Wayne is my last hope

[Fperotti]

Hi there,

By dec-10 I bought at Pelican Parts website a list of most of the spare parts needed to rebuid my engine. Before that I have already bought both Wayne's books and recommended to my P-Friends to buy at PP. The total ammount of the order was $664.95.

After four days I was told that the No 8 bearing 0.25mm will have a delay of four days more than expected. I agreed with that. After four days Tom -the guy who was in charge- told me that they will be unable to source the bearing. Too late for me. A friend of mine who was in the States would not be there to pick it up. So, bigger shipping charges and custom houses taxes because of the bad information. (If I had known that before, I will buy the bearing in another place). Ok, a mistake I thought and continue buying. The No.8 bearing ammount was totally refunded. (That mistake will costs $120 to me)

Among the things I have bought there was a Rod Bearing set 0.25mm undersize for my 1972 2.4T. When I received the shipment, I only got one half of a bearing. Second mistake in the same order. I sent an e-mail to PP asking for the another 11 halves. At first they said It should have been a vendor's mistake. Ok. But an hour later they said that the price is for every half! Believe it or not. In the invoice -which I can scan if anyone want- and in the website the description was : Rod bearing SET, 911 2,7l (1972-1977), 911 Turbo 3.0L (1976-1977), .25mm undersize.

Right now they are changing their mistake in the website but I hope Wayne can give me a fair solution to this clear missunderstanding mistake between PP and one of the vendors they have.

At present the best offer I've received from PP customer service is to pay for the eleven halves at $15 each and have free shipping. I will only say "third mistake in the same order". Do the people there understand the meaning of the words "service" and "customer"?

For more information, the best price I saw for the set on the internet was $40 and I've paid $15 at PP what seems to be cheap. That could have been an alarm?. No, the prices of the bearing changed more than 100% in a week at PP. That was the reason I bought the main bearing set at another site (Brand: Glyco at $100 against more than $200 at PP). If the doubt persists when I clicked on the link to the picture of the article I clearly saw the SET as it was described.

Well, said that, I really think that I'll have a fair solution but I think at this point only Wayne can do that.

I hope I can continue buying my parts and a lot of knowledge at PP.

Of course, I have no affiliation with any other spare parts shop. I live in Argentina and I only want to have fun in my weekend car.

Fernando.

[silverc4s]

So, who buys half of a bearing???

[RallyJon]

It sounds like a simple mistake either on the web site or between Pelican and the vendor (PCNA?). Why do you want Pelican to send you additional parts that you haven't paid for? If I want to sell a car and the ad mistakenly says the price is $2,000 instead of $20,000, I'm sure not going to sell the car for $2,000 just because the buyer was misled.

[Rot 911]

True it does say set. Not sure if set means two halves for one rod or all 12 halves. In any event I would not consider one half bearing to be a "set."

From the catalog:

Rod Bearing Sets

Rod bearings are a must for any full engine rebuild. Put a new spin on your rebuild with new bearings! Note that they must be matched to the current grind on the crankshaft.

Rod Bearing Set, 911 (1965-71), standard size
Brand: Glyco [Photo]

901-103-141-00-M41 $53.75
Rod Bearing Set, 911 (1965-71), .25mm undersize
Brand: Glyco [Photo]

901-103-141-50-M41 $52.25
Rod Bearing Set, 911 (1965-71), .50mm undersize
Brand: Genuine Porsche
901-103-141-60-OEM $23.75
Rod Bearing Set, 911 (1965-71), .75mm undersize
Brand: Genuine Porsche
901-103-141-70-OEM $23.75
Rod Bearing Set, 911 (1972-73), standard size
Brand: Glyco [Photo]

914-103-141-00-M41 $50.75
Rod Bearing Set, 911 (1972-73), .25mm undersize
Brand: Genuine Porsche [Photo]

914-103-141-50-M100 $15.25

[Fperotti]

John,

I don't want to have parts I have not payed for. I paid for them, PP invoiced for them and the vendor send them.

I don't think it's fair to pay $180 for a set that is worth $40 or $50 (brand:glyco) in other places. Besides that, the mistake is going to cost me another $50 in custom house taxes and shipping to my home.

Regarding your example. Last month in Spain a the justice dictaminated that a company should sell a car at a wrong advertised price.

Anyway I am not trying to get advantage. In this order I lost $120 from the first mistake and now I don't to be forced to pay $180. Besides that, I will have to pay another $50 in shipping and taxes. not to mention the time I've lost. I ask for vacations at work in order to build my engine. I will not do that of course.

Again, I don;t want to take advantage. I want a fair deal.

Thanks for your interest,
Fernando.

[mackskibum]

Interesting problem- in Pennsylvania, if a retailer makes a mistake in pricing, they have to honor the marked price. Probably not so on the internet.

That being said, mistakes happen. Fraud is a very strong word. Is it right to expect a business owner to give parts away due to a typo? IMHO, all Wayne needs to do is credit the bearing half price plus shipping and Fperotti can source the parts locally. To me its only fraud if you don't get your money refunded.

