My JDL Auto Design Experience (Not so Good)
Dec 14, 2012, 12:47 PM
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My JDL Auto Design Experience (Not so Good)
Well first I honestly didn't want to make it his post as I normally don't but after this experience I had to share as it has been nothing but disappointment thus far. I'll be as detailed as I possibly can and if anyone has any questions please let me know and I will gladly do my best to answer them.
First I was in the market for a "hot parts kit" for my evo. There are a bunch out there but I noticed a thread from JDL and after checking out their website I was very interested in their kit. Especially since they had it on sale. Seemed like a great deal and from some reading they seemed to make a decent quality turbo kit.
On October 11th I called them and asked a few questions. I realize these are built to order and asked about lead time I was told they are built to order and normally take about 4-6 weeks but all material to build one was there and would likely be less time then that. Explained the turbo (6766) I was going to be using as it has a t3 inlet and 3" v-band out.
October 12th I placed my order online and and put in the notes section about the turbo I would be using.
October 19th I emailed just seeing about a status update on my order and was told that they were wrapping up some kits in front of mine. But all materials are there to be build it.
October 24th I emailed again looking for an update and was told orders are usually 4-6 weeks for completion. Once it was ready to roll I would get tracking info. I asked if they had a chance if I could get some progress pics if they had a chance I understood the time frame for build. I got a reply of as soon as we get some I'll send them over.
October 30th I ask for another update. October 31st I get a reply "just wrapping up a few kits in front of yours. All materials are here just need to get others done."
November 7th I asked for an update as my birthday was the following week and it would be a nice package to get around then. I get a reply of "We are looking to get it shipped end of next week or early the week after. Will update once we get close to shipment."
November 13th I ask for another update and possibly some pictures. I'm told manifold is done and they are waiting on materials to finish the rest and it's looking like end of next week or the beginning of the following week for shipment the latest. He also sends over a photo of supposedly my completed manifold.
November 20th. I ask for an update and I'm told they are waiting on materials for o2 and down pipe. This is what confuses me as I have been told a few times that they have materials. I'm told once the materials arrive only a day or so of work and they were expecting materials today or tomorrow.
November 21st I get an email they got materials in and would work on it today but they are off the rest of the week and the kit would be going out the next week.
November 28th I ask if we are still on track for shipment by the end of the week. I'm told they will have it out Friday or Saturday the latest and they will send me a few pics before its all boxed up
December 3rd I asked for an update and I got an excuse that his baby sitter flaked so he wasn't able to go in and would have it shipped by Tuesday or Wednesday. And will get me tracking info
December 4th I asked for update and was told that it would be going out late tonight or tomorrow
December 5th I asked for an update and I'm told "Again we are working on it. It will go out this week. Once it's done I will send tracking info" I explain that I'm getting rather frustrated after the excuses and yet he's in evom daily bumping his sale threads to try and get even more business yet cant get my order done properly.
December 6th I ask for update and I'm told I would have a tracking number in a few hours. They are finishing up on the welding and then it needs to ported and cleaned up
I receive a tracking number on the 6th
December 7th I thank them for tracking info and asked if they were ale to snap some pics and was told they worked late and were not able to
December 10th I check tracking and it shows no movement but it suppose to be delivered on December 13th. I ask if the box has actually gone to FedEx as tracking isn't updating. I'm told because its going to a business tracking won't show movement over the weekend.
December 13th I check the number just for fun and FedEx shows that is was just accepted on the 12th and won't be delivered until the 19th now
I email them asking what is going on and why I was lied to and get no response
Told I email again and ask why no response and tell them Ill just besure to post my review on evom. I'm sick of being lied to.
Ronnie from JDL replies that I wasn't lied to and I'm getting products I paid for. They are super swamped why can't I understand that? They are staying late but it's not my concern. Just they have not taken my money and ran I'm getting what I paid for.
