Frank,
Thanks for coming in to the thread to respond. For the interest of the readers, it is not my intent to create a pity party, fight fire with fire, or defame anyone, but only to post facts.
I’ll attempt to answer your responses one at a time.
Yes, we already discussed the wheels here, so to avoid duplication I’ll just reference the posts. Cliff notes: My fault (didn’t know how to measure lug spacing at the time), I offered to pay, Frank paid for the centers. After a few unanswered emails from me to PC asking to where do I send the centers, I get a call stating that they need the centers the very next day. I took off early from work (I get paid hourly), drive 20 miles to my house, 20 miles back to FedEx, so Frank can sell them to someone the next day.
http://www.pro-touring.com/showthrea...548#post768548
In the interest and entertainment of detail, I also paid for PC to provide me with a fully assembled engine (L76 to LS3 conversion), which I’m currently assembling in my garage. So, hopefully we can call it a draw on the cost of
shipping the centers. Yes, you maintained a debt for $2500 until I returned the centers to you. You also maintained the better part of $18k in cash for a few months while I waited on parts
Yes, I stated earlier in the thread that I have roughly 75% of the parts. A little correction to your list above:
ECM and engine harness
Flywheel
Hydraulic Clutch and all associated bracketry/linkage/stuff to connect it to the pedals
Water Pump
Balancer Bolt
(Drive shaft that will come later after I give you dimensions)
In summary-and I see that a few posts have been added to the thread since Frank's initial post-if parts were ordered back in September/October, when the initial order was made and the purchaser order was drafted, this conversation wouldn’t be taking place (example: close ratio transmission that we have since agreed upon to go with the standard ratio). If parts were not available when the purchase order/receipt was drafted, then the purchase order shouldn’t be drafted at all or modified as such.
Lastly, skimming over the posts, everything that Frank posted is true and the intent of this thread is to remain factual. If I have made a discrepancy somewhere, anyone can feel free to fill me in
In short, three things:
1) Six months is too long. Period. I think others will agree that even less time is too long. I sent an ultimatum on 31 Jan requesting my money back if parts didn’t come in by a certain date. No response was received. Not cool, man.
2) I’ve received a very disturbing number of PM’s from people with similar stories of lesser commercial magnitudes. It seems that I am not the only one waiting on parts that have been delayed. None of my business, but we just want our parts so we can finish our projects.
3) I suggest that you find a way to circumvent the issue of customers being your QA/QC. The prime Vendor is responsible for determining the logistics of all parts. This is how it works when I buy multi-million dollar Gas Turbine Generators from Siemens or Dresser-Rand or Solar for installation in billion dollar facilities. This shouldn’t be any different. When customers are first-timers, often they don’t know what they’re missing, so when they go to build and realize they don’t have something, this creates even more delays.