CBRD. The best radiator on the market & the $26 that changed my mind.
Aug 19, 2014, 11:51 AM
#1
CBRD. The best radiator on the market & the $26 that changed my mind.
So I'll try to keep the story short, but I want you guys to know that I myself am a business owner. I know how busy, crazy, stressful and down right hard things can get. I've met those customers you can't make happy. I've seen what it takes to be successful in business and I know both sides of the story. This post isn't just a one sided rant, it's based in experience.
Story-
I've got a new build going and I needed a new radiator because I'm running a twin scroll manifold. So I looked at the usual Koyo and Mitsu. radiators but I really fell in love with the CBRD Half Width. So I ordered one!
July 2nd: I receive my radiator! I'm still to this day impressed with it. But to my surprise it didn't have the badge or stencil it was advertised with. At $750+ for a radiator I thought for sure it would come with everything pictured. Not a big deal right? So I wrote Chad Block asking if I could by chance get one, buy one, trade for one, or whatever needed to happen to get it because I liked it.
July 3rd: Chad wrote back and was really cool about it. He said he had them in stock and he would send one to me. He was so cool about it, that I actually insisted on paying the $26 for shipping the emblem and stencil. I also offered to send it back to him after I painted the radiator if he was worried about counterfeits. I tried to be as cool about it as possible, because he was.
July 4th - July 9th: During this time I had waited for a response on where to send the money or if he had already sent the package. Since I didn't hear back I wrote him on the 14th and got a response telling me to send the $26 through PayPal.
July 15th: I sent the payment and an email noting the payment had been sent. I also receive an email back saying "sorry I didn't get back to you last week, I will ship it this week".
July 16th - August 2nd: I haven't received anything. No email. No call. No parts. So I figured he probably got busy and would send him another email. Even though I don't want to bug him, I've paid for something and basically paid for it again and don't have them. So I send an email saying I know he's probably busy, I just wanted to check on the status of the emblem and stencil. I get a response saying "sorry we had to make a batch of intercoolers so we had to use the stencil, I will ship it this coming week" (this was on a Saturday).
August 9th: Still no parts. No email. No call. Nothing. So by this time, we have exceeded the amount of time it took to build AND ship a radiator, and we're only talking about a piece of metal and a emblem that are in stock. All of the communication efforts have been made by me and I'm starting to get a little irritated at the situation seeing as I've paid close to a $1000 for a radiator and paid for parts again that it was advertised with and STILL don't have them after being told multiple times he would ship them.
So I sent an email telling Chad that I was a little upset at the situation. I told him I couldn't support this, because I don't do this to our customers. I just wanted to be treated the way I treat them, nothing more, nothing less. I apologized if I sounded rude and made sure he knew that wasn't my intention, but I no longer wanted the emblem or stencil and to refund the PayPal payment.
August 10th - August 13th: No email. No call. No parts. Nothing. Again....
August 14th: Chad doesn't send me an email in response, instead he sends me a link to review the radiator I have bought from him. No "hey I'm sorry man" or "I will have this shipped today" or "I will refund you". Nothing. I honestly feel like this was a shot at me! To me that confirmed that he didn't really care about the situation, or the fact that I had sent him $26 or the fact that he had upset a customer by his actions and failure to follow through after taking a payment.
August 19th: Here we sit. No parts. No refund. No email. No call. I honestly questioned myself when I first started getting upset about the situation, I know how customers can be sometimes, but with these actions it's been confirmed. Chad Block doesn't give a s**t about me as a customer. He's had my money for it for 35 days and has made ZERO attempt to send the parts or correct the situation. While $26 isn't a bank breaker, it's the principal.
So beware man. Beware. I'm blown away by this. I never thought a company like CBRD would treat customers this way but, I was wrong. He quite literally has ripped me off for $26 and said nothing or done nothing to make me think or feel otherwise. I know how customers can be sometimes, I am not one of those pissed off customers that can't be please or doesn't understand what it takes to run a business. But after responding to my request for a refund after a month of waiting with a review request, I can't help but think I won't ever see the $26 or the parts.
I know some of you may think there's more to the story, or that I have changed some facts, but I s**t you not, this is exactly what happened, I even have emails to back up what I'm saying. You may or may not agree with this thread, you're entitled to not agree with me voicing my opinions, but I have nowhere else to voice them, nor warn people.
I can't say this happens all the time, but just this happening once should tell you something.
Story-
I've got a new build going and I needed a new radiator because I'm running a twin scroll manifold. So I looked at the usual Koyo and Mitsu. radiators but I really fell in love with the CBRD Half Width. So I ordered one!
July 2nd: I receive my radiator! I'm still to this day impressed with it. But to my surprise it didn't have the badge or stencil it was advertised with. At $750+ for a radiator I thought for sure it would come with everything pictured. Not a big deal right? So I wrote Chad Block asking if I could by chance get one, buy one, trade for one, or whatever needed to happen to get it because I liked it.
