TAPerformance.com

Discussion in 'Buyer/Seller Feedback' started by tjcole, Mar 1, 2012.

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  1. cstanley-gs

    cstanley-gs Silver Mist

    Its not about red paint
     
  2. TA Perf

    TA Perf Member

    Curtis,
    Tim would be correct in saying nothing leaves without being paid for.

    "I'll send out the correct seal right away, please put the incorrect one back in the box and attach the postage included. If we do not receive the seal back, we'll have to charge you for it"

    Been there done that. We started out trying to be the nice guy do what you have stated here. We deal with 1000's of customers over time, what has happened in the past is we ship the part, then we have to start calling the customer, I'll send it, I'll send it. Doesn't show. So we run the card, guess what, the card has been canceled. Believe or not but this has happened many times, and there are many versions of how we have been taken. It amazes me how people figure out ways to get something for nothing. So what would you do? We came up with rules to keep the ball on a level playing field. What I ended up looking at was, what a parts cost, then what its sold for. Say the part cost $200.00 your profit is $50.00, it sells for $250.00. The part never comes back, I now need to sell 5 of these before I start making any profit again. Some people may say this is the cost of doing business, I say that's a poor business man. You can not walk into Walmart, tell them you had a problem with say a lamp and expect them to give you another and just say, bring the bad one back next week. Why do folks feel we should have to roll this way? We tried it and I'm sorry the honest end up being penalized. Anyway, we typically will send out another, charge your card, when we receive the part back, credit your card. Normally all on one billing statement. Call me please, and let me know what your dime really was.
     
  3. 01j

    01j Well-Known Member

    Talk about dog piling on the vendor! And to think I used to have trouble with Kenne-Bell! Since my most recent 8 1/2 years of employment have been as National Service Manager of a $180M company, I simply must add my $0.02 worth. I realize how difficult it is to provide great service and to satisfy some people. I dealt mainly with commercial customers. It makes you realize just how demanding we retail customers are! We are a difficult bunch to please. It takes a lot of time, but it simply must be done.

    From the posts, I think we can assume the hard working lady answered the phone wrong. Mike, you can try fixing that with some customer satisfaction training. If that doesn't work, then maybe you can find an area where her hard working multi-tasking skills don't damage your customer relations, because you cannot conitue to allow that to happen. I'm sure the one guy made an honest mistake with the paint brand. Yes, its frustrating, but we are all human. Still, the customer is always right. As one of the other bloggers said, its easier and cheaper just to make it right. I did that all the time. Yes, it costs my company money, but the satisfaction of the customers has made up for it 100 fold. It is the best investment you can make, especially if you are not in a position to properly (and constantly) train your staff to provide proper customer service. And remember, the staff take their cues from the big dog. If you want them to change, you gotta lead by example. The post above is a good start. But in this Internet age, you simply cannot wait until everyone has chimed in to make a response.

    As for the whining going on in the previous posts, I sense there is built up frustration over perceived poor customer service. Probably about 20% of the complainers are just jumping in and will complain about anything. But its more likely that the 80% have legitimate beefs. There seems to be a common thread that should probably be addressed on a larger scale.

    In the end, thank you for being the Buick flag bear-er. Its tough being in a retail business. Stay positive and keep you chin up! So many people are depending on you.
     
  4. cstanley-gs

    cstanley-gs Silver Mist

    I appreciate you writing back...I feel bad it came to this, it was not my intention to be vindictive by posting here, I was just relaying my experience. As my second post on this thread said, its not going to prevent me from having a relationship with you/TA. I got rubbed the wrong way in this minor situation, and I kinda wish I didnt post about it.
     