That being said here is my review thus far. When I actually finally get my kit in the mail and check out figment and such I will update this post. I'm extremely disappointed how this was handled and the being lied to just absolutely drives me nuts. Hopefully the kit is worth the wait and the headache...
First I was in the market for a "hot parts kit" for my evo. There are a bunch out there but I noticed a thread from JDL and after checking out their website I was very interested in their kit. Especially since they had it on sale. Seemed like a great deal and from some reading they seemed to make a decent quality turbo kit.
On October 11th I called them and asked a few questions. I realize these are built to order and asked about lead time I was told they are built to order and normally take about 4-6 weeks but all material to build one was there and would likely be less time then that. Explained the turbo (6766) I was going to be using as it has a t3 inlet and 3" v-band out.
October 12th I placed my order online and and put in the notes section about the turbo I would be using.
October 19th I emailed just seeing about a status update on my order and was told that they were wrapping up some kits in front of mine. But all materials are there to be build it.
October 24th I emailed again looking for an update and was told orders are usually 4-6 weeks for completion. Once it was ready to roll I would get tracking info. I asked if they had a chance if I could get some progress pics if they had a chance I understood the time frame for build. I got a reply of as soon as we get some I'll send them over.
October 30th I ask for another update. October 31st I get a reply "just wrapping up a few kits in front of yours. All materials are here just need to get others done."
November 7th I asked for an update as my birthday was the following week and it would be a nice package to get around then. I get a reply of "We are looking to get it shipped end of next week or early the week after. Will update once we get close to shipment."
November 13th I ask for another update and possibly some pictures. I'm told manifold is done and they are waiting on materials to finish the rest and it's looking like end of next week or the beginning of the following week for shipment the latest. He also sends over a photo of supposedly my completed manifold.
November 20th. I ask for an update and I'm told they are waiting on materials for o2 and down pipe. This is what confuses me as I have been told a few times that they have materials. I'm told once the materials arrive only a day or so of work and they were expecting materials today or tomorrow.
November 21st I get an email they got materials in and would work on it today but they are off the rest of the week and the kit would be going out the next week.
November 28th I ask if we are still on track for shipment by the end of the week. I'm told they will have it out Friday or Saturday the latest and they will send me a few pics before its all boxed up
December 3rd I asked for an update and I got an excuse that his baby sitter flaked so he wasn't able to go in and would have it shipped by Tuesday or Wednesday. And will get me tracking info
December 4th I asked for update and was told that it would be going out late tonight or tomorrow
December 5th I asked for an update and I'm told "Again we are working on it. It will go out this week. Once it's done I will send tracking info" I explain that I'm getting rather frustrated after the excuses and yet he's in evom daily bumping his sale threads to try and get even more business yet cant get my order done properly.
December 6th I ask for update and I'm told I would have a tracking number in a few hours. They are finishing up on the welding and then it needs to ported and cleaned up
I receive a tracking number on the 6th
December 7th I thank them for tracking info and asked if they were ale to snap some pics and was told they worked late and were not able to
December 10th I check tracking and it shows no movement but it suppose to be delivered on December 13th. I ask if the box has actually gone to FedEx as tracking isn't updating. I'm told because its going to a business tracking won't show movement over the weekend.
December 13th I check the number just for fun and FedEx shows that is was just accepted on the 12th and won't be delivered until the 19th now
I email them asking what is going on and why I was lied to and get no response
Told I email again and ask why no response and tell them Ill just besure to post my review on evom. I'm sick of being lied to.
Ronnie from JDL replies that I wasn't lied to and I'm getting products I paid for. They are super swamped why can't I understand that? They are staying late but it's not my concern. Just they have not taken my money and ran I'm getting what I paid for.
That being said here is my review thus far. When I actually finally get my kit in the mail and check out figment and such I will update this post. I'm extremely disappointed how this was handled and the being lied to just absolutely drives me nuts. Hopefully the kit is worth the wait and the headache...
