Greetings All,


About six months ago, I purchased a new top from my local Corvette shop. The top has developed lines and is separating from the frame; not to mention it leaks. I was told, "This happens because of poor methods of manufacture". My issue is that I paid for the top with money that was not "of poor manufacture" why should I have an inferior product. The proprietor of the Corvette shop tells me I will have to ship the top back to the manufacturer. The top is rather heavy and no one wants to supply the proper box for shipping. The manufacturer is Dave in Chicago. He is giving me a difficult time because he swears his products are perfect and my expectations for restoration are too high. If his products are so wonderful, why are my expectations too high? A top that that has no lines and remains in one piece, shame on me for the asking.

Trouble is I need a top for my BAD HABT. I do not mind paying for quality products; just give me a quality product. Does anyone have and suggestions?

Lori

 

i feel for you, you don't sound like you are trying to get one over on them, shame on them losers.

they may have a warrantee

if you paid for it with a credit card, I would dispute the purchase, that is why i pay for everything with a credit card, just a little insurance that the other party performs and advertised.

sometimes credit card companies, add time to a manufacturers warranty...

 

I suspect this can happen if the proper installation procedure isn't followed. Corvettes are often akin to hand-made cars where differences in fit occur. When you buy a new top, the mounting points need to be loosened. Then drive for a bit to "settle" the new top in. Re-tighten to fit the exact shape of your roof.

T-topped cars are also prone to leaks in general. Weatherstripping may require replacing. Depending on where it's leaking, the top may not be responsible. In the case of leaks, he was probably referring to poor methods of manufacturing weatherstripping. And, that would be a true statement. There are more makers of weatherstripping that disappoint -- than fulfill the expectations of consumers. Variations in shape, softness, and surface tension can lead to less-than-satisfactory results.

Then, there's the issue of cleaners. I've heard standard household window cleaners (like the ones with ammonia) can cause cracking. But, I believe that's more in the clear skin placed on top of the clear roofs.

FWIW: I bought a used one thru this forum a couple yrs ago. I've yet to use it yet because of the car being restored. But, I hope the sum of info posted above will help me avoid similar problems as what you're seeing.

As for the box...I finally tore mine apart less than a week ago. Otherwise, I would have let you ship it to yourself. It was a 2x4 rectangle built about 3" larger than the roof (front to back) and 2" larger (from side-to-side). (More info on sizing in last sentence of this paragraph. I used old furniture cushions cut, and stapled around the perimeter to keep the roof from hitting the frame. Then, I used a TON of drywall screws to attach masonite to the front and back of the rectangle. I also had to make the wood rectangle SLIGHTLY wider to accomodate the top. I used a thick layer of cardboard on each side before screwing the masonite to the wood. Finally, if you check with UPS/FedEx, someone should be able to tell you the limit for an "oversize 1 box". The total dimensions can not exceed something like 107". (Wish I could remember). Point is the price for shipping goes up at least $50 each direction if you go over that. By knowing the total, I was able to stay under it by about 1/2".

Hope that helps.
gp

 

If a local company the better business bureau if credit card call them if they don't work name names and call them out in public forums just be right before hand. As far as Corvettes being hand built one offs I am rather certain Bowling Green has jigs for roof brackets they are not all different unless the car is bent as being in an accident.. as far as the window cleaner if that is a issue what do you do if a bird craps on the roof buy a new one lets get real here.. Bad Habt..LOL I like that...

 

The shop you bought it from should handle the warantee. Shipping and all. Let them know, you have the internet and know how to use it. If you do not get what it takes. Go to every forum and tell the story. And name the shop in capital letters. At least thats what I would do.

