Topic: NOT a GOOD SHOP EXPERIENCE (Read 2585 times)

Dave · « **on:** March 13, 2009, 09:36:49 am »

its no secret i was shopping fenders recently.. after several failed parts.. i took the references i got & called up LED SLEDS .. they sounded very helpful on the phone.. the guy didnt pick up on several things i said & i had to repeat myself too get the message thru.. i looked at pics.of a bike they had done , { or claimed too }, using the fender they want to sell me.. it looked great, i told the guy it was fine i just needed a flatter top.. which i was told was no prob.. the fender arrived quickly.. that shoulda been a clue.. as they had to build it first.. first thing was.. they didnt send the flat top style.. this i could live with , but the weld on it looked like the fender had a ridge in it , with the fender rolling toward the weld.. next, there were tool marks that were gouged into the steel.. not just a few, everywhere.. the steel was of a thickness i've never seen used on a fender.. it was really thick.. which isnt a bad thing.. so after i chilled a few days , i call them up & talk to the owner.. i guy named TAT .. shortly into our conversation i get the impression that i'm being told i dont know what i'm doing.. he tells me the guy that took my order told him i had tried several other fenders.. TRUE I DID.. there was nothing wrong with any of them , except they just werent radiused for a 16 in. wheel , or they were cut for a soft-tail frame.. the chassis i'm using needed a unique cut.. so in shopping for it.. i tried a few.. whats the big deal there.. & how is this an example of me not knowing my business ?? eventually he blatantly told me i didnt know what i was doing & wanted examples of what i have built before.. i blew a fuse at this point.. i told him the fender he sent looked like it was slung together, there was no attention paid to what i asked for, & i wouldnt ever send junk like this out the door of my shop.. & I WOULDNT .. the guy never once tried to talk about how to rectify the prob.. he did tell me how great he was & how ALL the BIG BUILDERS , bought his products.. who gives a fuck.. maybe they like using bondo to hide sub standard work.. to me its unacceptable.. ALL this lip from i guy i could obviously tell was much younger than i.. i got the impression he had the big head i'm the greatest attitude.. he also attempted to tell me he built every part for his bikes.. of course anyone with any sense knows this is impossible & i CALLED HIM ON IT.. naming parts that there was no doubt we all have to buy.. him included.. this caused some stuttering & crawfishing quickly when he realized he had just stuck his foot in his mouth .. finally i told him not to worry about it.. that i was going to give him lots of free advertisement via internet forums & make sure lots of people saw what he sent me.. JUNK .. when i asked him if his tooling was just worn , he did admit to using homemade machines.. no harm there, if you keep it up well.. & the issue appeared to be that the tooling was the prob.. i've been at this over 30 yrs. & wont justify myself to some young pup .. anyway after about 30minutes , he calls me back.. { CHANGE OF ATTITUDE } { could it be he thought about the free advertising i offered }

{ i think so } .. he offered to bend me another fender.. remember.. 30 minutes earlier i didnt know what i was doing & he was the greatest thing that ever blessed the chopper world .. we actually spoke civil this time.. after thinking about it.. i was getting nothing.. i was stuck with shipping on another fender, plus shipping on this junk fender back to him.. & the thing was so heavy it came in with no packing or box , it was bare with the labels stuck to the fender.. if U.P.S. would have ran over it with a truck it wouldnt have hurt the fender.. anyway.. i called him back declining another fender.. honestly, you got the same guy... the same tooling.. what would lead me to believe it would be any better.. NOT A FUCKIN' THANG .. so if he sells so many fenders & he has the great customer service that i was told he did.. then why didnt he take the fender back.. you would thing it would resell quickly .. if he had all this business happening.. guys i have always bent over backwards to keep folks happy.. guys like this are the ones who discourage people & give us all a bad name.. anytime you got a guy with an ego , of i'm the greatest .. they usually are just what you would imagine.. i had alot of good folks tell me how good these guys were to deal with & how he always made things right if you had a prob.. THIS WAS NOT MY EXPERIENCE .. if they got me , they will get you if the chance arises.. i waited near a month & a half to post this as i didnt want to be too harse , so i figured the cool down time would be good.. & i think i presented this well.. considering i got fucked , by the latest & greatest who supplies all the big builders with his fantastic products.. RIGHT & I WAS JUST INVITED TO JOIN THE ASTRONAUT PROGRAM.. ANYWAY.. this was my experience with LED SLEDS .. form your own opinions from here.. but i couldnt recomend them to add oil to a bike if it was bone dry.. we all have an obligation to report back to the world what we have experienced .. this either steers other towards or away from businesses based on their practices .. unfortunately all our experiences arent good ..

