Good-Win-Racing: I won't ever deal with them again.

Why?

This:

I ordered a clutch from Good-Win-Racing on Sunday May 6. At that time I
ordered it, it didn't say a word about being a special build-to-order
product.

Then when I received notification that my shipment had arrived, the
clutch was there.

First there was a phone call I made to GWR from the shipping depot I
use across the border. I simply thought that the clutch might have
gotten lost in transit. That's when I first learned that the clutch
would ship later ("in about 10 days" and the product page on GWR was
changed to reflect that same info).



14 days after my order (a Sunday, I admit), I sent him this (as his
order confirmation email specifically requested):

"Update pleaseÉ Alan"



So I was pleased that on Sunday, I got back from him:

"Hi Alan, We will check Monday with Speedsport on the clutch status.

Brian Goodwin"



Monday came and went, so on Tuesday, I sent:

"Brian, Any update?"

And on Tuesday, I got back:

"Hi Alan, Didn't get answer yet....trying again"



So I replied:

"Thanks, Brian. I appreciate it. Until I get the clutch, I canÕt get my
Miata put back togetherÉ"



On Wednesday, Brian sent:

"Hi Alan, Speedsport expects to ship yours Friday"



And at that point, with shipping now nearly double what I was initially
told on the phone, I replied with this:

"Brian,

Thanks for that info, but in light of the time to ship being 19 days
and not the 10 your website (now) promises, do you think you could get
them to ship it at a more expedited pace?

I understand the problems of small businesses and inventory, etc, but I
ask you to look at this as if you were the customer.

I ordered and paid for my order on April 6, was told my products had
shipped (or at least, it wasnÕt actually mentioned in the order
confirmation that anything hadn't; I guess if IÕd read the fine print
on the tracking confirmation, I could have gleaned the info from the
weight it showed).

Then I was told it ships in 10 days, and now I discover that they
ÒexpectÓ it to shipÉ

É19 days after I ordered it.

If this were you purchasing something for YOUR car, wouldnÕt you feel a
little let down by your supplier? Because thatÕs how I feel.

YouÕve got my money. YouÕve had it for more than two weeks, and my
product is now ÒexpectedÓ to ship in a couple more days.

A quick check with UPS shows that going from ground shipping to 2-day
air is probably going to cost an additional $60. I hope that you and
Speedsport can help me out to that extent.

Regards,

Alan"



And Brian's reply is this (still Wednesday):

"Hi Alan

Just say the word and we can cancel and refund that right now....but I
have zero power to make the very small maker of this item move faster.
Website does NOT promise it will ship in 10 days and rather resent the
twisting of the product description otherwise.....it states a mere
approximation of "about 10 days". It's a unique and very special item
we are proud to offer, that we spent massive time in helping make
available to Miata customers while all our competitors give you the
same mass produced heavy pedal choices.... and the time it takes to get
them made is well worth the wait. IF you don't agree, let's just
cancel and refund it now and the next guy in line behind you will be
thrilled that his shipped faster than expected.

Brian Goodwin"



At that point, I didn't reply. I didn't "say the word".



He then came back to me with this (remember: I'm now just waiting for
Friday to arrive to see if my clutch ships):

"Sorry that has taken so long, it's a ONE-man show building those and
in peak season (which is now) that one man is doing the best he can."



So I replied:

"Brian,

I do appreciate that, but if heÕs building that many clutches then he
could probably afford to cut me a little break in time on a more
expedited shipping. I checked a little bit, and upgrading from standard
ground to 2-day air shipping would probably cost about $60. (Assuming a
shipping weight of about 30lbs at 12x12x6 (IIRC).

Is $30 from him and $30 from you really that much to keep a customer happy?

I do like the product and the supporting info youÕve provided, but I
hope you can see my side of this.

Thanks for staying on top of it."



And I got back this:

"Actually, I don't see you side of it at all.

I waited a year to get the first of these in my car. I was patient an
entire year because that's how long it took to make this unique product
right.

Your clutch order is cancelled and refunded, figure your bank will show
the funds back within about 24 to 48 hours.


Brian Goodwin"



Now what exactly did I say in my last email that deserved that?

Can someone please tell me why I should have had my order cancelled for
waiting patiently and just asking nicely for a little consideration?

The rest of you can make your own choices about who to do business
with, but I thought some folks might like to know.

Wow, sounds like a major SNAFU.

On the plus side, you're getting your money back, you just lost some time.

It's too bad that you could not deal directly with the guy who makes
these things and had to go through this other guy. Hopefully someone
here can direct you to another manufacturer.

I understand that ten days delivery is not a guarantee, but I totally
fell down laughing when I read his defense. Clearly he needs to change
his web page to indicate that it could take a year, and he needs to
learn about customer service.

Anyway, a lesson learned, and best to move on. Life is too short.

Thanks for letting us know!

D