I'm pissed off!!!:banghead:
This is not like me. I don't have a mean bone in my body. I don't go actively looking for confrontation; in fact, I will usually do a 180 and head the other way. I would rather just let stuff decay rather than trying to feed it. I am by no means a coward. I just seem to have the ability to put stuff into the 'vault' easily. Typing this thread is difficult for me. Not because I don't know how to type (lol), but because normally I would chalk this up to experience and just simply....move on. Even now, I have a weird feeling in my stomach resulting from the internal debate that I have been having with myself as to whether I should just let it go or to post my thoughts. I am not the kind of guy that enjoys making other peoples' lives difficult. But I just need to say something. The recent documented disaster build of Rob Ashby, the LNF engine that Werks built for for Ritroman, a Sky forum member") that they allegedly forgot to install the piston oil squirters, or they allegedly fell out when Werks built his engine. He would have never known about the oil squirters if the engine hadn't failed and he had to have it rebuilt again. The missing squirters might have actually been the cause of the failure? I have no idea. Along with all the other many documented claims against Werks over the past couple years has morally obligated me to share my recent dealings.
If you are thinking that I am just another PAW hater - I'm not. I have purchased well in excess of $6000 worth of product and until recently, they were my go to vendor for LNF / Solstice bits & advice. I haven't told anyone this, but earlier this year, I felt so endeared by the staff at PAW I actually sent them $200US cash via courier and a very nice letter of appreciation for all their help. I wanted to let them know how much I enjoyed being a "partner" and that I could not of come this far without their expertise and help. The idea was that perhaps they could use the money to buy a nice lunch for everyone in the shop. I wanted our relationship to be special in some way. Who knows? Like I said earlier - I'm just an easy going, nice guy. I like to be liked. this is why this is so out of character for me. But I've been treated badly - treated like a Chump. That's where I draw the line.
It began when I broke my LNF. I ordered a new Hi-Pressure fuel pump and fuel pump cam follower from Werks. A week later they arrived, but not in the condition that I was expecting. The Cam Follower had rust on it. It was discolored and had strange marks on it. This is a high precision piece with a very low tolerance of fit - especially for my brand new LNF head. For those not in the know, it works with similar clearances as a main or rod bearing. Metal to metal contact with just a film of oil separating it from its track in the head. It was shipped in a plastic bubble pack that was certainly not GM. The fuel pump was also suspect, as it too was not in a genuine GM box, there were no caps protecting the fuel connection threads, and the gasket was packaged separately in a genuine GM bag with part numbers identifying it. I emailed PAW about the cam follower and the fact that neither parts were in GM boxes. Their reply was that there newly acquired rescue dog had torn up the package! They even sent me a picture of the dog. Really? They said they would ship me a new one, but I declined and said I would just buy one locally. The follower was packaged in a plastic container that I recognized as the exact same type of container that was used to ship my Werks valve springs to me in. I immediately started to wonder if the valve springs were brand new, and if they were in fact 'performance springs'. I asked other people that had purchased these springs and they all said they were nicely shipped in packaging that bared the marks of the actual manufacturer, that they came in a nice box with separate compartments for each spring. Not springs jammed into a plastic bubble. Mmmm..I now have doubt in my mind as to whether I have received either used springs or springs that have been lying around forever. This is speculative, but could this be the reason why I bend valves at 7200rpm. I have no proof at this point. The springs look awfully close to the OEM units. Without specialized test equipment I have no way of knowing. As a result I decided not to follow up with Werks and reverted back to the Supertech Springs. At least I could authenticate there pedigree. A week or so later I asked Werks about the HP Fuel Pump. They explained that they buy there pumps from ZZP. They come of crate LNF/LDK engines that they pull apart. He assured me that it was brand new. To me, this is not brand new - these are parts that have already been installed on an engine!. I was expecting to receive a brand new pump, in a GM box. I specifically asked them if the pump was a brand new OEM item before I placed the order.
A week or so later, I decided to give them another chance to get things right. There a dozen different vendors I could have used for this order, but I'm a loyal kind of guy, and decided to order my Carrillo Rods and Wiseco pistons from them. I placed the order. A week later I inquired as to when the shipment might be leaving. They said that the pistons had arrived and that the rods would be here on Friday. On Friday, I again emailed them and asked what was happening. I received no reply. Below is an email i sent to Werks:
From: Herb [mailto:sat.man.mobile@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2014 2:26 PM
To: Dave Gilbert
Subject: Parts
I'm really quite upset.
When I contacted you Friday you said the Carrillo Rods had arrived, but you were not able get the order shipped in time - something to do with your daughter or your dog - I can't keep track!. You then said you would get them into the system on Saturday. I emailed you 4 times over the weekend asking you for confirmation that it had been shipped by way of a tracking number. I got no response. Nothing.