 

Hi Lori,
There are two company's the re-lens tops for C4 Corvettes, one is Astro, the other is Melrose. If the top you have is a Astro top, then your problem is no surprise, if it is a Melrose, then it is. As stated above, the Corvette shop you bought it from should be responsible for everything with the top. As to Greg's point about if the top was fitted to your car correctly, that also should be the job of the Corvette shop. But even if it was not fitted, it still should not have come apart. I am guessing you paid close to $1000.00 for the top? At that price point, the shop made a ton of money on the top it sold you, now they have to react and stand behind it. The top manufacturer should send you a new top, and have you reuse the box to return the top.
Lori, in a case like this, the Corvette Forum can be your best weapon. Next time you speak to the top company/Corvette Shop, make sure you tell them first thing that you are a member here and that you will report your experience on here, good or bad. No company wants bad publicity, and will "do the right thing" to avoid it. Remember, your not asking for anything extra; you just want the top to do what it is supposed too.
Please let us know how you make out, and welcome to the forum.

Randy

 

Greetings,

Every so often I log on here and pull up our name to catch up on the buzz. I unfortunately just came upon this and was taken back by the negative comments.
First of all I would like to recommend you search our name on here and you will find mostly good feedback. The comments you quoted by Dave, my father, seems unlike something he would say, but I'll take your word for it. I had him read this to see if it would jar his memory and he had no recollection.
We warranty our tops against panel seperation for life. We do this because we are confident in our gluing process. In all my time here I cannot recall a time that we told a customer who had our roof we would not repair it for them. As for the leaks, those can be the result of any number of things. We use new side weatherstrips on EVERY roof. Sometimes there is a timeframe to allow the new weatherstrip to adpat to the used weatherstrips on the car, and sometimes customers will have already replaced the vehicles weatherstrips with inferior products. Regarding the box, we would have gladly sent you a box with return label as we have done for our other customers.
We have been producing one piece GM licensed replacement roofs for 20 years, and have been in the Corvette business for over 30. We are not still in this business as the result of poor customer service. I can personally attest to this because I am the gen manager and hear about it every time there is a problem and the monetary losses we must take resolving the issue.
We had a small rash of tops that were sent out earlier this year that had a seperation problem due to a chemical failure that was beyond our control. We were up front with each customer that has called us regarding the issue and have taken care of them with as little inconvenience to them as possible.
Lori I see you are somewhat new here. You will find with most companies if you treat them respectfully you will get that respect in return. It is unfortunate that you allegedly had a bad experience when you called here and I apologize for that. All I ask from you is in the future please call me before leaving a negative post. It takes years to build a good reputation, but only minutes to tear it down due to misunderstandings.

Thank you,
Chris Wiehle
Gen Manager
Melrose T-Top Int.

 

Melrose has a good reputation on this forum and deservedly so. But I take issue with your condescending last paragraph to the OP. Her being "somewhat new" notwithstanding, deserved a better answer. How was she supposed to know to call YOU before leaving a negative post? She did call your company, had the name right of who she talked to (Dave), never mentioned your company by name and was asking for advice from other forum members. Her "alleged" experience was a bad one. By your own admission there is "mostly good feedback", well she has a mostly not good one. Fix her problem and I humbly suggest you work on your tone answering a customer complaint. "It takes years to build a good reputation, but only minutes to tear it down due to misunderstandings". Or a superior attitude toward a customer in a response, as you exhibited.

 

Dear Jimmy,

Today, I did discover the company my local Corvette shop was dealing with was Melrose. I indeed had a bad experience with “Dave” which was no casual allegation. Subsequently my conversation with Dave was a three-way call. I may be new to this forum, but I am not new to Corvette ownership. The BAD HABT is my fourth Corvette restoration. I was only trying to investigate an on-going problem with this top. I never mentioned the Melrose name because I had no prior knowledge of the establishment.

I called Melrose to rebut their condescending remarks and discuss the problem. I located the Melrose identifying marks on the top proving it was their product. They are graciously sending a new top and I was treated with kindness and respect. I have never spoken harshly to any one who has worked on any Corvette I have owned. I understand the temperamental nature of the cars and they are not perfect.

