RainJ

oh I agree- and I didn't mean to imply that the mods were being counter productive. If a vendor says things will get fixed, I agree that we tend to take him at his word and case should be closed. Alas, this isn't always the case.

Keep us posted (and get some rest!)

vettenuts

I have dealt with Mark on several occasions and have always been fully satisfied with his efforts and his products. Not sure what is happening with this particular situation, but I believe Mark is the type of guy that will come through no matter what. Sorry to hear it has been so long, and I can imagine you are quite frustrated at this point in time. I fully believe Mark will make this right no matter what if he is at fault.

Good luck with your situation, hope it all works out.

Killrwheels

On some of the complaints against VNM and Mark, I have tried to give him the benefit of doubt, but 7 months is far to long to have been dealing with this situation. You need to initiate civil proceedings against him, as they can always be cancelled prior to hearing if he comes through. I suspect that coming up with the $$$ needed to replace the Wilwoods, may be more of the issue. Thats why business insurance is available to cover mistakes and damages while in the sellers/servicers ownership.

jrc27

Do a little homework before you judge someone based on one post.

I have done business with mark and was extremely happy with the product and his customer service. I had a set of calipers and brackets powdercoated last year. When i got them, i figured out that i had 2 left rear calipers. I'm not sure if i sent him 2 left rears or there was a mix up at his shop. It doesn't matter, he got a right rear caliper and had it coated and shipped out to me at no extra cost.

The moral of the story is this....yeah this person may be having a bad experience, but there are two sides to the story and until we here from mark we shouldn;t be rushing to conclusions

Highroller

And what in this case would the other side of the story be?

jrc27

it would be mark explaining what is going on...i didn't think it was that hard to understand

Ego-Trip

If anyone needs to do a little homework, I would say that its you.

This is NOT one post. Over the past 6 months to a year there have probably been 20-30 posts that reflect negatively on Mark and VNM.

I also have dealt with Mark in the past and had very smooth transactions. Also, every time someone asked where to get something powdercoated, I have ALWAYS referred them to to Mark. Unfortunately, in light of all of the bad transactions lately I will not personally deal with him anymore, nor will I ever refer anyone to him again. I'm sorry, but thats the way it is. I believe in giving the vendor the benefit of the doubt and letting them bring things to a satisfactory resolution but there is a time where you have to draw the line.

I know Mark has a family member that has health issues and I also know that he had employee issues with his daughter. Unfortunately, none of those problems are the fault of the Corvette Forum members and we (as paying customers) should not be negatively impacted by these issues.

Hopefully Mark will make this right in the long run, but I think he has a lot of catching up to do to regain his credibility here on the forum.

georgec114

It's like everything else in life. You cannot please everyone.

You will hear complaints about some screwup with every vendor from
time to time. The large vendors like Ecklers & WCC and LAPD for
instance do a pretty good job of serving their customers and making
all reasonable attempts to resolve complaints. But you will still have
the occasional dissatisfied customer.

But when you're dealing with a low volume, highly specialized vendor
such as VNM and dealing with specific services, there can be very
costly errors.

I am sure that a great many people here have had excellent dealings
with "Mark" and recommend his part time business. But lately, through
various posts I have read, there seems to be a "stink' surrounding
this business.

I doubt that the original poster would go through all the trouble
of documenting his thread for any other reason than to
get what he paid for.

There was no bashing, name-calling or calls for revenge.

I'd be willing to bet that the "other side of the story" is that VNM
screwed up somewhere in the process and just doesn't have the
necessary funds to cover the replacement cost and is hoping
that he'll go away.

I think that sometimes the moderators tend to automatically side
with supporting vendors and view some complaintants as
malcontents and too often and quickly lock a thread.

And for those who say it is a free forum and we can always leave, I
believe you're incorrect. It may be registration-free, but it is our
supporting dollars to vendors which keep this forum alive.


