Please excuse my rant and my rather long story but I have heard of many others that have had problems with Ecklers so I want everyone to be warned before doing business with them. Skip to the end if you don't have the time to read it all.

NOTE: MODERATORS, please let me know if any of this needs to be edited rather than deleting the entire thread. Thank you.

So I ordered an outdoor car cover on 4/18/09 from them since I would be living wihtout a garage May-Aug. A month went by and still no package so I called them to see what had happened and to cancel my order if it hadn't shipped yet. Their answer was that it had been out of stock (even though it said in stock when I bought it) and it had shipped out earlier that day (which I don't believe). I tell them that I no longer want it now since it has been so long and I only needed it for a certain period of time. The lady tells me to refuse the package when it comes and they will refund me when they get it back.

SO over the next month I send a few emails trying to cancel my order or atleast get an update and none of my emails are even answered. I call many times but never even get to talk to anyone.

My single worst experience was the day I called and waited on hold for an HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES without even getting to talk to anyone and then I hung up and dialed back and waited another THRITY MINUTES before giving up again.

So finally, on JUNE 20 the package shows up while I am at work. I call them back the first business day after that at their corporate offices number that is listed on the sheet in the box and I actually get a kind person who tells me "sorry it was our fault" and tells me to mail it back to them and include the receipt for me shipping it back and they will refund everything. At this point I am still extremely upset that I have over 4 hours of phone calls with them and 3 unanswered emails but atleast I will finally get my money back 2 and a half months later.

Fastforward to yesterday when I get the refund back on my credit card... it is for $16.36 less than it should be and I am all sorts of pissed off all over again.

So today I call them and although the woman was rude just like the others I had talked to, I am getting $15.xx back from them and when I mention that it should have been free after all of this she says "whatever" and hangs up on me.

So to recap, I ordered a car cover... it came over 2 months later... i sent it back... I am hopefully getting almost all of my money back after over 4 hours on the phone with them, 3 unanswered emails, and countless rude people on the other end of the line. All in all, I will NEVER do business with them again and I will make sure that I do my best to keep others from making the same mistake that I did. All of the time I have lost (not to mention how many days they ruined my day with horrible customer service) from this is certainly worth more than the price of the car cover and if it were my business I would have comped it or atleast given them some credit back for the countless mistakes and rude employees.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Ecklers. I can feel your frustration with the whole thing.............
The other side of the coin however. I have dealt with them for a very long time and ordered many parts for 2 restoration projects on midyears and stuff for my C5 and really had no problems at all.
Hopefully your problem will be resolved to your satisfaction.................

 

Give Mid-America a try if you're looking for an equally crappy experience.

Sorry to hear about that, though. Better luck in the future.

 

dealing with them has been a world different once the kids took over the business a few years ago. if you ever went there, you would probably walk away shaking your head and swearing never to do business with them on that alone. they have a beautiful "showroom" complete with all the neon and classy displays, etc. makes it look like a real first class retail operation, trouble is that's where it all starts and ends. their warehouse seems to be in total disarray with stuff all over the floors, etc. it's sad because they were a real classy operation at one time, but no more.

 

I could post a very similar story.

The order was delayed and then shipping took for ever (9 weeks by sea to UK). That I could live with but the one word terse e mails in response to me asking for an update was bad. Just terrible customer service.

I'd never touch Ecklers ever again.

 

Sorry you had such a miserable experience. I've been buying from them for years and never had a problem. Hey, let it go, enjoy your Vette and use other vendors!

 

I have had no problems with them including a return once or twice, I am in Florida too, so I get my parts the next day if I order before 2pm. There are many vendors, find one you like.

 

whats everyone experience with corvette central? I might place an order soon if they are any good.

 

Wow that sucks. Thats why I always try somewhere local first. Sometimes its just better to eat your purchase than to deal with morons. At least it wasnt a lot of dough.

 

Sorry to hear this and it's not the first time.

Chuck

 

Sorry for your miserable experience - too many times dealing with a large vendor like Mid America or Ecklers will leave a rotten taste in your mouth. One or two - or even a dozen malcontent, underpaid employees will ruin a business.

