vendor not delivering parts
 

I bought and paid for some parts on may 4th of last year from a vendor on this site. The amount is over 2 thousand. I've ordered parts from him in the past with no problem. I've sent him numerous emails(no reply) and actually talked to him several times. At this point i'd like him to just send the parts. How should I proceed from this point.
thanks

Since the vendor won't respond to your e-mails or other attempts to talk to them, who is it?

Lets get some resolution and find out if it's a supply side issue or something else.

Almost a year. That's crazy.

Yeah, no way I would wait a year for parts. I'd like to hear the other side of the story too.

As Scott said if you have a issue with a vendor and they wont help you out after phone calls and emails than this is your next step. Time to get both sides of the story to see what is going on. We are finding out that more and more companies are using other peoples money for other peoples parts and when its time to ship them they run into problems because they dont have the money to either buy or make the parts

It's quite interesting to see the difference between the advice given by site admins and vendors on Lat-g versus what happened over on Pro-touring.com to the same thread. I agree with the posts here. If you've tried to politely contact that vendor via emails and phone calls and that simply hasn't helped at all, and that much time has elapsed, then yes, there needs to be a next step and it's great to see the recommendations offered up here. :thumbsup:

I agree, it's not like someone is bashing the vendor, all we want to know who it is to avoid same hassle OP is dealing with.

I like and respect the professional protocol displayed in this thread on what is a sensitive subject. Times are tough and businesses of all types are failing left and right, some have earned it, many have not. As enthusiasts being understanding and supportive of those in this niche industry is important for the industry as a whole in times like this. Hopefully this situation is equitably neutralized for all parties involved. :thumbsup:

I firmly believe that websites can really help somone with a vendor related issue especially when posted out in the open. In most cases I've scene the vendor jump right on and fix the issue. This shows good on the vendor as that company made it a priority to fix the issue.

It's not always bashing that vendor rather then getting better results.

I do understand that if not controlled everyone would be bashing someone about something and not getting the whole story..

x2 :thumbsup:

After reading that same thread on Pro-Touring.com, I might not be hanging out over there as much as I usually do. I can understand that threads like this need to be controlled or regulated but that is BS and I think the thread was even locked.

I have been a lurker for a long time on both sites and I don't post often, but this situation has turned me off from being a part of that site.

Again, there's two sides to every story, we just need to hear the other side. I think threads like this CAN be helpful. I just hope there is a resonabile explaination, especially since they are sponsors to both sites.

I agree 100%. I think Scott and the Mods on here do a great job.

I think there are 3 sides to every story

[QUOTE=69clark;334616]After reading that same thread on Pro-Touring.com, I might not be hanging out over there as much as I usually do. I can understand that threads like this need to be controlled or regulated but that is BS and I think the thread was even locked.


thats the same reason i dont go on that site at all !

I was frankly shocked at how it was handled over at PT. Thought the OP posted an honest question and the thread was locked pretty fast.

I also am glad Scott gave this guy a chance. If (and I mean if) his story accurate then this thread is the best chance he has to get his issue resolved. There are several thousands members that quietly read and lurk here on this site to source parts from sponsors. I know I have and if I see these things it makes me think twice. However as already stated there are two sides of the story. I saw a recent thread on PT where a few guys piled on a well liked vendor. IIRC I saw thread that retracted and said sorry after the vendor reminded them their version. To the OP post the name and if it is a big vendor your answer will come.

It's not like the OP came out swinging and naming names and only has 1 post under his belt. Oh well.

Darren

I have been trying to spend more time over there, but to me it is too business like. That is why I like it here, even though this site still has sponsors it stills feels more relaxed. Families look out for each other and that's what I consider this community to be. Lets have a name and get this sorted out. :lateral:

Subscribed
 

I stand to gain a whole lot more from those who have been there, done that than if I make all the mistakes myself.

That is one of the reasons I am here. I met our host at CC2008 in St. Paul and was blown away by his car. I thought no way would I ever be doing some of those things, like owning the spindles that are waiting patiently in my back seat to for some other parts to be purchased... or installing brakes with 14" rotors such as the ones on their way here now.

I work too hard for my money to be frivolous with it and if somebody is worth noting and best taken with a stiff dose of caveat emptor then I really do need to know as much as the next guy.

