<VV> Update - Let the Buyer Beware!

[corvair@mb.sympatico.ca]

Rick;

I see one common thread here - all communication happening by email. Have you phoned and talked to someone in charge, and had them attempt to resolve your problem? Many times (and it seems especially in the auto parts arena for some reason...) email is an uncomfortable/unfamilar method of contact and phone works a lot better.

I have had companies reply to my emails WEEKS late, expecting that I would still be ready to do business - they treat it like postal mail, and maybe check once a week, then spend a day a week later getting someone who knows how to use the computer type in the responses....

Les

Message: 10
From: the.tysons@comcast.net
To: virtualvairs@corvair.org
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2005 13:50:31 +0000
Subject: <VV> Update - Let the Buyer Beware!

I received a large number of responses to my post several weeks ago describing a failure to 
obtain a refund for a returned dual master cylinder kit.  I want to personally thank everyone 
who took the time to offer advice or relate a similar story from their personal experiences.  I 
came away with the knowledge that I'm not the only one who has experienced this type of 
frustration.  There was one quite interesting response to my original post that I thought board 
members might be interested in.  I received an e-mail from the owner of the business that sold 
me the master cylinder.  The tone of his message was quite puzzling - it suggested that he had 
no idea it was his business that I referred to and he listed a number of possible explanations 
for the problem.  Although I found this odd, I seized the opportunity and immediately replied 
to his e-mail with a full description of the transaction and a request for a refund.  Two weeks 
have passed and I have heard nothing.  I'm afrai!
d that, in my mind, there is no excuse for this behavior - no simple oversight can help explain 
this.  I suspect this is a case of an individual without the necessary business skills 
attempting to turn a passionate hobby into a business.  He has survived only because of 
personal friendships and the fact that he is dealing with a "captive" audience.  This type of 
customer support would produce a rapid collapse in the competitive world.  After a 25-year 
career in the medical products industry, I fully understand the importance of customer 
service.

At this point I'm nearly ready to throw in the towel.  It's just not worth the mental 
frustration involved in attempting to recover my $100.  I would offer the readers this advice:  
"Let the Buyer Beware" when dealing with this vendor.  I have chosen not to mention the vendor 
online, but would be happy to do so off-line.

Note:  Several responders to my original post suggested that I contact Larry Claypool as he is 
the Corsa representative who assists with vendor problems.  I sent Larry a description of the 
problem approximately two weeks ago but have not heard back.

Rick Tyson