Dec 16, 2012, 11:11 AM
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So, it took a little bit longer for you to get your turbo kit (which is made to order) and you decide to come on EvoM and put them on blast? I hardly think having a kit come a little late warrants a thread where you are basically accusing them of running off with your money.
I have ordered from JDL before and when things are made to order you have to realize 4-6 weeks is a mere guess. It can take longer, it may come shorter, but in the end you will have a product that is worlds better than the price you paid. I have so many people gawking at my manifold and when I tell them the price they are blown away. It is nice to see a company put as much pride into their work as JDL, but sad that someone would make a negative post simply because it took a little longer than expected to ship, especially when I know for a fact JDL was communicating with you through out the experience. When I ordered my kit Ronnie would answer questions within minutes, Jesse was working with the shop doing my install when and if they needed help and both of them did whatever it took to make sure I ended up with the best kit they could build me.
I'm not attacking the OP, this thread just angers me, because you have some legit guys at JDL producing kits at an amazing price without sacrificing quality and I see a thread like this. It's called patience and more people need to learn about it...
I have ordered from JDL before and when things are made to order you have to realize 4-6 weeks is a mere guess. It can take longer, it may come shorter, but in the end you will have a product that is worlds better than the price you paid. I have so many people gawking at my manifold and when I tell them the price they are blown away. It is nice to see a company put as much pride into their work as JDL, but sad that someone would make a negative post simply because it took a little longer than expected to ship, especially when I know for a fact JDL was communicating with you through out the experience. When I ordered my kit Ronnie would answer questions within minutes, Jesse was working with the shop doing my install when and if they needed help and both of them did whatever it took to make sure I ended up with the best kit they could build me.
I'm not attacking the OP, this thread just angers me, because you have some legit guys at JDL producing kits at an amazing price without sacrificing quality and I see a thread like this. It's called patience and more people need to learn about it...
Dec 16, 2012, 11:40 AM
#6
So, it took a little bit longer for you to get your turbo kit (which is made to order) and you decide to come on EvoM and put them on blast? I hardly think having a kit come a little late warrants a thread where you are basically accusing them of running off with your money.
Please note that most vendors give a range of times for delivery, such as the present "4-6 weeks." In my opinion, a lot of grief could be avoided if vendors were more accurate in providing these values. If it's really 3-9 weeks, then say so. If you're worried about losing business by including the truthful high end value, then also provide a mean or median. But, as in most things, one negative has a tendency to cancel several positives. So if the truth is that it sometimes takes 9 weeks, say so up front.
As to sellers replying to emails with overly optimistic values (such as "this week" when it just isn't true), this, too, is typical and not helpful. Of course, buyers pestering sellers is just taking up the seller's time. To sellers: you've already made the sale, so it's time to be honest. To buyers: an email every day seems a bit much.
Dec 16, 2012, 12:29 PM
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I missed the part where the OP accuses them of anything other than being slower than promised and giving him the run-around on delivery date. If you believe that that isn't such a bad thing, then feel free to say so, but putting words in the OP's mouth is uncool and will make this review - based on an experience - much less pleasant or useful.
Please note that most vendors give a range of times for delivery, such as the present "4-6 weeks." In my opinion, a lot of grief could be avoided if vendors were more accurate in providing these values. If it's really 3-9 weeks, then say so. If you're worried about losing business by including the truthful high end value, then also provide a mean or median. But, as in most things, one negative has a tendency to cancel several positives. So if the truth is that it sometimes takes 9 weeks, say so up front.
As to sellers replying to emails with overly optimistic values (such as "this week" when it just isn't true), this, too, is typical and not helpful. Of course, buyers pestering sellers is just taking up the seller's time. To sellers: you've already made the sale, so it's time to be honest. To buyers: an email every day seems a bit much.
As to sellers replying to emails with overly optimistic values (such as "this week" when it just isn't true), this, too, is typical and not helpful. Of course, buyers pestering sellers is just taking up the seller's time. To sellers: you've already made the sale, so it's time to be honest. To buyers: an email every day seems a bit much.
