Sierra Madre sucks!

[johnkszabo]

Bought a seat belt and radio delete plate from SMC,and they sent the wrong part. After numerous attempts to get somebody in customer service to help me, I finally asked for a refund. I sent the order back to them on my dime. I was just notified that they are not refunding my full purchase price and shipping that I had paid. This company is a joke and their customer service is nonexistent. Buyers Beware!

[proporsche]

Originally Posted by johnkszabo

Bought a seat belt and radio delete plate from SMC,and they sent the wrong part. After numerous attempts to get somebody in customer service to help me, I finally asked for a refund. I sent the order back to them on my dime. I was just notified that they are not refunding my full purchase price and shipping that I had paid. This company is a joke and their customer service is nonexistent. Buyers Beware!

Unfortunately the old days are over-most likely they employed some shmuck who do not have any clue....i used to buy stuff from them even shipped to Europe..but a long time ago...
Ivan

[darrin]

Johnkszabo -- have you involved your credit card company? Seems like you've done all you can do on this and that it's time to contest the charge with your credit card company.

[gamin]

I also had problems with their customer service. I was lucky in that I didn't complete the order. I won't do business with them.

[porschedude996]

You should have engaged with your bank card. I recently had problems with an ebay transaction (very long story) that involved part not meeting there definition of remanufactured. Their Parts Guarantee didn’t apply. (much more to it.) Long story short, 38 page fax to bank, reversed the charge a left me the $1k parts. Win win, anyone need some Boxster S calipers?

[wp935]

I recently ordered and paid for part off their website. The part was listed as "available".
I received a confirmation email from SM, which sounded like a BOT or AI, saying the part was to be delivered in 7-10 business days.
I responded to the initial email expressing my displeasure with the delivery date, stating their site indicated a 2-3 day delivery. Same BOT or AI style response indicating the same information.
After waiting 10 business days and not seeing the part, I called asking about the delivery date of the part.
Then I was then told the part was "NLA".
SM did promptly refund 100% of my initial order payment.
I ordered the same part from another vendor, a small amount more $$, which was delivered on day 3.
Lots of venders out their selling the same parts. It's all about customer service in a competitive market.

[pmax]

Yep, once and done.

The "salesperson" who responded to my prepurchase query "misspoke", not even sure they are real or just bots. I have the written proof but not worth pursuing.

[charlesgrant91]

Same here. I ordered a front spoiler recently that was listed as "available" and it took over a month to get delivered. Customer service kept telling me that it would "ship next week". I do not plan on ordering from them again any time soon.

[wp935]

I'll never order from them any time soon.
Too many other venders offering the same parts with better and more honest customer service.
I think SM has the Amazon business model. They don't inventory anything but will order it upon the purchase.

[Jeff Alton]

The few times we have ordered from them (SM), always good service. We found them easy to get a hold of. But, like I said, only a few times as we buy where they buy, but they may have actually had better access on a few parts, as we are in different countries.

ALL of these E-Commerce websites, this one we are all on as well, use warehouse API data to show inventory. Very few online retailers have much in stock. In fact they have a very small percentage of what they advertise as "in stock" actually physically on a shelf in their own brick and mortar building....

I can advertise anything I have in stock on my shelfs as "ships today". Anything my WD suppliers have locally I can advertise as "in stock ships today", because I will have it in 30 mins. Then if one of my many out of town WD's has it, I can advertise it as "ships in 24 hours" as I will have it tomorrow. And If I have to get it from the Porsche/BMW/Audi etc warehouse I can advertise "ships in 3 days" as I will have it in that time. Part has to come from Porsche/BMW/Audi/MB in Germany? I can advertise that is ships in 8 days, as I will get it on a VOR shipment in 7 days.

Any part for any car, this is how it is done.

But to do it properly is a massive investment, hence why we are still working on the back end of our webstore (for 2 years) before we launch it.

Cheers

[david c.]

Same bad experience. Lots of junk parts.

[Joe Bob]

They would have to improve to just SUCK. Order .... never again.

[wp935]

Originally Posted by joe bob

they would have to improve to just suck. Order .... Never again.

exactly .........................

[eholster]

My two shiny Pennie here -
They recently had a sale that allowed me to get a SSi system at a good price. Order was placed very late on 2/16, and then the following week I looked for a shipping update on the 'SHOP' app which didn't come. I emailed customer service on the 28th asking for status update and received a response a few hours later informing me they would ship in 2 - 3 days. A few hours later I received shipment notification.
In all, not an awful experience, but not stellar either. Customer Service was quick to respond, and the subsequent turn around was faster than indicated, so some positive marks for that.
At the time I was traveling, so the delay wasn't impactful to me but can certainly appreciate when things are needed and there are delays.
As a side note, some SM pricing does seem a bit rich compared to others... which led me to get smaller bits from others.

[johnkszabo]

Thanks everyone for the input, I was just trying to give other potential buyers my bad experience. I guess this is what we can expect these days, high prices and bad service! Again thanks everyone. Best John

[MrBonus]

Their site baffles me to no end. They just have stuff like this:

https://*********************.com/products/rebuilt-2-8l-engine-911s-74-p32706

2.8 engine! Out of a '74, I guess! Who built it? Specs? Who knows! $26k.

[Noah930]

One of the benefits of living locally: the two or three times I've purchased parts from them, I was able to do so in person. Never a problem.

[lateapex911]

Originally Posted by Noah930

One of the benefits of living locally: the two or three times I've purchased parts from them, I was able to do so in person. Never a problem.

I was at their shop for the open house in late feb, (associated with the LA Lit Show put on by Stoddard Parts NLA) and they closed the side street...a residential street with some quite pretty houses along it.

70F, sunny, Porsches, green spring flowers and Craftsmen houses AND SM served free beer at 10AM.

Hard to hate on that!
(it was epic, 70+ 911s and 356s lined up the street)

[Ian Comerford]

Originally Posted by lateapex911

I was at their shop for the open house in late feb, (associated with the LA Lit Show put on by Stoddard Parts NLA) and they closed the side street...a residential street with some quite pretty houses along it.

70F, sunny, Porsches, green spring flowers and Craftsmen houses AND SM served free beer at 10AM.

Hard to hate on that!
(it was epic, 70+ 911s and 356s lined up the street)

It’s good to have some balance to the discussion. I wonder how their lower than ideal service standard could be communicated to them to try and raise it for everyone's benefit?

[930cabman]

Good customer service is often hard to come by these days for several reasons, help if difficult to find/keep, seems as though everybody is busy, things fall between the cracks and some companies are only concerned with $$