...George

fioremike

Hi, I started the thread that was locked.My account of the incident was also just facts no bashing but was locked in 12hrs.I never have complained about anyone and have had many dealings in the almost 5 years I have been a forum member.

jrc27

I doubt very much that this is the case...

jrc27

Ok, so has anyone actually heard from mark in the last couple of weeks. Maybe something serious happened

Ego-Trip

30yeardream
Supporting Manufacturer
Last Activity: Yesterday 03:41 PM


He's been around....other than that I cant say whats going on.

samhane

Thank you for the information. Based on this information, I choose to never deal with a vendor like this. I will pass the word.

ROCKnROLL

It has been eight (8) months and you don't think "we" should be "rushing to conclusions"!

jrc27

Ok, that didn't come out so good....the point i was trying to make is that i have seen a lot of posts where people bash the vendors and a lynch mob gets sent out and noone gets to here from the vendor.

Now i realize that the timetable on this one is extensive, but that doesn't mean that mark isn't going to make it right.

Like i said, i am going to reserve judgement until we hear from mark. If he admits to screwing up and fixes it then so be it. If we don't hear from him, i'll be glad i got my calipers done last year

scottyo

Do you really think that Mark will respond to this thread? When? Until such time I don't think that he deserves any more business from Forum members!

georgec114

OK, then what would be the reason?

Did he forget?
Is someone else holding up the deal?

If so, a reassuring communication would be in order.

Actually, I would almost prefer that lack of funds would be the
reason. At least I would feel somewhat better that I'm not getting
screwed because he's an A-hole. I'm not name-calling here, just
using this as an example.

If he has bad dealings with his vendors (IE, the powder coater)
and doesn't pay his bills, there could be an issue there as well.
As said, you may be a perfectly satisfied customer and based on
that, you have every good intention of supporting him.
As with me for example, there were plenty of very happy customers
of Warranty Gold with their extended warranty coverage.

I, on the other hand, got taken for $1400 and no coverage.

So based on others' recommendations, all should have been OK.

...George

Elite Engineering

Okay, I’m going to go out on a limb here and hopefully don’t get crucified in the process.

As many of you know, I am a supporting vendor of this forum and without YOU, The Customer, we wouldn’t have any vendors or this great forum.

Eric’s thread is well written and documented it sounds like he has a legitimate claim. With that said, I have worked with Mark on many occasions and have had nothing but positive experiences. I really do believe he is a stand up guy and will make this right. I am not trying to speak for Mark, but there must be a valid reason this has been going on so long. Maybe he has some personal things going on in his life. Eric, you have been more than patient and I hope this all works out for everyone.

Jeff

WKMCD

VNM = OTL (Off The List) of vendors for me too!

I'm a businessman and have to tell you "stuff" happens. All I promise my clients is that I will take care of it immediately and that is all that they expect. In my field I have an extremely good service reputation because I address problems immediately and aggressively. That's all any of us as customers of anybody want. Didn't happen here.

Asphalt Animal

Vettenuts - Thank you for your input, I hope that you are right.
Killrwheels - I agree this issue has gone on for to long and I appreciate your suggestion.
Jrc27 - I can appreciate your skepticism. Please continue to follow this thread. Hopefully we will all hear from Mr. Dawson.
Highroller - Thank you.
2K1 vette - Thank you for your observation(s). Of note to one observation, I do realize that Mr. Dawson has had family difficulties. That is, in part, why I have allowed this issue to go on month after month - up to this point 8-months.
Subhane - Thank you for your support.
RocknRoll - Thank you for your clarification, it is appreciated.
Scottyo - I hope that you are right. I look forward to hearing from Mr. Dawson myself.
Georgec114 - Thank you for your confidence. Over the course of 8-months I have heard every excuse in the book, however, in all fairness to Mr. Dawson "I forgot" was never one of them. A "lack of funds," as you point out, may very well be a factor, although if true, is inconsistent with his statement that they were ordered and he should have them in a "week or so" (e-mail dated March 20, 2005). It was not until I began requesting information about the company he placed the order with that he became unreachable.
Elite Engineering - I am not looking for anyone to be crucified and I appreciate your position, as I hope Mr. Dawson can appreciate my position.
WKMCD - I too am a business owner and I appreciate hearing the perspective from other business owners that deal with customer service and expectations. Thank you for your input.