the pully, maybe the waterpump shaft was bent. I removed the pully and then checked the pump collar where the pully bolts it was out about .001 thousandths, very acceptable.

I called tech support at Zoops. I told the man my delemma and what I believed was wrong - that the pully was out of concentric, not actually out of round, but machined so when bolted to the pump it acts like it's out of round. In about 2 minutes he went from helpful to saying "hey if you don't like our parts send them back" in a very gruff manner. I thought he would be happy with my telling them that they had a problem, but no way. He said that they had seen original pullies out of tolerance up to 1/16th of an inch or .062.

I guess I was or am upset at paying a lot of money for a part that I felt should be built a lot better. I am not sure if the owners of Zoops know how this person is treating customers or not, but if I had emloyees that didn't treat my customers with more dignity and respect than this gentleman, I would be grateful to hear about it.

Is it only me or has anyone else been treated badly ???

bomo</strong><hr></blockquote>

bomo
Welcome to the world of street rodding our motto should be "The Hobby that lets you do it twice". Lets face the facts most products in todays market should carry the title "Universal Fit" I have been building cars for over 35 years now and in the course of history I can only name a few products that actually had semi decent directions. An have yet to find that one product that didnt need a little modification or repair yet. Also adding to that if it were not for most of the current manufacturers there would be a lot of unfinished projects available... Lets face the facts Building a car today is far less complicated than it was 30 years ago... There are vast numbers of suppliers that get you close. There are multiple publications that have very good "How To" articles and last but not least probably the best and the fastest growing communications (The internet) is now avaliable to us all now...

One last statement... As more and more products hit the market place in many cases the sport becomes more complicated... Remember the word "KISS" (Keep it Simple Stupid). As we have all found out there are products that sure do make it look pretty but the aggrivations sometimes is just not worth it.... Color coordinated or chrome stock parts will actually be the better way to go.

Rags
1940 Mercury Convertible plus others
 
#11 ·
Originally posted by bomo:
<strong>I'm building a 36 ford from scratch.I've encountered many problems so far, but none as frustrating as dealing with suppliers in the hot rod industry. The other day I ordered a serpentine pully setup from a supplier, told him I had a small block Chevy 350 with a short water pump and an old style power steering with a press on pully. I ordered all brackets and pullys. I asked the supplier if I needed anything else to accomplish my change over, he said no.
The stuff all arrived and I started. Let me first say I think most manufacturers of these parts are very close to running out of ink as their first problem, and the reason I say this is that they rarely give good instructions and or pictures such was the case with this serpinetine set up from Zoops. The picture supplied with this bracket kit looked much like a 4th generation fax, you could barely see it. In any case I moved on ever so carefully. when I installed the Zoops pully onto my waterpump and gave it a spin I could not believe it as the pully seemed out of round where the belt rode. My God, for the price of this part say it ain't so. After a while I said I had better check everything with a dial indicator "see my background is in the machine industry, now I'm a safecracker". After checking the pully, it seems it was out of round by .022 thousands which is a huge amount for a machined part by anyones standards. but I still wasn't convinced it was the pully, maybe the waterpump shaft was bent. I removed the pully and then checked the pump collar where the pully bolts it was out about .001 thousandths, very acceptable.

I called tech support at Zoops. I told the man my delemma and what I believed was wrong - that the pully was out of concentric, not actually out of round, but machined so when bolted to the pump it acts like it's out of round. In about 2 minutes he went from helpful to saying "hey if you don't like our parts send them back" in a very gruff manner. I thought he would be happy with my telling them that they had a problem, but no way. He said that they had seen original pullies out of tolerance up to 1/16th of an inch or .062.

I guess I was or am upset at paying a lot of money for a part that I felt should be built a lot better. I am not sure if the owners of Zoops know how this person is treating customers or not, but if I had emloyees that didn't treat my customers with more dignity and respect than this gentleman, I would be grateful to hear about it.

Is it only me or has anyone else been treated badly ???

bomo</strong><hr></blockquote>
 
#12 ·
It is very aggravating hearing all the negative stories about aftermarket companies-i recently purchased my first street rod,which was 99% complete,and im in process of dealing with all the different companies,etc,to make the changes and upgrades to my rod.my first small order was chrome valve covers,air cleaner,and a coil-delivery came in 3 days-ended up paying approx 250.00 for a coil,and nothing else!-had to recall the company [no 800 number,of course],be put on hold forever,and finally talked to a human being who said he would straighten it out,and ill give it another day or 2 before i call and go thru it all over again! of all the big ads you see week after week,you would thing there is at least 1 company that has a decent reputation--let me know,and ill use only them!-you have all these car nuts out there who are willing to spend the mega-bucks for all the overpriced stuff,and no one who actually gives a crap if they get your business or not-what makes it worse,most places charge for their catalog,and when you finally get it, half the time its a lousy 3 or 4 page brochure,and not a catalog at all----someone please find a reputable company!!
 
