Ive ordered a set of H-sport springs from Eric last Mon over the phone.
He said he has the parts in-stock so will ship out on Tues. I asked him
to send me the total amount that will be charged to my card and the
tracking number for the shipment Tues after he ships. He says OK.

Tues comes, no tracking no, no total amount.. so I sent him an email
and voicemail that evening just to remind him that I would like the info.

Wed, no info, so I called him again and he said that he later found out
that he didn't have the parts in stock so had to order a drop-shipment
from Hotchkis in CA... sh*t, screwed up my install day for Friday,
i thought, but being cool asked him to just give me the total and
tracking number. He gave me the total which was fine and promised me
that he would send me the track info by Fri.

Friday comes, no tracking info. I sent him another email reminding him.
No reply.

Sat, no reply.

What the f- is going on with this shop? I hate this. I can't schedule my
install day for some lousy shop. Anyone else with this problem? Just
extemely frustrating!!!

_________________
03MCS IB/Bk: 123, Aerokit, 17"R90, Milltek exhaust, Pilo Intake, 6CDMP3, etc.

 

That's too bad. Fortunately, I am planning to have Helix do the instal for me, so perhaps this won't be a problem. Good luck.

 

Extremely reputable from my experience, and many others. I have had a lot of work done there over the past year, as have many on this board. I'm willing to drive an 1 HR 45 MIN to get my oil changed there between MINI services, and would trust my car to Eric without a thought. Not sure what happened in your case, but it seems very odd knowing them.

 

I'll stand up for Eric, I talk to him about twice a month or so and have always had straight up honest conversations with him. He has always given me his attention and does his best to get stuff out in a decent time frame. It is a small shop though so stuff tends to get out of control sometimes.

On a side note, Hsport has been fairly slow at getting the MINI stuff on the streets, especially lately with the swar bars, so the delay may be coming from Hsport. With communication breakdowns, etc, it can sometimes take a few extra days to get the ball rolling on stuff like this.

I totally understand your frustration though, we deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis. It is a challenge to keep everything in stock or have a decent tap on what the supplier is capable of drop shipping in a timely manner. Anyways, hope everything works out.

If Hsport bails on you and doesn't deliver, I recommend the Alta springs as an alternate, I have a set on my car and love them!! And they're a great deal and they perform well!!

 

Aaron, the point was that I always check with the shop (as I do with you) before
I order parts to make sure they have it in stock. Eric stated that he had the
parts in stock...that's why I ordered from him. If not, I would've just ordered
directly from Hotchkis or any other retailer that might've had the springs in
stock.

Ok, so he made a mistake on his inventory count...everyone makes mistakes
once in a while, fine, but promising me to send me the track info and not
sending is very disrespectful and unacceptable especially after him making a
mistake and not notifying me that parts will delay and ship from california.

I can't schedule my install day....sitting here with the Alta rear swaybar you
sold me just waiting... Not even sure if the parts even shipped or not from california.

It's not H-sports that's bailing out. It's Helix's customer service that is lacking,
unfortunately. I would rather be writing about their success story here. I want
my parts in a timely manner.

_________________
03MCS IB/Bk: 123, Aerokit, 17"R90, Milltek exhaust, Pilo Intake, 6CDMP3, etc.

 

Same here! I have Helix do my oil changes and well, drive the same distance you do. But the best bet is always to call him.

 

Kenchan,

Eric @Helix is a terrifc guy and offers terrific service and customer support.
I've known and dealt w/ him for well over a year now.
I'm sorry for your situation but I assure you it's not the norm.

Best to call him on the phone.... and arrange the details.

Peace,
D

 

I drove 600 miles round trip for Eric to do some installs for me. I found Eric to be a very knowledgeable and stand up kind of guy. I plan on returning for a couple more mods in the near future. Obviously I don't know what happened with your Hsport order and it is unfortunate that you are being forced to wait for something that you had already planned on. I do think that you should give Eric the benefit of the doubt....Everyone screws up once in a while

 

I contacted him by email about a problem I've been having...he encouraged me to work it out with the dealer before coming to him for some parts and install.