I thank you for your supportive remarks. I must admit, I am somewhat used to condescending remarks when Corvettes are the topic of conversation...but not among fellow Corvette enthusiasts.

Lori

 

the power of the internet holds vendors accountable

 

Chris Weihle,

ONE thing...find that retailer and remove them from your distribution supply chain.

Had this been handled correctly at the local level from the first moment...This thread would have never been started. NOR would doubt about doing business with your entity be in MY head.

You stated it correctly when you said it only takes minutes to destroy a good reputation.

Choose your retail dealers with a bit more discrimination.

People wonder why "Salesmen" get paid what they get paid......most customers determine if they are going to do business with a certain salesman within the first 30 seconds of the primary encounter........Lori has been gracious and given your entity the opportunity to correct two consecutive blunders made by your Supply chain representatives.

 

AND their customers.......

All too often I read posts where someone flames a vendor.
And the vendor has his day.

 

in Ebay they have taken away the ability for the seller to neg a winning bidder, even if they don't pay which I don't think is right,nevertheless, as long as the bidder pays as per checkout instructions, they have done their part of the agreement/bargain; this I believe and I immediately render a positve feedback for this action, unlike some others who withold feedbacks as a subltle form of extortion.

I know there are circumstances that a buyer may be troublesome, who are mostly non or slow payers without Pay Pal.
especially new to EBay participants , this is an exception


The burden of truth and performance rides mostly with the seller, Ebay has rewritten the paradigm in which commerce conducts, especially ecommerce. All serious vendors should be up to speed on this by now, or placed on notice.

I subscribe to the notion when the buyer pays they have done their part, period, witness the liberal return policy some larger retailer embrace,( have you ever seen a return line in places like Home Depot and Target) they fully understand returns and post sale service is a part of their business model and have provisioned for this; unlike the small timer selling onezies and twozies whereby an unwound deal would interfere with their mortage, here-in lies the proverbial egg and chicken, do they act big to get big or act small to get big or to stay small? they act small and stay small.

Then how is a buyer, if they paid for goods and service; should go without empathy from the seller on issues dealing with their purchase is beyond my comprehension.:c ry

 

Jimmymack- You stated I was being condescending whereas I wa simply stating the truth. I think I just picked the wrong week to join in the conversation here. I am glad I did on one hand because we resolved Lori's problem in 5 minutes of phone conversation that has otherwise taken two months to resolve due to the original shops failure to handle the problem. On the other hand, I feel I was a bit short with Lori due to the week I've had.
Quick story- we sent a roof out last wed. or so that UPS proceeded to break in transit. The customer got the roof Fri night after we closed for the weekend. This gentleman proceeded to leave 13 messages on our answering machine about our $hitty company, $hitty cust service, lack of judgment to use better shipper. Around message 8 he proceeded to making what I took as death threats about driving here from the east coast and not care about returning home, yes life threats over a broken roof that was fine when it left here. They got worse and he used the F word over 40 times among his messages. This all happened while we were closed between Fri evening and Mon morn. Mon morning I walked in at 7AM and at 7:01 guess who called. After 5 min of him swearing at me I calmly asked him "what we did" to which he had no answer. I have recorded the entire 13 meassages and was actually thinking about taking it to the police just in case something happened. There was a few other incidents along with the fact we are short on time while trying to load for the Bloomington Gold show. Last week a guy insisted we sent him a set of glass t-tops without the weatherstrips installed. We apologized and call tagged them back here, where upon further inspection the tops were fine and complete. The list goes on, but I digress. By the time I got to Lori's post my fuse was spent and my faith in people as a whole was mostly gone.
I guess the reason I came off as short with Lori was the 2nd poster's comments. I quote "shame on them losers" by slickfx3. It is internet people like this where stuff get's lost in translation. Grab the torch and pitch forks!!! Who are you to judge us slickfx3 off one post when you don't know any of the facts??
We always try to do the right thing here, and when people don't give us a chance, it doesn't demonstrate who we are. Yes, Lori did give us a chance, but in the end it was the distributor that was causing the issues. We tell all our dealers and catalog companies if there is any issue have the customer call us so we can resolve the issue immediately. I had no idea Lori was still having the problem 2 onths later, because the dealer didn't contact us.
I admit the internet is a good defensive tool for the retail customers, but many people these days use it as a weapon instead of a tool. We are at the mercy now of the internet and the forums so much so that a customer can insist on anyhting he or she wants and if they don't get their way it's neg. post time.
Lori, I apologize for my fathers comments to you, it is not who we are. Most of it stemmed from this distributor's lack of cooperation. He can come off as old and grumpy, and is one from the old school of hard knocks. his mistrust sometimes comes from years of bad people ruining it for the rest.
We sent you a brand new roof instead of an exchange, which you should have in a day or two. If this shop does not want to install the roof call me and I will find someone who will.
Signing out!
Chris
Melrose T-Top
Come see me at the Bloomington show for some cold water. It's gonna be hot.

