If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Don't buy from Al Knoch until you read this
On Thursday, March 26, 1998 at 1:00:00 AM UTC-7, MCS72 ROTH wrote:
> Buyer Beware!!!! > of dealing with Al Knoch Interiors > Attention Corvette Restorers: I cant guarantee you that you will have the same > experiences as I have had unless you own a 53 to 55 Corvette but Ill bet you > that if you have any problems with this guys products, you’re in for big > trouble if you try to get any satisfaction from him, especially if it involves > any money or effort on his part. READ ON: > > JULY 1995: Started ordering everything needed for a complete upholstery job on > 1955 Harvest Gold car including seat covers, seat foam, all new seat springs, > door panels, windshield bag, dash cover , convt, top and pads, door and kick > panels. His catalog advertised Every item we offer is made by our employees in > our own factory. He admitted this year to me that he had lied and that the > 53-55 stuff was old surplus he picked up from All True when it went belly up > some years ago. > > Nov - DEC 1995: We tried to install the seat covers. I have personally > installed at least 20 sets of custom made covers, mainly for Mustangs, as well > as a dozen or so complete custom upholstery jobs for less popular cars, but I > was unable to make these look even passable. Took the seats to a professional > in Newbury Park, CA. 180 bucks later he gave up and said they just werent sewn > correctly. > > JANUARY 1996: Talked to Knoch. He ran off at the mouth telling me that I just > didnt know what I was doing, that if the seats were back in his warehouse he > could install them with no problem, because there was nothing wrong with his > product. I offered to ship the seats back to have this miracle performed. I > have the UPS invoice dated 1/30/96 when the seats were shipped back to Texas at > my expense. > > Feb 1996 - Feb 1997: I am surmising that when the seats arrived they were > looked at by Dale Robertson, at which time Dale decided that they needed to be > remade. PROBLEM - Since they had been made some time ago, there was NO MATERIAL > AVIALABLE to remake them. Since yellow was not popular, it would not be > financially prudent to remake the material. INSTEAD OF CALLING ME AND FESSING, > UP THEY TOOK MY SEATS,AND DOOR PANELS AND THREW THEM ON A SHELF FOR OVER ONE > GOD DAMN YEAR!!!!! My phone calls werent answered, my faxes and letters werent > answered. I WAS TOTALLY IGNORED. In fact the only way I finally got them back > was a Vette guy who toured my Museum in Jan 96, and saw the totally restored > car less seats asked me in Jan 1997 to put the car in a commercial. I told him > the story and he turned out to be a dealer who called Knoch. About the same > time I told Jack Reeves owner of 5362 Corvette Place who graciously talked to > Dale Robertson, Knochs employee. Had these two middle men for Knochs products > not intervened, I feel I would have never ever gotten my stuff back. The > arrogance of Al Knoch, in my opinion, is unsurpassed. I have the invoice to > prove when this was sent back to me. > > MARCH 1997 TO JUNE 1997: Took the seats and Convt,. top to Richard Sagona, one > of the top antique upholsters in So. Cal who does a lot of Jay Lenos stuff. He > had to alter the foam, and redo the covers to even make them fit in the car. > They still look mediocre and pull the whole restoration job down in appearance. > As I had been warned by others, the top didnt come close to fitting. Richard > called Knoch and told him. Knoch said that the top was probably 10 years old > and had probably shrunk in the box!! He told Mr. Sagona that he would send him > another. In reply Richard told him to forget another top, that he preferred to > make the top from scratch. To this Knoch replied that when Sagona made the top, > would he send him the measurements so he could make his tops fit!!!!!! Sagona > laughed. > > July 1997: In total, my bills to fix the upholstery as best as I could totaled > 1737.50 plus, of course, the initial $1450 I paid to purchase them. My car was > kept out of the show circuit for 2 years, which of course meant deterioration, > and the upholstery looks like something you would buy from J.C Whitney rather > than the almost $3200 I have invested, not to mention the 200 or so hours we > have invested. Had Harvest Gold material been available I would throw the whole > mess in the trash! Besides bad seats, The dash cover is not cut on a bias as > original to save material. (that is why you 56-7 guys have so much trouble > installing it) The door panel board wasnt cut right, Stitching was crooked and > the job of gluing the material to the panels was pathetic with tons of glue > bumps all over the flat parts of the panels. > > August 1997: I sent Al a letter with a copy of the letter written by Sagona and > offered to settle for $2500. He called back, and as I suspected, told me to go > jump. Not only that, but he said that if I told others of what had happened to > me, he would sue me for extortion. He went on to tell me that he had talked to > others who said I was impossible to satisfy. If you call someone who gets angry > because you keep his merchandise for over a year hard to please, Ill eat my > hat. (Ask him to show any records of phone calls to me during that time if he > tries to use the BS that they were trying to solve the problem!) Our phone > conversation deteriorated until Mr. Knoch did the unbelievable. Out of the > blue he asked me if I was a German! I said yes, so what? He said, well Im a > Jew!!! I dont know what the hell that had to do with anything except to imply I > must be a Nazi or something. Give me a break. I hung up on him!! > If any of you have had any like experiences with this guy, and I have heard he > has a lot of trouble with all his tops, please let me know. Ill add your > complaint to this letter. All I can say to you, Mr Knoch, is go ahead and sue > me. You know that every word of this is true and you will lose BIG TIME. > > Frederick J Roth • • E-Mail > snowfoot Thank you. I bought door panels from Corvette America and the aren't near a close fit. I didn't identify this problem to the company as I didnt try to install until 6 months after purchase. Therefore I put that blame on myself. Maybe Corvette America could have resolved this. I eat my mistakes. I thought AL Knock would me a answer to my problem., Ive learned differently. Gonna freaking dye my old stuff. Throwing the new ones in the trash...sad me.. |
Ads |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
a must read! | Chris D'Agnolo | Mazda | 0 | October 9th 06 05:47 AM |
Read all of this | justB. | BMW | 0 | June 7th 06 07:55 PM |
I'm sad.......... please read | Kate | Jeep | 1 | April 15th 06 12:29 PM |
Read much? | Steve Smith | Simulators | 11 | February 1st 05 10:57 PM |
Can't read my OBD-II | [email protected] | Technology | 4 | January 10th 05 09:50 PM |