The response was efficient; he didn't try to mislead me and grab the business for himself asap. I thought it was an honest reply and I expect to go back to him with some business once I resolve the first issue with the dealer.

 

Kenji:

I'm very sorry for not getting your tracking number to you as promised. I've been extremely busy, and it slipped my mind. As soon as H-Sport is open on Monday, I'll call and get you the tracking number.

-Eric

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback. You have assured me of his shop. I too
believe he seems to be a real nice guy and all over the phone.

Eric, its kinda ironic that I can't get a hold of you directly but through NAM?!
But, thanks for getting back and I hope to get that info from you tomorrow.

this week is looking good already! :smile:

 

Erick...where are my stickers that you promised me back in JANUARY?....We spoke on the phone and you said that you were gonna send them that same week....I told you I was gonna PAY for them.....and give you free publicity since they were gonna be on my doors....but I guess since they are only stickers, who cares right?...They are for sell on your web site, so whats up ? !!!!!!.....................

 

So what was the point of this post again? Eric is admittedly in the wrong here but "Is Helix a reputable shop?" is a question you should be asking BEFORE you place an order.

--
Cheese

 

let's put it this way: there are fast food places where you've got your order in less than a minute and by two minutes your arteries are getting coated with God knows what, then there restaurants where the food is prepared to order, where time is not the chief consideration. You get a meal you remember for perhaps a lifetime. Eric is the latter. You want it fast? Go somewhere else.

_________________


'02 EB/W MCS, Rogue intake, Helix 15% pulley, Webb/Powerchips ECU, Magnaflow exhaust, Alta Oil Catch Can, Exel TZ-10 white wheels, Magnecor wires, Denso Iridiums, XM Satellite

 

WHOOP! WHOOP! Stupid post alert!

they can ask that in either scenario. if someone thinks they are getting "ripped off", you are saying they can't ask that question, because they should have asked first? come on man, you aren't his parents! but you are a mini owner who has experience with these shops.

good job on offering some help there chief...

 

Thanks emceeess- that's exactly how I felt too.

I think what's happening is that Eric is apparently doing a
good job fixing up his local customers at his shop but he
doesn't have enough man-power or automation at his
online shop to take care of orders from outside
customers.

I'm sure he realizes this and he is trying his best to
improve that area. Otherwise he wouldn't have cared to
post here.

But again, I don't like to babysit or handfeed suppliers
as I too have a busy schedule like everyone else and
considering that I am the one paying for the parts and
freight, I should be entitled to at least know my total
cost and when my parts are coming so that i can setup
MY schedule as well.

redleg13- you missed my point entirely. I would have gone
to someone else if he would have told me he didn't have
the part from the beginning. And it's not like I'm waiting
for a labor service being done either. He doesn't make
the H-sports at his shop, does he? No...

 

kenchan,

Sorry to hear about your problems and delays.

I have done quite a few orders from various vendors including Helix13 and Webmotorsports.
I live in Hawaii and shipping is expensive and delays are the norm. One thing I have learned is that you have to order parts well in advance and get them in hand before you make appointments to get installations done. I know this causes delays from the time you order to the time you get parts installed but it is safer.

I often have to wait weeks to months to get parts in stock if there is great demand or short supply of something.
Prices are soft as well. Just because a price is listed on the internet doesn't mean that it hasn't changed to a higher price.

As for Helix13 and Webbmotorsport, both are best contacted by phone and leave a message if possible. Call back if no reply is forth coming. Both have strong followings of customers that drive to them and have installations done and that is their strength. Online sales is secondary but growing with the help of NAM. More resources will have to be invested in to maintain their ability to fill online orders and keep customers happy long distance.

I believe I recall that you had another problem with a vendor online. It's tough trying to do things like this but I will tell you locally I have access to just about nothing so for my MINI I don't mind a resource like NAM and it's sponsors across the country. If you really get to know a few vendors well it helps with completing your orders.

