Drivetrain Warning!!!! Beware to buyer!!! FAKE ALTA Supercharger Pulleys!!!
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 292
Likes: 0
From: Lexington, NC
This was a lot of fun to read. People can be so jumpy when it comes to conclusions. But anyway to sumarize.
1. There are fake Alta 15%s being sold.
2. Randy Webb is a great guy. (love my Alta 15%)
3. Randy Webb is also a business man who has used other brands of pulleys.
4. Randy never represented that the other brands were Alta. (see point 2)
5. There are still fake Alta pulleys being sold but we don't know by who.
6. Lots of people get worked up real easy.
7. If you buy a pulley, check the face of the unit to make sure it says Alta and has a percent designation. (mine doesn't but it does indeed say Alta, its an older unit)
8. This thread has just about done what it was intended to do? and more.
1. There are fake Alta 15%s being sold.
2. Randy Webb is a great guy. (love my Alta 15%)
3. Randy Webb is also a business man who has used other brands of pulleys.
4. Randy never represented that the other brands were Alta. (see point 2)
5. There are still fake Alta pulleys being sold but we don't know by who.
6. Lots of people get worked up real easy.
7. If you buy a pulley, check the face of the unit to make sure it says Alta and has a percent designation. (mine doesn't but it does indeed say Alta, its an older unit)
8. This thread has just about done what it was intended to do? and more.
The first thing that I noticed about ALTA is that they put their logo on everything that they make! If you thought you had an ALTA and it had no logo 
you did not research your parts before purchase.
With this said I would like to ask why 
my JCW kit doesn't have the ALTA logo on the JCW SC Pulley ?
Randy, IF ALTA wants to press the issue and cause you undue stress
..dump their line and I am sure that another manufacturer will fill your needs. ALTA should have delt with you off-line. I say F-em
sell the Helix line. Nothing new on NAM just more vendor bashing Way to go everyone !
you did not research your parts before purchase. With this said I would like to ask why my JCW kit doesn't have the ALTA logo on the JCW SC Pulley ? Randy, IF ALTA wants to press the issue and cause you undue stress ..dump their line and I am sure that another manufacturer will fill your needs. ALTA should have delt with you off-line. I say F-em sell the Helix line. Nothing new on NAM just more vendor bashing Way to go everyone !
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,957
Likes: 2
From: a canyon, south Bay Area
After getting caught-up from being away from a computer for the day, there is much I'd like to comment on, but it seems that this baby is starting to wrap-up, so I'll keep the vast majority of those thoughts to myself...
I will say that while Randy's website offerings is one the most extensive for the MINI out there, the guy sells even more stuff than what we see on those pages. It is not easy to keep those pages updated, and this is so even for a large company like Alta. Jeff at Alta/Perrin recently provided wonderful support in clearing-up a discrepancy on their website regarding their control arms (the newer ones are indeed aluminum). Websites should certainly not be considered the Gospel; contact the vendor directly. In doing so with Webb, and most recently with Alta, I got the answers I sought...
I organized the first Bay Area Pulley Party, and have attended the 2nd, 3rd and 4th as well. Randy has always had the pullies out on a table for the new owners to view and select from... Whether grabbing an Alta or the German make, the brand differences were very evident. And as Randy said, once secured on the SC shaft, the calipers are applied for an added degree of certainty that all is and will be fine...
There are bogus Alta pullies out there. We've been informed (thank you Alta), and that is all the more reason to forge our relationships with vendors that we truly trust. I have come to trust Mr. Webb as he has guided me to make prudent purchases, or even none at all; and he's always made things right when the outcome didn't quite go as planned. While I would gladly pay more for a product to get such service and support (including his impressive warranty), the guy price matches as well .
There are probably more Alta SC pullies on MCS's than any other make, and for good reason(s). I would also venture to guess that no one has installed more SC pullies (and Altas) than Mr. Webb. The virtues of this pulley made it a no-brainer compared to a previous option/method. Kudos to Alta! However, unfortunately, when somone has somthing good, there are others who will want to copy it, and worse yet, say that theirs is an Alta. I understand the anguish for any company in that position. I also feel that any linking of Alta's expression to Mr. Webb as a culprit is ill-founded, and I don't believe the intent of Alta (at least I didn't sense that at all)...
I will say that while Randy's website offerings is one the most extensive for the MINI out there, the guy sells even more stuff than what we see on those pages. It is not easy to keep those pages updated, and this is so even for a large company like Alta. Jeff at Alta/Perrin recently provided wonderful support in clearing-up a discrepancy on their website regarding their control arms (the newer ones are indeed aluminum). Websites should certainly not be considered the Gospel; contact the vendor directly. In doing so with Webb, and most recently with Alta, I got the answers I sought...
