Getting ripped off by thieves and vendors (Sometimes at the same time)

[dhutton]

Originally Posted by DRJDVM's '69

Did the thead on PT disappear? I cant seem to find it anymore....

The thread about Prodigy got buried in the Marketplace forum. There is another thread about PTS in the open forum...

Don

[Stuart Adams]

If you order whatever thru a dealer and the dealer sais the order was placed today, you should be calling the vendor today to see if infact its true. Double check. If not cancel immediately and go thru someone else, period.

Or just call the vendor directly to see if you can go direct for the same price. Bypass the possible ponzi.

Don't be a victim by trusting someone else and not following thru on your own.

Kudos for Brett for booting a unethical dealer.

[DRJDVM's '69]

Found it on PT.... Good to have a separate forum for feedback but it's pretty buried unless you really look for it. Doesn't mention it in the marketplace description

When you place an order with a dealer you shouldnt have to double check by calling the supplier company to make sure you aren't getting the shaft... I don't have time for that

[PTS]

Originally Posted by bret

I'm going to put an end to this particular problem. The problem is Perry Price at PTS.
I've had conversations with at least 4 customers who have ordered [and paid for] RideTech systems from PTS. RideTech has either not gotten an order, or is holding the PTS order waiting for their payment. I [and several of my staff] have also had several conversations with Perry on this subject and he has been told to fix it..."it" being the customers orders AND the perception that it is his suppliers fault that he can't ship parts.
I am allergic to exposing business issues like this but I have to put the considerations of our end customers [and future customers] ahead of the concerns of a single dealer.
There is NO doubt that many manufacturers [including RideTech] continually struggle to keep up with growing orders [especially right now]. This situation has been uneccessarily magnified by a dealer who is holding orders for whatever reason.

If you have a RideTech order pending with PTS, please let us know your situation directly. Danny Coultas at RideTech is handling this issue directly. His direct number is 812.481.4712. His direct email is [email protected]. I cannot do much about retreiving funds from PTS, but we WILL work with you as best we can to get you your parts. We are currently shipping well on everything but compressors. [compressors seem to be a worldwide issue right now].

To be clear...PTS is no longer a RideTech dealer, effective immediately. There are plenty of good RideTech dealers out there that will offer you good tech advice AND place your order promptly. If you simply cannot find one you are happy with, call us directly and we will process your order.

My personal apologies for allowing this to happen. I will try to show more sack in the future to prevent these situations.

Brett you are completely out of line and F.O.S. I am emailing several customers that will come on here explain what has happened. Here it goes...

1. I received a COD order from you guys day before yesterday and I was over charged $1031.25 and Danny knows about this. Do you? Same order in the beginning was sent to me with airbags and should have been select series coil overs. Do you know about this? I ordered and gave the parts numbers and still a screw up.

2. Customer Gary received a order and all the parts powdercoating was beat and gouged along with missing parts. Ruth tells my customer I have to file a damage claim. Do you know about this?

3. Customer Renee order a rear G body coil over kit and receives air bags. Again do you know about this.

4. Customer Lenie orders Ride Pro e3 with 5gal tank and airpod cover yet receives 3gal kit with no cover. Also you billed my credit card recently for the upgrade and he still has not received his order.

5. Customer Tony orders Ride Pro part# 303334000 and you still have not shipped his parts due to no air compressors.

The only orders I have still pending are as follows:

1. Customer Lenie from above that I have paid in full.

2. Customer Tony from above with that has not shipped due to no compressors.

3. Customer Renee from above that received the wrong parts again paid for in full and we are waiting on the replacements from you.

4. Customer Wes that cancelled due to personal reasons that I refunded.

5. Customer Rich order I have in hand after Ridetech says I never ordered it. I can provide a picture of your invoice and the cashiers check I gave the freight company.


What else Brett? I have spent alot of money on overnights, discounting, and refunds. If I sit here and think about it you actually owe me money and a huge ass apology but screw that as you already stated I am no longer a dealer and hell I just realized you did me a favor...

Perry
PTS

By the way you have called me once in the past year!

[PTS]

Originally Posted by bret

This is to expand and clarify my post above.

I don’t post on these forums a lot, even less about purely business stuff…and nearly NEVER about negative business issues. This forum is about fun with cars and I think it should stay that way.

I have to break that tradition now because there are some dangerous precedents being set that need to be addressed. Too many people have complained about dealers taking their money and not shipping parts for weeks or months. This type of complaint has seemed to cross all ranges of product…wheels, brakes, engine parts, interior parts, and suspension parts.

If you are a dealer [for any manufacturer] who has sat on an order [for any reason], you might be highly offended by our position on this subject. If you are a SMART dealer, then you should be encouraged by our position on this subject. Pick your level of offense.

Read the remainder of this rant as your leisure, but here is the main message:

• With rare exception, RideTech components are in stock and can ship within a day or two of the order. Also, with rare exception, we will ship the components that we do have and send the backordered component as soon as it is built, usually within a matter of days…sometimes a few weeks…certainly not months.

• We make a conscious effort to inform customer and dealers if any component is beyond a couple days availability and to notify them if that situation changes. Any customer can call at any time and get an accurate answer as to what components are actually in the building and which ones might be delayed [if any].

• We TRY to police our dealer base to eliminate dealers who cannot or will not provide our expected level of service to our customers. Part of that process includes the dealers knowledge that if they drop the ball, for whatever reason, RideTech WILL take care of the customer directly.

