Problem with Hawks Thirdgen Parts
03-19-2003, 10:50 PM
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Car: 1991 Z28
Engine: 5.7 Stealth Ram
Transmission: Pro-Built 700R4
Problem with Hawks Thirdgen Parts
I purchase a auto shift plate for my 1991 camaro for $100 a few weeks ago. With shipping I spent $107. Upon installing my plate I noticed the ash tray cover was crooked and the shift indicator has a 1 inch scratch in it allowing light to come through. If i wanted scratches I would have kept my old one. Upon returning the product and requesting a new one, I was required to pay shipping to return it and they want me to pay to send the new one back to me. I will have $127 invested in a product that cost $50 from GMPartsdirect.com just a few months ago.
So not only are they jacking up the price, they are being unreasonable about getting me a new one.
To top it all off, I found that thirdgenresource.com sold the product for $70 but was told by one employee at Hawks that they did not price match. That was fine until I looked under the policy section of their site and saw that they in fact did "honor the price of any competitor." So upon sucking up the fact that I am now paying a load more shipping to get my highly inlflated product returned and another shipped to me, they tell me they will not honor their price match policy. I emailed them with the following and let them know I would be letting all the thirdgen camaro sites know the situtation and keeping the post up to date when they made their decision on what to do....
i also sent them the following:
So let me know what you guys think? Am i just being an annoying customer or do you see my point?????
So not only are they jacking up the price, they are being unreasonable about getting me a new one.
To top it all off, I found that thirdgenresource.com sold the product for $70 but was told by one employee at Hawks that they did not price match. That was fine until I looked under the policy section of their site and saw that they in fact did "honor the price of any competitor." So upon sucking up the fact that I am now paying a load more shipping to get my highly inlflated product returned and another shipped to me, they tell me they will not honor their price match policy. I emailed them with the following and let them know I would be letting all the thirdgen camaro sites know the situtation and keeping the post up to date when they made their decision on what to do....
I am writing in response to the message I received early this evening about the auto shift plate I returned. As far as the ash tray, there is no way to make that cover level without some sort of bending. It has nothing to do with the ash tray itself. As far as the scratch, it is located where the shift indicator window meets the plastic part on the left directly next to the 3rd gear number. It is impossible to see without putting the light on it.
As far as exchanging for a new one....I will quote your website policy section...
Advertised Price
We will match any competitor's ADVERTISED price. However it has to be in a reasonable range as well as being in print form or web site form meaning in such cases as where they have it listed for a certain price. No quote given by email or Ebay auctions are considered Advertised Price. Also it has to be a reputable company that is known for selling Third or Fourth Generation Camaro and Firebird Parts.
I believe when Third Gen Resource advertises their shift plates for $69.99 that fits your policy perfectly. They advertise it in print form on their web site and I believe we both agree they are a reputable company. So when one of your employees told me you had no such policy when I ordered the item originally, I believe I was given the raw end of the deal. The only reason I purchased the product from you instead of thirdgen was to avoid paying state sales tax, your shipping was a few dollars cheaper, and to give your company a try. I have spend thousands and thousands with Stacey and Roy at thirdgen restoring my two camaros and never when I had a problem did they make me eat the shipping on the return AND when they shipped the new product back to me! I realize that it was not your fault that there were problems with it, as little as they may be, but as the seller it should be your job to fix it. Not for me to keep paying for shipping till I get an acceptable product.
Until the product was discontinued, you could get it from gmpartsdirect for less that $50 and from other sites under $60. They are completely out of them. That is the reason I asked you to match the higher price of $70 since they could actually still sell them. So not only have you jacked the price way up since they are hard to come by now, but you make your customers suck up the shipping charges even when there is a problem with the product you sell. So because I chose to give your company a try I ended up spending $30 more for the shift plate, and $20 for shipping once I returned the product and NOW YOU WANT ME TO PAY AGAIN TO SHIP IT TO ME!!!??? I am going to have $127 invested in a product that costs $70 at a competitor your policy says you will match on your web site. I'm sure thats not the type if impression you want for your company.
What I want is for you to ship me a new product and HONOR YOUR POLICY ON YOUR WEB SITE, please. I will suck up the $7 once again which is absurd for any company to ask a customer to do when they recieve a sub par product. I could see me not being so particular if you werent jacking the price up so much, but these will be impossible to come by soon and I want one that wont be an eyesore in my car.
I would like you to either honor you policy and refund my card $30 minus the shipping to send the new one back to me (should be $23) or keep the product and refund my $100 purchase price PLUS the charge for the return shipping I paid of $9. I should not have to pay shipping to return a defective product you sold me. I am in the process of moving to a new house and I will not have access to a phone so please email me with what you intend to do about the situation. I would like to continue to purchase products from your company as it just makes sense in avoiding the NC tax, but I cannot see doing so if you will not honor your policy and be so uncomprimising when a problem arises.