I organized the first Bay Area Pulley Party, and have attended the 2nd, 3rd and 4th as well. Randy has always had the pullies out on a table for the new owners to view and select from... Whether grabbing an Alta or the German make, the brand differences were very evident. And as Randy said, once secured on the SC shaft, the calipers are applied for an added degree of certainty that all is and will be fine...
There are bogus Alta pullies out there. We've been informed (thank you Alta), and that is all the more reason to forge our relationships with vendors that we truly trust. I have come to trust Mr. Webb as he has guided me to make prudent purchases, or even none at all; and he's always made things right when the outcome didn't quite go as planned. While I would gladly pay more for a product to get such service and support (including his impressive warranty), the guy price matches as well
.There are probably more Alta SC pullies on MCS's than any other make, and for good reason(s). I would also venture to guess that no one has installed more SC pullies (and Altas) than Mr. Webb. The virtues of this pulley made it a no-brainer compared to a previous option/method. Kudos to Alta! However, unfortunately, when somone has somthing good, there are others who will want to copy it, and worse yet, say that theirs is an Alta. I understand the anguish for any company in that position. I also feel that any linking of Alta's expression to Mr. Webb as a culprit is ill-founded, and I don't believe the intent of Alta (at least I didn't sense that at all)...
5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 696
Likes: 0
From: Ohio
Originally Posted by ALTAPerformance
for all your input.
We simply want to protect the consumer from being mis-led into a purchase of a product that isn't what they thought that it was. The apparent copies as well as similar pulleys do NOT have an ALTA™ logo. (It would have to have an ALTA™ logo to be considered trademark infringement which is not what we are stating here.) The issue stems from consumers (that outside of this board) alerted us directly that they had purchased an item they thought was an ALTA™ part. When it arrived the invoice/packing slip said "ALTA 15% Pulley", the part contained did not have a logo, a warranty card, decals, instructions etc. Each customer contacted us and asked us "Is this your part?" We said no. This had been repeated several times in the course of two business days. At this point we felt it necessary to alert the online populus to this problem. This is not a marketing scheme or otherwise. It is a genuine attempt to help the customer as well as protect the image of the brand. There may be more than one vendor that has either intentionally or un-intentionally misled a customer. (As was the case with those customers that I have personally spoken with both via e-mail and telephone.) We will not blatantly call out any vendor. The customer should contact the vendor themselves to reach a resolution to the problem. We wish to be kept abreast of the progress only so we can better track the practices of our vendors. Their business as well as the retail customer is EXTREMELY important to our success and we do not want our products associated with this type of deception. We trust those parties involved to do what is right. At no point throughout this entire thread have we mentioned any vendor by name.
Thank you again.
Adam
ALTA Performance
503-643-4677 xt 203
We simply want to protect the consumer from being mis-led into a purchase of a product that isn't what they thought that it was. The apparent copies as well as similar pulleys do NOT have an ALTA™ logo. (It would have to have an ALTA™ logo to be considered trademark infringement which is not what we are stating here.) The issue stems from consumers (that outside of this board) alerted us directly that they had purchased an item they thought was an ALTA™ part. When it arrived the invoice/packing slip said "ALTA 15% Pulley", the part contained did not have a logo, a warranty card, decals, instructions etc. Each customer contacted us and asked us "Is this your part?" We said no. This had been repeated several times in the course of two business days. At this point we felt it necessary to alert the online populus to this problem. This is not a marketing scheme or otherwise. It is a genuine attempt to help the customer as well as protect the image of the brand. There may be more than one vendor that has either intentionally or un-intentionally misled a customer. (As was the case with those customers that I have personally spoken with both via e-mail and telephone.) We will not blatantly call out any vendor. The customer should contact the vendor themselves to reach a resolution to the problem. We wish to be kept abreast of the progress only so we can better track the practices of our vendors. Their business as well as the retail customer is EXTREMELY important to our success and we do not want our products associated with this type of deception. We trust those parties involved to do what is right. At no point throughout this entire thread have we mentioned any vendor by name.
Thank you again.
Adam
ALTA Performance
503-643-4677 xt 203
Why the in the F are you airing out your funky-*** laundry here?
If this were just an Alta wants to inform the MINI community that there are counterfeit pulleys on the market thread, than that's one thing.
You could do the... here's how to tell if your pulley is an Alta... AND that Alta cannot attest to the quality (or lack thereof) of the look-alikes...
But all the extranious comments make this more than the vendor announcment it should be.
Instead we have a thread has all the earmarks of a sleazy negative publicity maneuver - vendor against retailer. ...No, not named, but definately and not so discreetly implied.
What's the matter...? ...business relations sour? Nice way to let us all know. I fail to see why anyone here is cutting ALTA (or its reps) any slack. Regardless of Alta's concerns this thread is just WRONG.