RideTech is one of the few manufacturers that still sells directly to the end user in addition to having an extensive dealer network. We do that for many reasons, the main one being convenience for the hotrodder. Most RideTech dealers do not mind this situation because they know that we NEVER undercut the retail price and we encourage the customer to deal with his favorite dealer. The relationship between RideTech as a manufacturer and our dealers is simple…the dealers get a fixed percentage discount for making an initial dollar amount buy-in, and supporting it with an agreed upon annual purchase level. It is also assumed that a RideTech dealer will provide a level of customer service that is appropriate to each customer and each market.


RideTech dealers have 3 main responsibilities:

1. To become knowledgeable enough about the product line to provide competent product advice in order to guide the customer towards the most appropriate equipment.

2. To process a customer’s order in the most timely and efficient manner possible.

3. To provide accurate and relevant technical advice on products after the sale.


As a manufacturer, RideTech has responsibilities as well:

1. To develop and manufacture the highest grade of product possible.

2. To maintain a pricing structure that is agreeable to both the dealer and the end customer

3. To manufacture and deliver product in the most timely and efficient manner possible.

This is not a complex relationship and it has not changed in the last 16 years of our existence…nor do we intend it to. From time to time we have had situations where a dealer has taken an order [and possibly money] from a customer and then delayed for some period of time in placing that order with us. These are rare situations and USUALLY it is worked out with a minimum of hassle for all parties. As our product line matures, there are some hungry dealers who are offering discounts to the point where they are making little to no profit with which to operate their businesses. We have no capacity to resolve a dealer’s business problems, but we do have the capacity to attempt to protect our customers from becoming a part of it on our behalf.

I could end my rant here and become cryptic and politically correct about specific dealers who have had problems in this area, but then there would be [likely incorrect] speculation about who I am specifically referring to. I cannot jeopardize good dealers standings by trying to protect one person.

Perry Price and PTS is no longer a RideTech dealer. If you have RideTech orders pending with PTS please call or email Danny Coultas at our shop and he will work with you to get you your parts promptly. Danny’s direct email is [email protected]. His direct number is 812.481.4712

If anyone has ordered from any other RideTech dealer and has waited more than 2 weeks for parts you may contact us as well.

OK…let the beatings begin.

Brett,

I just got off the phone with Danny and we went over everything. You need to get with him and see what else we discovered that has potentially costed you thousands on retail orders on your site...

RE: I received an order COD for $4106.25 and a retail customer can buy for $4100.00. Something is wrong and its costing you!!!

[Blake Foster]

Originally Posted by Stuart Adams

If you order whatever thru a dealer and the dealer sais the order was placed today, you should be calling the vendor today to see if infact its true. Double check. If not cancel immediately and go thru someone else, period.

Or just call the vendor directly to see if you can go direct for the same price. Bypass the possible ponzi.

Don't be a victim by trusting someone else and not following thru on your own.

Kudos for Brett for booting a unethical dealer.

This is a good idea. To a point, as the MFG if your dealer has called or not called and placed or not placed the order and then 10 minutes later you ( the dealers customer) are calling the MFG to check up on the dealer it becomes a case of the dog chasing it's tail, you get multiple ppl working on the same thing and often time it causes more problems than it solves, not to mention the time it takes to get all the stories straight.
To that I think that if you have a pending order and after a reasonable amount of time you have not had communications with your dealer then it is probably time for a phone call to the MFG. Now don't get me wrong it is not like we are going to not try and help you when you call. But everyone does need to be reasonable. we have had this problem crop up a couple time with different dealers as well as vendors (that we buy from) we have dropped dealers and vendors and it sucks, in a perfect world everyone would have everything in stock and shipping would be FREE! I think a little common sense
goes along way
I agree with Bret about selling/ buying direct from the MFG.Speedtech has the same process as Ridetech and we encourage customers to deal with who ever they are most comfortable with.

[ironworks]

Originally Posted by Stuart Adams

If you order whatever thru a dealer and the dealer sais the order was placed today, you should be calling the vendor today to see if infact its true. Double check. If not cancel immediately and go thru someone else, period.

Or just call the vendor directly to see if you can go direct for the same price. Bypass the possible ponzi.

Don't be a victim by trusting someone else and not following thru on your own.

Kudos for Brett for booting a unethical dealer.

I can agree with what you saying some what, But then what is the purpose in even having dealers. The fact is don't let price be your only choice in determining who you order your parts through. If it is, your always going to get what you pay for in customer service. Just because the dealer is willing to cut his own throat to get you business does not mean you should let him sacrifice the customer service you are demanding but not willing to pay for.

Nobody can offer the best customer service and the lowest prices. If you don't believe me go to Walmart and ask a question about a product. Let me know how that works out for you.

[Stuart Adams]

Bottom line is pretty simple, if you care that your money is being spent on what you ordered, and not providing funds for the last guys order, then follow up. Having no time to call is BS unless your willing to go thru what others have already on this topic.

Don't assume jack.

[PTS]

I agree. We have a damn good reputation and never had a problem the past 16 months. Its funny that a decision was made against my company like that. Really I am not upset and by all means if a customer feels uncomfortable I will without question refund their money. I think the decision was a man staring in the mirror talking to himself...

[Stuart Adams]

No offense to you PTS. I'm stating an overall opinion.

Also if you follow up and things are ordered as promissed, then that just reassures your trust in the dealer.