Let me tell you a recent experience I had as a vendor. I had a customer order a shirt and three hats. One hat I had in stock, the other two and the shirt had to be ordered. I sent an email advising the customer of the situation - and I did not charge his credit card for anything, leaving his order in a pending state. One week went by and I told him that I still did not have his shirt or hats (I had ordered them from my supplier).

The following week when he still did not have his order, he sent me a rather nasty email demanding that he have his merchandise or else. He gave me one more week - and told me that stuff like this doesn't happen when he orders from Mid America, and that had he known that I did not have his entire order in stock he would not have ordered in the first place. Now mind you that I have never charged his credit card - as I believe you shouldn't be charged until I have the merchandise available. He told me that he shouldn't have to wait for his order.

Bottom line - he shouldn't. In a perfect world the vendors like me should have everything in every available combination in stock. The reality today however is that no vendor can afford to tie up his funds on merchandise that may or may not sell. We all depend on the suppliers to provide product on a J.I.T. (just in time) basis. When that doesn't happen like it did for me, and apparently for Ecklers, the vendor needs to keep the lines of communication open to the customer, and keep them in the loop as to status.

What I chose to do in my situation is to tell him how sorry I was, but since I couldn't guarantee he would get his stuff before his imposed deadline - I cancelled the order and let him know that I did.

These financial times have changed a lot of businesses. They can no longer afford to do business the way it used to be done. None of this however is an excuse for rude customer service clerks, or poor communication. In fact - accurate and timely communication is the key. I have found that customers will tolerate disappointment if you communicate with them, but if you don't you have no right to their business. I believe as a vendor that we have to earn your business, and that is best done by:

1. Undercommit
2. Over deliver
3. Accurate and timely communication
4. Fair prices

But some times you're the bug and other times, you're the windshield. Sorry for the long disertation, but I thought it might be beneficial to see both sides of the issue. Again - sorry for your disappointment.

 

Randy,

It has to tough to deal with some customers too. You did everything in your power to deliver and kept the customer in the loop and yet he got beligerant with you. That's the problem with instant gratification, people expect it now. It just isn't a perfect world.

I don't have simpathy for people like that. On the other hand the OP has every right to be upset. I've read too many of these threads regarding poor customer service from Ecklers. I wouldn't consider ordering from them for any reason.

Buyer beware...

Nick

 

I have dealt with Corvette central,much more pleasant and affordable than Ecklers,When we travel to the Beach house in Daytona I often make a trip To Titusville to buy from Ecklers,over the years they seem to have gotten a Who cares attitude,never had any monetary problems with them though.

 

Sad to hear your story - I haven't dealt with Ecklers in a number of years, but I do remember them being a well run organization. Looks like things have changed.

 

Nice going, Randy, that's exactly the type of communication and answers I'd expect from any business, if they want my continued business.

 

I totally agree with you Nick. Ecklers did a crappy job of communicating with the OP - and as I said, they did not earn his business. Being a vendor isn't rocket science. It's learning to walk in your customer's shoes - how would you want to be treated if it was your money being spent? The thing I have trouble understanding in situations as described by the OP - at one time or another, we're all customers, when you go to the grocery store, the restaurant, the mall, etc. How would you like to be treated? You want to be treated with courtesy and respect - period. As the customer - it's your right to be treated that way or go elsewhere where you will be treated that way.

All I was trying to bring out is the other perspective - it sometimes helps to understand both sides. I was absolutely not making excuses for Ecklers poor handling of the situation....plain and simple - it was wrong.

 

I've been a member here for several years and between posts and talks with friends at get togethers, I decided a long time ago that Eckler's will never see a penny of mine and I've spent more than a few. There a too many good vendors with great customer service to put up with this kind of BS.

 

Hi Guys:
Thanks for the info on ecklers. They send me e-mails all the time with discounts.
robsc501

 

Ecklers is horrible. I only use them as a last resort. I live < 1 hour south of them, yet it takes them longer to ship me a package than Summit, Zip, Duntov, etc. who are all out of state.

 

I have had both good and bad experiences with them; they are extremely inconsistent. I feel everyone of their CSR's could use some training in the art of customer service and phone etiquette.