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Post by sigmfsk on Aug 29, 2011 17:49:19 GMT -5
As some of you may remember from the BBC days, I sent some of my 1974 Marin County monaco parts to Restoration Specialties www.restorationspecialties.com/to buy replacements, and have replica parts made as necessary. After 18 months, I finally have given up and determined that they have just taken my parts and won't send them back. I've called every 2 weeks for 18 months. It went from "almost ready", to "ready", to "in a pile", to "in a box", to "in a box, taped shut". Last week it was "in a box, taped shut, ready to ship, sending tracking number via e-mail tomorrow". No e-mail. Today I called asking if they were shipped, and I just received the gruff reply "it was handled". There's no sense moving the problem up the chain. My salesman is the owner, Dave Jr. I think my parts are gone. And I won't be getting the replica parts I need. I sent many of my parts in the attempt of creating a parts listing for board members. That idea seems to have been a bust. I'll post further if I get anything. your friend in sharing the good times and the bad (after 18 months), arthur
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Post by scatpack on Sept 5, 2011 8:21:19 GMT -5
want someone to pay them a visit?
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Post by ti4438 on Sept 5, 2011 11:32:45 GMT -5
Sounds to me like RS is on some bullshit!
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 5, 2011 16:06:50 GMT -5
want someone to pay them a visit? Well, in a "good visit" kinda way, not in the "sweep the leg" kinda way. I've had a few people tell me that I ought to sue them, and it's a ripoff that they won't send back my original parts, but what are they worth --- about nothing. How much would you pay for worn out 1974 monaco weatherstripping samples? Nothing - unless you could use them as templates to make new copies. So they're quite valuable if you have Restoration Specialties' equipment to make duplicates. Otherwise they're just junk. Maybe they lost my parts and don't have the heart to tell me. They said that they fully machined up and duplicated the parts, and they gave me price quotes on the new parts, but who knows at what point they started lying. If someone visits these guys, I'd be interested if someone asked about 1974 Monaco pieces. Below are the parts I ordered in March 2011 (I started the order process in 2010 but it took that long for them to get pricing info). I've really been bend-over-backwards nice to these guys, but maybe they've blacklisted me because I kept calling them every two weeks. Maybe someone else can order the parts without any trouble. your friend in helping friends find parts, arthur -- The number (like 5 for the rubber bumper on fender) is the number that corresponds with the pictures that I posted of each part on BBC. (2) 5. rubber bumper on fender (this is right side) that hood closes against 5. Part #11-136- $2.00/each (2) 6. bumper that hood rests against. screws into radiator support. 6. Part #754142- $3.30/each (1 kit) 8 & 9 belt-line weatherstrip 8.& 9.- No #, New Kit- $125.00-set of 4 (how many feet in sample?) 10. trunk weatherstrip - this glues to body 10- Part #96010- $3.00/ft (16 feet) 11 & 12 front door u-channel 11.& 12.- Part #AS990029- $3.50/ft (8) 16. looking for the two felt/rubber pieces that the glass rests against. This bracket is for the driver front door. 16. No Part #, $1.00/each (2) 17. rubber trunk bumper. the trunk has two of these bumpers that snap into the trunk lid. This bumper is missing the nipple that snaps into the trunk (it broke off) 17. Part #4447, $1.65
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 7, 2011 16:43:04 GMT -5
Well, my final plan worked! Wait 18 months, give up, and then packages will arrive!
I think Scatpack scared them with the "visit" suggestion.
Today, I received 2 packages from Restoration Specialties, shipped on 9/2/11.
OHH MAMA! I'll dig in when I have time to do a complete analysis, and attach pics and hopefully a rocking update.
your friend in hoping to soon say "better late than never", arthur
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Post by ti4438 on Sept 7, 2011 17:46:46 GMT -5
I'm glad to hear you finally got them.
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Post by 76bluesmobile on Sept 7, 2011 22:43:33 GMT -5
Good to hear you got something - hopefully it is exactly what you were promised. Personally, I wouldn't trust a company that did that to me for anything in the future.
Scat seems like a guy who can make people come to an "understanding". Always handy to have someone like that around to back up Our Lady Of Blessed Acceleration.
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Post by countrybunker on Sept 8, 2011 11:23:25 GMT -5
Glad to hear you got em man!! Look forward to the pics!
