Anyone heard from Matt at Vette Essentials lately?

I have some 2 week old calls (and an email) into him and all I can assume is he is on extended holiday vacation.

His website nor his voicemail indicate him being away.

Been trying to get a leather console lid (by someone) for months now with zero luck.


Reid

 

Reid,

I placed an order with Matt yesterday. It took several attempts, but I finally got to speak with him.

 

I bought a shift boot from them and it was a nice piece but I also had some difficulty in ordering it since "nobody was home" a lot of the time. Similar to some other small vendors on this Forum. They have a good product but can't get it together to properly market or sell their merchandise in a professional manner.

 

Thought I was the only one having this problem. I realize they are a two person operation, but a quick follow up email or phone call would great.

I can attest to their quality....It's awesome....but it only goes so far if customer service is grim.

Bryan.

 

Well all I can assume is that he doesn't need the work. To ignore repeated attempts (4 now) by a potential customer just doesn't make sense. I'm not giving up but gotta admit there is a new twist on things, now that Spectrum mentioned he spoke with him yesterday.

Well since Down South Vettes is defunct and now with this, are there any other leather specialists that anyone can recommend whether they are a forum vendor or not? (PM me if not).

Bone

 

corvetteworx is a vendor of leather products, for corvette america. then there's always al knoch, but in other forums, he seems to be having some "issues".

 

If anyone needs it, I have Sandy's cell number....as you may have better luck getting in touch. Please PM me for #.

Bryan.

 

I talked with Matt on Monday and ordered a auto shift ****.

Rickster42

 

I'm still waiting for a reply from Sandy on an e-mail I sent, but I'm going to give her and Matt a little longer before I start bugging them about it.

Sandy already told me it would take a few weeks for them to get some cores in before they could start getting my order worked on. I just figured when they do get ready to work on it, they'll get with me to hammer out the details.

 

Vette Essentials is an outstanding company. All Vendors here at one time or another run into problems handling Volume or other issues.
They are worth the wait. Especially since Downsouth is defunct could explain why V.E. is so busy.

 

Here is a link to the same situation of a forum member in Fort Worth.
Don't negate local trim shops...most have been in business a long time and they are true "bricks and mortar" operations.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=trim+shop

 

The difference between a successful company and one that fails is that problems within a successful company are handled and never are known to or effect the customer.
If you are paying for something then you deserve top customer service and immediate response.

 

Yes, However, Given the size and power of the internet, It should be no surprise to anyone here if they don't get immediate responses,It's gotta be impossible for these "mom and pop" businesses here to handle every concern at the drop of a hat.

 

I don't want to defend any lack of service by VE, but for many members not familiar with VE history, it might help to understand. The gentelman who originally owned VE (Ken King) died about a year and a half ago (don't remember exactly when). He did incredible work, had great customer service, and was one of the finest gentleman you would ever meet. On the C5 forum he was legendary.

Unfortunately he and his wife were pretty much the company, and when he died, the company certainly had to go through a major change. In fact, he and his wife had actually divorced a few years before his death, but they still worked the company together.

I've had no dealings with them since his passing, so I don't claim to know how they are being run or who is doing the work. The bulk of their work has always been for C5's. When the C6 came out with the side airbags in the seat, he had an agreement with GM to not do any C6 seats. You might go over to the C5 section and do a search, or start a post to learn more about the companies current situation.

 

Understand and know fully of their situation, and on a personal level there must be compassion.
Unfortunately as a business, even a "Mom and Pop" type, you must rise above the personal and still maintain a professional outlook to how you conduct business.
A consumer has their own problems and life and really shouldn't be subjected to the vagaries of a business who is not prepared for a "worse case" scenario.
My comments are from experience, and not directed to any vendors in particular, just a general note on what it takes to survive and more then succeed in business.

 

I agree - that's why I started my post the way I did.

 

We are on the same page....
Sad but there are some talented vendors on the forum who do excellent leather that currently seem to be having difficulties, that's why I suggest finding a local trim shop when there are no forum vendors that can respond.
Life goes on....

 

I don't want to defend any lack of service, but I do want to define what constitutes a reasonably expected level of service.

I am not at all objective. I knew Ken, I know Sandy. I had their products in my C5 and have it in my C6. I have worked with them, and I consider both my friends.

Prior to his unexpected death, Ken set an extremely high bar for the level of service that Vette Essentials ("VE") provided. Behind the scenes, however, was a very hard-working woman, Sandy King, who set an equally high level for the products actually produced. Search through the archives and you'll find the same repeated mantra about VE:

(1) Ken spent forever on the phone with his customers

(2) with VE product, you get precisely what you pay for (if not more)

(3) VE provided free detailed install instructions (which I helped write), knowing full well that their competition would benefit but they did it anyhow

(4) VE gave away lots of free stuff, whether it was for Christmas or the occasional customer or even non-customer (and they just did this again)

(5) for free, VE did the install work on lots of cars, including sometimes traveling to the customer

Indeed, ironically I "met" Ken when I bought a used VE shifter boot on the for sale section, yet when I had a question Ken was happy to answer. Then, as a bonus, Sandy was equally happy to send me a new matching traction control strip, also for free.

So, prior to Ken's unexpected death, the VE service had been beyond reproach. After Ken died, his son, Matt, is trying to step into Ken's shoes. Of course, at the same time, he's trying to help his mother in their lives and his little sister, who lost her Dad. I'm not aware of Matt's recent status, but for a time, he also was attending college. To say that Ken and Sandy could've better prepared for this contingency is easy in hindsight, but even with that benefit, I'm not sure what could've been done. Neither has made millions doing this, for if they had I would bet they'd love to have a full-time staff doing the hard work while they sat around and cashed checks -- the reality is that's not the case, for if it were, you'd see a lot more competition. Instead, they have earned what they received while at the same time kept a busy hand in things and stayed small to ensure top service and products. Personally, I respect that.

Again not being objective, I would urge that the VE service is not lacking as compared to the majority of vendors, but perhaps is not fully up to where it once was. Given that Ken had years of experience in this field, I think Matt deserves some time to catch up. In the meantime, as far as I know, the ultimate provision of the service, which was the product, is unchanged, as it remains in Sandy's extremely capable and caring hands.

Sorry for my passion, but for some of you I ask your re-consideration of a reasonable expectation from VE, and in doing so compare them to the other vendors here and afar. None is perfect -- there are stories of mediocre product, taking money too soon or not delivering, rudeness, misrepresentations, etc. Against those measures, the history of VE has been and remains extremely good, and I would urge that having to wait some time for a call back is not to be construed as some hint of the demise of the company or some monumental fall in their service as compared to that of others. I love their products and I fully understand the desire to "want it yesterday," but the wait will be worth it and let the expectation be part of the fun when you get those pieces!

Peace.

 

Thanks for all the good feed back guys! Truly sorry to hear about Ken. I was able to get in touch with Matt and place order.

Reid

 

I never met Ken, Sandy or Matt. However, after Ken died, I purchased seat inserts, a steering wheel, and a console cover from VE. Matt and Sandy were wonderful to work with. Their products are second to none and yes, sometimes I had to wait a day or two for Matt to get back to me. However, when yopu receive your order you will understand why the wait was well worth it. They are wonderful people with a great product.