poncho9789

I called summit and ordered a set of plugs for my edelbrock heads. The stupid tec guys gave me the wrong plugs and caused me a missfire (plugs too short and not going into the combustion chamber) that I have been trying to track down for a week now. I have had many problems with them before and I am tired of their tec guys not knowing theyr bum from a hole in the ground. I am sory I just had to vent.

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89 GTA w/700r4w/stage 2 shift kit,2800 converter, corvette servo, B&M mega shifter, TPIS bigmouth intake, TPIS large tube runners, TPIS 52mm throttle body, Ported Edelbrock centerbolt heads,Accell 30# injectors,holly afpr,GMPP LT4 hotcam,CompCams Pro magnum roller rockers,Edelbrock headers, flowmaster crossflow muffler,MSD 6A, accell coil,150 shot NOS. The new engine is in but I am still having some small problems.

Omar

Summit and Jegs are great if you KNOW what you want already. Most of those people are just sales people. If you go online, ask others local to you, investigate and do your homework, you should never have problems with those online ordering companies other than them actually sending the wrong product you requested, it being out of stock, or getting lost in transit.

NEVER use them to tell you what you need. They simply do not know most of the time.

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1989 IROC-Z 5.7L
NOS 5151 150HP kit
ProBuilt 700R4, PI Vigilante 2800 stall lockup
Baer Brakes 12" Sport System

poncho9789

I have never had a problem with JEGS telling me incorect information just summit.

Z28 Boy

luckily i havent had any problems with either jegs or summit and i have placed a few grand in orders.

BUT..i usually know what i need 99% of the time.

reasearch it first, and if possible call the manufacturer's tech line. that way you will be sure to get the right stuff the first time.

-brian

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1991 Camaro RS
GMPP 350 HO crate engine - 454 TBI, MSD ignition, SLP exhaust, everything is new
700R4 - 2,400 stall converter, vette servo, shift kit
My car's webpage - z28boy.cz28.com
President - Central New York F-Body Association
Email - z28boy@twcny.rr.com
AIM - "Z28 Boy"

dchaught

The Summit tech guys are usually pretty good about knowing their stuff. I will admit there are a few guys there that really aren't the best, but the majority of them are pretty knowledgable. If you are strictly looking for tech stuff, make sure that you call the toll number (330-630-0240.), cuz the toll free number is just the sales department, and while they know their stuff too, they are sometimes in a little bit of a rush, and can overlook stuff.

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

I've always had good luck with getting the right parts when I order from Summit. The biggest complaint I have about them is the fact that you spend up to a half hour or longer on ignore when you call them on the phone. That's after you call about 15 times in a row only to receive a busy signal. I can't believe that a company that makes that much money can't expand their telephone lines and hire more sales people to handle their customer volume.

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89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Come on now guys, lets be realistic.

Yes it sucks when you order something on someone elses recommendation and its less than you expected.

Yes it would be nice if every company knew everythign about every car they deal with.

Yes it would be nice if call ques worked as they're designed.

Now for the cruel facts of life.

If you don't know what parts you need to make your combination work, then YOU should find out. You can't expect a company that deals with so many platforms to know yours inside and out. I know personally that I've been playing with these cars since 1995. I still don't know everythign inside and out but I give it my best shot and I keep learning. I don't expect anyone else to know as much as I do, I don't expect them to be able to know what I need. When you sit down and decide to customize a car you better know what you're doing, or you better be able to handle the down time and problems associated with what you're doing.

On to the call ques. The way a phone system operates is rather simple. A call comes into a que, the que looks for an open line to send the call thru. If a line isn't open, the call is put on hold till a line opens. When you the caller gets in this position you can do one of two things. Either stay on the line and it'll put you thru when a line opens, or you can hang up and call again. If you hang up and call again you basically start from scratch behind everyone else thats already in que. When the que is full it won't accept any more incoming calls. Then you get the busy signal. This is really for your benefit. Would you rather sit in a que for 3 hours or get a busy signal and call back later? Every company that deals with over the phone transactions and support has a phone system like this, some operate differently in how many calls they can hold in que, some give you notices that it will be X number of minutes till your call with be answered, etc. Thats life.

What can you do about it?

Well here are a few suggestions...

1. Be happy there is anyone dealing in the parts you need in the first place.

2. Be happy they provide some form of technical support however menial it may be.

3. Direct constructive criticism to the correct authorities. i.e. quit bitching online and send a letter (without fowl language) to Summit suggesting how you would like their service to change.

4. Adjust your activities to meet your needs. i.e. call at odd hours when dealing with a 24 hour line. After 5pm EST and before 9pm PST isn't the best time to try to order something from a busy company. Try calling during the day, probably not on a lunch hour. Or call after 9pm PST.