The fact that in 9 weeks the OP said he was in contact with JDL 17 times is crazy. Maybe if Ronnie and Jesse didn't have to stop what they were doing to respond back to him more work could have gotten done. Imagine if while making his kit and others they had 4 or 5 more customers like this... When my kit was being made I asked for a couple quick updates, but I also understood the guys need to work if I ever wanted to see my kit. As I said, JDL is a legit company to deal with and they prove that in answering any and all questions and the quality of their kits.
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Dec 16, 2012, 12:36 PM
#8
You caught the word "not" in what you bolded, yes?
Please also note that an average is a single value. When a range is given, people expect actually delivery somewhere within that window. This is what I was suggesting to all vendors: if you give a range of values, make sure that the upper end covers all cases. If you do run into a case where you can't meet your own deadline, just say so. Giving the run-around is what causes people to both get upset and call you every day.
Please also note that an average is a single value. When a range is given, people expect actually delivery somewhere within that window. This is what I was suggesting to all vendors: if you give a range of values, make sure that the upper end covers all cases. If you do run into a case where you can't meet your own deadline, just say so. Giving the run-around is what causes people to both get upset and call you every day.
Last edited by Iowa999; Dec 16, 2012 at 12:45 PM.
Dec 16, 2012, 01:01 PM
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The way I read it is that the OP is not concerned with what is going on at JDL, but concerned with whether or not they are taking his money and running. His punctuation is not right and should be written like this:
They are staying late but it's not my concern [,] just [that] they have not taken my money and ran [, but] I'm getting what I paid for.
So, if read that way, which I had to assume since his grammar wasn't the best, a concern of his is that JDL had taken his money and ran. That is was got me very mad about the original post.
They are staying late but it's not my concern [,] just [that] they have not taken my money and ran [, but] I'm getting what I paid for.
So, if read that way, which I had to assume since his grammar wasn't the best, a concern of his is that JDL had taken his money and ran. That is was got me very mad about the original post.
Dec 16, 2012, 03:12 PM
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Never once did I accuse them of taking my money and running.
They have been responding to my emails which is nice what put me over the edge was the flat out lying. I completely understand **** happens. This is why I remained in constant contact with them. They have had every chance to be honest. When they send me a tracking number to just give the image the kit was shipped and tell me it has been and almost a week later find out it had not actually left is shady.
Defend them all you want but I think everyone would be in the same boat. Just tell the truth. Don't give me a tracking number and tell me it's shipped when it clearly was not. Like I said I don't even have the kit yet. Once I have it then I can comment on the quality and if it was worth the wait and it honestly might be. The customer service end is something to be desired.
They have been responding to my emails which is nice what put me over the edge was the flat out lying. I completely understand **** happens. This is why I remained in constant contact with them. They have had every chance to be honest. When they send me a tracking number to just give the image the kit was shipped and tell me it has been and almost a week later find out it had not actually left is shady.
Defend them all you want but I think everyone would be in the same boat. Just tell the truth. Don't give me a tracking number and tell me it's shipped when it clearly was not. Like I said I don't even have the kit yet. Once I have it then I can comment on the quality and if it was worth the wait and it honestly might be. The customer service end is something to be desired.
Dec 16, 2012, 10:14 PM
#13
On October 11th I called them and asked a few questions. I realize these are built to order and asked about lead time I was told they are built to order and normally take about 4-6 weeks but all material to build one was there and would likely be less time then that. Explained the turbo (6766) I was going to be using as it has a t3 inlet and 3" v-band out.
October 12th I placed my order online and and put in the notes section about the turbo I would be using.
October 19th I emailed just seeing about a status update on my order and was told that they were wrapping up some kits in front of mine. But all materials are there to be build it.
October 24th I emailed again looking for an update and was told orders are usually 4-6 weeks for completion. Once it was ready to roll I would get tracking info. I asked if they had a chance if I could get some progress pics if they had a chance I understood the time frame for build. I got a reply of as soon as we get some I'll send them over.