 

Any person/business will get an unfair shake from time to time no matter what......especially in the current economy when $ are tight for everyone. It is always nice when a resolution is finally reached and both parties have a "full" understanding of the entire situation.....instead of people just pointing fingers. Glad it was worked out. I'm pretty sure both parties should kick the "dealer/distributor" in the nuts for causing all the trouble/name brand tarnishing.

 

Lori and Chris: I 'm glad you reached a amiable solution, good for both of you. As I mentioned, Melrose has a pretty good reputation on this forum and I think Chris has only enhanced it by doing the right thing by Lori. I certainly agree that the distributor should lose his right to sell Melrose, they certainly don't get the "think of yourself as a customer" concept. Chris, despite my misgivings about your response, it is pretty obvious you do subscribe to the above concept. Lori, enjoy the new top!

 

WOW. I just read this whole posting and have come to three conclusions. Lori handled this a whole lot better than I would have; she didn't mention anyones shop (with the exception of Dave by name) and just asked for our opinions instead of flaming anyone. Second, as soon as the people in charge (Chris) found out what was wrong, it was fixed immediately above and beyond what he had to do; IMO. Third, everyone else that had no idea of the facts blew this WAY out of proportion when it didn't need to be. In the end, I am gladly buying my new bronze tint roof from Melrose because THAT is the kind of customer service I want.

 

Greetings,

I am not someone who flamed a vendor. I was prepared to buy another new top. This was the purpose of my initial post. I did not know where to look for a top. The only information I had came from my local Corvette shop and consisted of a name and city. I do not feel I should have had to contact Melrose at all. It was the responsibility of my local Corvette Shop. This person told me I would have to retire my car for 4 to 6 weeks while the top issue was resolved. I live near the beach and its beach and Corvette season! Not acceptable.

From the moment I spoke with Chris, he was understanding and willing to help. He was not aware of the problem and I was not aware that a solution existed. The problem will be resolved in less than a week. I will be off the beach with my BAD HABT in no time!

I am an end user willing to pay the price asked by the vendor and the mechanic. I only wanted the part I paid for to be functional. Chris has honored his warranty and I am confident the part will be satisfactory.

Lori

 

Lori, I am in your corner 100%

 

Ebay has done nothing but accelerate the path toward bad commerce. If you consider their feedback system a useful tool, I'd disagree.

Everything and I mean everything possible is done to discourage anyone from placing bad feedback about anyone. And, the amount of text allowed for feedback is a JOKE!

Try contacting eBay for a solution to a problem. That's also a JOKE! Someone posted my email address in an auction. eBay wouldn't remove it.

eBay sucks and anyone who thinks it a good way of doing business will wake up someday and think WTF was I thinking.

I applaud the CF from banning any direct links to that joke of a site.