Hell maybe if you wait another 18 months, you will be able to access your info on BBC! lmao
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 8, 2011 15:43:00 GMT -5
Hell maybe if you wait another 18 months, you will be able to access your info on BBC! lmao hehehe, I hope you're right. I've been keeping my mouth closed about BBC, just doing my best to keep my fingers crossed that it eventually comes back online so I can access the info I need to continue work on the suspension aspects of my build. I saw my two boxes from Restoration Specialties today. So nobody broke in and took them. I'm not sure either box is long enough to house this piece that I sent them So I'm not sure what I'll find when I open them. That piece isn't critical to me now, because I have the doors from the 76 parts car that I plan on using. As far as I can tell, doors from a 76 look exactly the same as doors from a 74 (excluding window cranks, door panels and possibly VIN tag orientation). For a few days, I'm letting my imagination run wild with dreams of a complete set of original and replica parts (and BBC coming back online soon). your friend in keeping the dream alive, arthur
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Post by countrybunker on Sept 8, 2011 19:30:06 GMT -5
Arthur, Ive got a spare one of those drivers side pieces if you need one. Also I think your imagination will have to run quite a bit longer then a few days for BBC lol
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Post by scatpack on Sept 15, 2011 8:52:22 GMT -5
glad you got your parts. If I can ever be of service like I wasn't on this problem just let me know. lol
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 18, 2011 10:33:55 GMT -5
Well, I finally finished dreaming, and opened the boxes.
Summary: They sent me some, but not all, my original parts. They sent some, but not all, of their off-the-shelf parts that I ordered. They sent none of the new parts that they were to make based on molds they created from my original monaco parts.
So my guess is that they didn't make any molds, didn't make any new parts, lost some of my original parts, and just shipped what they already had molds for.
That said, what they did ship looks nice, and correct.
left to right:
75-4142-BUM: $4 each. bumper that hood rests against (screws into radiator yoke)
4447-BUM: $1.65 each. bumper that trunklid rests against
75-4142-BUM bumper that hood rests against, halfway between radiator yoke and firewall
96010-WS $3 per foot trunk weatherstripping, new on left, my original on right
AS990029-96-WIN $3.50 per foot u-channel for all four windows, new on left, my original on right
I have those nice doors from the 76 parts car, so I don't need: - my other originals - door weatherstripping - beltline weatherstripping - the little felt strips against which the windows slide against
so I'm going to try and not be too peeved that I didn't get those things.
That new window u-channel does look sweeeet!
But it's still a bummer to be jerked around for 18 months, when this order could have been shipped the first day they received my parts and matched up to what they had in stock.
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Post by tk826 on Sept 19, 2011 0:31:41 GMT -5
sig, Did they give you a partial refund, an apology... anything?
If it were me, I'd stay on them, at least until I got a decent, honest explanation of what happened.
What original parts did you send them, again?
I would like to find out what happens if I were to write and ask for those parts specifically. That is unless you think doing so would be too much.
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 19, 2011 2:20:16 GMT -5
sig, Did they give you a partial refund, an apology... anything? If it were me, I'd stay on them, at least until I got a decent, honest explanation of what happened. What original parts did you send them, again? Hi TK: I can't complain from a money perspective. They didn't charge me anything until they shipped the parts, and they only billed me for the parts they sent. I've given up on getting a decent, honest explanation. I think it's time for me to move on. 18 months ago, I sent them two dozen parts. I didn't need replacements for all of them, but I was hoping to catalog what they all were so that others on our board would know how to order them if they wanted them. 6 months ago, Restoration Specialties gave me ordering information on the parts - how to order & cost information for the parts they could supply, and what parts they could not supply. I posted the info on BBC. At that time, I placed an order for the parts I recently received, plus: (8) pieces of: the felt/rubber pieces attached to this bracket that the glass rests against. No Part #, $1.00/each (1 kit) belt-line weatherstrip No #, New Kit- $125.00-set of 4 A few weeks ago, they shipped my order without the felt pieces, or the beltline weatherstripping. They returned many of my original pieces; the only pieces that I noticed missing was that metal bracket and the front and rear beltline weatherstripping pieces (because the box was obviously too small to contain those pieces). They said that they made molds of my pieces for: - door weatherstripping, all 4 doors - beltline weathstripping, all 4 doors So if someone checked with Restoration Specialties for those parts, for a 1974 Monaco 4-door sedan, I'd be interested to see what the response was. your friend in being peeved when original pieces are not returned, arthur
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Post by countrybunker on Sept 19, 2011 11:10:31 GMT -5
Well glad to hear you got some parts.. But thats still shitty.. Im glad they have a few parts.. But Idk if I would want to buy from them now after hearing all of this.
Maybe you'll get another package of parts in another 18 months lol
If I remmember correctly a buddy of mine was telling me that you can still get those hood bumper pieces just about anywhere. Part No. 75-4142-BUM
They were used on almost every car up through the 90's. I remember my old 98 dodge ram had the same pieces for the hood.
-zac
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