My Regards,
Ray Cole
As far as exchanging for a new one....I will quote your website policy section...
Advertised Price
We will match any competitor's ADVERTISED price. However it has to be in a reasonable range as well as being in print form or web site form meaning in such cases as where they have it listed for a certain price. No quote given by email or Ebay auctions are considered Advertised Price. Also it has to be a reputable company that is known for selling Third or Fourth Generation Camaro and Firebird Parts.
I believe when Third Gen Resource advertises their shift plates for $69.99 that fits your policy perfectly. They advertise it in print form on their web site and I believe we both agree they are a reputable company. So when one of your employees told me you had no such policy when I ordered the item originally, I believe I was given the raw end of the deal. The only reason I purchased the product from you instead of thirdgen was to avoid paying state sales tax, your shipping was a few dollars cheaper, and to give your company a try. I have spend thousands and thousands with Stacey and Roy at thirdgen restoring my two camaros and never when I had a problem did they make me eat the shipping on the return AND when they shipped the new product back to me! I realize that it was not your fault that there were problems with it, as little as they may be, but as the seller it should be your job to fix it. Not for me to keep paying for shipping till I get an acceptable product.
Until the product was discontinued, you could get it from gmpartsdirect for less that $50 and from other sites under $60. They are completely out of them. That is the reason I asked you to match the higher price of $70 since they could actually still sell them. So not only have you jacked the price way up since they are hard to come by now, but you make your customers suck up the shipping charges even when there is a problem with the product you sell. So because I chose to give your company a try I ended up spending $30 more for the shift plate, and $20 for shipping once I returned the product and NOW YOU WANT ME TO PAY AGAIN TO SHIP IT TO ME!!!??? I am going to have $127 invested in a product that costs $70 at a competitor your policy says you will match on your web site. I'm sure thats not the type if impression you want for your company.
What I want is for you to ship me a new product and HONOR YOUR POLICY ON YOUR WEB SITE, please. I will suck up the $7 once again which is absurd for any company to ask a customer to do when they recieve a sub par product. I could see me not being so particular if you werent jacking the price up so much, but these will be impossible to come by soon and I want one that wont be an eyesore in my car.
I would like you to either honor you policy and refund my card $30 minus the shipping to send the new one back to me (should be $23) or keep the product and refund my $100 purchase price PLUS the charge for the return shipping I paid of $9. I should not have to pay shipping to return a defective product you sold me. I am in the process of moving to a new house and I will not have access to a phone so please email me with what you intend to do about the situation. I would like to continue to purchase products from your company as it just makes sense in avoiding the NC tax, but I cannot see doing so if you will not honor your policy and be so uncomprimising when a problem arises.
My Regards,
Ray Cole
I will be including the contents of my email in the vendor sections of thirdgen.org, camaroz28.com,3rdgen.com, and any other sites where large amounts of people will buy your products. I will update it with your solution to the problem and let your potential customer base decide if you made the right decision. Please dont take this as a threat because if you are fulfilling what you believe is good customer service then my posts should do no more than bring you more business.
-Ray Cole
-Ray Cole
03-20-2003, 01:37 AM
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Car: 1991 Z28
Engine: 5.7 Stealth Ram
Transmission: Pro-Built 700R4
Originally posted by Benny
I just bought a brand new GM shift plate for my '92 from a dealer here in Hawaii for $68.
I just bought a brand new GM shift plate for my '92 from a dealer here in Hawaii for $68.
care to give me their number????
03-20-2003, 12:25 PM
#5
HI Ray, I agreed to ship you a NEW GM shifter plate me paying the shipping back. As far as the price match goes $30.00 is not a reasonable range considering I paid MORE than $70.00 for the last three I purchased from GM which were some of the last ones. OR I will refund you the $100.00 for the seemingly perfect NEW GM shifter plate I sent you the first time. I am not trying to cheat anyone on pricing, but I have to price things based on what I purchase them for. Also just curious but why didn't you purchase the $70.00 shifter plate from Third Gen Resource even with tax it would have still been a little less expensive, right?? All my customers know I work with them in every way possible, and most customers call when they have any problems. We do have a phone so you can call us and we will be more than happy to work this out.
Thanks,
Bruce Hawkins
Hawks Third Gen Parts
www.hawksthirdgenparts.com
864-855-2694
Thanks,
Bruce Hawkins
Hawks Third Gen Parts
www.hawksthirdgenparts.com
864-855-2694
Last edited by hawksthirdgen; 03-20-2003 at 12:32 PM.
03-20-2003, 01:33 PM
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Car: 1991 Z28
Engine: 5.7 Stealth Ram
Transmission: Pro-Built 700R4
I am unable to reach you by phone as I am moving and my phone is cut off and my internet is the only thing I have left until I unpack my phone charger.