Also, why air an issue like this on the forum? it sounds to me like you are able to communicate with PP, and they are working on the problem. Wouldn't an e-mail or PM to Wayne be more appropriate?

Just my .02

[Fperotti]

MAckskibum,

I am not mother tongue english spoken. So I accept your correction and, I'd change the word fraude for a more suitable one. Let's say problem/unsatisfied or whatever, if it's more polite.

Anyway, after talking to Customer Service, they only offered me a free shipping at a price of $180. I don't think that's fair.

Again, I don't want to have the bearings cheaper because of a typo mistake, but I don't think is a wise thing to offer a free shipping as a great thing. Paying $180 for what I could paid $40 or $50.

Regarding the private e-mail, perhaps but I really hate when you loose money, time and fun. I think it's a matter of respect for the others not to talk without consideration.

Of course, I will post the solution as big as the problem.

Finally, I think good companies are not the ones who don't make mistakes but the ones who correct them.

Regards,
Fernando.

[Rick V]

Isn't it nice to have the ability to speak your mind (good bad or indiferant) on a forum that is connected to a place where you do business? If the "problem" is being worked on I agree with the above post ,fraud is a strong and misleading word!
Mistakes do hapen and solutions happen as well. Badmouthing, in most cases, does nothing more than to tick people off.
My.02 as well

[Fperotti]

Hi, I have changed the word fraud in the tittle of the post. Thanks everyone for the correction. I think it's a great thing to have the ability to speak out in a place like this. That's one of the main reasons I buy my spare parts here.

[Pele911]

1) Not completely and accuratley identifying the products is an obvious mistake on the PP site. Its is misleading, however I doubt it was willfully intended that way.
2)With the mistake being acknowledged no one can expect PP to give the other half of the set away free however three is culpability on the part of PP.
3)Personally, I dont think free shipping would suffice in this case. I dont have an answer as to what will suffice, thats between PP and Fernando, but the lost time, effort and frustration on the part of a customer is probably worth more 35$.


By the way I use and will contiue to use PP for all my 911 project needs.

[RallyJon]

I don't think it's fair to pay $180 for a set that is worth $40 or $50 (brand:glyco) in other places.

That's a whole other matter. I think that component of the issue is far more important than typos on the web site. Is Pelican really that uncompetitive, or are they different parts? Wayne has posted here in the past that Pelican will match competitors prices in certain circumstances. In a same brand/same part situation, how could they not?

[Fperotti]

Please, one thing is for sure. I DO NOT think PP is trying to cheat on anyone. Neither do I.

The second is: this is not about money. $15 doesn't worth this thread and I don't expect to get money from this.

The third: I think PP is a nice option to buy parts.

But, someone in the supply chain sent only half a bearing when read "set" and don't even asked about it before send it and this is annoying. Talking about that before shipping would solve the problem before it exists.

The lack of consideration three times in a row made me upset. Transmitting the vendors problems to the customer is not fair for me. Offering a free shipping for a shipping you have already paid for isn't really attractive.

John, perhaps parts PP has are better than Glyco, I don't know. PP used to sell Glyco also. All the thing is about proposed solution, not about the problem. I made mistakes at work as everybody but I try to offer different solutions, or at least I think that.

Anyway, perhaps it's all about things went out the usual procedures. Let's finished this here and have all of you a happy new year.

See you in happier threads.

Fernando.

[copper]

So have you called, emailed or PM'd Wayne?

[SC Schrauber]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fperotti
[B]

Anyway, perhaps it's all about things went out the usual procedures.

I'm sure Wayne is checking his files as we exchange comments. I'm certain he'll make it up it to you.

[livi]

Fernando,

Do not worry about your English language. You are very well spoken. The guys here have always been lenient with my Swenglish.

Good luck with your predicament!

[Wayne 962]

First of all, it would be courteous to email me this message first, instead of posting it on the board. OR, even send me an email letting me know that you placed this message on the board. To do neither seems to indicate to me that you'd rather "discuss" it publically than actually fix the problem. In this message, you didn't even give me your full name, so I had to back track and trace back your order from your first name (just spent 20 minutes doing that as your name is not technically "Fernando" and you used a different email address on your order than for the one you used to place the order).

As for the nose bearing, this is a special-order item from Porsche (the .25mm undersize bearing). We attempted to source it from Porsche, but they do not have any in the states at this time. This is not a part that will be easily obtained elsewhere, as the .25mm undersized nose bearings are hardly ever used (that section of the crank almost never wears out to the point of needing regrinding). I would question whether you really wanted this undersized bearing or if you actually needed the regular size (I would recommend double-checking).