  5. Thumper (aka greatscat)

    Thumper (aka greatscat) Well-Known Member

    A company that has been in business as long as TA has will invariably have a glitch now and then.A companies continued success is not measured by how well it does with its customers when all goes smoothly aond everyone,vendor and customer,is happy.Its when things don't go so well and how that is handled.TA has a good overall track record and has to have SOP with its employees and customers for consistency sake.
    I can say that in all the years we've purchased parts for my own use or customers motors theres been some issues,not many but a few.I've always been able to talk to Mike Sr. and get the problem resolved.My latest situation about a month ago was a cam we got,it had a major problem.I talked to Mike directly and he took my analysis of the situation as true and sent a replacement cam out before he received confirmation from Scnieder that they received it and acknowledged a problem.Thats good public relations.I guess the only suggestion I could make would be to credit shipping to the customer if in fact there was an error at TA or a part turned out to be defective.
    Other than that I have confidence in TA,or I wouldn't be buying so many parts from them.
    Again,if theres an issue,ask to talk to Mike directly,usually the problem will be resolved to your satisfaction.
    gary
     
  6. D-Con

    D-Con Kills Rats and Mice

    ~ $10,000 and at least 3 different cars/engines with TA over uhhhh 16+ years! Salmon-20120307-00142.jpg I know for a fact I have some older hand-written receipts somewhere if I were to look harder, probably from around '94.

    While I think that "supporting TA to make things better" is about like saying "support big government to get things better," I have obviously spent a lot of money because TA does make things better in their marketplace. Despite a few SNAFU's over the years, some straight talk and patience on both ends has always lead to my being treated right at TA; talking to Mike if there are complications not easily resolved maybe 2-3 times total, him calling me first at least once that I remember.

    I will also say that in retrospect, probably half of the pennies I have pinched by going elsewhere were offset by not getting what I would have gotten the first time had I paid a little extra from TA. You are also paying for experience, and whether that is from Tri-Sheild, AM&P, TA, Bobb Makley, or any of the other experienced and respected Buick builders, sometimes paying extra for that experience is cheaper and a lot less painful in the long-run. My 494 goes to Tri-Shield hopefully in the next week to fix the curse that has soured me on this "do it right the first time" engine I built 10-years ago and never was right. I've built plenty of fine running engines myself but this one is my nemisis and it's time to take advantage of some of that experience and have FUN instead of grief. Salmon-20120307-00141.jpg If the repairs don't work out, watch for some nice parts in the classifieds. :)
     
  7. lostGS

    lostGS Well-Known Member

    Well as an only one time customer of T/A performance(for now) I have no problems, will I order from them again. Yes. Mike and his company continue to produce Buick performance parts when others closed their doors( poston) or turned traitor,IMHO( Kenne-Bell), OL' pop is spinning in his grave. I believe that Mike has turned his love for Buicks into a company who supports Buick performance.
    Most will agree that we have had issues with other companies, customer service, and products. from the mom and pop stores to the mega corporations, IE Wal-mart. I myself ordered a Flowmaster cat back exhaust for my 95 Explorer from Summit. The tailpipe had the hanger welded in the wrong place. I called summit, they said ship it back and we will take care of it, But on my dime. OK, so my truck would have to sit without an exhaust for 2 weeks + waiting. Did I send it back. NO. I marked the spot and had a local company move it. total cost. $2.00 and an afternoon turn around. Does this relate, yes and no. But make your own conclusions.
    T/A performance being the only game in town could take advantage of us poor Buick smucks. Knowing he has us by the b(#$ls. He has not. then again Buick performance is a small segment in the performance world. We would all suffer if Mike decided to turn coat or close like the others have.

    Tim
     
  8. superbuickguy

    superbuickguy Well-Known Member

    All this over 6 cans of paint? you rolled the dice when you bought the paint - you knew you might get the wrong stuff, and it came up snake eyes. Dang, y'all are brutal. What does it cost to put a sticker on the box it was sent to you and send it back? Did TA make you move to Montana? Were they the ones that have made you live in a trailer?

    Mike pops on here and says "sorry, and we'll take care of it" why don't you say "thanks?"