This morning I emailed you again for confirmation, and then a second time at 12:30 (2:30 Chicago time). I have still not heard from you. I could have ordered these items from a half a dozen different vendors. I guess I felt a certain loyalty to you and thought it would be nice to purchase from YOU.
It is now 3:30 Chicago time. If by 5:00 you have not provided me a tracking number and a picture of my items next to the shipping label in the same frame, I would like you to CANCEL the entire order and credit my MasterCard for the full amount. I will purchase from another vendor.
I'm tired of being treated like a Chump.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On Monday, I sent emails asking for the tracking number at 8:13am and at 12:30pm. At 1:11pm I received an email saying the box had been picked up by USPS today, but could not provide me with a tracking number as they were not in the office and had been at home all day tending to a sick daughter - would send it to me later. As per my email above, as of 3:30 Chicago time (5:30 my time) I still had not heard back. At 3:56pm (5:56 Chicago), I asked if he was back at the shop yet? At 4:46pm (5:46pm), I asked him "C'mon Dave....What's going on?". At 8:09pm (6:09pm), I finally received an email with the USPS tracking number. This is where it gets good.
First off, the tracking number provided to me was a Pre-Shipment notification only. As per the USPS website - "The USPS was electronically notified by the shipper on Oct 21st, 2014 to expect your package for mailing. This does not include receipt by the USPS or actual mailing.....". OK - I don't get it! If the package was picked up on Monday 20th of October by the USPS driver, then why is there NO pickup scan, NO in terminal scan, NO in transit scan of any kind, and WHY IS THE DATE OF SHIPMENT THAT HAS APPARENTLY ALREADY BEEN PICKED UP AND ON THE WAY THE NEXT DAY!. - The 21st of October??????...Track this number and look at the date: CV030986264US. - I must be a Chump?
During the course of the next day (Oct 21st), I was constantly monitoring the status of the shipment. I emailed Werks several times about this, and received several answers attempting to explain this phenomenon. 1. Spoke personally to the USPS driver and the package was put into the outgoing - he assured me of that. 2. Sometimes the USPS tracking system is slow. I have seen packages arrive at their destinations before they are even tracked. Really? - I must be a Chump right?
OK, so now I am freak'n out, losing my mind, need to punch something, blah, blah, blah. I email again and ask "What the frak is going on". The response I receive is that they are going to send me ANOTHER set of Pistons, Rods & Donut gasket shipped to me JUST IN CASE. Use whatever turns up first and return the other set. Folks, we are talking about $1500 worth of stuff here. Really? - I must be a Chump! At this point I need some serious pharmaceuticals to calm me down!!. I then get another email with a new tracking number for the gasket and was then informed that the Rods and Pistons are being 'drop shipped' from their respective warehouses directly to me (2 different suppliers mind you). I am now loosing my mind. All I can see is further delays, no way of tracking anything, huge amounts of additional shipping costs - not to mention if they use UPS that I will be charged hundreds of dollars in duty and brokerage fees (remember I'm in Canada).
I've had enough. I emailed back and ask that the whole thing just be cancelled and that my credit card be credited (which by the way was charged way back on Oct 13th - naughty, naughty). I received an almost immediate response saying to return whatever arrives and sorry for the confusion. CONFUSION - No Confusion here. Simple right? Order stuff and they send it to you. No confusion! **** ME!!. It seems very weird to me that they were so quick to refund the $1500 to my card when the parts were supposedly already in transit to me. It is my opinion that the parts were never in transit, if they were, they would have never of refunded the money.
Last week I emailed them again and asked what happened to the shipment - "Did you get it back"? Response: - Said they cancelled the original label, and intercepted the package to have it returned to them. Hahahahaha!!. Is that even possible? BTW: I just checked again - still no tracking information is available. - I must be a Chump?
I'm a reasonable guy. If Werks can prove to me that they actually had the pistons and rods shipped (by way of an invoice showing delivery dates etc), I will be more than enthusiastic to post a public apology and retraction. In my mind, those parts were never shipped, the generation of the shipping label was a last ditch attempt to buy time. Even the offer to re-ship everything was to gain time. I guess I'm a Chump!
The more I think about this whole thing, the more outraged, irate and mistrustful I get. In my opinion this entire transaction was one lie upon another. That's my opinion. Other may see it differently. I simply needed to let those who care about this stuff know. I have a bunch of other issues that have occurred over the past 12-18 months, but to be honest it is time for me to move on and this thread gives me some level of closure. I'm not sure what emotions I feel right now? Amused? Aggravated? Resentful? Ambivalent? Vulnerable? Maybe all of them. All I know is that this is my first step to lowering my Chump factor.
Thanks for reading.
Cam Follower they sent me
Packaging for the follower
Spring packaging
How my fuel pump arrived
OEM fuel pump packaging
This is not like me. I don't have a mean bone in my body. I don't go actively looking for confrontation; in fact, I will usually do a 180 and head the other way. I would rather just let stuff decay rather than trying to feed it. I am by no means a coward. I just seem to have the ability to put stuff into the 'vault' easily. Typing this thread is difficult for me. Not because I don't know how to type (lol), but because normally I would chalk this up to experience and just simply....move on. Even now, I have a weird feeling in my stomach resulting from the internal debate that I have been having with myself as to whether I should just let it go or to post my thoughts. I am not the kind of guy that enjoys making other peoples' lives difficult. But I just need to say something. The recent documented disaster build of Rob Ashby, the LNF engine that Werks built for for Ritroman, a Sky forum member") that they allegedly forgot to install the piston oil squirters, or they allegedly fell out when Werks built his engine. He would have never known about the oil squirters if the engine hadn't failed and he had to have it rebuilt again. The missing squirters might have actually been the cause of the failure? I have no idea. Along with all the other many documented claims against Werks over the past couple years has morally obligated me to share my recent dealings.
If you are thinking that I am just another PAW hater - I'm not. I have purchased well in excess of $6000 worth of product and until recently, they were my go to vendor for LNF / Solstice bits & advice. I haven't told anyone this, but earlier this year, I felt so endeared by the staff at PAW I actually sent them $200US cash via courier and a very nice letter of appreciation for all their help. I wanted to let them know how much I enjoyed being a "partner" and that I could not of come this far without their expertise and help. The idea was that perhaps they could use the money to buy a nice lunch for everyone in the shop. I wanted our relationship to be special in some way. Who knows? Like I said earlier - I'm just an easy going, nice guy. I like to be liked. this is why this is so out of character for me. But I've been treated badly - treated like a Chump. That's where I draw the line.
It began when I broke my LNF. I ordered a new Hi-Pressure fuel pump and fuel pump cam follower from Werks. A week later they arrived, but not in the condition that I was expecting. The Cam Follower had rust on it. It was discolored and had strange marks on it. This is a high precision piece with a very low tolerance of fit - especially for my brand new LNF head. For those not in the know, it works with similar clearances as a main or rod bearing. Metal to metal contact with just a film of oil separating it from its track in the head. It was shipped in a plastic bubble pack that was certainly not GM. The fuel pump was also suspect, as it too was not in a genuine GM box, there were no caps protecting the fuel connection threads, and the gasket was packaged separately in a genuine GM bag with part numbers identifying it. I emailed PAW about the cam follower and the fact that neither parts were in GM boxes. Their reply was that there newly acquired rescue dog had torn up the package! They even sent me a picture of the dog. Really? They said they would ship me a new one, but I declined and said I would just buy one locally. The follower was packaged in a plastic container that I recognized as the exact same type of container that was used to ship my Werks valve springs to me in. I immediately started to wonder if the valve springs were brand new, and if they were in fact 'performance springs'. I asked other people that had purchased these springs and they all said they were nicely shipped in packaging that bared the marks of the actual manufacturer, that they came in a nice box with separate compartments for each spring. Not springs jammed into a plastic bubble. Mmmm..I now have doubt in my mind as to whether I have received either used springs or springs that have been lying around forever. This is speculative, but could this be the reason why I bend valves at 7200rpm. I have no proof at this point. The springs look awfully close to the OEM units. Without specialized test equipment I have no way of knowing. As a result I decided not to follow up with Werks and reverted back to the Supertech Springs. At least I could authenticate there pedigree. A week or so later I asked Werks about the HP Fuel Pump. They explained that they buy there pumps from ZZP. They come of crate LNF/LDK engines that they pull apart. He assured me that it was brand new. To me, this is not brand new - these are parts that have already been installed on an engine!. I was expecting to receive a brand new pump, in a GM box. I specifically asked them if the pump was a brand new OEM item before I placed the order.
A week or so later, I decided to give them another chance to get things right. There a dozen different vendors I could have used for this order, but I'm a loyal kind of guy, and decided to order my Carrillo Rods and Wiseco pistons from them. I placed the order. A week later I inquired as to when the shipment might be leaving. They said that the pistons had arrived and that the rods would be here on Friday. On Friday, I again emailed them and asked what was happening. I received no reply. Below is an email i sent to Werks:
From: Herb [mailto:sat.man.mobile@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2014 2:26 PM
To: Dave Gilbert
Subject: Parts
I'm really quite upset.
When I contacted you Friday you said the Carrillo Rods had arrived, but you were not able get the order shipped in time - something to do with your daughter or your dog - I can't keep track!. You then said you would get them into the system on Saturday. I emailed you 4 times over the weekend asking you for confirmation that it had been shipped by way of a tracking number. I got no response. Nothing.
