Re: Eurotech is TERRIBLE!

[Grid@webtv.net (Ingrid Hopkins)]

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I echo your sentiments about Mike at VWP.  I called him last night about
my hall sender and he pretty much walked me through it, along with some
'shootin the shit' talk.  I'd have to say he ranks right up at the top.
I've also dealt with Mark at Adirondak (there's the spelling, Shawn) and
have to say he's right up there with Mike, maybe a hair behind only
because I haven't just called up with a question and no order.  

Mannix, I agree with you that you should patronize a local shop as much
as possible, it makes the customer feel good when a shop recognizes
them.  However, when the shop changes employees as often as I have sex
(and believe me guys, you'll be jealous) that does no one any good.
Shawn, you'll appreciate this since we locked horns about the Parts
Place when I first signed on, fuck those motherfuckers!  It's a little
easier for me to get good service from them since I live only about 15
minutes away, but since Jack treats his employees like bacterium, I've
lost all my good contacts there.  I've tried to get some more, but it
seems as though no one there cares about the customer.  So those guys
are history and I'll just have to wait a couple days to get my stock
parts from Mike or Mark.

As for other aftermarket companies, I've done pretty well with most.
Velocity is up there and so is ND.  I have a good contact at ND that
remembers who I am and gives me good advice.  And if he doesn't know the
answer, he doesn't BS around and tell me some line of crap.  Price
shopping is still a good way to shop.  However, (and I agree with Mannix
about shopping with one or two companies) if you develop a good rapor
with one company, see if they will price match with what you have found.
More often than not, they will at least split the difference between
prices if it's not too outrageous. 

And above all else, help out the fellow listers by patronizing them as
well.  We all need to fuel out habit somehow....

Grid & Stew


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Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 00:19:13 -0600
To: skerocdriver@juno.com (Shawn C Meze), collinsk@sprintmail.com
From: "I.Mannix" <mannix@privateI.com>
Subject: Re: Eurotech is TERRIBLE!
Cc: scirocco-l@scirocco.org
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At 01:04 AM 9/30/98 EDT, Shawn C Meze wrote:
>
>Im jaded, but ND has never done for me what VWP has, so my list would
>easily be:
>
>1) Virtual World Parts
>
>The rest would be not in order, but something like
>
>2) Mark @ Adriondac <SP> Auto Brokers 
>3) Velocity Sports Tuning
>4) ND


I basically agree - "basically" because I've never dealt directly with
Mark/Adirondack.  Mike Potter is fantastic - I've bugged him with stupid
questions that the other shops either cannot answer(most) or just don't
want to answer(again, most).  Mike has put up with my hairsplitting over
time, and while I am _very_ loyal to Velocity, Mike will get the first call
from here on in.  I've had good dealings with Velocity over the past few
years - when they don't know, they tell me.  I like that.  New
Dimensions(one of their reps, anyhow) once told me that "they don't get
into the racer stuff."  OK, I completely understand that, but it did not
prompt me to call back.  Never really dealt with Autotech, seemed too
expensive to me, and they use the T word too much(tuning, aargh, I hate
that word - SportTuned?  What the heck is that?;).  Anyhow, not into
bashing the other companies - let's just say that the guy at ND was
honest(but I've never called them since, he was not rude, just factual.  No
racer stuff.  OK!  Bye...), Velocity has treated me right, and Mike Potter
has risen to the top of my list as far as people who know their stuff - I
can figure out WHAT I want, I need someone who *understands* what I want.
A lot of places can't, or have not had the need to figure oddish things out.  

I like Mike.  I like Jeff & Jeremy@Velocity.  Velocity seems to have a good
policy - if the moron autocrosser asks a question that you cannot answer,
get Jeff or Jeremy.  I like that.  "Hi, I need to know <something
obscure>."  Uhhh, hang on......"this is Jeff...."  It is good, and as I
said, if he does not know, he won't try to snowball me - that's worth a
LOT.  IMHO, stick with Velocity and Mike.  Velocity's shipping department
has given some friends fits, although I have NEVER had a problem - could be
due to the fact that I tend to deal with Jeff 9 times out of 10, but who
knows.  Mailorder is sketchy anyhow, if you NEED something, get it shipped
overnight.  Don't wait until the last minute(I've gotten much better at
this, used to be a problem for me).  

Lastly, IMHO, don't shop for price alone.  I know guys who simply shop for
PRICE.  Eh, I can comprehend that - I'm not exactly affluent, but OTOH,
supporting the same places every time will pay off in the long run.  I
intially chose Velocity based on a combination of price and reputation -
and I've been happy.  I know guys who have bought a little here, a little
there, and when crunch time comes, no one "knows" them.  I buy most of my
stockish/maintenance parts from a local shop - been dealing with him for 6
years or so.  Great guy.  I needed a voltage regulator in a bad way
recently - was on my way to pick up a paycheck, had no cash on me.  Went
there, got it, installed it in their parkinglot(glad I made it to the
shop), drove to my employer, the bank, back to the shop and paid them.
Can't just walk into any old shop and get that - over the years, he has
come to know that I'm going to come back.  I get decent deals there, to
boot.  No complaints.  I once needed rear shocks(I think it was
shocks....), called Velocity.  He did not KNOW if he had them, understood
that it was important.  An hour later, Jeff called back, he had "gotten"
some, was going to ship  them.  I don't know what he had to do - probably
call a local distributor & have them dropshipped(no big deal), but that was
very nice of him to do.  Chances are, it took him minutes to "find" them,
but he DID.  Obviously, he wanted to sell them to me, but OTOH, many places
would have told me they were placing an order "next week" or something.
Find a good shop - Potter/VWP, Velocity, whomever, and stick with them.
Same with tire shops.  In the long run, it WILL pay off!


I.Mannix
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