I do think though that before 9 months passed by I might have driven to their front door for $2k... that is a pretty big pile of patience man, I don't think I have enough of the stuff to ration it that long.:mad:

Who's the vendor? Do tell.
Send them a PM with a link to the thread too.
:hail: :lateral:

Right after Pro-Touring locked the thread I PM'd the moderator who locked it there and mentioned it didn't make sense to lock it like that. The initial poster did a fair job of asking "what should I do next" when his emails and phone calls to the vendor were getting him nowhere, and he was even still complimentary to the vendor and kept the vendor unnamed in his post. I thought the moderator was a little quick to squash some people's comments and respond with 'just keep calling' and then lock the thread. The moderator did quickly respond to my PM and mention that they might have made a mistake in locking it so quickly and that he was in discussions with other moderators about it. So he admitted to not handling it perfectly so I give him big credit for that. We all make mistakes(especially me). I do hope they unlock it though because the guy sounds like he could use a helping hand and every little bit helps. I've seen other threads just like it become very helpful to both parties and it doesn't have to turn into a vendor bashing scenario at all. If they don't unlock it and leave it as is, it'll definitely seem like somebody was being protected while other people were being silenced. That's just not cool, and it's not the first time I've seen a moderator on PT become heavy handed and lock a thread. Seeing that sort of stuff, I can definitely agree with others about wanting to NOT participate on that site in the future.

Way to go Scott for immediately stepping up and trying to assist and get some answers. :lateral:

Ya Chris that is my main concern as well. Not that it should turn into a slugfest on a vendor but also like to not think someone would be left high and dry either.

Basically if I had a issue with a vendor it would be nice to think that others would help out try to see if the situation could be resolved. After all us car guys just to want to work on our cars.

To the OP,

Not that this is going to make you feel much better, but just know that you are not the only person in this same boat. I don't know who your vendor is, but I have two vendors from the forums that have had much larger chunks of my money for multiple months now, in one case, since September of last year. And a third vendor that isn't a part of these forums who keeps breaking promises to me as well.

It's very frustrating... I don't particularly want to come out and bash anyone either, but I also think that people considering a purchase (in some cases, rather large purchases) should be aware that things don't always go smoothly or on schedules that are promised. I'm very aggravated at having to keep track of all the details of each of my orders and needing to chase down the vendors to make sure I get everything I'm owed...

At this point, I do expect that I will be getting everything that I've ordered. But I also expect more phone calls/emails along the way before I get it all. One vendor actually asked me today what I am still expecting from them. Hmm, at least half of the order that I placed and paid for back in December! I got the impression that they had no real method of tracking what has and has not shipped, and that didn't instill a lot of confidence in me... :(

I would be much happier if the vendors would communicate and just be honest about what's happening along the way. I'm much more tolerant of delays if I'm told what's happening via proactive communication rather than hearing excuses when I am having to initiate the conversations.

Anyway, good luck, and I hope this is resolved quickly for you...

Good handling of this Scott, many kudos!
I've lurked here for YEARS but didnt register till just awhile back because well, I was satisfied "over there". But there has been several inconsistencies with the mods there that make me wonder if some really think that they are just that much smarter than the rest of the world. And I've even called a couple on it before.


But anyway, I still like it "over there", but I do like how it is more consistent here alot!

Good luck on the resolve....it may already be resolved since there has not been a response from the OP!:cheers:

^^This. Way to go Scott.
Good luck to the OP. Hopefully he can get some answers here.

Hi guys, I also think it's great the way it has been handle here.

But as a side note, I contacted a manufacturer asking about some parts, I have an email from them telling me it would be 3-4 weeks delivery, I also have a forwarded email from the person I have ordered the parts through, and it states 6-8 weeks and allow the 8 weeks to Ur on the side of caution, the emails are for the same product, from the same manufacturer and the same representative from the manufacturer, 15 minutes apart.

It really does make it hard, when the same person is telling different stories.
I guess what I am trying to say is the person that is selling the parts, is only 1 link in the chain. but there is still no excuse for bad service.

Greg

We always try to do what we believe is fair for everyone as most times there are 3 sides to every story. Sometimes the decision made can be unpopular, that's just all part of it. I'm VERY fortunate to have Jody as my wingman. He's guided this community through our share of drama, and without his leadership, I know we couldn't have accomplished what we have. I think we have a great team of Mods. They are all just good people.

As far as removing posts like this, we try not to unless there's an "axe to grind" vibe. The whole revenge thing won't fly as this community doesn't exist as a tool to strike back at someone. When a new member joins and their very first post is simply a smear campaign, it's gone. I've seen ex-employees of companies join websites and pose as customers and smear them. If you can imagine it, it's been tried. Also, if the term lawyer or attorney is mentioned in a thread, or if I recieve an e-mail or PM with those words, that thread is done. lol

Most times, we let the both parties have their say/rebuttle, then close the thread so people can still read about it but the drama is contained to the people involved.

The positive feedback in this thread is great.




Back to the OP and back on-topic...




There simply has to be resolution to his problem.

IMO, the vendor in question needs to be let known to the community. The company should be given a chance to respond and to make things right. I believe this will produce several positive outcomes - the customer finally getting what they want and the company showing our community that they are stand-up.