October 30th I ask for another update. October 31st I get a reply "just wrapping up a few kits in front of yours. All materials are here just need to get others done."
October 12th I placed my order online and and put in the notes section about the turbo I would be using.
October 19th I emailed just seeing about a status update on my order and was told that they were wrapping up some kits in front of mine. But all materials are there to be build it.
October 24th I emailed again looking for an update and was told orders are usually 4-6 weeks for completion. Once it was ready to roll I would get tracking info. I asked if they had a chance if I could get some progress pics if they had a chance I understood the time frame for build. I got a reply of as soon as we get some I'll send them over.
October 30th I ask for another update. October 31st I get a reply "just wrapping up a few kits in front of yours. All materials are here just need to get others done."
This is the point when the fabricator should've known to refuse your payment and tell you to go somewhere else. You're a nightmare for any fabrication outfit.
If you wanted parts asap...ets and full race have parts on the shelf. This is custom fabrication, not walmart.
Last edited by R/TErnie; Dec 16, 2012 at 10:16 PM.
Dec 17, 2012, 12:06 AM
#14
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I've gotta say that I've bought stuff from most of the big venders on here and the service I've received has been nothing better than shocking! Not sure if it's that I'm so far away but I'm so underwhelmed by level of service. Wrong items being sent, including a timing belt, that I then had to buy locally, because my car was stripped to do the work. Stuff just not being sent and when I've emailed the vendor it like "oh thats going out today", 10 days after I've ordered, I assume they just forgot my order. Putting money into vendors accounts and then having to contact them a week later to just find out if they have my order. Vendor web sites saying stuff is in stock but then there's a six to nine week wait to get it. I think the biggest issue is the vendors keep no, or very little, actual stock in hand and just drop ship everything from the manufactors, cheap way to run a business but can cause issues for customers.
Best I've used are Spoolin Up - got my order in seven ish days with the vendor situated in a state that was declared a disaster zone due to super storm Sandy and
TSCOMP - To be honest Tom's communication is pretty bad, he doesn't let you know he is going to start working on your tune or even if he is aware that you have sent him money BUT , he doesn't pretend to be a big company, he lets you know that he is basically a one man band and when he get to work he does such good things for your Evo it's hard to be disappointed.
Anyway that's off my chest, to the op, I understand your pain but you need to take statements such as "it will be 4 to 6 weeks" with a grain of salt and learn some really patience.
Best I've used are Spoolin Up - got my order in seven ish days with the vendor situated in a state that was declared a disaster zone due to super storm Sandy and
TSCOMP - To be honest Tom's communication is pretty bad, he doesn't let you know he is going to start working on your tune or even if he is aware that you have sent him money BUT , he doesn't pretend to be a big company, he lets you know that he is basically a one man band and when he get to work he does such good things for your Evo it's hard to be disappointed.
Anyway that's off my chest, to the op, I understand your pain but you need to take statements such as "it will be 4 to 6 weeks" with a grain of salt and learn some really patience.
Last edited by golgo13; Dec 17, 2012 at 09:33 PM.
Dec 17, 2012, 06:29 AM
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I guess some of you are missing the point. I get it things will go wrong and they get backed up or whatever. But why lie to the customer? Why tell them over and over next week, next week, why send a tracking number, when nothing was shipped?
Maybe I'm just picky, but the customer service sucked. If a shop can't deliver on what they say be honest, most of the time people will understand. If they can't keep up with their work load hey, that's not my issue. Tell me that and refund my money and ill go elsewhere.
Maybe I'm just picky, but the customer service sucked. If a shop can't deliver on what they say be honest, most of the time people will understand. If they can't keep up with their work load hey, that's not my issue. Tell me that and refund my money and ill go elsewhere.
Last edited by GreenAWD; Dec 17, 2012 at 06:35 AM.