To start, I think I echo the sentiments of all members here when I say there is no animosity towards you. You've been a long-standing member and personal friend for years, and I consider this a business transaction with Speedriven. Nothing more, nothing less. This debacle will, in no way, affect my view of you as a man and as a friend.
That being said, I feel as though I must address some points. Hazard to say that some involved will agree with me...
Originally Posted by
rcompart
I've had a chance to go over the emails, PMs and now threads about how everyone has reacted to the header group buy and my departure from Speedriven and I have to say I am deeply disappoint with both sides. Communication is a huge part of why things can get out of hand but a retaliatory mob mentality that starts spilling over into other threads and for that matter other forums is completely uncalled for and is rarely how things should be handled, even in this situation.
Since you've read the material in a thorough fashion, it should be quite clear
why this transaction was brought up on the other forums. We get very sporadic feedback here, despite the fact that someone logged in under the Speedriven account on a daily basis. I know for a fact that after Aleks volunteered to refund the deposit and I obliged, three days had passed of him logging in after my post asking for the refund. No action was taken. As you have read, Speedriven presented another "drawing board" group buy to MB-World while simultaneously claiming to have "freed up the shop of all projects". This was clearly misleading to them and infuriating to us. Not once in any of my posts did I step out of bounds by using profanity, threats, etc. We simply pressed for information/action until we got it. Mission accomplished.
Originally Posted by
rcompart
To the team at Speedriven, myself included when I was there, I think a lot of this could have been avoided by following up more often on the header thread but when there are no updates, a daily update to say nothing happened is unquestionably a waste of time. Even a weekly update is not warranted.
I strongly disagree. If we (
the customers that were solicited by Speedriven)
request no update until definitive progress is made, then you can feel free to pop in once every two months and say "soon". But when there are
weekly posts being made saying "update please"..."photos please"... "Bueller, bueller"...
Speedriven dropped the ball. As you're well aware, I work as an in-house parts representative at Nissan for our Nissan and Infiniti dealerships. I assist dealers in getting the parts and information they need to be able to serve the Nissan/Infiniti owner. Whatever it takes to keep the customer happy, that is what a successful company MUST do. Selective, sparse feedback when the customer is asking for an ETA is simply not an option if you want to promote the longevity and reputation of your company. Period.
Originally Posted by
rcompart
Regardless of how people feel about their $100 deposit and the amount of money that was felt to be made from the headers, first and foremost, as a buyer, you aren't owed an explanation on the costs and the profits and one wasn't given here so saying that $10,000 with another $8,000 in the wings really doesn't have any basis here and using it to compare this to other builds is apples and oranges and not a call anyone other than those at Speedriven can make.
Again, I disagree. Speedriven is one of
many tuning shops out there. There is no "monopoly" mentality that we should bow down to, even if it is in Chicago. We chose to invest in them because we had a contact there that we felt would be an arbitrator on our behalf, to insure our project went well. The customer has as much of a right as anyone to understand the price point and ROI versus investment. The only relevance of the $10,000 and additional $8,000 was simply to illustrate a
revenue potential. As for the profit margin, that is set by Speedriven and honestly if they felt the price was too cheap, they should have said otherwise from the get-go. But once a group-buy is agreed upon, you follow-through. You had no control over the GB once Speedriven took the wheel. Therefore, at that point we're dealing with a company, not a buddy. Marcin made every effort to keep those entities separate. On the note of price, price NEVER should be a determining factor as to who gets the best treatment. Nissan is no different -- whether you are needing a $10 window switch or a $10,000 GT-R transaxle, we will make every effort to keep the customer happy. I know the revenue has ZERO effect on my service to dealers on a daily basis. I have spent
days trying to sort out a supply issue for a $5 finisher, just to ensure the customer (and future customers) are accomodated.
Originally Posted by
rcompart
To those header group buy members that felt they needed to grab their pitchfork and torch, I realize there is no perfect world but how many of you that where heavy breathing about your deposit actually called Speedriven? How many called and got a roll-over answer as is made to seem like from the multitude of posts that are in several threads? EVERY person that was a part of the header group buy either has my personal cell in their phone book or they have access to it here on the forum so if all your trust was in me, why not approach me? I've talked with 5-6 of you via phone, email or PM for info on things other than the headers or to do nothing more than converse as friends do and see how things are going on in other parts of the globe.
Again, Speedriven owned the success of the group buy, not you. I strongly feel that if it were up to you, the headers would have been just as much a priority as the big toys. But the fact remains that Speedriven and Marcin called the shots. And let's recall how we were approaced -- we weren't given a cold call, or an email, or a TV ad --
we were approached on the forum. We exchanged PayPal info through forum PM and all aspects of the GB were handled via forum. Therefore, why should I have to chase Speedriven for proper handling of the business transaction through any other media? Furthermore, why would I go behind the scenes and call an employee who has no control over the build assignments, to beg for updates? I didn't bother you with that because I knew your hands were tied anyways... no sense in straining a friendship over a company's poor handling of feedback.
Best regards,