July 3rd: Chad wrote back and was really cool about it. He said he had them in stock and he would send one to me. He was so cool about it, that I actually insisted on paying the $26 for shipping the emblem and stencil. I also offered to send it back to him after I painted the radiator if he was worried about counterfeits. I tried to be as cool about it as possible, because he was.
July 4th - July 9th: During this time I had waited for a response on where to send the money or if he had already sent the package. Since I didn't hear back I wrote him on the 14th and got a response telling me to send the $26 through PayPal.
July 15th: I sent the payment and an email noting the payment had been sent. I also receive an email back saying "sorry I didn't get back to you last week, I will ship it this week".
July 16th - August 2nd: I haven't received anything. No email. No call. No parts. So I figured he probably got busy and would send him another email. Even though I don't want to bug him, I've paid for something and basically paid for it again and don't have them. So I send an email saying I know he's probably busy, I just wanted to check on the status of the emblem and stencil. I get a response saying "sorry we had to make a batch of intercoolers so we had to use the stencil, I will ship it this coming week" (this was on a Saturday).
August 9th: Still no parts. No email. No call. Nothing. So by this time, we have exceeded the amount of time it took to build AND ship a radiator, and we're only talking about a piece of metal and a emblem that are in stock. All of the communication efforts have been made by me and I'm starting to get a little irritated at the situation seeing as I've paid close to a $1000 for a radiator and paid for parts again that it was advertised with and STILL don't have them after being told multiple times he would ship them.
So I sent an email telling Chad that I was a little upset at the situation. I told him I couldn't support this, because I don't do this to our customers. I just wanted to be treated the way I treat them, nothing more, nothing less. I apologized if I sounded rude and made sure he knew that wasn't my intention, but I no longer wanted the emblem or stencil and to refund the PayPal payment.
August 10th - August 13th: No email. No call. No parts. Nothing. Again....
August 14th: Chad doesn't send me an email in response, instead he sends me a link to review the radiator I have bought from him. No "hey I'm sorry man" or "I will have this shipped today" or "I will refund you". Nothing. I honestly feel like this was a shot at me! To me that confirmed that he didn't really care about the situation, or the fact that I had sent him $26 or the fact that he had upset a customer by his actions and failure to follow through after taking a payment.
August 19th: Here we sit. No parts. No refund. No email. No call. I honestly questioned myself when I first started getting upset about the situation, I know how customers can be sometimes, but with these actions it's been confirmed. Chad Block doesn't give a s**t about me as a customer. He's had my money for it for 35 days and has made ZERO attempt to send the parts or correct the situation. While $26 isn't a bank breaker, it's the principal.
So beware man. Beware. I'm blown away by this. I never thought a company like CBRD would treat customers this way but, I was wrong. He quite literally has ripped me off for $26 and said nothing or done nothing to make me think or feel otherwise. I know how customers can be sometimes, I am not one of those pissed off customers that can't be please or doesn't understand what it takes to run a business. But after responding to my request for a refund after a month of waiting with a review request, I can't help but think I won't ever see the $26 or the parts.
I know some of you may think there's more to the story, or that I have changed some facts, but I s**t you not, this is exactly what happened, I even have emails to back up what I'm saying. You may or may not agree with this thread, you're entitled to not agree with me voicing my opinions, but I have nowhere else to voice them, nor warn people.
I can't say this happens all the time, but just this happening once should tell you something.
Last edited by .DoT.; Aug 19, 2014 at 11:56 AM.
Aug 19, 2014, 12:04 PM
#2
All I can say is LOL. I'm sorry man.
It's a shame something so easy can completely ruin the customer experience. And if they're not in stock....OK...just take a second and shoot an email. This day in age everyone has smartphones and it's honestly not an excuse.
It's a shame something so easy can completely ruin the customer experience. And if they're not in stock....OK...just take a second and shoot an email. This day in age everyone has smartphones and it's honestly not an excuse.
Aug 19, 2014, 12:44 PM
#3
That's what I'm saying! I don't expect anyone to be perfect in business, hell, we're not. But with that said, when a customer comes to me with a problem, concern or a request, I ALWAYS deal with it. ALWAYS! I don't care how much I have going on/to do/need to do/should do/have done, our customers are the heart of our business and are treated as such.
There are some customers however, you cannot please. No matter what you do. That is not me though, I just simply wanted what I paid for in the first place and paid for again in the second place to arrive at my house. I really thought highly of Chad when I first spoke with him. It was nice seeing another owner who speaks directly to his customers, so I was impressed. Keeping customers happy is literally as easy as keeping them in the loop, listening and responding. That's all they really want, is just for you to hear them.
This has been an experience for the record books.
Aug 19, 2014, 02:18 PM
#5
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Simply getting what you ordered and payed for in the first place would have been good customer service. Everything else is just damage control and obviously the damage was not enough to concern Chad. It seems like if you want help from most of these shops these days you need to go buy a GTR.
