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Parts vendor warning - I was ripped off

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Randy Harris

Randy Harris

Jedi Warrior
Offline
I have posted this warning to my Jag group also. Caveat Emptor......

I was contacted a number of months ago by a parts supplier that was responding to my request for an exhaust manifold for a 4.2 E-tyoe. The vendor stated that he had a decades old business that parted out dozens of E-Types and that he had the part I wanted in excellent condition. I paid a premium for the part and shipping charges. It took another three weeks to get the part after I had sent the check. After spending two weeks cleaning off the red paint and crud on the used manifold I determined that it might be ok if it was refinished. A couple months later I gave it to my mechanic for a trial installation and he informed me that the part would not fit my E-type and that the bolt holes were cracked and not usable. It was for a different car.

I called the vendor who insisted it was the right part and he said send it right back for a full refund. I sent the part back on November 21st and as of this date have not received a refund. The telephone number is disconnected also.

To avoid any litigious situation I will not disclose the name of the vendor publically online. However if anyone would like to email me
privately (coop1@rcn.com) I would be very happy to disclose the name, email address, website and phone number of this guy that is a blight on the British car supply business.

Best to all.............
Randy

[ 01-06-2004: Message edited by: Randy Harris ]</p>
 
had a similar experience buying a top frame for my BT7. after paying $300 for a frame, getting
the wrong frame. paying shipping to send it back and being sent another incorrect frame i sucked it up and bought a new frame from moss.so i now have a top frame for some kind of healey that
someone can have for free if we can figure out what the heck it fits. got the guys name out of
hemmings.
just because they can afford to advertise, doesn't mean they know squat about what they're
selling.
gregg
 
Well, if you're not going to tell the BBS who the vendor is in your post, your post is kinda worthless. If effect, you're saying:
" I was ripped off by a vendor, who's name I won't tell you, but be really careful in your dealings with this vendor, who's name I won't tell you." Tell us who it is! Duh!

Paul B.
 
Well he did say that he would tell anyone who wanted to contact him, and I can understand his reluctance to publicly post such information. We had a similar episode a while ago, and Basil specifically asked that we withhold any vendor information for legal reasons, but inform those who wanted to know off the board.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Vespa:
Well, if you're not going to tell the BBS who the vendor is in your post, your post is kinda worthless. If effect, you're saying:
" I was ripped off by a vendor, who's name I won't tell you, but be really careful in your dealings with this vendor, who's name I won't tell you." Tell us who it is! Duh!

Paul B.<hr></blockquote>

You need to re-read his post. He did say that if you wanted to know who it was he would tell you privately via email. As the owner of this establishment, that is the way I prefer it.

Basil

[ 01-06-2004: Message edited by: Basil ]</p>
 
It's good to see that this site will not become a forum for criticizing slamming various vendors and personalities. "Slamming" has become more commonplace in this era of "reality" TV, and no matter how it's packaged, it remains rude, banal and unsportsmanlike.

It's a classy touch to offer to discuss the problem offline and not on the public forum.

Thanks, Basil, for keeping it real.
 
Just remember there are big name dealers out there that will play the same games and will lose money. This whole restoration thing is only a means to a big bank account for many individuals and businesses. They have given up the love of old cars for a golden idol.

SB
 
I posted the warning as a service to the Jag and Healey on line communities. Having spent serious restoration dollars on both cars, I know how painful it can be to be burned by a vendor. This isn't the first time for me. In fact, the Healey situation was much worse and still not resolved two years hence.

Handling the details of the bad transaction offline keeps me out of court and keeps Basil happy. But I do want to give the info freely. So far I have emailed 46 individuals the details since yesterday morning. Obviously a lot of you guys are concerned as I am about such things.
Best.
Randy
 
i was dead serious when i said i ended up with
2 healey top frames that aren't for a BT7.I DON'T
know what they fit. obviously a 2 seater. one needs a little work.i'll give them to somebody free if they can use them. i also ended up with
an extra BT7 frame in really good shape that i'll
sell or keep for an extra.if i can figure out how to post a picture i'll stick them on the site
and somebody can have them for the price of shipping. i've got way too much extra healey
junk laying around as it is, and no storage space. i'll take some digital pictures and see
if i'm smart enough to figure out how to post them.
gregg
 
i am not totally computer illiterate, but which
one of these cute little things do you push to
add an attachment to your message??? like a picture of free stuff.
gregg
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by fordhealey:
i am not totally computer illiterate, but which
one of these cute little things do you push to
add an attachment to your message??? like a picture of free stuff.
gregg<hr></blockquote>

Hi Gregg, you can't attach images here like you can to an email. You need to first put the image on a website and then when you compose your message, hit the IMAGE button in the Instant UBB Code area at the bottom and paste the web address in there. If you don't have a website you can email the images to me and I will put them on mine and then email you the address.