Either way, we could not source the bearing anywhere in the US, and your credit card was promptly refunded. I'm not sure where the "this cost $120 to me" comes from - the bearing was never shipped, and your card was promptly refunded the charged amount. If there's something I'm missing on this, then please let me know - I'm guessing that you think you can easily source this from another place - maybe some place has one on the shelf, but I would doubt it, as this is actually a pretty rare part. I'm not even sure if this is even available from Porsche anymore.

As for the rod bearing sets, the catalog indeed was incorrect, and only listed a single bearing shell instead of the whole set (incorrect part number was listed). The catalog states that the brand is Genuine Porsche, (not Glyco) which is always significantly more expensive than OEM replacement parts. Hence, the fact that the complete set was quoted to you at $180 for Genuine Porsche parts in a Genuine Porsche box. In reality, the Glyco set is normally available for our regular price of $55.00. We have just converted our catalog over to a new format, and there are a couple of issues (just like these, where individual part numbers are used instead of sets) that have occurred over the past few weeks. I have already corrected the catalog, and uploaded the new page to the site:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911E/POR_911E_ENGman_pg1.htm#item2

Catalog errors do happen from time to time, particularly as we convert our catalog over to our new style (more info on this coming soon). I have instructed my Customer Service Reps to give FREE shipping when there is an issue or problem with the catalog and/or refund shipping amounts or send call tags for parts that were listed improperly.

In your case, my Customer Service reps did not have access to the same information that I (as CEO) have access to, and were only able to offer you the Genuine Porsche bearing shells that were listed on the site (at $15.25). Unfortunately, I just checked with all of our suppliers, and it seems that none of them seem to have the .25mm set in stock, which is probably why our catalog defaulted to the bearing shells. If you can find a store that actually has these in stock, then I suggest that you purchase them there. I would be suspect of any fly-by-night Internet shops that claim to have this, as they use the suppliers I just checked, and those guys are out of stock on them. I will see if one more supplier I can't check at this late hour, happens to have the .25mm undersize bearings in stock. I will be more than happy to refund you the cost of the bearing shell ($15.25) either way.

As for the main bearing sets, I hope that you receive the .25mm undersized bearing that you need - I checked some other sites on the Internet, and they appear to have the normal size incorrectly listed at .25mm when you enter in the part number. The $100 price that you mentioned is far below my cost for that not-so-common part. I would recommend triple-checking them prior to assembling your engine.

Anyone who knows me or has dealt with Pelican, knows that we are very fair to our customers. There are really no major complaints (except from a few wackos who want to "steal" stuff from us). 100% of the time, issues like these can be resolved simply by sending me an email, or even a PM. In the future, it would be wise to have the courtesy to send me a note stating that you were placing all of this on the forum. In my opinion, posts like these are not the best path to resolving problems - particularly if you haven't even tried emailing me.

-Wayne

[niner11]

class!

[Fperotti]

Wayne,

I am sorry about your 20 minutes tracking time. The $120 I am talking about is regarding taxes and shipping that I shouldn't had to pay if I (a friend of mine really) would get the bearing in the States. As a tourist you can bring things (up to an ammount) with you, tax free. As a local buyer from an international retailer you have to pay a little bit more than 60% in custom taxes. I know it's not your problem but it's a fact. That's together with the more expensive shipping to Agentina than to Houston are the reason of the $120 when I get (if i can really, after reading your post) the No. 8 bearing. The same will apply for rod bearings. I´ve never said I want a refund for that and I don't want it.

I stated in my first post that the No.8 ammount was fully refunded as you said. Probably you are right about the stock in the states but I didn't have the chance to get it from other retailer because of the misinformation.

When you said, customer service people is instructed to give free shipping. It seems to be Ok but really is a shipping for what a customer has already paid for. Anyway, of course in every place mistakes come in but really I would expect from PP something like you have said now: "Is it really what you need?" instead of half a bearing at home. For me this is the main difference between PP and other retailers: the service together with the knowledge you got there. That's why I decided to buy at PP.

Regarding $15 it's not necessary the refund. I think I wasn't clear about that. This is not about money. Of course I prefer to have the Glyco .25mm rod bearing set (at your regular price:around $55 as you said ). If you can check with the last chance vendor, I'd appreciate that.

I'll triple-check the main bearings dimension as you recommended. I'll let you know about the results. (I hope you are not right here)

And about complain here, first it's not personal and if you feel bad about that, my apologyzes. Second i've talked to people at customer service before doing this and I didn't get the answers you are giving me now. And please, try to understand how annoying is to plan a rebuild and face this situation.

Of course I'm not a "wacko" I don't even know what does it mean but it sounds bad. I know you are nice people and this is the reason of my surprise.

So, if you can check to the last vendor would be nice.

For me the intention of having the set of Glyco rod bearings .25mm at a regular price (around $55) from alternatives sources can be understand as a solution or at least the best you can do, and this is what I was looking for.

Niner11, adulation...it´s your choice anyway.

Livi, thanks for your words. Nice people here and I think I prefer your english than their swedish, ha, ha.

Have all of you a nice year.

Fernando.