xylene61 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 13, 2009, 12:51:13 pm »

Quote from: Dave on March 13, 2009, 09:36:49 am

I WAS JUST INVITED TO JOIN THE ASTRONAUT PROGRAM.

Lemmee know if the shuttle has an evo or a shovelhead in it for power...LOL

Sorry you have to deal with guys like this. On YOUR dime, too.

Dave · « **Reply #2 on:** March 14, 2009, 05:41:54 pm »

i'm hoping for dual evo. motors to power that space shuttle

.. apparently these guys have a good following of cronies who think they are the greatest.. i also know alot of the same guys & they dont do business this way or conduct themselves in that manner.. most of these same guys also know i'm well capable of cutting & mounting a fender blank .. i'm still not understanding how this guy was trying to relate my skills , to the looks & cut of his parts.. his assumption was because i had tried a couple of other fenders.. not cutting or fitting them mind you.. but just sitting them in place & seeing the radius was tottally wrong , makes me incompetent .. usually when you get this type scene its just an attempt to justify & make themselves look like mr. bigshot.. anytime you get this type treatment its pretty obvious you got a fly by nite business.. had he just admitted his tooling was worn & offered to bend another with the flat top that i wanted , after updating his tooling.. i would have felt much more secure in dealing with them.. i admit to blowing a fuse , but then i dont know many guys like me that wouldnt have when some guy comes along giving them the song & dance i got & attempting to turn his shitty work as being my fault or in my ability to make right, the stuff he should have.. why would the customer want to pay & then deal with cleaning up the sellers mess.. that would be that actions of an in experience or desperate for the part customer.. of which i was neither one.. you hear all these guys claiming we should buy american & use the parts of the guys that build them here.. & then you have to turn to a catalog part because it has a superior quality .. its sorta like they all shot themselves in the foot .. you would never get this type lip service from fab-kevin , or anyone like him.. but then they would never send you a part like i got from these guys.. the bend was a perfect fit / the scarring & weld were the issue .. but then again its all my fault because i tried to buy american & was too incompetent to take the time & effort to fix what i had already paid for .. i've had some good laughs fro alot of local guys & shop owners when i showed them this thing.. fact is a guy here locally just got a blank fender from a guy in texas that bends sheetmetal .. beautiful fender.. according to TAT , he could bondo this one smooth in no time flat.. i know lots of folks from up north that i deal with occassionally that never send out anything but quality stuff , so i know its not just us dumb ole rednecks from down south's inability..

Dave · « **Reply #3 on:** March 14, 2009, 05:44:24 pm »

bazil , i'm quite sure its just a matter of time til one of these guys tries to crucify me over what i've said here.. the truth is often painful & hard for some to bear..

Puzzled · « **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2009, 02:15:33 pm »

Why didn't you post this on CW? I left the door open in one of your threads to do so. I won't pull the thread as long as it stays civil, non threatening (If and when they reply).

When do you leave for astronaut training? You best hurry up as there are only a few launches left!

Dave · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2009, 09:33:32 am »

i may make the next space shuttle if i can loose 75lbs. by then.. probably wont happen ..

i talked to tam to get his input before posting about this there.. i didnt want to bring him any grief.. the man has been decent to me.. he says post it away & basically be civil.. so i will.. i'll find that thread.. do you recall its name.. did i start it ?? dah !!!

ghostrider 61 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2009, 11:02:32 am »

I think this must have something to do about a discussion we had earlier Dave. They ain't cheap either.