    Here.... let me solve all your problems. Sell your Buick, buy a Toyota and let it run you into a wall.... problem solved.
     
  9. 69GS400s

    69GS400s ...my own amusement ride!

    Well ^^^ that was constructive
     
  10. LukeN

    LukeN LukeN

    Mike T.

    Keep up the good work, don't get discouraged.

    Managing customer service issues is a challenge...I know!

    If anyone has a problem with TA call Mike.
     
  11. buicksstage1

    buicksstage1 Well-Known Member

    Most company's do not look at the net for this reason. We just watched this BS happen here what 2 weeks ago? It was the thread over pushrod failure and it didn't take long before a bunch of you guys jumped all over TA there also. In the end it turned out to have really nothing to do with the person that started the thread. The facts were so far from what really happened it wasn't funny but many still had a opinon as to what caused the failure and how TA is at fault.

    It sure seems that people like to stick there nose in other peoples business WAY to often, alot of people get off on conflict these days. In my eyes this buyer/seller fead back should ONLY be between the parties involved PERIOD

    This is the heading for buyer/seller feed back "Post your good or bad experiences from doing business in these classified sections here. Please, be courteous and professional
    Moderators:Jim Weise

    AS JW said, key words "FROM DOING BUSINESS IN THESE CLASSIFIED SECTIONS HERE" ....... Maybe its time to stick to just that?

    At Xmas time I was attacked on here also, what was posted was so far from the truth it was enough to make me sick. This should not be allowed to happen any longer. In my case JW and Jim Lore jumped on it right away and I thank them for that. In my opinion this is one of many things that made buick guys solid but you would never know by reading threads like this. Chris Skaling
     
  12. Steve S

    Steve S Well-Known Member

    Great, now the original poster is the bad guy. It boggles the mind!
     
  13. LukeN

    LukeN LukeN

    Mike T.

    Keep up the good work, don't get discouraged.

    Managing customer service issues is a challenge...I know!

    If anyone has a problem with TA call Mike.
     
  14. william.ali.kay

    william.ali.kay Needs more cowbell!

    I do not know Todd Cole nor have I bought one thing from T/A but Im going to jump in here.



    This first quote is from the top of the buyer/seller feedback section of this forum.

    "Forum: Buyer/Seller Feedback

    Post your good or bad experiences from doing business in these classified sections here. Please, be courteous and professional"



    The quote below is th OPs post. Seems to me he did what this part of the board was meant for.
    This thing just snowballed.
    As for everybody who had dealings with buying anything from anybody, maybe you guys should have started a thread of your own letting people know of your transactions smooth or otherwise. Then it wouldnt seem like people were taking sides on Todds thread sharing his experience.

    I applaud Mike for responding and trying to resolve these issues. I believe thats what we all hoped for.

    And also, Id like to thank TA for all they have done and made possible in the Buick community.





     
  15. doesnt matter if it was a 2 dollar gasket or a 2000 dollar set of heads, the customer service should be the same. it would appear the general opinion in this thread is dont complain about TA, they are doing us a favor by selling buick parts to us. sorry but i dont agree, and yes i have been on the losing end in dealing with them a few times. but i have also had lots of transactions with TA that went as they were supposed to. i have been buying from them since the mid 90's. you guys that think the OP is out of line are the ones who are out of line.
     
  16. GNandGS

    GNandGS Well-Known Member

    I doubt any solid company devalues feedback so in the end the reported problems were good for the hobby and the biz

    Likely to see improvements in comm at TA now which seems to me was the goal all along - not paint
     
  17. Buick Power

    Buick Power Well-Known Member

    these threads come up every so often and have a good amount of back and forth. Even when I was at TA, I thought they were still constructive. It can be humbling to learn that you let a customer down. This community is full of passionate people and regardless of issues with so and so, the level of camaraderie is superior than any other niche market. This passion has kept the Buicks in the fight all these years. Some like Mike T. have long term, OCD like passion :) . The competition within the community has often brought about new ideas and technologies. The number of competitors almost seems self regulating as the market is just too small to support excess business endeavors. Though some of you think it is arrogant to say or think (and to my knowledge the words have never come out of Mike T's mouth) but we should feel lucky that TA exists, just as we should praise Denny Manner's contributions, the development of Stage 2 heads, Kenny Bell endeavors in the early years, as well as others who have put their stamp on the brand. Once again, I wish everything works out and 2012 turns out to be a Phoenix for the auto hobby.
     
