Machine shop comunication frustrations

[fryardds]

I know a number of you, including Wayne, have great repect for the work that Walt at Compet. Engineering does. My question is, do others that have dealt with him or his shop have difficulty getting him to take or return phone calls or email? I have a case for a 2.2L 911S motor and I have no idea what is going on with it. We spoke about what work needed to be done on the case back in mid January and have heard nothing since. I have tried to be patient, but my local mechanic would like to have some kind of timetable when the work might be done so he can plan his schedule, but I can't get any information.

I have sent one email and left several phone messages over a 5 to 6 week period and no response. Have others had the same experience? I certainly don't want to piss him off, but just an email back would be great.

[magic930]

I had great communication with Walt via phone and email. He refurbished a set of 12 rocker arms for me in March. The work was first class and turn around time was about 3 1/2 weeks door to door.

[Wayne 962]

Walt's a real busy guy, and the business that the book has brought him has swamped him. I just saw him at Daytona about 2-3 weeks ago. He mentioned that he was very short on staff right now, and struggling to keep up. Not really an excuse, but more of an explanation.

From day one, Walt was never quick - heck, it took me three more months to get my parts for the Engine Rebuild Book, and that specifically delayed the publication of the book by about 3-4 months. But his work is basically the best, no one has ever had a problem with his stuff, and it looks like artwork when it comes back.

Most people simply send their stuff off and wait. I would give him a few calls this week, and specifically ask the status?

Hope this helps,

Wayne

[fryardds]

Thanks for the response Wayne it does help explain what is going on at his shop. I was at Rennsport too and heard Walt was there. Since I didn't know what he looks like I was asking everyone I knew there if they had seen him. I was hoping to meet him and have him give me a status report when he got back to the shop. No such luck.

I'm not angry, just a llittle bit frustrated but in the end I don't care if it takes a little while to get the best job done. I didn't want to push him too hard and have him get mad at me or something. I'll take your advise and periodically call and/or send emails to find out when it might be done.

[Wayne 962]

Understood. Although Walt is a really, really nice guy, the situation is similar to the soup Nazi...



-Wayne

[Doug Zielke]

Walt *is* a busy guy. That's 'cause he's probably the best!

On the jobs I sent him last year, I had to call him a couple of times for progress reports. He was a little hard to reach, but I did get through eventually. He was always super polite. When you get your stuff back, you'll see the little frustrations were well worth it.

[BURN-BROS]

Brian, Walt looks like somebody from easyrider, a free spirit I should say. when I went to pick up my stuff from him, he had only one guy there and his shop is very small so productivity is limited. That being said, you should have heard something by now. Be persistent and have a good deal of patience, continue to call untill you reach him. You will be rewarded with the absolute best. Just my 2 cents.

[fryardds]

Thanks much guys for helping me to see this situation more clearly. Wayne, LOL, the analogy of the 'Soup Nazi' is perfect for explaining what I fear if I were to push Walt too hard.

[Wayne 962]

NO CASE FOR YOU!



Seriously, I don't think Walt would do that...

-Wayne

[dtw]

You're PUSHING YOUR LUCK, little man...

(Sorry, couldn't resist)