SuperSport2000

After hearing about how good GWP's customer service was I decided that I was going to buy their Stage two ATI kit. I ordered the kit on March 7th. Jason told me it would take about two weeks to get the kit. I gave him a 50% deposite up front. In less then five days I sent him the rest of the money. They said the kit should ship on March 27th. Well it never did. Then they said it would go out on March 28th but I never received anything. Once again they said the kit would ship out April 2nd but nothing ever happened. I got fed up and call Jason again. I was being very nice to them and nothing ever got done. Once i told them that I wanted my money back if my kit doesn't get shipped, everything changed. Jason became a complete a$$hole. He said he was going to charge me a 20% restocking fee. Also he asked my why I was calling ATI (in a very hostile voice.) I told him that I wanted to find out the progress on my kit. He said quote " you have know business calling ATI." I was like WTF I am buying a companies product and you are telling me I can't call them? I tols him that him and his company are nothing but middle men. He then asked me if I have ever bought aftermark mail order parts before. I told him yes and he said haven't you ever had a delay in shipping and I told him NO. When a company says they are going to deliver a product by a certain date they should stick to their guns. After $60 in phone calls and being dicked around I finally got my kit on April 6th. I am not using this as a flame but only to make people aware of this company. The only reason I bought from them is because everyone said they were the best. They are FAR from it. They need to keep in mind that THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. That is what Jason and GWP need to learn. They are a very poor excuses for business men.

VINCE

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for letting us know. I hope the kit turns out well for you.. I cant wait to hear your progress...

SuperSport2000

Thanks Vince. I am only pulling 5psi of boost on a 9psi pully. It is because the cam, headers, and ls6 manifold. I am going to dyno tomorrow. Ed Wright set my tunning on the EXTREME safe side. I am running only 20 degrees of timing and PIGGGG Rich. Once I buy Ls1 edit all of that will be taken care of.

2000RATA

Sorry to hear that. I feel like getting a strangle hold on him just reading it. What an a$$! That restock fee thing would have sent me off the edge. How do you restock something that was never taken out of stock???!!!! What a punk!

Good luck with the new kit.

VINCE

iTrader: (1)

5psi with 9psi pulley.. Hmmmm.. How are you going to get more boost..?

SuperSport2000

2000RATA: That is what I am talking about. How do you charge a restocking fee on something that was never made. hehehe some people will do anything to get money.

Vince: I am going to go to a smaller pully. That is what sucks about having a cam and headers. The motor breaths so much better that the blower can't compress the air for very long. I have the T1 cam =(.

MelloYellow

Your setup sounds interesting. GWP makes a nice package but I've felt a little attitude at times.

You sure your belt isn't slipping? Did you key your crank? Check if the bolt washers are slippin' a little? That's a lot of boost to lose.

Let us know how it turns out!!
Sounds cool. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />
Very interested in your dyno & tuning.
I have similar mods. What is your full mod list? Cam specs?

<small>[ April 17, 2002, 10:43 PM: Message edited by: MelloYellow ]</small>

BIG PD

you bitched and moaned about a 9 day shipping time for a supercharger? my god get over it man. things happen and its not always the "middle mans" fault. sure he could have been nicer about it, but you should have more patient. i waite 2 months for a T1 cam and 3 for a ST3500. didn't complain once. and i'm 17 and impatient.

SuperSport2000

Paul D. When a company says they are going to deliver they should do so. Next time you send $5,500 and a company deson't deliver on time you talk to me. A T1 only cost $450. Also I had my car apart waiting for the blower to come in.
I am 20 and VERY impatient. If he would have said 2 months I would say OKey. But he said two weeks. and it took four weeks.

SuperSport2000

Mellowyellow: My crank isn't keyed =(. I think I am gettting a little belt slip but not much. As far as i can see the washer for the crank bolt hasen't moved. My Mod list is:

.558/.558 .221/.221 112LSA Cam, FLP headers,
Ls6 intake, 3:73 gears, and all the other crap like 17x11, 15x9's with 27" hoosers ...etc

Next is 12 bolt, 6.0L heads and a new cam.

NASSTY

Oh the stories I could tell about GWP, I would say they have treated me worse than any other place ever has, and I know plenty of other people who share the same feelings. Their KIT on the other hand is excellent. great quality on most of the parts, but their customer service sucks a fatty. But since they are a sponsor here, Im not going to post horror stories.

(former GWP ATI kit owner)

VINCE

iTrader: (1)

Makes since.. The T1 is a bad choice for a blower cam..

SuperSport2000

Well i just tightened the belt and went and Ataped my car. It was pulling 8psi of boost. I thought the front wheel were going to come off the ground hehhe.Thanks mellow yellow.

BLOWNMERO

That about sums up my experience with GWP. Except my wait was about 6 weeks. Between "got lost in the mail" and other BS. When I finally got the kit it was incomplete. I was missing the fans, and had a wrong stabalizer pulley. Then they sent that to me, total time was about 8 weeks, until I could actually run the car. By the way, I installed the entire kit with no instructions. Which were to be ready "by the time I got my kit". I have my kit now, and avoid them at all costs. I dont want them to get another penny of my money.

