Am I being ripped off?

[Baz]

If you notice in my initial thread, I made no mention of any particular person or occupation ripping me off. I merely asked the question as it appeared to me that this was another 'Cobra' thing. If you own a Cobra, be prepared to pay for the privalege. I hadn't mentioned the names of any Company. I just wanted to find out the feelings of the Forum members as a general issue because it just didn't seem right to me, especially when someone charges one thing and someone else charges nearly double. There was a discrepancy there and I have found out why that has occurred, but more importantly, what's going to happen in the future. The $360 was for the transmission tune and I still have the engine tune to go. I have no problems with the work carried out by Justin and Jimmy from Sideshow Performance Tuning, but I would have appreciated being bought up to date then and there, rather than to have it come out in a public forum like this.

Doubledip has bought up many issues which I was not aware of until I read his thread. Maybe if we work on communicating these issues to those who are directly involved, problems like this won't occur again.

The mechanic I used was selected because of his reputation in this field. Everything was ordered through him as he was the expert. I had my total trust in him. Conversations that occurred between him and the Performance Tuners were not relayed to me. This is what I was referring to in the previous paragraph.

Baz

[Doubledip]

I understand that no names were mentioned.. even ours and that is good but my main gripe is that it was brought up on a forum before anything was resolved with the tuner (or even call me - you have my number) and ask why is there a difference of nearly double ...

this is where i felt i had to say something... I for one dont look at cobra owners then rub my hands and go "beauty .. someone to rippoff".. and i am sick and tired of cobra owners feeling like they are victimised for owning one - and have to "pay for the priveledge"... you were charged the same as everyone else i have ever charged to make up a loom and fit to their vehicle... along with the free flash of the TCM and ECU by TIS and the the EXTRA cheap VATS off etc...

If you feel you are being taken for a ride with prices etc.. with other things then you need to shop around.. I know paint is expensive when it comes to cobras (and more of that is it is a fiberglass body) and time and effort needs to go into preparing them properly so that you dont come back 6 months later and say .."My paint has sunken"...

Its people (not just cobra owners may i stress - but a lot of other conversion owners) that feel - and i have experienced this oh so many times, that just because a couple of wires need to be joined together it should cost them sweet F%$k all. They gasp at our prices (we are certainley not the cheapest but also not the most expensive) but with the blink of an eye will hand over $4-5000 on a set of wheels/tyres, where half of their money is going to go up in smoke or pay $10,000 and up for a paint job that more than likely will be scratched by some low life in a carpark. but wiring.. gee thats a $50.00 job and anyone can do it.

With that mentality it gives that group of people a bad name to the professionals who offer their services to these individuals. Alot of Mechanics/ Auto Elecs out there are starting to get the attitude that car builders etc.. want something for nothing and are either rushing their jobs to keep customers happy for the low price or pricing themselves up so much at hoping they dont get the job (if they do then good luck and extra money).


... as for all the other problems i know both the mechanic and yourself had been told several times (mechanic more so - but still you were made aware of them at the time - whether you fully understood the situation is not up to me to decide but for you to let us know) that things purchased were not correct (or at least there were far better alternatives out there).

Any way this is not a Direct DIG at you BAZ... more a DIG at the thread title and where it had headed before it was sorted out behind closed doors... if the out come had been bad and you were blantantly treated wrong then i feel that it can be brought up on a medium such as a forum to discuss etc... and let others know of your experiences.

I truley appreciate your kind words on our work with your car and hopefully others will work out there differences before using the Keyboard to bad mouth a profession.

once again Flame away

[sideshow]

we are not aiming this at cobra drivers or builders
just forums in general
alot of people from all sorts of forums like to air their dirty laundry on forums

and we mechanics /builders/painters/electricains sometimes read the forums

now i can tell u a bunch of workshps that will not go near cobras/hsvs/etc etc and also wankers who just hang out on forums thinking thhey know the sheit

we r starting to put the price up or just say sorry mate we r too busy to
people like this
in the end just go talk to soome top specialised workshops about what they think of these types of people
u might get a shock

i recon i make more money by not working on a cobra
as 90% of people who r building them are the worst to deal with
and i garantee i know many more specialised shop owners who agree with me
and each time i talk too friends in the busines si spread the good work about it
people on forums dont realise they give their own forums a bad name
but hey most people on forums are so biased there is no other better car than their own
this happens on hodlen toyota nissan cobra forums all over the world

[Zedn]