If Alta believes their products are being counterfeited they need to take the counterfeiter(s) & their agent(s) to court. ...That…. Or give the unnamed but implicated vendor(s) the benefit of the doubt. In either case the right thing to do would be to shut the hell up & take it out of the public domain.
The MINI community does not need destructive threads like this one. It should be pulled from the board.
enough with my own negative bent. ...Man but you Alta boys know how to stir up controversy!
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 552
Likes: 0
From: Wisconsin
I will never buy another ALTA™ product.
Originally Posted by minimc
NOTHANK YOU!
Why the in the F are you airing out your funky-*** laundry here?
If this were just an Alta wants to inform the MINI community that there are counterfeit pulleys on the market thread, than that's one thing.
You could do the... here's how to tell if your pulley is an Alta... AND that Alta cannot attest to the quality (or lack thereof) of the look-alikes...
But all the extranious comments make this more than the vendor announcment it should be.
Instead we have a thread has all the earmarks of a sleazy negative publicity maneuver - vendor against retailer. ...No, not named, but definately and not so discreetly implied. What's the matter...? ...business relations sour? Nice way to let us all know.
I fail to see why anyone here is cutting ALTA (or its reps) any slack. Regardless of Alta's concerns this thread is just WRONG.
If Alta believes their products are being counterfeited they need to take the counterfeiter(s) & their agent(s) to court. ...That…. Or give the unnamed but implicated vendor(s) the benefit of the doubt. In either case the right thing to do would be to shut the hell up & take it out of the public domain.
The MINI community does not need destructive threads like this one. It should be pulled from the board.
enough with my own negative bent. ...Man but you Alta boys know how to stir up controversy!
Why the in the F are you airing out your funky-*** laundry here?
If this were just an Alta wants to inform the MINI community that there are counterfeit pulleys on the market thread, than that's one thing.
You could do the... here's how to tell if your pulley is an Alta... AND that Alta cannot attest to the quality (or lack thereof) of the look-alikes...
But all the extranious comments make this more than the vendor announcment it should be.
Instead we have a thread has all the earmarks of a sleazy negative publicity maneuver - vendor against retailer. ...No, not named, but definately and not so discreetly implied.
What's the matter...? ...business relations sour? Nice way to let us all know. I fail to see why anyone here is cutting ALTA (or its reps) any slack. Regardless of Alta's concerns this thread is just WRONG.
If Alta believes their products are being counterfeited they need to take the counterfeiter(s) & their agent(s) to court. ...That…. Or give the unnamed but implicated vendor(s) the benefit of the doubt. In either case the right thing to do would be to shut the hell up & take it out of the public domain.
The MINI community does not need destructive threads like this one. It should be pulled from the board.
enough with my own negative bent. ...Man but you Alta boys know how to stir up controversy!
5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 696
Likes: 0
From: Ohio
Originally Posted by tsukiji
I Will never buy another ALTA™ product.
If they are SO behind thier vendors & want to ensure there's no misconception(s) then there's an easy way to do that. ...Say so, endorse your vendors. Instead we have silence which speaks to other notions.
The specific points & language I find irritating are the referencing of the invoice(s) then the following:
Originally Posted by ALTAPerformance
There may be more than one vendor that has either intentionally or un-intentionally misled a customer. ...our vendors.... Their business as well as the retail customer is EXTREMELY important to our success and we do not want our products associated with this type of deception. ....
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 552
Likes: 0
From: Wisconsin
Originally Posted by minimc
I am not out to bash Alta products. ...I just don't like the tone & implications of thier statements.
If they are SO behind thier vendors & want to ensure there's no misconception(s) then there's an easy way to do that. ...Say so, endorse your vendors. Instead we have silence which speaks to other notions.
If they are SO behind thier vendors & want to ensure there's no misconception(s) then there's an easy way to do that. ...Say so, endorse your vendors. Instead we have silence which speaks to other notions.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Originally Posted by Dr Obnxs
My situation has been resolved satisfactorally.
So back to the topic. Who is the supposed vendor purposely selling fake Altas as claimed? You can explicitly ask till the cows come home - but if they are trying to sell a fake product - they are certainly going to lie to you if you ask. That argument doesn't hold any ground.
These are meaningless, baseless claims without proof...pure hype without a name(s).
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Originally Posted by minimc
If this were just an Alta wants to inform the MINI community that there are counterfeit pulleys on the market thread, than that's one thing.
Instead we have a thread has all the earmarks of a sleazy negative publicity maneuver - vendor against retailer. ...No, not named, but definately and not so discreetly implied.
I fail to see why anyone here is cutting ALTA (or its reps) any slack. Regardless of Alta's concerns this thread is just WRONG.