If I decide to hardtail my Sporty, I'm going with Tigman. Work was recommended by more than one person on the boards. I already made contact with him, and he seems liek a pro to deal with. Plus he's much cheaper.

Dave · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2009, 09:35:39 am »

YEAH, IT WAS TIME TO TELL THE TALE.. I POSTED IT ON CHOPPERWEB ALSO , SO THAT SHOULD STIR A GOOD SHIT POT THERE..

Dave · « **Reply #8 on:** May 11, 2009, 10:38:43 pm »

fortunately for me i posted this damn thing on ebay & i got 126.00 for it.. NOW.. if i dont get a bad feedback over it i'll be doing good..

xylene61 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 12, 2009, 03:59:42 am »

Quote from: Dave on March 18, 2009, 09:33:32 am

i may make the next space shuttle if i can loose 75lbs. by then.. probably wont happen .. i talked to tam to get his input before posting about this there.. i didnt want to bring him any grief.. the man has been decent to me.. he says post it away & basically be civil.. so i will.. i'll find that thread.. do you recall its name.. did i start it ?? dah !!!

I see you're off to fix the Hubbell telescope, shuttleman....
Congrats to the sale of the fender!

Dave · « **Reply #10 on:** June 06, 2009, 01:27:15 pm »

no bad feedback on the sale.. i got lucky..

Zzap!! · « **Reply #11 on:** June 26, 2009, 12:28:50 am »

Got lucky??? What do you care what that dipstick's opinion is? You got every right to bitch about being hosed on a purchased product. I read nothing in your writing that was out of line.

Dave · « **Reply #12 on:** July 02, 2009, 09:26:31 am »

thank you frank.. i didnt want to be too harsh , though it was my first thought..

Dave · « **Reply #13 on:** October 21, 2011, 11:47:40 pm »

well i brought this thread up again for a reason.. these guys are part of a clic , i guess you could say.. they more or less associate with other shops up north, some well known.. it seems that since i posted the complaint & its been viewed over 2000 times, that i have been given the cold shoulder by some of their associates whom i have deal with in the past.. many i have much respect for.. most or all are northern folk , seems some of them really do think they are better than the rest of us.. a little notariety goes to some guys heads fast.. though i have n o doubt i was building bikes when most of them were still shitting their dy-dee's & eaten buggers.. some may still do both.. who knows.. fact is i often wonder what makes a guy think its o.k. to fuck over someone , then talk down to them over it .. but moreso, why their buds would think its o.k. to side with them when they did in fact act like assholes & sell junk.. is it o.k. because they are associates ?? because they clic. together ?? what ?? i cant call them all pricks because thats part of a man.. its very disheartening to know this type conduct is acceptable among those so many we hold respect for.. if your wrong, your wrong.. man up & do the right thing.. i go out of my way to do so.. i would bet not a one of you would buy a fender knowing you had to bondo, the entire fender prior to painting it.. sure its common to wipe one to smooth it some.. but these guys seem to think a full bondo molding on a fender was the thing to do.. like it was just the norm.. why would anyone pay top dollar for a fender they had to mold to make presentable?? guys, thats junk yard tactics.. none the less i'm not mistaken about being shined on by their associates.. some are members here.. & i'd bet the near 2400 views of this thread have been alot from their little clic. of big heads & i'm greater than thou dummies being directed here to read what i wrote.. i dont doubt in this day of wanna be's that they have bullshitted many into thinking fenders of that quality are the way things are & are supposed to be.. i have thought long & hard before reposting here.. mostly because undoubtedly i will bear the bunt of more of these peoples clic 's cold shoulder.. though many of them sell quality stuff , that i like to buy , i'll bear it because i did without them for many yrs. & i feel i can again, for many more years.. though i know led sleds does sell many quality items , the treating me like an idiot is what condemned them with me..that & not making good on it.. i am truly saddened by the actions of this group.. maybe because i feel sorry for these type people.. maybe because no one likes to be disliked, who knows.. my hope is that the decent guys that have seen fit to side with them simply because they are associates , will see the childishness in what they do..