Good luck in your install. It will be worth the wait.

 

The issue for Kenchan like many of us in everyday life, is communication, i.e. the difference between saying "I can" versus "I will".

The "I can" is a level of one's ability while saying "I will" crosses the line from one's ability to a personal commitment.

Not making one's personal commitment even if the ability was negated by supplier out-of-stock is what get's one upset. Kenchan was upset but has been re-assured now by NAM of Eric's ability followed by Eric's personal commitment. What a great forum that can resolve mis-communication issues in such a friendly manner.

Going forward, when communicating about an task, activity, trasnaction... ask the "Can you ....?" followed by "Will you ...." and watch how one's personal commitment kicks in.

SMKVK

Not philosophizing, just relating practical experinces.

 

A lot of the responses on this post have been making excuses for the fact that service is not "top-notch". I have personally not had any problems with Helix, but this post has been repeated for other vendors, and the general response is that "the vendor is really busy" or "they are a great guy and do great installs at their shops".

In my opinion this doesn't cut it. I am sorry, the guy may be the best guy to hang out and have a beer with or tinker on my car, or they may be so busy with all their other work, but that doesn't mean that we should accept secondary service on their online shops. If you are going to open up a mail order/retail/internet business in conjunction with a tuning shop, then you need to support it 100%. That means the price on the internet is accurate, the item is shipped in a timely fashion (i.e. same day), tracking information is delivered quickly, and if there are any issues with order processing, they are communicated very quickly. This is what should be expected. Problems may sometimes arise, that is life, but I hate companies putting in only a half effort into parts of their business. If you are going to do it, do it 100%, regardless of whether it is a money maker. If it isn't worth doing 100%, than it isn't worth doing at all. If it doesn't make enough profit or you don't have enough resources, than get out of the business. I would rather see a few really good internet shops, than a bunch of ones doing half a job.

I am not trying to attack anyone business, just a general statement, that could apply to any business. We should demand a high level of service from all of the Mini shops.

 

dgszweda1,

So what your saying is that these guy's (Helix, Webb Motorsports...etc.) are not putting in 100% effort? I think most of these guy's are putting in 200% effort but effort doesn't equal 100% customer satisfaction. These guy's haven't built their reputation by being "Nice guy's" they built their reputations on doing quality work and investing their own time/money to develop, test and install products that we want and use. I had a similar situation with Eric at helix when I ordered my H-sport stuff. I had to call back serval times to get ordered what I wanted. I had no trouble getting ahold of him because most of the time he was on his cell phone when I spoke to him. These guy's are working hard and of all the things they do right for us I don't mind putting up with a little effort being required on my part to get the parts I want from them. These guy's have growing businesses and the Internet/Phone Sales of parts is their weak side and in some cases a side business to their real job of running a shop and working on MINI's. Keep up the good work guy's.

 

>>dgszweda1,
>>
>>So what your saying is that these guy's (Helix, Webb Motorsports...etc.) are not putting in 100% effort? I think most of these guy's are putting in 200% effort but effort doesn't equal 100% customer satisfaction. These guy's haven't built their reputation by being "Nice guy's" they built their reputations on doing quality work and investing their own time/money to develop, test and install products that we want and use. I had a similar situation with Eric at helix when I ordered my H-sport stuff. I had to call back serval times to get ordered what I wanted. I had no trouble getting ahold of him because most of the time he was on his cell phone when I spoke to him. These guy's are working hard and of all the things they do right for us I don't mind putting up with a little effort being required on my part to get the parts I want from them. These guy's have growing businesses and the Internet/Phone Sales of parts is their weak side and in some cases a side business to their real job of running a shop and working on MINI's. Keep up the good work guy's.