I can apreciate you not wanting to price match something for less than you paid for it. If you would have explained it to me that way when you left a message on my phone, rather than saying you "had no control over thirdgen's prices" and therefor could not price match it.
There is a difference between not being able to price match because of an issue of a loss on the sale and simply saying you cant. You have to apreciate my view seeing that on your web site as your policy and having been told by one of your employees that you simply dont have that policy.
As far as you paying to ship me a new one I have no problem with that. To say that the one I returned is in perfect shape is unfair seeing as you can see the problem with the ash tray lid and if you would put a light through the shift indicator you would clearly see the light coming through the scratch.
I listened to the message you left me again and you did word it as if I would be paying the shipping to return the old one AND to ship me the new one. It may just be that there are communication problems in not being able to speak directly. Whatever the problem may be I will agree to have you ship me a new one at your cost. I still believe that I shouldn't of had to pay to return the first one but I wont be too picky. I can meet you in the middle.
If you will send me a new one at your cost I will be happy with that solution. You can send the package to the same address you have on file as I will still be in and out of that house for the next couple weeks.
I apreciate your help and look foward to recieving the new shift plate.
I can apreciate you not wanting to price match something for less than you paid for it. If you would have explained it to me that way when you left a message on my phone, rather than saying you "had no control over thirdgen's prices" and therefor could not price match it.
There is a difference between not being able to price match because of an issue of a loss on the sale and simply saying you cant. You have to apreciate my view seeing that on your web site as your policy and having been told by one of your employees that you simply dont have that policy.
As far as you paying to ship me a new one I have no problem with that. To say that the one I returned is in perfect shape is unfair seeing as you can see the problem with the ash tray lid and if you would put a light through the shift indicator you would clearly see the light coming through the scratch.
I listened to the message you left me again and you did word it as if I would be paying the shipping to return the old one AND to ship me the new one. It may just be that there are communication problems in not being able to speak directly. Whatever the problem may be I will agree to have you ship me a new one at your cost. I still believe that I shouldn't of had to pay to return the first one but I wont be too picky. I can meet you in the middle.
If you will send me a new one at your cost I will be happy with that solution. You can send the package to the same address you have on file as I will still be in and out of that house for the next couple weeks.
I apreciate your help and look foward to recieving the new shift plate.
03-20-2003, 04:15 PM
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Car: 1987 Trans Am
Glad to hear its being resolved...Bruce is a good guy, and will go out of his way to do the right thing.
Keep in mind though, with any vendor, that prices can change drastically overnight. This happened all the time when I worked for Year One. We would have ten of a part in stock, and say the cost was $20. By the time we sold the last part, the cost may have doubled or even tripled in the case of a lot of original GM parts. Sometimes one vendor will still have a part advertised for the lower price, but rarely will honor it as soon as they are aware of the increase. Thats why nearly all websites and catalogs have a disclaimer about prices being subject to change without notice. If you see a large advertised price difference from one supplier to another, particularly on a GM part, you can count on this being the case.
Keep in mind though, with any vendor, that prices can change drastically overnight. This happened all the time when I worked for Year One. We would have ten of a part in stock, and say the cost was $20. By the time we sold the last part, the cost may have doubled or even tripled in the case of a lot of original GM parts. Sometimes one vendor will still have a part advertised for the lower price, but rarely will honor it as soon as they are aware of the increase. Thats why nearly all websites and catalogs have a disclaimer about prices being subject to change without notice. If you see a large advertised price difference from one supplier to another, particularly on a GM part, you can count on this being the case.
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04-20-2003, 06:04 PM
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Car: 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350
Engine: 350 TPI
Transmission: 700r4
I am not sure if this is Bruces fault or the company he gets his hoods and spoilers from but I ordered a 4th gen spoiler for my 89 firebird and he has the aftermarket 4th gen spoilers for 82-92 firebirds and for some reason I was sent the 82-92 aerowing spoiler that I already have on my car. So far Hawks isnt looking that good for me but will have to see how he deals with returning the item and getting me the part that I ordered and payed for. He does communicate well and the part was shipped early but it wasnt the right part. Hopefully I can get the right part. I got the part on tuesday but I had it shipped to my parents house becuase it would be easier that way and it was a spoiler so they accepted it and they forgot to tell me that it was here. I found out on easter sunday that i had it and went to look at it and new right off that it wasnt the right spoiler. I did email him and left a message with him to get a hold of me as soon as possible so hopefully I can get the spoiler that i wanted and not a spoiler that i already have.
04-20-2003, 10:06 PM
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Car: 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350
Engine: 350 TPI
Transmission: 700r4
So far things are starting to look better. Bruce actually called me back Sunday, Easter, night. I would have been happy for him to just give me a call Monday morning but he said he went in to catch up on some work sunday night and he called me back. He said that there was a problem and he will fix it. So it look like if there is a problem he is more than willing to do what it takes to make things right. He seems to be a good guy to do business with.
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