#13 ·
I would recomend checking out YOGI'S inc.,They are located in a small town in Iowa. They have a good catalog that says 4 dollars on the cover but I've never paid for one,they have always ask if I would like to have one.They have been more than happy to show me around their facility,and answer questions I might have. If you have a problem with a product you buy from them you will talk to a person and not a machine,also they have an 800# to call. Their web address is <a href="http://www.yogisinc.com" target="_blank">www.yogisinc.com</a> yogi@yogiinc.com the phone is 800 373 1937 give them a try they will appreciate hearing from you.
 
#14 ·
Join the club, most of the parts that I have ordered via mail order have to be modified in order to be installed on projects. I have to give credit to most of the suppliers they have to try to make their products fit all engines and cars, this job must be daunting given all the auto's manufactured in the last 100 years. Yet I am amazed at how much engineering goes into an automobile, it makes you appreciate them more, especially at the volume of cars that are produced.
I do now appreciate the little things that most people just take for granted or expect in their cars. Just lining up a door to make it fit and close properly and all the lines to flow evenly.
I also have have been treated rudely by some of the manufacturing street rod suppliers yet on the other hand most are helpful and are eager to give advice and help. If one of the supplyers gives me a bad product of a bad time I don't buy from them anymore.
A lot of the manufacturing suppliers have web sites which have excellent diagrams and detailed instructions that you can download and print out.
 
#15 ·
To all the dissatisfied, don't let a few bad experiences deter you from the hotrodding community. All of the shops that I deal with have been around for many years and provide really good service. I may pay more for their parts and/or service but I trust people who have been in business for many many years. I've always had good experiences with dealing with shop owners and employees face to face, some even talked me out of buying certain things that they thought wouldn't help or weren't required, try getting service like that at a new car dealer. I've had cars at dealers for 2-3 days because of my work schedule and they still couldn't figure out problems or threw parts at the car in the hope of fixing a problem but couldn't. I've just come back to hotrodding again after decades away and am very happy to be associated with a great bunch of people again, so don't get discouraged....
 
#16 ·
I'm here to back-up what Liquid Larry said about most of the trouble coming from out of Cali. I'm in the sign business and I learned not to expect good service from any company in California. So, it's not just in the automotive field and it's not just the Mid's they discriminate against, they treat everyone equally bad. I do have to say that there are some exceptions to the rule and I have to say that because being a southern person I know what it's like to be lumped together by the opinion of the outside world. There are good and bad people everywhere, no one place has a monopoly or exclusion on that fact. Right on!!
 
#17 ·
The Man said it, let the buyer beware for sure. Once they have your money forget you! These people I'v talked to on the phone may not even build or drive rods. I have had good luck using used/reconditioned parts. hese custom parts dealerl will loose customers, but they probably beleave there will always be others, getting the word out on them might help us all in the long run.
 
#18 ·
WEST COAST 2; THE REST OF THE US 8.
Close to 10 years ago I decided to get back to my 'roots'. I decided to build a T-Bucket, and as I lived [at the time] just north of Los Angeles I felt I was in the 'birth place of hot-rodding' and would have little or no problem finding advice while building my T. Boy was I WRONG!!

Almost everyone I spoke to about whatever question I had, understood my problem and claimed they could 'fix it.' "Just bring your car and checkbook and we will get back to you." NOT the answer I was seeking. The few times I left the 'car and checkbook' the results were less than satisfactory. Never bad enough to reject the work, but always requiring something. Another 5-10 minutes of work on their part would have changed a mediocure job into a great finished product!

I moved to the midwest before the car was done [if they ever are done] and was pleasantly suprised at the helpful attitude of most everyone. Someone above mentioned Yogi's as good, I second that- I have only good things to say about them.