Originally Posted by sideshow

we are not aiming this at cobra drivers or builders
just forums in general
alot of people from all sorts of forums like to air their dirty laundry on forums

and we mechanics /builders/painters/electricains sometimes read the forums

now i can tell u a bunch of workshps that will not go near cobras/hsvs/etc etc and also wankers who just hang out on forums thinking thhey know the sheit

we r starting to put the price up or just say sorry mate we r too busy to
people like this
in the end just go talk to soome top specialised workshops about what they think of these types of people
u might get a shock

i recon i make more money by not working on a cobra
as 90% of people who r building them are the worst to deal with
and i garantee i know many more specialised shop owners who agree with me
and each time i talk too friends in the busines si spread the good work about it
people on forums dont realise they give their own forums a bad name
but hey most people on forums are so biased there is no other better car than their own
this happens on hodlen toyota nissan cobra forums all over the world

Wow 90% of us are the worst people to deal with

Sounds like a good time for the forum moderators to step in.

[Tenrocca]

Originally Posted by Zedn

Wow 90% of us are the worst people to deal with

Sounds like a good time for the forum moderators to step in.

Dont worry Zedn, just Sidey putting into place everything he has learned by reading (or having someone read to him at least) "how to win friends and influence people" .

I never interpreted Baz's initial post as having ago at sideshow performance wiring. I thought he was questioning a change from the dyno guy tuner? He asked whether we though he was overcharged (isnt that the definition of being "ripped off", being overcharged for something, and isnt asking the question on a forum doing "research"?). Baz received back enough information to determine he had been overcharged. He questioned the shop, an accounting "error" was detected, and a refund issued. So yes, he was ripped off.

I hate to say it Sidey, but I think you guys have overreacted to this, and actually made yourselves look a little silly (again). For what it is worth I have told anyone who needs their car wired to contact you guys, but seeing we are all such a pack of arseholes, Im not sure they would be welcome.

BTW - my self wired L76 conversion with mail order tune hasn't missed a beat, and I paid f**k all for it .

[Doubledip]

Originally Posted by Tenrocca

I never interpreted Baz's initial post as having ago at sideshow performance wiring. I thought he was questioning a change from the dyno guy tuner? He asked whether we though he was overcharged).

no one ever stated that BAZ was having a go at Sideshow's.

but why ask a forum this question of overcharging instead of the tuner??? thats my question..

[Tenrocca]

Originally Posted by Doubledip

no one ever stated that BAZ was having a go at Sideshow's.

but why ask a forum this question of overcharging instead of the tuner??? thats my question..

Hey Justin,

We were given an excellent example of the type of spin a tuner or workshop can put on this stuff with issue HSV300 had with his fuel tank upgrade. He was sold some BS about having to pay a license fee everytime a change is made.

Armed with the knowledge Baz was able to gain by asking the brains trust here (again - research, although perhaps a bit belated), he was able to question the shop with some authority, and got a satisfactory result.

Again I think you have just overreacted (just my opinion ), and Baz has had terrific things to say about your commitment to get his unique setup working.

Cheers

[Philm]

Originally Posted by sideshow

we r starting to put the price up or just say sorry mate we r too busy to
people like this
in the end just go talk to soome top specialised workshops about what they think of these types of people
u might get a shock

i recon i make more money by not working on a cobra
as 90% of people who r building them are the worst to deal with
and i garantee i know many more specialised shop owners who agree with me
and each time i talk too friends in the busines si spread the good work about it

Are you for real, if I am not mistaken wasn't it some of these cobra people who gave you a start on your own.

So you are going arround telling others in your industry how bad we are as a community!

Do I assume that if i need the services of these "specialized shop owners who agree with me" I can expect to pay a premium!



IMO Baz was ripped off!

Phil

[schipps]

Seriously guys, have I stumbled across a teenage girls forum???

Why does everybody on the edges have to attack somebody for explaining the situation?

I think we can all learn something from this thread.
1. Make sure you know what you are paying for
2 If you don't know, make sure you find out PRIOR to getting the item/service
3 Don't explain your side of the story on a public forum with only half of the facts
4 don't just weigh in on a thread to attack just because you can...It is embarrassing


Mick

[Doubledip]

Originally Posted by schipps

Seriously guys, have I stumbled across a teenage girls forum???

Why does everybody on the edges have to attack somebody for explaining the situation?

I think we can all learn something from this thread.
1. Make sure you know what you are paying for
2 If you don't know, make sure you find out PRIOR to getting the item/service
3 Don't explain your side of the story on a public forum with only half of the facts
4 don't just weigh in on a thread to attack just because you can...It is embarrassing


Mick

Summed it up perfectly