MEAN GTO

iTrader: (1)

In mid/late 2007 I bought a Vigilante converter from PI. Less than 2 years and 5k miles later (mid 2009 I believe?) my transmission failed due to the front pump going bad. I sent the converter back to PI to have it cleaned, not requesting any adjustments to the unit. In the meantime I ordered a new transmission from Performabuilt. After they received my converter and inspected it I received a call that they had found that there was actually a manufacturing issue with the way something was welded when they originally made this particular unit of mine. They repaired it free of charge, under warranty, and since I hadn't yet had a stall change done Jack told me that this repair would not void my free stall change. He made no mention that the free stall change had to be done within the first two years of purchase, which at the time of this repair I was just months away from approaching. I was simply told to send it back for the free stall change, if needed, in the future. From my recollection, I asked if this free future stall change would be documented (I know how this kind of offer can "disappear" if not notated), and recall being told that it would be documented.

A couple of weeks ago I sent out my converter for the free stall change. Once Jack received it and called me I reminded him of the situation less than 2 years ago. He told me it was out of warranty now and that he would not honor the free stall change. I didn't have time to argue, so I decided I'd speak with him more about it when it came time to pay for the stall change.

Well today I spoke with him again to pay and went over the whole situaton with him again. He had very little to say and nothing to offer, other than to explain that the free stall change is only within the first two years of purchase. I reminded him that this was not mentioned in the paperwork I originally received, nor is that mentioned on their website. You just read "free stall change"-- no timeline in PI's documentation.

I reminded Jack that the faulty-manufactured converter that I was originally shipped was what likely costed my pump to go out, and reminded him that when they repaired the converter I was not told that the free stall change that I was honored due to the original defect had to be done within the first two years of purchase, which would have had to have been done within the next couple of months at that time. But again, I was not advised of this and nor was it stated in the original paperwork. His response was to ask me, "Why are you even chasing down something like this from over 2 years ago? And it's out of warranty now too." I advised that I was bringing this up because again, I was told I still had a free stall change and that I was not told a timeframe. Not to mention the manufacturing defect caused my pump to fail. We then sat silent for several seconds, as I could tell he was losing patience and wasn't going to budge, and he had nothing to say to offer a mutual agreement.

I told him that if he wasn't going to still honor the free stall change that he originally offered that I should at least get a discount on the $250 price they are going to charge me. He responded with saying that he doesn't understand why we were even having this conversation. I once again reiterated the entire situation and reminded him that the original paperwork doesn't state that the free stall change had to be done within the first two years, and that the website (www.converter.com) entirely omits anything except for the words "free stall change" (see for yourselves), even under the warranty section. I searched the whole site high and low and found nothing on a two-year timeline/deadline. He then asked me what proof I had that I was honored a free stall change and I told him that I'm fairly certain that I was told that it would have been documented in my last invoice. He said it wasn't, although when I asked him what exactly was repaired that first time that I sent it back he couldn't even tell me that either-- he claimed to not be able to find that part of the paperwork. Maybe that's where my free future stall change was documented?? You would think, right? I suggested that and was then told that this was almost 2 years ago and that I can't expect them to be able to tell me this kind of stuff now. But yet they have other info stating that a repair of some sort was done almost 2 years ago.

Jack wouldn't still wouldn't come to any agreement. Essentially I had no proof of what was said, and neither do they (or so they say). I clearly wasn't making things up, and I think he knows that and probably has the "rest of the paperwork" (just didn't feel like finding it). Jack wasn't really rude, I can give him that, but was very unhelpful and was only concerned about PI getting their full $250, regardless of what previously happened and what I was told. He didn't care to come to a mutual agreement on at least SOME sort of discount, let alone the freebie that I was honored due to their manufacturing fault. Very unhappy with their customer service and I'm totally the last person to complain and write such a documented concern about something but this one has me upset. Bottom line, always get something in writing (though I'm sure there would have been the "out of warranty" excuse even if I had something in writing about the free future stall change). Good product, lack of customer satisfaction.


Thanks,
Andrew

MEAN GTO

iTrader: (1)

Precision Industries' warranty documention, verbatim:

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Precision Industries Warranty & Stall Changes
Precision Industries warrants that each torque converter manufactured or sold by Precision Industries will be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of 60 months (five years). Precision Industries' sole obligation under this warranty shall be to repair or replace, at its option, the defective converter at no charge to the customer. Under no circumstance will Precision Industries be liable for any oil, towing, labor or rental vehicle charges.

As a condition of this warranty the customer must return any allegedly defective product, freight prepaid to Precision Industries, 120 Independence Drive, Whiteville, TN 38075, accompanied by a packing slip indicating the shipper and the contact name, telephone number and the reason for the return. THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO UNSATISFACTORY PRODUCT PERFORMANCE WHICH IS ATTRIBUTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, TO ANY FACTOR,CONDITION OR CIRCUMSTANCE OTHER THAN DEFECTS IN MATERIAL OR WORKMANSHIP OR PRODUCTS ALTERED OR REPAIRED BY THE CUSTOMER OR THIRD PARTY. Without limiting the foregoing, this warranty shall be null and void if repair or replacement is required because of improper installation, accident, physical or electrical stress, neglect, misuse or any other cause other than the ordinary and intended use for which the product was designed. This warranty expressly does not cover loss or injury from the use of the product.

Technical Service and Product Support:
The technical service department of Precision Industries is manned by Professionals. The persons involved utilize both professional racing experience and professional business experience, using years of hard earned experience in both converters and transmissions. All products sold by Precision Industries is fully supported by Precision Industries. Normal hours of availability are from 8:00 am to 5:00pm central time.
Payment
All shipments are made FOB Whiteville, TN. Freight charges will be added to invoice. Payment before shipment is required except for COD orders. Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard or Discover Cards. Payment by check will be accepted only in the case of Cashiers Check or Money Order. Allow five working days prior to shipment when paying by Cashiers Check or Money Order. Shipment will be made on a COD basis to be paid by Cash, Certified Check or Money Order. Precision Industries does not extend credit.
Shipment and Returns
Precision Industries normally ships by UPS or Common Carrier. Expedited shipments are made at buyers request and incur added charges. All claims for damages are made directly to the freight company. Handling damaged merchandise may not be returned to Precision Industries without prior arrangements having been made. All merchandise returned for credit must have prior approval of Precision Industries and have been assigned a returned merchandise authorization number (RMA) by Precision Industries. Returns must be made Freight Prepaid. Returned goods must be in new condition and will be subject to a 15% restocking charge. Credit only will be allowed. NO CASH REFUNDS.

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No mention there either about the stall change having to be done within 2 years. I'll dig my original paperwork back up that I was shipped with the converter when I get home and post that too.

So, all of this said, was I in the wrong to expect at least a discount on the stall change, if not the FREE stall change that I was honored???