Aug 19, 2014, 02:27 PM
#6
Simply getting what you ordered and payed for in the first place would have been good customer service. Everything else is just damage control and obviously the damage was not enough to concern Chad. It seems like if you want help from most of these shops these days you need to go buy a GTR.
Last edited by kyoo; Aug 19, 2014 at 02:29 PM.
Aug 19, 2014, 02:35 PM
#7
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Agreed. It's getting pretty ridiculous. I guess helping build a shop up and showing loyalty means nothing in terms of business. They simply focus on where they are getting money from. Kinda hard to blame them, it just sucks.
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Aug 19, 2014, 02:41 PM
#8
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My CBRD rad didn't have the badge etc either. It was like pulling teeth to get the tracking number. The whole thing took weeks longer than promised. I believe I got the rad before I was able to get a tracking number on it. Customer service is obviously not important to them anymore.
Aug 19, 2014, 08:36 PM
#9
Well I'm going to give it another 48 hours and then, if he hasn't wrote me back at the VERY least, I'm going to do a charge back on my credit card for products not received for the radiator and the badge/stencil it was originally advertised with.
I don't want to be a d**k, but this dude isn't going to screw me over. I've sent my LAST email, the next time he sees my name, if he isn't writing it, will be on a dispute resolution form from Visa.
Obviously I'm not the only person this kind of stuff has happened to.. And that s**t isn't okay. Period.
I don't want to be a d**k, but this dude isn't going to screw me over. I've sent my LAST email, the next time he sees my name, if he isn't writing it, will be on a dispute resolution form from Visa.
Obviously I'm not the only person this kind of stuff has happened to.. And that s**t isn't okay. Period.
Last edited by .DoT.; Aug 19, 2014 at 08:59 PM.
Aug 19, 2014, 11:32 PM
#10
this. i dont go to shops where evos are no longer the #1 priority. i think other forum members should consider taking a strong stand in this and only do business with shops that focus on evos. i don't go to a nissan dealership to service my mitsubishi & i don't count on shop's past successes for present day service. support shops that support evos or there won't be any more left.
Completely agree man.
Aug 20, 2014, 06:42 AM
#13
Chad does go on from time to time about how he "fires customers". Perhaps you were just fired. For anyone wanting a slim, dual pass radiator with the inlet relocated just call ETS and get the koyo unit. It's a race proven unit and they're a company proven to value their customers. Here's a link. http://www.extremeturbosystems.com/K...o-8-and-9.html
Aug 20, 2014, 07:36 AM
#14
**left you a voicemail message BJ**
This is a plain hiccup with how these are produced-
we only have ONE stencil here we use to put the logo on radiators and intercoolers (more common on intercoolers because you see them- where as the rad the fan block them etc) it's a metal outline that you spray paint over- and since its used for production (and for crates for motors etc) we tend to keep it here
however I did say I would ship it out- its the busy season for us- and we've been building quite a few intercoolers and so forth--
I do apologize- The badges were basically removed from the radiators because we changed our logo- and no longer have access to the company that produced them- we still have an assortment of the old ones but they dont represent the new branding properly.
We have a short break in production next week- so as mentioned in todays emails I will be sending the stencil out- WITH- a return shipping label for you to send it back to us--
Im very sorry for lack of communication-
We will make an update to the website stating that they do not come with our logo sprayed on them.
(**website updated)
Sincerely
CB
This is a plain hiccup with how these are produced-
we only have ONE stencil here we use to put the logo on radiators and intercoolers (more common on intercoolers because you see them- where as the rad the fan block them etc) it's a metal outline that you spray paint over- and since its used for production (and for crates for motors etc) we tend to keep it here
however I did say I would ship it out- its the busy season for us- and we've been building quite a few intercoolers and so forth--
I do apologize- The badges were basically removed from the radiators because we changed our logo- and no longer have access to the company that produced them- we still have an assortment of the old ones but they dont represent the new branding properly.
We have a short break in production next week- so as mentioned in todays emails I will be sending the stencil out- WITH- a return shipping label for you to send it back to us--
Im very sorry for lack of communication-
We will make an update to the website stating that they do not come with our logo sprayed on them.
(**website updated)
Sincerely
CB
Last edited by CBRD; Aug 20, 2014 at 08:12 AM.
Aug 20, 2014, 07:38 AM
#15
this. i dont go to shops where evos are no longer the #1 priority. i think other forum members should consider taking a strong stand in this and only do business with shops that focus on evos. i don't go to a nissan dealership to service my mitsubishi & i don't count on shop's past successes for present day service. support shops that support evos or there won't be any more left.
1 GTR motor at the machine shop- 4 EVO motors.... and so on...
its clear where our passion still is- however each and every build gets the same amount of detail here in house (whether its a ford focus, subaru, porsche, GTR, EVO, etc
cb
Last edited by CBRD; Aug 20, 2014 at 08:19 AM.