This morning I emailed you again for confirmation, and then a second time at 12:30 (2:30 Chicago time). I have still not heard from you. I could have ordered these items from a half a dozen different vendors. I guess I felt a certain loyalty to you and thought it would be nice to purchase from YOU.
It is now 3:30 Chicago time. If by 5:00 you have not provided me a tracking number and a picture of my items next to the shipping label in the same frame, I would like you to CANCEL the entire order and credit my MasterCard for the full amount. I will purchase from another vendor.
I'm tired of being treated like a Chump.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On Monday, I sent emails asking for the tracking number at 8:13am and at 12:30pm. At 1:11pm I received an email saying the box had been picked up by USPS today, but could not provide me with a tracking number as they were not in the office and had been at home all day tending to a sick daughter - would send it to me later. As per my email above, as of 3:30 Chicago time (5:30 my time) I still had not heard back. At 3:56pm (5:56 Chicago), I asked if he was back at the shop yet? At 4:46pm (5:46pm), I asked him "C'mon Dave....What's going on?". At 8:09pm (6:09pm), I finally received an email with the USPS tracking number. This is where it gets good.
First off, the tracking number provided to me was a Pre-Shipment notification only. As per the USPS website - "The USPS was electronically notified by the shipper on Oct 21st, 2014 to expect your package for mailing. This does not include receipt by the USPS or actual mailing.....". OK - I don't get it! If the package was picked up on Monday 20th of October by the USPS driver, then why is there NO pickup scan, NO in terminal scan, NO in transit scan of any kind, and WHY IS THE DATE OF SHIPMENT THAT HAS APPARENTLY ALREADY BEEN PICKED UP AND ON THE WAY THE NEXT DAY!. - The 21st of October??????...Track this number and look at the date: CV030986264US. - I must be a Chump?
During the course of the next day (Oct 21st), I was constantly monitoring the status of the shipment. I emailed Werks several times about this, and received several answers attempting to explain this phenomenon. 1. Spoke personally to the USPS driver and the package was put into the outgoing - he assured me of that. 2. Sometimes the USPS tracking system is slow. I have seen packages arrive at their destinations before they are even tracked. Really? - I must be a Chump right?
OK, so now I am freak'n out, losing my mind, need to punch something, blah, blah, blah. I email again and ask "What the frak is going on". The response I receive is that they are going to send me ANOTHER set of Pistons, Rods & Donut gasket shipped to me JUST IN CASE. Use whatever turns up first and return the other set. Folks, we are talking about $1500 worth of stuff here. Really? - I must be a Chump! At this point I need some serious pharmaceuticals to calm me down!!. I then get another email with a new tracking number for the gasket and was then informed that the Rods and Pistons are being 'drop shipped' from their respective warehouses directly to me (2 different suppliers mind you). I am now loosing my mind. All I can see is further delays, no way of tracking anything, huge amounts of additional shipping costs - not to mention if they use UPS that I will be charged hundreds of dollars in duty and brokerage fees (remember I'm in Canada).
I've had enough. I emailed back and ask that the whole thing just be cancelled and that my credit card be credited (which by the way was charged way back on Oct 13th - naughty, naughty). I received an almost immediate response saying to return whatever arrives and sorry for the confusion. CONFUSION - No Confusion here. Simple right? Order stuff and they send it to you. No confusion! **** ME!!. It seems very weird to me that they were so quick to refund the $1500 to my card when the parts were supposedly already in transit to me. It is my opinion that the parts were never in transit, if they were, they would have never of refunded the money.
Last week I emailed them again and asked what happened to the shipment - "Did you get it back"? Response: - Said they cancelled the original label, and intercepted the package to have it returned to them. Hahahahaha!!. Is that even possible? BTW: I just checked again - still no tracking information is available. - I must be a Chump?
I'm a reasonable guy. If Werks can prove to me that they actually had the pistons and rods shipped (by way of an invoice showing delivery dates etc), I will be more than enthusiastic to post a public apology and retraction. In my mind, those parts were never shipped, the generation of the shipping label was a last ditch attempt to buy time. Even the offer to re-ship everything was to gain time. I guess I'm a Chump!
The more I think about this whole thing, the more outraged, irate and mistrustful I get. In my opinion this entire transaction was one lie upon another. That's my opinion. Other may see it differently. I simply needed to let those who care about this stuff know. I have a bunch of other issues that have occurred over the past 12-18 months, but to be honest it is time for me to move on and this thread gives me some level of closure. I'm not sure what emotions I feel right now? Amused? Aggravated? Resentful? Ambivalent? Vulnerable? Maybe all of them. All I know is that this is my first step to lowering my Chump factor.
Thanks for reading.
Cam Follower they sent me
Packaging for the follower
Spring packaging
How my fuel pump arrived
OEM fuel pump packaging