Lightnin · « **Reply #14 on:** October 22, 2011, 04:02:27 pm »

Well Dave, I think most of us can fall under the category of following a friend or acquaintance because that's who they are.... doesn't make it right or wrong, we are just creatures of habit.... but as you noted, when it affects others negatively is when it becomes a problem
long story short, you got hosed by these mo-mo's and now their friends are giving you the same treatment.... time for finding some new vendors to buy from.... if they don't want your money, that's their loss.... don't give them any more energy, they've gotten enough of yours

Puzzled · « **Reply #15 on:** October 22, 2011, 06:03:21 pm »

Quote from: Lightnin on October 22, 2011, 04:02:27 pm

Well Dave, I think most of us can fall under the category of following a friend or acquaintance because that's who they are.... doesn't make it right or wrong, we are just creatures of habit.... but as you noted, when it affects others negatively is when it becomes a problem
long story short, you got hosed by these mo-mo's and now their friends are giving you the same treatment.... time for finding some new vendors to buy from.... if they don't want your money, that's their loss.... don't give them any more energy, they've gotten enough of yours

Well said.

Dave · « **Reply #16 on:** October 23, 2011, 02:44:46 pm »

first off.. LIGHTNIN .. how the hell are you & where da' fuck ya' been brother.. i miss your occassional text too..

very well said brother.. & its true i find myself doing the same thing too .. hopefully not negatively impacting anyone though.. my intent here was more to expose their conduct.. push comes to shove i will name their group , as they go under a name.. its not all of them, that i knoe of & thats why i dont name them now .. if i ever conduct myself in a manner such as they did i would hope my friends, especially you guys would correct me for such conduct & not condone it..

Bibs · « **Reply #17 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:21:26 pm »

Dave....I've read what you posted Twice now....I totally appreciate your aggravation in dealing with a couple of self righteous Assholes.
They're out there!!..........they dont just reside in the north east either!!
Fab kevin has to be one of the most stand up guys I've ever dealt with!!
Your probobly better off dealin with known fabricators in your area as opposed to goin too far outta town...................them asshats ya dealt with obviously had similar experiences in the past.............Fuck 'em.

Lightnin · « **Reply #18 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:36:24 pm »

Well, where i've been: I got out of the rat race and jumped into the fire about a year ago.... i was gonna head out to Cali, and still might - maybe Austin or Nashville.... I'd been trying for years to stay in the working class and not pay attention to the fact that I have good skills as an audio engineer.... yeah i did it for fun, but nothing more..... I wound up doing stage management for a festival in Nola at Halloween.... that got me a spot on the crew for the Super Bowl.... Wound up running the Blue Man Group Stage in the parking lot for the Tailgate Party..... From there, i flew back to SoFla and jumped right back in with a local sound company.... worked hard for 5 months at that and then the bottom drops out of that market (seasonal thing).... Money seemed to completely avoid me, and I am not one to ask for help(yeah, that stupid pride will kick my ass every time)...... Moved to a decent pad and left the MC I was with for 9 years, and that's a good thing.... Too many cunts and I don't have the time nor energy to deal with their shit.... Long story short, got tired of a lot.... depression grabbed my ass and if it wasn't for my dog, i wouldn't have left the bed for a while.... Fuck that.... Change is upon me and it's about fucking time.... I have guys checking things out for in Nashville and L.A. ....
So, you asked and there it is..... I know something is on the horizon for me, and time will tell

Dave · « **Reply #19 on:** October 24, 2011, 09:59:13 am »

austin is a hot lil' place.. lived there many yrs.. brother keep the faith & stay right.. you know i'm here if ya ever need me.. 225-505-2280 .. my best goes with you always.. i had worried about you when you dropped off .. i was afraid you crossed back over..

bibs, i know it aint just folks up north.. it was just a referance as to where they were all located.. theres assholes everywhere.. fab-kevin has always been top tit .. the guys great.. i'm glad he has gotten more exposure, he deserves it..

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