Hey, I am not saying these aren't great guys and that they don't bust their tail for the Mini community. The fact that you accept the problems on the internet side is fine for you, but I don't think it is a great way to do business. The excuse that this is side business is great for you, and that you are willing to put up with this. I just don't believe anyone who starts another venture in their business should treat it as a business "that we will get to when we can". This is not a good way to do business. If it is not generating enough money and their shop/tuning is what brings home the "bacon", then they may be better off pursuing that, and not letting the internet business suffer and taint the experiences of some consumers. It should never be acceptable to a consumer to get this type of service, more so from an Internet firm because they cannot just walk down to the shop and discuss it. Again this is not an attack on Helix or Webbmotorsports or....., they have done a lot and continue to do a lot for the community. This is just common business sense that I am stating. "You never start a venture that you cannot support fully 100%", it is plain bad business and makes good case studies in business school.

 

>>good job on offering some help there chief...
>>

Are you kidding? What kind of help could I offer him? You want me to drive down to Helix and ask Eric where is this guy's springs are or should I contact the Philly PD and file a missing persons report?

Somebody should just lock this stupid thread. The original issue is settled.

 

This is starting to get a little off track but I had to laugh at this..

"You never start a venture that you cannot support fully 100%", it is plain bad business and makes good case studies in business school.

Sounds good in a book, but it isn't real world for the small business owner. Show me a business that has been able to fully support 100% during startup and growth? Maybe a company with a lot of money to support over employing to make sure it has more than enough capacity but that isn't applicable to the SB owner and those business have an end goal in mind that they have to achieve to be sucessfull. A SB owner cannot afford to hire another employee until they have the businees and the money to support adding employees they must stay flexible and absorb when busineess gets busy and slow.

 

Thanks, everyone. :smile:

Actually, I do my own installs so I need to schedule my week with my
own work schedules to see when I can wing it.

I did make the effort to call several times because Helix can not take orders
online. It is sometimes difficult for me to make the call as I have a pretty
busy work schedule and juggling phone calls, meetings, and customer visits, etc
sometimes makes calling just not efficient for me. At least if we could talk
via email, I can communicate while I am on the phone with someone else.

Like today, I have time to post here while im taking my coffee break, so
I try my best to make contact with the stores/dealers when I can make time...
but then I could be traveling on business tomorrow or the next day so
who knows when I can do the install unless I plan ahead. I plan ahead
and then rescheduled by the store due to its mistakes is not very nice.

Pilo, Outmotoring, Autoclearguard, tirerack, etc. along with pretty much all
the shops Ive dealt with for my WRX and Prelude, G20, etc has been great
without any such issues so I can not say that this type of service or (lack of)
is acceptable. But again, Eric's doing his best and whether I accept his capacity
or not is just how busy I am and how efficiently I can re-schedule my plans.
Some parts I don't care how long it takes as long as it comes in within a
reasonable timeframe (1-2 weeks) or noted otherwise. Other parts like springs,
etc have to come in on a timely manner as it takes me at least half a day to
install it...

The other vendor I dealt with in the past was just rude... I don't care
to do any negative advertisements here. I just wanted to make sure I am dealing
with a legidimate shop and that my credit card and all info submitted is secure...
and apparently they are, so as soon as I get my parts in my hands, I will
move on.



_________________
03MCS IB/Bk: 123, Aerokit, 17"R90, Milltek exhaust, Pilo Intake, 6CDMP3, etc.

 

i wouldnt give a **** if he is so busy he is pulling all nighters, the fact is he accepted this persons order and money, then failed to notify the customer that the product was on back order, then the customer just wanted tracking info. and he failed to communicate that to the customer.

does he give 100%? Probably. i dont really know.
have people had good experiences with helix? YES
does this person have the right to complain, and question the service? YES

i really dont think he is trying to bash helix here, he was promised twice that helix would be in touch with him and twice he had to go searching what was going on. it sure seems like poor customer service to me. and it doesnt look like the first time its happened.

and i dont understand why people are making excuses for them. oh he is too busy, he works hard, big deal everyone does. dont job someone after you accept their payment though.