By the way.. my programming was totally off too. I would recommend buying the ATI kit from ATI.

VINCE

iTrader: (1)

So you are up and running. Awesome..

Black LS1 T/A

I feel ya... when a vendor is getting components from three or four different makers to put the best kit together for you, delays can happen. Based on ship times from each, Jason thought I'd have most of my kit in two weeks and all of it in about three. Well, one of the companies (I won't go into which) prolonged the thing out to over six weeks!

I was impatient, I was upset... but hey, what could Jason DO about that? He was frustrated and upset himself. But, bottom line, he had to wait on them to get the component done. :dunno:

These kits are too customized to YOUR car for them to keep $6000 kits lying around. They order them when you order them.

Jason seems to think blaming the vendor he is waiting on is unprofessional, and will not nit-pick them to you. I disagree with him about not laying responsibility for shipping delays at that manufacturer's door. As a buyer, I can sympathize with his position more when I know details. But, it IS true the purchase is from GWP and ultimately the responsibility rests with them. So, he takes the heat for the shipping delay. That's his philosophy. HE and I have debated that over the phone.

It IS kinda messed up that you are back-dooring him with his suppliers, though. I'd probably be pissed at you, too.

You put out a lot of money for your kit. I did, too. But ACCEPT the fact that a kit that will optimize your car's performance takes some TIME to put together.

Give them a chance to do it RIGHT. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

You'll be glad you did. They are not going to rip you off. Relax. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

When your stuff is in, Jason will give you excellent advice and converse with you like an old buddy he's known for years... trust me on that. Don't spoil your relationship with him by stressing over shipping delays from his suppliers.

This is not like the Incon fiasco... you will get your kit.

Damn, I know it's hard to wait! I'm waiting on a 12-bolt and a motor right now. These guys have a lot on their plate, and they stake their reputation on the quality of what they deliver to you! And performance solutions of this caliber for our vehicles are scarce... we don't even appreciate how scarce.

Chill just a tad, and give it a little more time. And mend your relationship with Jason. They will work for you even AFTER the sale is complete. Don't ruin that. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

Good luck, man! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

Black LS1 T/A

Oh... I didn't catch the part about how you got the kit. You ordered it March 7th and got it April 6th? Consider yourself blessed. And you'll be glad you took the advice to go with them, rather than trying to upgrade your ATI yourself.

You said, "I thought the front wheel were going to come off the ground hehhe." That speaks for itself. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

I understand wanting your kit right away, but I think you guys are battering a good company that is trying to give you a great product in a very convoluted world.

Think about it... they are one of the few taht can deliver a true performance solution to you. It requires more than one supplier to do this.

And as for calling them a middle man... These guys have tested a system of components to deliver a superior product to you. True, they don't make all the parts. But they have the expertise to assemble a system better than what you could have without their knowledge. And if you cultivate a relationship with them, the benefits of buying their system doesn't end there.

I'm a witness. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />

Black LS1 T/A

Another thing...

...people like GWP, who put kits together like this one, MUST want to keep a good relationship with those suppliers so they can keep doing what they're doing.

To tell you or me that supplier XXX is sitting on their behinds or having trouble getting a part to GWP expeditiously jeapardizes that. Some of the more mature customers maybe could take the info, understand, and trust GWP to deliver. But others would be calling ATI, calling Aeromotive, calling Superchips, calling... well... you get the point. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />

Ask some of the guys who are having their motors or trannies built by a vendor how long it takes to get some of these parts... the delays that can happen.

Look at some of the guys ordering parts to do builds themselves. Some folk have waited WEEKS or MONTHS to get a certain push rod set or piston or whatever in! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Sad]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> What if a builder decided a certain type gasket may be needed for the application they were building... trying to make it a litle better? What if they ordered it and it took a week or more to get the gaskets in? Do you see where this can go?

Personally, I'm GLAD to have a company like Golden West Performance fielding these issues for me.

As for re-stocking fees... if I was putting a kit together for you, had some of the components, but not all, and you cancelled... well, that is an expense, time and effort I went through. I would have to absorb the expense of retaining a part not sold or ship it back, which I may not could do. Certainly that doesn't help keep costs down for the economical kits everyone here seems to want. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Roll Eyes]" src="images/icons/rolleyes.gif" /> I think a re-stocking fee is justified in such a case.

I'm not flaming you or anyone else ... I'm just pointing out situations everyone may not always see. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

When you spend over $5,000 with a company you want to know what's going on.

Sure in this case the buyer is coming across as impatient but every other customer is like that.

Black LS1 T/A

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Pro Stock John:
<strong>When you spend over $5,000 with a company you want to know what's going on.

Sure in this case the buyer is coming across as impatient but every other customer is like that.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm like that, too. <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_cheers.gif" />

That is what I've told Jason. The customer may always be 'right', but it's a hard balancing act, I guess.

It's just that I've talked with them enough to know they are always trying to make their kit and their motors a little better and they like to thoroughly test everything so they can pass their advances down to the customers.

Personally, I like that. I may not get my motor next week, or the week after... but if I get it and it is more durable AND faster... hey, I can't argue with results. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />