Roadie

First, let me state that I've bought stuff from Thunder Racing all the way back to 2002, possibly earlier. They've always been quick to ship and I have never had a problem up until now.

Back in July, I purchased an MSD Optispark from Thunder Racing, paying about $30 more than anywhere else, because it was the only place that had one in stock. It arrived in a couple days and I unpacked it. The case had a significant scratch near the bottom of the case, which looked to be from a harmonic balancer hub, but I didn't really care about looks since it's buried behind the water pump, pulleys, and accessories.

I got to work putting it on my car... It didn't come with any paperwork or instructions, but I've replaced optis before and there didn't appear to be anything special about the MSD one aside from the timing adjustment that I had no plans on using. After installing the opti, I had spark at the coil, but not at any plugs. I removed the opti and took the cap off it. Low and behold, there was no rotor.

I promptly called MSD and they said every distributor ships out with a rotor and that I should call Thunder Racing about it. They do not deal with RMA items bought from a 3rd party. I got an RMA number from Thunder Racing and sent the distributor in.

2 weeks and 3 emails asking for status of the RMA went by without any response from Thunder Racing. In my final email I replied stating that their customer service on this issue was appalling and that I would be disputing the credit card charges if I did not hear back within 2 business days. 3 days later (Friday), I submitted the dispute.

The following week, I received an email stating that MSD was making Thunder Racing go through their warranty channels because of the scratches on the case. All it needed was a freaking rotor... I told them that I had already started the dispute process and at this point all I wanted was my money back.

A few weeks go by and I receive Thunder Racing's response to the dispute. Here's a few excepts:

This was a bold-face lie. I most certainly told the person on the phone about the case scratches when I received the RMA number. I said that it didn't bother me so long as it functioned properly.

Since no instructions were shipped with the distributor, and since the distributor came fully assembled, I simply installed it like any other GM, Accell, or Summit Opti. I've built a turbo car, brought an old race car roller back to a complete street car, and turned wrenches on more F-bodies than I can count. I didn't need the instructions for a simple Opti installation... That said, this is the first MSD opti I've ever purchased, so I'm not sure how the part arrives brand new.

According to the MSD instructions (link here), it seems as if the distributor should have arrived disassembled, based on the list of included parts in the instructions. Looking at the instructions now, it states that I do have to assemble the distributor, but in no place did it state that I needed to disassemble it. This is another bold-face lie by Thunder Racing.

So, where am I on this? The credit card company closed the dispute based on the false information that Thunder Racing gave them. So, I've been charged $530.03 for a distributor that Thunder Racing has in their possession. All I have in my posession is a a UPS shipment receipt showing that I sent back a distributor to Thunder Racing returns. Thunder Racing still has the MSD distributor that I purchased.

XtraCajunSS

iTrader: (2)

Jered,

I am not aware of all of the circumstances surrounding this return, only that I was asked to inspect the Opti for damage and/or missing parts. I was under the impression you wanted an exchange and was not aware that you had received the unit in that condition. We do not open and inspect each and every product that comes in from a manufacturer and I can assure you we would not have accepted a return from a customer for resale in that conditon. If the RMA form on the back of your invoice would have been filled out, all of this could have been avoided.

I made the decision at the time to deny an exchange because of the damaged cover. If I would have known you only needed a new rotor, one would have been shipped out immediately. I am sorry for the mis-communication here but I do know, once a chargeback is initiated we discontinue all discussions with the customer until resoloution is reached with the credit card company. I can assure you, now that that dispute has been closed, I can work with you to resolve the issue. Please contact me directly so we can find an equitable soloution to this problem.

Also, I would like to point out, I have personally installed 40-50 MSD optispark distributors over the years. Their instructions have been fairly vague and I have ALWAYS had to disassemble them prior to installing them. If you check around, I am sure you will find this to be the case. If you were to call here tomorrow, I would tell you the same thing, you must disassemble the distributor and fully reassemble it BEFORE installing it on your vehicle.

Thanks,
Shane Burgess
Co-Owner, VP Operations
Thunder Performance Group, Inc.
d/b/a Thunder Racing

Roadie

Thanks for the reply. I understand that you would not honor an exchange based on the condition of the cover, but that doesn't excuse the lack of communication. I did request status of this RMA on 3 occasions and waited more than 2 weeks for a response before submitting the dispute. There was plenty of time to reply or pick up the phone.

When a customer obtains an RMA number over the phone, what is done with the information given? When I called in, I made it clear that the distributor just needed a rotor. The guy said to ship it in, they would get it fixed, and ship it back out to me. I apologize for not filling out the RMA form...

At this point, I'm not sure if the dispute is 100% closed. I did respond by faxing a letter back to Citi after receving your response more than 2 weeks ago, but have heard nothing back from them either. If/When it's 100% closed, I would like to come to some agreement. The problem now is that I no longer need a distributor. I was sick of waiting and bought one locally back when I started the dispute process two months ago. I suppose I could accept the distributor back (with rotor, obviously), sell it on ebay, cut my losses, and move on. In my opinion, this isn't making things right, and I don't know what could make it right... But it would be better than a complete loss and both of us can move on.

XtraCajunSS

iTrader: (2)

Jered,

Don't worry, I know we can make things right. I apologize again for the mixup. I don't really know what happened or why but I am trying to make things right with you.

PM your number with a good time to reach you and I'll give you a call or if you would like, just give me a call at your convenience.

Thanks,
Shane

XtraCajunSS

iTrader: (2)

Jered,

As per our phone conversation, I'll be giving you a full refund on your purchase. I hope you'll give us the opportunity to work with you again on a future purchase. It was really nice talking to you and I appreciate your understanding and patience.

Thanks,
Shane Burgess
Co-Owner, VP Operations
Thunder Performance Group, Inc.
d/b/a Thunder Racing

Roadie

Shane,

Thanks so much for the call today. I called Citi and made sure the dispute was closed and they made a note not to follow up on the fax I sent them a couple weeks back.

I really hate that I had to come through the forums to get the right attention. I really appreciate your call and following up the way you did. I understand everything that took place and won't hold a grudge. You've been great to me for years now.

Please drop me a PM in a few weeks when everything is sorted. I can't think of anything else I need for my car these days, but I could certainly use a few things for my truck. We'll shrink the refund down a bit.

Jered

XtraCajunSS

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the kind words, Jered. I know we dropped the ball on this one and you did the right thing by coming here. I'd be happy to work that refund down a bit on some killer truck parts!!! LOL

Just let me know if you need anything.

Thanks,
Shane