The goal of this thread is to help the industry not bash any one shop and no names please .I myself as a business owner look for this type of feed back and I think all owners do .It is painful sometimes to hear but will only help us improve .I decided to start this post because over a year ago I had a bad experience with a shop delays delays never was told the car would be delayed and I was catching them in one lie after another .I have used no less then 7 shops to build many cars and I can tell you its a industry wide issue the level of customer service is poor at best .Its not just the performance shops the performance shops deal with the very same level of poor services from most of the vendors .I try to involve others in this great hobby we all love and for some its not a hobby its a way of life .I hate telling a fellow new car guy that he needs to be sure that the dates he is promised for his car are at best a estimate .I could go on and on but I would like to hear and see ideas from both customers and vendors what should we all look out for when making a large purchase such as a super charger build etc and how can we become more educated consumers .As they say the devil is in the details .My wish for all shops go out test drive the car be sure its correct before you have the customer pick up the car I can tell you 3 tows later and 3 different shops that test driving is key .The average miles traveled before the cars broke down was 14 .Dyno pulls etc are not road tests .I also want to say that their is plenty of great shops that do it correctly and care about the consumer
Feed back for shop owners how they can Improve!
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As I see it the shops start to grow based on the product and good customer service. But, soon the business grows faster that the customer service and the cash flow. Now the owner is in catch up mode. Most of the time they don't have enough money to staff up or expand the the facility (more work than they are able to handle). This results in the reputation going down hill and the business begins to suffer and the rest is history unless the problems are fixed in short order.
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My suggestions would be to:
1) Visit the shop - look around, talk to the people there. Are they organized, have the right tools and equipment, do they have inventory parts, is there good lighting, are there more than one or two cars in the shop, how does the in process car(s) look.
2) Define your objectives - talk and communicate what you are expecting and how to get those goals met.
3) Have a go to person who you can trust to keep you informed.
4) Don't assume - take time to follow up. If they say something will be done this week call on Monday to see if indeed it is.
5) Trust instincts - if things don't seem right don't be afraid to speak up and if not satisfied go elsewhere.
Just based on my experiences both great and terrible. Communication and follow-up as well as patience help the process along.
1) Visit the shop - look around, talk to the people there. Are they organized, have the right tools and equipment, do they have inventory parts, is there good lighting, are there more than one or two cars in the shop, how does the in process car(s) look.
2) Define your objectives - talk and communicate what you are expecting and how to get those goals met.
3) Have a go to person who you can trust to keep you informed.
4) Don't assume - take time to follow up. If they say something will be done this week call on Monday to see if indeed it is.
5) Trust instincts - if things don't seem right don't be afraid to speak up and if not satisfied go elsewhere.
Just based on my experiences both great and terrible. Communication and follow-up as well as patience help the process along.
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I'm finding that out myself. I recently contacted a performance shop about getting a set of long tube headers installed as well as a before and after dyno and a custom tune. I was pretty explicit and even provided the part # from their website. I asked for an installed out-the-door price. Three weeks later I'm still getting emails about adding a CAI (I have one), adding a cat-back (I have one) and asking what type of headers I want.
I've sent 3 emails explaining I already have a CAI and a cat-back, and provided the part number of the headers I want from their site. The last email I got was informing me I should add a CAI and a cat-back and wanting to know which one I wanted. ARGH!!! I've finally decided to forget about the long tubes, order some shorties and install them myself.
I've sent 3 emails explaining I already have a CAI and a cat-back, and provided the part number of the headers I want from their site. The last email I got was informing me I should add a CAI and a cat-back and wanting to know which one I wanted. ARGH!!! I've finally decided to forget about the long tubes, order some shorties and install them myself.
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It took almost 3 months to get my Cervini's CAI from HHP. Poor communications by HHP & Cervini. Plus poor parts supply by one of the 2 parties. Ultimately I had to light a few fires under them.... especially since my CC had been charged at day 1 for the total bill.
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My biggest gripe and or problem with some vendors is why not be honest and up front with a customer. If it will take a few weeks or a month to get a part say so don't make out like you have the item laying on a shelf when in fact you don't have anything in stock. They act like their your best friend right up to the point of getting your money then they don't want to talk to you anymore. All it takes is once for me and I will never be back. If I know it will take a while then i'm fine with it. Lying to me or misrepresenting yourself or your company is no way to get my business.
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The best advice I could give a shop, would be, to be completely honest about the status of any parts or service etc. - do not duck any calls, just be up front and there will be no communication gap. When I hopped up my Dakota a few years back, I really appreciated it when the shop just told me the truth - whether it was good or bad. That shop got my repeat business. The TRUTH, good or bad, be up front!
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That's wrong. They shouldn't charge until the part is shipped. That alone would keep me from using a company, shop or vendor.
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This would solve SO many issues if businesses (not just auto shops) would adhere to it. Be honest and own up to it, then let your customer know what you're doing to try and rectify it.
Take notice !!
I hope shops as well as vendors here what we are saying tell us like it is be honest and upfront and deliver and service the needs of your costumers .I guess in short treat us like you want to be treated .Taking on to much work missing deadlines making promises and not keeping them will be a slow death for your shop and brand .I did a quick experiment on performance shops in the Chicago area I looked thru the phone book under performance automotive shops in the 2005 yellow pages and compared it to the 2010 book and holy crap at least half disappeared .I also understand that people don't advertise in yp that muck anymore it's the Internet so I called a few of the shops and all gone .We could say bad management or say it's the economy but what I think it comes down to is bad service follow up etc etc .Someone should start a list like angieslist etc or yelp.com for high performance auto shops users only and we can post the good with the bad so that those who treat us as valued consumers increase their buisness and those who don't get what they deserve non of our hard earned cash that we had to hide from the wife to spend on the car projects .The site could have a resolution request as well as a ranking system from a to f and a spot for the shop owner to tell his side I think custumer service would improve greatly with such a site .I would start one myself but I have trouble using this site lol .:scratchhead:
I hope shops as well as vendors here what we are saying tell us like it is be honest and upfront and deliver and service the needs of your costumers .I guess in short treat us like you want to be treated .Taking on to much work missing deadlines making promises and not keeping them will be a slow death for your shop and brand .I did a quick experiment on performance shops in the Chicago area I looked thru the phone book under performance automotive shops in the 2005 yellow pages and compared it to the 2010 book and holy crap at least half disappeared .I also understand that people don't advertise in yp that muck anymore it's the Internet so I called a few of the shops and all gone .We could say bad management or say it's the economy but what I think it comes down to is bad service follow up etc etc .Someone should start a list like angieslist etc or yelp.com for high performance auto shops users only and we can post the good with the bad so that those who treat us as valued consumers increase their buisness and those who don't get what they deserve non of our hard earned cash that we had to hide from the wife to spend on the car projects .The site could have a resolution request as well as a ranking system from a to f and a spot for the shop owner to tell his side I think custumer service would improve greatly with such a site .I would start one myself but I have trouble using this site lol .:scratchhead:
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