Banned
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 864
Likes: 0
From: So Cal
Originally Posted by MarkS
I have to assume that Alta does have evidence. I at least find that more likely than your guess that they're making the whole thing up. That you, personally, have are not privy to that evidence doesn't prove to me that it doesn't exist. That you're enganging in wild speculation here is abundantly clear, however.
Uh, yes, clearly that's it.
Sure. It's more succinct and and the information content is about the same.
Who is he smearing? You complain that he doesn't name names and then turn around and say he's engaging in a smear compaign. I don't see how both can be true.
Mark
Uh, yes, clearly that's it.
Sure. It's more succinct and and the information content is about the same.
Who is he smearing? You complain that he doesn't name names and then turn around and say he's engaging in a smear compaign. I don't see how both can be true.
Mark
5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 683
Likes: 0
From: Grand Blanc, MI
Originally Posted by El Diablito Rojo-N20Mini
Mark..... me likey your style
Mark
.... unfortunate thread. I've lost a lot of respect for the Alta company for the way they have handled this situation. Very unfortunate.
I've been one here to praise Alta for there products and there customer service, but this thread will always rear it ugly head in my mind when I am looking for a new product. I may just start looking at other manufactures.
Not sure how it will play out for me personally.
I've been one here to praise Alta for there products and there customer service, but this thread will always rear it ugly head in my mind when I am looking for a new product. I may just start looking at other manufactures.
Not sure how it will play out for me personally.
5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 914
Likes: 2
From: des moines, iowa
Webb Motorsports explanation was honest up front informative and easily understandable. I do not believe he has, intentionally or not, misled anyone. I have not purchased from him but have followed his work for many years now. I have learned much about my car from his free flowing information. As I said in a previous thread Vendors beware many of us are reaching the end of car payments and will soon be spending those dollars on our cars instead of our payments. What ever dollars I can will be spent through Webb Motorsports whenever possible. He has provided me a great service already just with information he shares. If I buy ALTA it will be through WEBB not through ALTA (superior products leave me no choice) But I will compare other brands and the way ALTA handeled this will leave a taste in my mouth.
Randy it was a pleasure chatting with you a few weeks ago and I look forward to spending my hard earned money at your place of business I hope to travel there and actually pay labor
to have my pulley installed by the master.
To the other Vendors, MR Webb has earned my business have you?????
Now back to the air gain system
What ever dollars I can will be spent through Webb Motorsports whenever possible. He has provided me a great service already just with information he shares. If I buy ALTA it will be through WEBB not through ALTA (superior products leave me no choice) But I will compare other brands and the way ALTA handeled this will leave a taste in my mouth.Randy it was a pleasure chatting with you a few weeks ago and I look forward to spending my hard earned money at your place of business I hope to travel there and actually pay labor
to have my pulley installed by the master. To the other Vendors, MR Webb has earned my business have you?????
Now back to the air gain system
Banned
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 864
Likes: 0
From: So Cal
I am blown away at the way people are treating ALTA.... amazing
how would you like it if someone came into your business copied your products.... and slapped your name on it and sold it? Wake up people.. .
you know darn well you would be upset that someone was selling your name with inferior quality.... it takes many years of hard work to build up a name and only seconds to lose it.... I applaud ALTA for their fine products and innovative style. The mini community needs more companies like them...
how would you like it if someone came into your business copied your products.... and slapped your name on it and sold it? Wake up people.. .
you know darn well you would be upset that someone was selling your name with inferior quality.... it takes many years of hard work to build up a name and only seconds to lose it.... I applaud ALTA for their fine products and innovative style. The mini community needs more companies like them...
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Originally Posted by El Diablito Rojo-N20Mini
how would you like it if someone came into your business copied your products.... and slapped your name on it and sold it? Wake up people...
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 292
Likes: 0
From: Lexington, NC
I don't know why I'm writing this, I really don't care one way or the other BUT; Alta never acused Randy of anything someone on this board did. Randy explained far more than he needed to about his involvement at pulley parties and non-Alta pulleys. Alta in their first post stated that there were fake Alta pulleys on the market and that Alta inc. would not honor any warrenty on the pulleys, nor should they. Alta further stated that they did not claim pulleys made by other companies were bad or faulty, they stated that the counterfit Alta pulleys were simply not genuine Alta pulleys. Be aware, check yourself, buyer beware. All the rhetoric in this thread was brought in by ordinary people. I don't blame Alta for not stating the name of the vendor suspected of selling the fakes. Throwing around allegations in an irresponsible manner can lead to litigation. Alta posted this thread to protect themselves and their good name from a fraud. You now know there are fake Alta pulleys on the market and Randy Webb has nothing to do with them. Stick to reputable dealers and you will be as safe as possible in our electronic age. If you want that cheap deal off e-bay, you take the risk. Nuff said?