  18. tjcole

    tjcole 60's Buick nut

    I realize it's "only a case of paint". But it's the principle in the whole matter.
    I appreciate the tips on getting a hold of Mike Sr. Jim, thank you.
    I'm going to eat the cans of paint, since I've been busy relocating to a new state with a new job that requires traveling a lot, I just didn't have time to follow up hard and now it's been a few months; so its dead now.

    Just for an FYI, I did call them twice afterward, and sent the above email twice more but to no avail.
    I'll consider it a cheap lessen learned. Many here on this site have lost thousands to vendors and shops, so I consider myself lucky. Again, it's the principle of the whole matter and I will continue to buy parts from TA, just will get them to send me an email quoting the part numbers and prices FIRST to cover myself so if one of customer reps lies again, I'll have proof.
    This thread flamed more than I intended, but I'm going to let this thing go.
    For the most part, TA has been a good vendor to work with and I'm OK with it.

    Does anyone want to buy six cans of krylon red buick paint??? :grin:
     
  19. TA Perf

    TA Perf Member

    Guy's please,
    I "personally" do not feel the original poster is the bad guy in any way or form. I have been upset with my people all week over this. And they know it. All they needed to do was be understanding on the phone and follow through. Do their job! Which did not happen very well I see. But this does not make them bad folks. 98% of the time we do good. But we threw the rock, if we did not, none of this would have ever came to be. And when it comes down to it, I am responsible.

    I would also like to address something else here if I could. This is a quote from GrandSportSedan which strikes a small nerve.

    "It would appear the general opinion in this thread is don't complain about TA, they are doing us a favor by selling Buick parts to us. sorry but i don't agree, and yes i have been on the losing end in dealing with them a few times."

    You know, I hate complaints, Period. But if we threw the rock, so be it. But understand, we would not do this intentionally, I can not control, or be aware of every conversation my staff has with you folks, nor can I touch every part or the box they pack. But when I am summoned to this board to do damage control, I often find it in a downward spiral with inaccurate statements for the world to read. (Mind you, I'm not speaking about the Buick red paint here).

    Yes, I don't feel warm and fuzzy inside when I read this stuff. Every business can have problems with customer service, and we try and deal with that as best we can, but it's something else all together when I read inaccurate statments put out there as fact.

    This is when I feel maybe I should do something else.

    I have created a lot of these parts you folks enjoy because I wanted one. No one here has said that I know of, "That were doing the Buick community a favor by selling Buick parts". We do it, I DO IT, because of the same reason you purchase them. Passion, enjoyment.

    No one HAS to buy anything from TA Perf. So please, don't say were doing you a favor, I feel were doing you a service. I would love for all off you to buy your parts through us. This helps me do new projects and purchase inventory. Again, I wabt this hobby to be fun for all and I only hope that I have done this for you.

    Sorry to those that it wasn't so fun. We will try harder.
     
  20. Mike, you forgot to include the part where i said i have also had good dealings with TA. my comment was not directed in anyway towards you. it was in fact directed at the guys who belittled the original poster and made light of the situation simply because it "was only paint" I dont think TA has the attitude that you are doing us a favor. will i buy from Ta in the future? YES the only part i wont buy from TA is a camshaft. i need to know that if there is an issue the company i bought it from is who i am dealing with for warranty, not the company that made it for you. I look forward to the new parts TA will bring to the market in the future and have no ill feelings regarding TA
     
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