1923 T-Bucket
1947 Ford
 
#19 ·
Larry, Your right about Yogi's, I got wrong parts from them and they made good within a week, They even paid for the return postage. You have a problem with Yogi's they want to know about it. Real good bunch of people, Even Yearwood is real good,
 
#20 ·
KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN PARTNER, I JUST FINISHED A 40 FORD 2DR AND IT JUST ABOUT TOOK THE FUN OUT OF THE BUILDING THE CAR. PURCHASED A 6,000 CHASSIS WITH ALL THE GOODIES ON IT AND HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. BODY WOULDN'T FIT ON IT HAD TO CUT OUT PART OF THE FLOOR BOARD, GAS TANK (STOCK OR AFTERMARKET) WOULDN'T FIT IN THE FRAME, TRANS BRACKET HAD TO BE REWORKED, SHOCKS WERE WRONG, PAID EXTRA $ TO HAVE REAR END REWORKED THE DARN THING LEAKED ALL OVER THE PLACE ETC, ETC, ETC, I COULD GO ON FOREVER. I HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THE PEOPLE I GOT P/S UNIT FROM. SHEET METAL FROM, ON AND ON. WANT DETAILS?? I WILL TELL ALL!!! :(

[ December 28, 2001: Message edited by: securevision@msn.com ]</p>
 
#21 ·
Well dont forget your LOCAL shop when buying some of the stuff like valve covers.Yah you will pay a little more plus sales tax.But you can touch and feel it before you buy it.Try and keep your local shops in bussiness they have a little more pull than the average guy when things go wrong.
 
#22 ·
Phat, I agree when ever possible spend your money locally trying to save a couple bucks on parts mail ordering them often costs more in the long run.My situation with Yogies is they are located about 10 mi. from me so I'm lucky to have a good supplier of parts close to home. I've decided to go with mustII front suspension under my f100 and wanted some information about different kits,after about 20min of questions,and answers I've decided to use Heidts,I did not order any parts today because I want to find used control arms,springs,etc.,the neat part about the whole deal is when I left I had 2 calenders a new catalog and a t-shirt for free. Granted its advertising for them,but its those little things like that that say hey we want your business.
 
#23 ·
yesterday i calleda co no names but it sounds like dreggs :) and i ask the phone person if he had a lokar cat. he said no in a curt voice. i asked how come? he replied that they didn't hand out manufactures cat. to which i replied "i'm in business and i constantly hand out brochures and cat. of products i'm trying to sell" he just said
we don't. i ask how was i going to look up what i needed so i could order it from them? his reply " i don't know" i said great thanks for all your help. he didn't care one little bit. he never offered to tell me where to get a cat or anything. brother i'd love to paste thes page of replies and send it to all these suppliers. i hope they read this on hot rod.com

bomo
 
#24 ·
As some guys said: "There are good and bad customer service people everywhere." I don't think it is restricted to the left coast.
I too am returning to my favorite hobby after a long while. When I was in my late teens I built a 40 Chevy at a time when it was considered a waste of time on anything other than a steel 32 Ford!
My automotive background is from the parts supplier side. I grew up in a family auto parts business.
My two cents worth: I strongly agree on supporting your local rod shops! Even if they have a little of that superiority complex (only a little mind you).
Another is to find a local parts store, I recommend an independent if you have them. I say this because an independent HAS to be more attentive to survive. Find a counterman that gives a damn about your project. "Adopt" him or her. Buy them a soda now and then. Bring them a donut or something. They will go the extra mile to help solve the little things that always pop up.
Find out about how much of a headache it is for them to return merchandise to their suppliers. Show concern for what they have to go through to help you with out-of-the- ordinary requests.
Open parts packages carefully so if they have to be returned it is a like new condition. Somtimes wholesalers will not let you return items that have to be repackaged or you can't prove came from them.
Finally, don't show up at busy or closing times if there is something you need help researching. Ask your "pet" counterman when is a good time to come by. Treat them as you want to be(the others in the store will notice!). They will put your needs ahead of someone who dumps on them!
Where I live now we have a lot of folks building side businesses that handle stuff we all use in building our cars or workshops. I try to use them for the same reasons and treat them the same way. I try to use the same vendors at all the swap meets I frequent. We have them on a monthly and seasonal basis here.
It is good to hear good things about Yogi's too. They just had a writeup in StreetRodder mag.
to bomo: Sorry to hear about your Zoops experience. Was it them or a reseller that treated you that way?
 
#25 ·
I know what you mean about some suppliers. I recently had trouble with a west coast supplier, and I live on the west coast. This company wouldn't return my telephone calls, or e mails and it took them a month and half to get me the part :mad: The part was a GM performance part, valve cover adapters, you would think this part would be easy to find . I found that summitt racing has a huge inventory, helpful techs, and returning a part is no problem :D The company I had a problem with is located in Costa Mesa .
 
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