5. If you don't like how someone else is doing something that you're capable of doing, do it yourself.

I've had great experiances with summit. Their prices are reasonable, the parts are always as advertised, shipping is prompt and reasonably priced, their inventory is more than satisfactory, etc etc etc.

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Drew
predatorman@hotmail.com
83 Camaro 5.0L *1995-98*
87 Iroc 5.7L
91 Formula 5.7L 14.3@98mph
91 RS Convertible 5.0L
91 Firebird 3.1L 17.00@82mph *Gtech*
92 S10 2.8L
98 Grand Am GT 3100
Parts for sale

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Go here:

http://www.summitracing.com/customer...cs_02index.htm

Find where it says "Speak out! Provide feedback about our web site, or write to us with suggestions or problems."
Click on the "provide feedback" link and type your comments there. I'm sure they'd rather hear it from you then to see it here.

Is it just me or do I remember Summit giving thirdgen.org members a 10% off discount for a period of time a while back for our loyalty and kind comments regarding their service? Cause I mean cutting prices for us because we buy from them sure sounds like they're a company that sucks. *sarcasm*

poncho9789

Drew this forum is exactly what I used it for, if you don't like it don't repily. I was "bitching" (as you put it) becuz I have the rite to. I was calling the company that sold my friend the heads to find out what plugs edelbrock recomended to be used in the head. This is information they should have had right in front of him(correct info). I called jegs to conferm the error and they told me the plug that summit had sold me was the wrong one. Seeing as how they sell the product that I was interested in, in fact a product they had previously sold to my friend. I called the tec line that should be knolgeable in the products they sell if they arn't hiring knolgeable people to answer tec questions I have no use for that company.

P.S. I will complain about a company or a product if I want to if you don't like it don't read my post or don't respond.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

You can complain all you want, and I can hype the company all I want. We're in agreement on that. But what I'm saying is that if you want to improve the situation you need to take appropriate actions. What you're suggesting is that the company sucks because of one incorrect judgement. What I'm saying is that one sale to one person of $8 worth of spark plugs doesn't work as an accurate guage of the company. Any company out there is going to make mistakes, humans are imperfect beings. The trick is to learn from the mistake, and if you don't let them know they screwed up, you're just contributing to the problem.

I look at your post the same way I'm sure other people have looked at your post, and I know I wont hesitate to order from Summit in the future, but I know that I'm not going to order a part unless I really need it.

RICH92RS350

I've ordered about $5,000 worth of stuff from Summit this year, and have been very satisfied.If you don't know the part number of what you're looking for,talk to one of the technical guys before ordering from sales.
Made the mistake a long time ago (5 years) of getting a PN from a sales guy and he screwed it up.
As long as you know the part#, Summit is great.
-Rich-

David 91RS/Z28

Most cylinder heads come with some instructions on what gaskets, plugs, etc., to use. My AFR's did! Hell, it's even on there website. Did yours not come with any information like this at all? If not, I think I'd call the Manufacture and try to get some details on the parts you purchased as they WILL know what plugs you should be running. Like Drew mentioned earlier, these big distributers deal with many many different applications and they made a mistake on which plug to use on your heads. If you would have called the Manufacture in the first place or looked on the supplied instruction sheet, you would have been told the exact part # needed for your application and then call Summit to order them. I've also dealt with Summit for many years, and have never had a problem, because 99% of the time I know what I need and just order with the part #.

It's funny....I usually could give a rats bum about people bashing on companies and normally I don't even read the messages because most of the time it is for stupid stuff like this. I must be bored!!

Flash84Z28

So much for another 10% dicount.... . Thanks Drew. $8 worth of spark plugs that you diden't research is not bad customer service....it is the result of either you giving him/her incorrect info, s/he heard you wrong, or doesen't know everything about the hundreds of models of cars they deal with. I'm starting to go on a rant so I'll stop myself here...

-Matt

Js92RS

Summit is a great place to order from if you already know what you need. I always do an extensive research of what I need before I place my order so I can cross reference the part #'s. I have been very happy with their service, I always receive my orders within 2 days and they are always the right parts.

mtccl

I love how these moderators on this board come to the immediate defense of the large companies and talk down to the members of these boards. He's right you should know what you are ordering, but I know your $8.00 purchase was as important to you as someone elses $1000 purchase and should be treated as such. Also, this is exactly the place to vent rather than over the phone with a customer service rep making $5.00 an hour.

Acceld Z

Double post

Acceld Z

This has been occurring more and more lately. I realise that the mods volunteer their time but if you can't moderate a post without insulting, mocking, or just being a complete bastard, you should not be a mod........and what the hell is with mods making a final insulting remark before locking a post? That's just immature.

mtccl

Well put my Canadian friend. I guess when you get North of the border people get normal again. It's just that space between the Mason Dixon and you that troubles me.