Mistakes happen, but how it's dealt with that shows the true character. I hope this thread makes a difference. :thumbsup:

My position as a moderator on other sites is if you want to accuse someone of something on a forum, do it with facts so you can back it up and we won't need to worry about lawsuits. Spell out what you bought, who you bought it from , when it was paid for etc. Email the vendor you are having a problem with a link to this thread and let them know that in 24 hours unless they contact you to resolve the issue you are going to post the info.....Or just post the info but stick to facts.

I moderate on a Ducati owners group forum and have enjoyed observing how valuable forums are becoming to vendors for sales and members for information and resources since their inception. Ten years ago I never would have imagined I would develop some of the most meaningful face to face friendships in my lifetime on the internet in a forum environment.

Moderators are truly that and many times the issues become very uncomfortable and irrational. The issues would be much easier to resolve IF all the facts and documentation were on the table and ALL the players were face to face in a meeting. Obtaining all the details, thanks to the all to common "hiding behind the keyword syndrome" make fair resolution a very challenging task.

Thanks to the spirit and enthusiasm associated with most forum environments the honesty and respect factor is much higher than eBay for example. But facts are facts, there will always be people that take advantage of the situation. :mad:

Now if moderators were compensated similar to Congressmen it could really expedite the resolution process. :D

As noted before, hopefully this incident results in fair resolution.

To the mods and members - Thanks for a great forum that is proving to be an invaluable asset to one of my passions in life. :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

To the OP, if you paid with a CC have you contacted them? What's your options there?

Certainly this Vendor doesn't sell anything you can't get elsewhere...or have had custom made by now....

I just want to point out something you said in this post to not defend anyone but shed some light on it for you guys. You stated that you called on your parts and they asked you what you were waiting for and as a Vendor that should not happen. We have three people that answer the phone all day and do the computer tracking but sometimes guys from the shop pick up the phone if its real busy and try and help out. They don’t understand our computer system so they can’t track anything and sometimes they will ask what are you waiting for and try and help you out. Every order we do is on the computer but not everyone that works for us can track it so just keep that in the back of your mind when asking about products. Now if this is what you get on every call that’s a different story.

Communication is key here and will always make the customer happier but at some point as a customer you need answers and if they won’t communicate then it’s time to post up here for help but start it in a professional way. Don’t blast anyone unless you have facts to back it because in the end it does more damage to everyone involved.

Its actually pretty easy to see why the thread was locked, just look how quickly this one turned into a bash PT.com fest.

I have had problems with vendors before and it sucks, but it is very hard for a website to put themselves into the position of being an arbitrator. If they have the time great, but it sure isn't their job. I have seen plenty of bitchfests over the years, and the the customers are to blame in many, it isn't always just a bad vendor issue. People like piling on and controversy too much.

I don't think this turned into a PT.com bashing. Others were simply stating how they think something was done unfairly over there with the locking of a thread too fast. Further, nobody said PT.com sucks or are a bunch of a$$holes or dumba$$es or anything disrespectful, negative or harmful about PT.com. Some were simply stating how they dislike it over there. One has the right to like or not like as they choose. There's nothing wrong with that. And, as stated how threads like this can help out, maybe a mod from PT.com is on here and read about how many were dissatisfied about how they handled a similar thread over there and will help PT.com in the future. But, I totally agree with you about people liking to pile on top of controversy.

Is it just me or is it kind of unffair when someone can post great things about a vendor but when an issue comes up it's looked down upon?

I think feedback is feedback.

I find it strange that the OP hasn't responded with the vendors name, or at all...:_paranoid

me too^^^^

Even in my previous post, I was thinking the same thing. :_paranoid Just didn't mention it. But, I agree.

He's being polite not going public with the vendors name IMO.

The lack of response hopefully means resolution is taking place in an "executive session" which is in everyone's best interest, again IMO.

If someone is falling on hardtimes due to the economy, flaming them on a public forum is essentially rubbing salt in their wounds. No one wins.

Once the facts are clear I trust the mods on this site will take appropriate action to protect the Lat-G community.

This is a website full of adults and I doubt anyone wants to see anyone get flamed, which I highly doubt would happen anyways.

This thread is kind of like the guy needing help for us when he found out Barry Grant closed there doors. It was along the lines of "Hey guys, do you have any advice on what I should do or have any contact info over there" Not this company is a joke blah blah blah.

2k is alot of money to be tied up.

Hey! I think that was me!!! I feel pretty famous now, no wait IN-famous like The IN-famous El-Guapo!!

ANYway, that was over on PT.com and I happily reported that they did their best customer service to the last day.

I have to disagree with you though, rant and flame threads are all too common on forums... maybe not as much here and thank the :bow: mod team for that if so.
I've seen it get to where people troll threads just to start BS and threads being locked is SOP. Really sucks for the newbie asking a legit question and leads to a very unfriendly place as Mod's get burned out on monitoring it. Let's hope that Lateral-G can avoid all of that drama.
:cheers: