TRE probably the most inconsiderate shop ever
Originally Posted by Yorgis_MR
Ok...no offense to people that are racers or in some sort of competition events, but when I am told 2 weeks, I expect to have it back in no more than 3...I could care less if someone needs an "emergency" transmission job or whatever. First come-first serve. Do you all have ANY idea what would happen if you started doing that to your OWN clients? (whatever type of business you're in).
Imagine going to McDonald's to order a burger, and there is some guy 3 people behind you in line; the server taking your order looks back, recognizes his "buddy" and allows him to cut in fron of you (which is what I think might have happened here)...I doubt there is ANYONE that would say..."sure, go ahead and cut in front of me".
At the same time, if my assumption is NOT what actually happened then the shop in question should be professional enough to call their customer and explain EVERYTHING, including presenting options for resolution. Ask ANYONE that is in business and they will tell you the same, customer service is what gets you repeat business.
I had similar dealings with Tirerack (and guess who is NOT going to be supplying tires for my 4 cars!!!...) so I know how it feels. I imagine that EVERYONE has felt frustrated with vendors at one point or another and I had a MUCH smaller issue with WORKS a while back, and Jamie handled the situation as well as I have EVER seen in my professional experience (not just on EvoM). THAT, my friends, creates a LOYAL customer base that can keep you above and beyond EVERYONE else as a vendor.
Sorry for venting like this...
Ok, gotta go cuddle my MR now, cause I'm upset
Imagine going to McDonald's to order a burger, and there is some guy 3 people behind you in line; the server taking your order looks back, recognizes his "buddy" and allows him to cut in fron of you (which is what I think might have happened here)...I doubt there is ANYONE that would say..."sure, go ahead and cut in front of me".
At the same time, if my assumption is NOT what actually happened then the shop in question should be professional enough to call their customer and explain EVERYTHING, including presenting options for resolution. Ask ANYONE that is in business and they will tell you the same, customer service is what gets you repeat business.
I had similar dealings with Tirerack (and guess who is NOT going to be supplying tires for my 4 cars!!!...) so I know how it feels. I imagine that EVERYONE has felt frustrated with vendors at one point or another and I had a MUCH smaller issue with WORKS a while back, and Jamie handled the situation as well as I have EVER seen in my professional experience (not just on EvoM). THAT, my friends, creates a LOYAL customer base that can keep you above and beyond EVERYONE else as a vendor.
Sorry for venting like this...
Ok, gotta go cuddle my MR now, cause I'm upset
I love all the newbies in here tearing into Jon when they are not even customers.
Here are some facts for you.
TRE is one of the best transmission shops there is, so yes they are busy.
Jon probably works at least 60 hours a week, if not more.
The quality of a TRE build is second to none. No one is as **** about quality as TRE.
It is not TRE's fault the parts needed to fix your transmission are on national backorder. It is also not their fault you broke the transmission in the first place.
I don't understand the OPs statement that the tranny is done but the parts aren't coming in until Aug 15th?
Here are some facts for you.
TRE is one of the best transmission shops there is, so yes they are busy.
Jon probably works at least 60 hours a week, if not more.
The quality of a TRE build is second to none. No one is as **** about quality as TRE.
It is not TRE's fault the parts needed to fix your transmission are on national backorder. It is also not their fault you broke the transmission in the first place.
I don't understand the OPs statement that the tranny is done but the parts aren't coming in until Aug 15th?
Originally Posted by Yorgis_MR
...uh-huh...you're only stating a fact, which doesn't diminish the fact that its still a bunch of BS. I can GUARANTEE you that these shops would make ZERO profit (and ultimately go out of business) if they depended on "race-team" work 100% of the time. Believe me...the profit margin is MUCH higher when dealing with individuals vs. a professional team.
And please don't try and diminish Kevin's "quest" here...not everyone owns 4 cars, not everyone has a bank account that they can just pull money out of anytime they want. For some of us, being without a car for 3 months is a huge deal and from what I understand (please correct me if I am wrong) Kevin just wanted a COURTESY call/answer...nothing more. It seems to me that he would have "taken" all of this if he had received the tracking number or if the "problems" faced were presented to him. I dont think that's too much to ask.
At the same time, you are correct...this IS how the game is played but if we just rollover and take it, then change will never happen. Whether it's a "race-shop" or a "$tealership", it's my money on the line and I dont like being jerked around; again...COMMON courtesy...it's called customer service and some Vendors should become re-aquainted with it.
And please don't try and diminish Kevin's "quest" here...not everyone owns 4 cars, not everyone has a bank account that they can just pull money out of anytime they want. For some of us, being without a car for 3 months is a huge deal and from what I understand (please correct me if I am wrong) Kevin just wanted a COURTESY call/answer...nothing more. It seems to me that he would have "taken" all of this if he had received the tracking number or if the "problems" faced were presented to him. I dont think that's too much to ask.
At the same time, you are correct...this IS how the game is played but if we just rollover and take it, then change will never happen. Whether it's a "race-shop" or a "$tealership", it's my money on the line and I dont like being jerked around; again...COMMON courtesy...it's called customer service and some Vendors should become re-aquainted with it.
You did not get his point at all. You are dealing with a niche type shop. You can't expect cookie cutter service. I'd be willing to bet if the dealership was rebuilding this transmission you would probably get no more communication and it would have taken just as long if not longer. On top of that it would have lasted a couple hundred miles and it would have been back at the dealer. At least when Jon is finished you will not be sending it back because it will be done right.
Originally Posted by Yorgis_MR
Ok...no offense to people that are racers or in some sort of competition events, but when I am told 2 weeks, I expect to have it back in no more than 3...I could care less if someone needs an "emergency" transmission job or whatever. First come-first serve. Do you all have ANY idea what would happen if you started doing that to your OWN clients? (whatever type of business you're in).
Imagine going to McDonald's to order a burger, and there is some guy 3 people behind you in line; the server taking your order looks back, recognizes his "buddy" and allows him to cut in fron of you (which is what I think might have happened here)...I doubt there is ANYONE that would say..."sure, go ahead and cut in front of me".
At the same time, if my assumption is NOT what actually happened then the shop in question should be professional enough to call their customer and explain EVERYTHING, including presenting options for resolution. Ask ANYONE that is in business and they will tell you the same, customer service is what gets you repeat business.
I had similar dealings with Tirerack (and guess who is NOT going to be supplying tires for my 4 cars!!!...) so I know how it feels. I imagine that EVERYONE has felt frustrated with vendors at one point or another and I had a MUCH smaller issue with WORKS a while back, and Jamie handled the situation as well as I have EVER seen in my professional experience (not just on EvoM). THAT, my friends, creates a LOYAL customer base that can keep you above and beyond EVERYONE else as a vendor.
Sorry for venting like this...
Ok, gotta go cuddle my MR now, cause I'm upset
Imagine going to McDonald's to order a burger, and there is some guy 3 people behind you in line; the server taking your order looks back, recognizes his "buddy" and allows him to cut in fron of you (which is what I think might have happened here)...I doubt there is ANYONE that would say..."sure, go ahead and cut in front of me".
At the same time, if my assumption is NOT what actually happened then the shop in question should be professional enough to call their customer and explain EVERYTHING, including presenting options for resolution. Ask ANYONE that is in business and they will tell you the same, customer service is what gets you repeat business.
I had similar dealings with Tirerack (and guess who is NOT going to be supplying tires for my 4 cars!!!...) so I know how it feels. I imagine that EVERYONE has felt frustrated with vendors at one point or another and I had a MUCH smaller issue with WORKS a while back, and Jamie handled the situation as well as I have EVER seen in my professional experience (not just on EvoM). THAT, my friends, creates a LOYAL customer base that can keep you above and beyond EVERYONE else as a vendor.
Sorry for venting like this...
Ok, gotta go cuddle my MR now, cause I'm upset
Let's all avoid speculation about who gets what first.
Jon told me that all Mitsu parts needed for 6 speed rebuilds/repairs were nationally backordered from Mitsu -- in other words there were no parts in the country. When there are no parts, that transmission sits until there are. If the shop works on other transmissions while your parts are not available, what's to complain about?
You're rarely find a person who is more interested in pleasing the customer than Jon Ripple, and his work output is excellent across the board. TRE's only problem is communication, and that's nothing new. When Jon's working, he's not answering the phone. That's not news either. It's prominently explained on his web page.
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From: USA & GR
[keep vale threats and such out of Evom]
-Zeus-
The ONLY point I have been trying to make (and I have but it's apparently not sinking in) is the fact that as a business you NEEEEEEEEEEEED to at LEAST be courteous to your customers and give them a heads up!
"Hey, Jim...I know I told you that the part are on backorder, but we are very busy here at the shop so it might take an extra week or two"
(how long did this take for me to type?...10 seconds?)
THATS IS ALL...give your customer an update and I am betting that 95% of the time people would not have a problem with it.
Did anyone read any comments about TRE's quality? NO
Did I say Jon does crappy work? NO
TRE DOES excellent work and they are at the top of what they do, nobody is saying otherwise. That comes with a certain level or responsibility to your customers...just keep them in the loop. If you need to hire a phone-girl, so be it...I'm sure it wouldn't break the bank.
People...read the comments...dont rean INTO the comments.
-Zeus-
The ONLY point I have been trying to make (and I have but it's apparently not sinking in) is the fact that as a business you NEEEEEEEEEEEED to at LEAST be courteous to your customers and give them a heads up!
"Hey, Jim...I know I told you that the part are on backorder, but we are very busy here at the shop so it might take an extra week or two"
(how long did this take for me to type?...10 seconds?)
THATS IS ALL...give your customer an update and I am betting that 95% of the time people would not have a problem with it.
Did anyone read any comments about TRE's quality? NO
Did I say Jon does crappy work? NO
TRE DOES excellent work and they are at the top of what they do, nobody is saying otherwise. That comes with a certain level or responsibility to your customers...just keep them in the loop. If you need to hire a phone-girl, so be it...I'm sure it wouldn't break the bank.
People...read the comments...dont rean INTO the comments.
Last edited by Zeus; Aug 6, 2006 at 07:41 PM.
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From: USA & GR
Just to finish this and go to bed. I know the title of this thread might be a bit harsh and I'm sure it will all work out in the end.
I've spoken to Jon too and he does seem genuinely interested in what he does and (obviously) knows what he is doing...but hire a person to answer phones or something...that's all.
This whole thread (from my perspective) was to somewhat "globally" address vendors that do this as a rule and not an exception...it just so happens that it was TRE's turn this time (which to my knowledge doesn't happen often).
I've spoken to Jon too and he does seem genuinely interested in what he does and (obviously) knows what he is doing...but hire a person to answer phones or something...that's all.
This whole thread (from my perspective) was to somewhat "globally" address vendors that do this as a rule and not an exception...it just so happens that it was TRE's turn this time (which to my knowledge doesn't happen often).
I personally do not debate that Kee1pride should have at least received an email in all this time... matter of fact, I'd say he is owed a bit more if he was told his tranny shipped, and it has not. That was not the gist of my post for those who are trying to read into my comments.
Originally Posted by timzcat
I love all the newbies in here tearing into Jon when they are not even customers.
Here are some facts for you.
TRE is one of the best transmission shops there is, so yes they are busy.
Jon probably works at least 60 hours a week, if not more.
The quality of a TRE build is second to none. No one is as **** about quality as TRE.
It is not TRE's fault the parts needed to fix your transmission are on national backorder. It is also not their fault you broke the transmission in the first place.
I don't understand the OPs statement that the tranny is done but the parts aren't coming in until Aug 15th?
Here are some facts for you.
TRE is one of the best transmission shops there is, so yes they are busy.
Jon probably works at least 60 hours a week, if not more.
The quality of a TRE build is second to none. No one is as **** about quality as TRE.
It is not TRE's fault the parts needed to fix your transmission are on national backorder. It is also not their fault you broke the transmission in the first place.
I don't understand the OPs statement that the tranny is done but the parts aren't coming in until Aug 15th?
I also never said it was his fault my car parts were on national back order. I'm not sure where you got that from?
Yes I know he's one of the best tranny builders there is. I've been around here at least a decent while now. Not since the dawn of evom but a good bit enough to know a thing or two about what shops are reputable and which aren't.
Kevin
Last edited by Kee1pride; Aug 6, 2006 at 11:10 PM.
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Originally Posted by Zeus
I personally do not debate that Kee1pride should have at least received an email in all this time... matter of fact, I'd say he is owed a bit more if he was told his tranny shipped, and it has not. That was not the gist of my post for those who are trying to read into my comments.
For the record Zeus, I am not trying to read into your comments and my statement was not meant as such; I never want to offend anyone and I agree with what you said above and ultimately we all want Kevin to get his issue resolved (as I am CERTAIN Jon will do).
I had messed up my t-case in my 03 and decided to go with TRE. So I wanted to get the forged spider gear set in my new case, and with the core swap it was going to be $2200. So I sent my old one in and I don't remember how long it took to get the "new" one back but it wasn't a really long time.
I do remember trying to contact him a kagillion times and with no luck, but that wasn't the big picture. When I put the new case in my car, it was doing the same thing that it was doing before, terrible whinning. So I had a local shop take a look at my car and they confirmed that the problem was still my t-case. So I asked them to crack it open and take a look and they found that the all gears were torn to crap and my name was ingraved on my ring. They had sent me my old one back.
I tried resolving my problem with TRE but had no luck. I know they build great products but I had a VERY BAD experience with them. I ended up spending over $4000 (diagnosis, labor, etc...) on this t-case problem with no resolution.
I was so frustrated that I ended up trading my 03 in a couple of weeks later. I had never told anyone what had happened but after reading this thread I had to get this off my chest. Back then when this happened, I was really pissed off.
I do remember trying to contact him a kagillion times and with no luck, but that wasn't the big picture. When I put the new case in my car, it was doing the same thing that it was doing before, terrible whinning. So I had a local shop take a look at my car and they confirmed that the problem was still my t-case. So I asked them to crack it open and take a look and they found that the all gears were torn to crap and my name was ingraved on my ring. They had sent me my old one back.
I tried resolving my problem with TRE but had no luck. I know they build great products but I had a VERY BAD experience with them. I ended up spending over $4000 (diagnosis, labor, etc...) on this t-case problem with no resolution.
I was so frustrated that I ended up trading my 03 in a couple of weeks later. I had never told anyone what had happened but after reading this thread I had to get this off my chest. Back then when this happened, I was really pissed off.
This industry is not Burger King, you cannot have it your way.
Your other choice is Shep and face an even longer backlog of trannies.
Some people don't understand why we communicate via IM, email and PM primarily. It is for just this reason. You only have xx amount of hours in a day. Minimizing voice calls will maximize speed and customer service along with turnaround times.
Our car is a niche, cult car. Their trans service is a niche service for a niche, cult car. You will have to deal with it just like you wait weeks and months for your simple Dentist visit.
Your other choice is Shep and face an even longer backlog of trannies.
Some people don't understand why we communicate via IM, email and PM primarily. It is for just this reason. You only have xx amount of hours in a day. Minimizing voice calls will maximize speed and customer service along with turnaround times.
Our car is a niche, cult car. Their trans service is a niche service for a niche, cult car. You will have to deal with it just like you wait weeks and months for your simple Dentist visit.
Originally Posted by razorlab
I've also been trying to get ahold of TRE for the last two days to see if my 6spd gearbox has arrived at the shop yet. I called 13 times yesterday and 6 times today. I either get a busy signal or a answer machine that doesn't let you leave a msg.
I understand that TRE was hard to get ahold of going into this, but I had no idea it would be this hard.
However, my emails haven't been returned either which leaves me to believe Jon has possibly not been in the office the last 2 days.
Two days really isn't a huge deal for me, I can understand that they might be super busy this week or out of town or something. If I can't get ahold of them next week at all either I might start getting concerned.
I understand that TRE was hard to get ahold of going into this, but I had no idea it would be this hard.
However, my emails haven't been returned either which leaves me to believe Jon has possibly not been in the office the last 2 days.
Two days really isn't a huge deal for me, I can understand that they might be super busy this week or out of town or something. If I can't get ahold of them next week at all either I might start getting concerned.
Your transmission just showed up. Expect a phone call later today.
Originally Posted by Ted B
My recent experience with TRE turned out to be very pleasant. Speaking as a person who gets extraordinairly busy, please consider this advice:
Do not try to contact by telephone if at all possible. I conducted everything successfully without speaking to Jon once.
I bought a tranny off of Ebay and had it sent to him. I sent him ONE detailed email that informed him of:
- My tranny's impending arrival, as well as WHO was the shipping party.
- Explicitly what I intended to put through the tranny, and asked him to use his judgment in providing the best option.
- My complete contact and shipping info.
When he received my tranny, he informed me by email. He inspected it, told me what needed attention, and presented my options via email. I selected one and sent payment. He notified me when it was shipped and I received it in good condition.
So please consider my experience, and make it as EASY as possible for a busy person to take care of you. Send them ONE email with ALL the info they need, and let them ask YOU if they have any questions. Try to avoid peppering them with phone calls and emails if at all possible, and tell them what you intend to do with it in advance. If you adhere to this, I can assure you that in all probability, your experience will be a positive one.
Do not try to contact by telephone if at all possible. I conducted everything successfully without speaking to Jon once.
I bought a tranny off of Ebay and had it sent to him. I sent him ONE detailed email that informed him of:
- My tranny's impending arrival, as well as WHO was the shipping party.
- Explicitly what I intended to put through the tranny, and asked him to use his judgment in providing the best option.
- My complete contact and shipping info.
When he received my tranny, he informed me by email. He inspected it, told me what needed attention, and presented my options via email. I selected one and sent payment. He notified me when it was shipped and I received it in good condition.
So please consider my experience, and make it as EASY as possible for a busy person to take care of you. Send them ONE email with ALL the info they need, and let them ask YOU if they have any questions. Try to avoid peppering them with phone calls and emails if at all possible, and tell them what you intend to do with it in advance. If you adhere to this, I can assure you that in all probability, your experience will be a positive one.
I build 10-15 transmission per week and most go smoothly just like we all expect and rarely do they get mentioned.
On the other hand there are sometimes there are hold ups.
The parts that I needed to complete Kee1pride's transmission weren't even in the country. There has been so much national activity with the 6 speed that quite a few parts were out of stock till two weeks ago. Kee1pride's transmission has been completed and shipped as fast as I could get it done.
Sorry for the delay but most transmissions leave here within 3-4 days.
Jon Ripple
www.teamrip.com