Cheers,
John
loftusdesign@cox.net
 
i was dead serious when i said i ended up with
2 healey top frames that aren't for a BT7.I DON'T
know what they fit. obviously a 2 seater. one needs a little work.i'll give them to somebody free if they can use them. i also ended up with
an extra BT7 frame in really good shape that i'll
sell or keep for an extra.[/QUOTE]
Why not offer on ebay?

smile.gif
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by John Loftus:


<snip. and paste the web address in there. <snip><hr></blockquote>

I would just add to make sure it is the COMPLETE web address that points to the picture, e.g., https:// (website).com/directory/yourpicture.jpg

In other words, you must point to the actual picture, not the html page the picture is on (a common mistake).

Basil
 
I think Randy's post is a fine example of how to help a fellow enthusiast, but not put Basil's baby in jeopardy. If any of you have similar warnings, it seems like the way to go. Reach your audience here, but reserve the libel and slander allegations for yourself (highly unlikely).
 
It is not libel if it is true. Then it is a fact, whether it is positive or negative.

But, it is better to give these comments as an objective way, not an emotional rant.

For example, how about sheet metal. I have had good success with Kilmartin sheet metal pieces, and Vintage Automotive - never a problem. Pieces from Moss are often good but sometimes not. Moss sells at a good price, but Moss finds the lowest price supplier - sometimes Moss pieces are resold from Kilkmartin - and resells.

So, my ultimate opinion is that Moss is a fast supplier, and what they sell is usually good, so it is a bit of a crap shoot, and be careful.

This is not a libelous statement, but my opinion based on the few facts from my experience. If I said (and I am not) "Moss sells crap stay away", that an unsubstantiate, and likely libelous statement.

I hope the forum always is an avenue of providing helpful information on what is good and bad about our hobby so we can avoid the mistakes of others.

My two cents.

Bob Walker
In Arizona where it is only 72 deg F today, more like 70 with the wind chill figured in.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by bob walker:
It is not libel if it is true. <hr></blockquote>

I understand and appreciate your point, but the problem is, what one person thinks is true, another person may think is not true and I, as the owner of this forum, am in no position to make those judgments (I am not a lawyer, but I know enough to know that people these days sue at the drop of a hat). I think lawguy (above) is a lawyer and his advice is well founded, especially in the litigious world we live in these days. Even if something bad was true, if someone decided to sue me, I would still be drug into court and this forum would be done. At that point the issue of what was or wasn’t true would be moot.

Thus, what I ask (actually it’s a bit more than ask) is simply that if a member has had a negative experience with a company, the way that Randy approached it is the preferred way (and, frankly, the way I would prefer it be done).

Also, if one looks through the thousands of posts here one will see that the relating of vendor problems such as this is actually a very small part of the usual dialog here (its mostly “how do I do XYZ... or “where can I buy ABC…”). So, asking that people not relate anicdotal bad experiences should not be that big a deal. It can still be done – the way Randy did it. Of course, if you have something good to say, that is never a problem.

One last consideration – I currently have a very good relationship with certain major vendors who indirectly support this forum. For example, some of them provide me with gift certificates at a pretty decent discount which I then use as prizes in our Crack the Safe game and also our Virtual Rally game, so I’m somewhat sensitive to not wanting upset those relationships (and they do lurk here from time to time).

Cheers,
Basil
 
Yep, Basil, let me confirm it. I am a lawyer. Valparaiso University School of Law, class of '98. Licensed in Indiana since '98 (maybe Michigan, my home state within the year) I practice exclusively in civil litigation, mainly medical malpractice defense, but I have also handled defamation cases.

Before law school and after college, I detailed, fixed and sold used cars at a small dealership in Grand Rapids, MI. If anyone really cares, which I doubt, here is my firm's website- www.sjdlaw.com. I have used the handle "lawguy" for a while, but am not really hiding my identity. My real name is James L. Hough.

In my state, "truth as an absolute defense" is written into our State Constitution. As Basil so rightly observed "truth" may not be relative, but it can be expensive to prove.

People love to ask lawyers: "can I be sued for this?" or "can I be sued for that?" That's the easiest question anyone could ask. The answer is always "YES."

The real questions are whether the suit can ultimately successful and how much will it cost to defend against it?

Members of a forum such as this one need to be able to share information about less than optimum experiences with suppliers. That is critical. But as I said earlier, I think a good idea is to post the complaint facts and allow people to e-mail you for information. It would then be harder (but not impossible, remember what I said about "can I be sued?") to pull the forum in if someone took great umbrage....which is unlikely anyway....in Indiana at least...the only place I am currently licensed....so any legal analysis is confined strictly to any hypothetical situation would arise within the state of, or arising under the laws of the State of Indiana. (how's that for sliding a disclaimer in?)

Happy posting folks.
 
To Bob Walker in Arizona.
I am from the UK but have lived in Canada for 25 years now where if you throw a bucket of water into the air during one of our cold spells it becomes ice crystals bfore it hits the ground.
Now THAT is something to brag about eh?

David Watley
Calgary Alberta
 
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