Karps TA

iTrader: (2)

Why would we not come to the defense of a company that has treated us well? In my case I'm trying to present the other side of the story. People from this site probably order from Summit everyday with no problems, but never post about their great experieince with the company. But one person gets the wrong spark plugs and posts about how bad the company sucks. How fair is that??

As moderators we try to follow the rules of the board. Yes sometimes we try to have some fun, when we lock threads, but usually the threads are out of control already which is why we lock them. I admit I've made some bad judgements in repsonses, but for the most part I stay behind the scenes and am very liberal with allowing topics to stay open. Usually the only time I will close a topic is if someone complains about it.

poncho9789

The reason I posted that two months ago was I have had many problems with them over the years. Many times I have gotten people on the phone that had badd attutdes. I have had problems with the tech department many times but I kept going back. I have seen my friends get the wrong parts that they didn't order. Hell one of the tech guys told my best friend that a all shifters and shifter handles were universal. I did call the tech department to get the correct number for the sparkplugs from the heads. I didn't buy the heads my friend did and he lost all his paper work I didn't have the time to wait for a repily from edelbrock (up to a week for email or two hours on hold on the phone long distance) so I called were the heads were purchased from to get the correct answer from them. I called the tech department and told them I needed to buy the ngk sparkplugs for a set of edelbrock 6085 heads and I didn't know the part number. The guy told me what the plug numbers were and I told him to order them for me. I even asked the guy if the numbers were correct and he told me they were. I am no longer mad or anything I will just nolonger order parts from summit. I have always had good luck with Jegs and will do all of my future purchasing from them. I am sorry if some of you get your feelings hurt becouse I dissed your favorite company but that is the way I feel. I am not trying to discourage you guys that love summit from ordering from them. I was just listing my own personal statment for all to see. I have spent over $6000 dollars at Jegs and never had a problem with a bad attitude on the phone or gottn the wrong part.

jtmiller92

iTrader: (42)

people have been complaining about aftermarket/performance companys alot lately,but i bet if they were to go out of business for one reason or another the next complaint would be that there isn't anywhere to buy the parts you want....and on a side note the more companys out there the more compeitive the prices will be wich is good for us poor folk.........

syxx

I had great luck with Summit, but i knew what i wanted and got it.. It worked great, but like I said I knew exactly what i wanted..

Yvonne

Summit and Jegs have been reliable for us. We know what we need and are frequent shoppers.

Jza

Their tech guys know their stuff most of the time. The sales guys don't.

Yvonne

I used to work for Sears Hardware before full-time employment with Art's Houser's Rear End Service. Believe me, I was not amused to be surrounded by a clueless sales force (although a few knew their stuff), and calling the parts line required knowledge up front. For those of you who hate the Sears Part Line, I recommend that when the order assistant takes your call, immediately ask for The Product Technician. Have a manual in your hand. If you have to, get a sales clerk from your local Sears to call on your behalf. I never let a customer walk away disappointed if at all possible. My success rate is excellent, and I am very resourceful. HONESTY is important too. There should be a law against morons who represent a business and intentionally give false information. You know the kind - when you ask a specific question, they give you the answer they think you want to hear! I would intentionally slip a question or two like that to see if I could trust the person...

Customers have a responsibility to know something about the car (or other product) in question. The company rep talking to the customer has a responsibility to do his/her best to answer honestly and clearly. If he/she doesn't know, get someone who does. If not enough information is provided, ask. Sometimes I have customers who think I am a know-nothing female for asking, but at least I know the customer gets what he wants. When the vehicle is at the shop, it takes most guessing away. Talking to someone by phone or online requires more effort.

super83Z

I agree with Yvonne. A place like Summit is not like a car mechanic you can't just drop off your car and pick it up the next day and wham its all set. You have to know what you are talking about as well. Most of us here know alot about Camaro's and firebird's, so what if you are talking to someone that is an import enthusiast he might not have all the answers that you want or even know what you are talking about.

Also nice job making fun of a moderator that is a good way to get booted. If you don't like what a mod has to say then maybe you shouldn't post here. because here they are boss. I don't know about anyone else but I have a feeling when I am typing something whether or not it will have an impact on whether a moderator is going to say something about what I said, there is just a way to stay out of their way and still speak your mind.


Oh and I personally wouldn't deal with Jeg's if Summit went out of buisness. I take all of Jeg's part numbers in their catalog and use them when I call Summit. I have had WAY too many rude people on the phone at Jeg's.

mcconahay37

iTrader: (3)

To the guy that had problems. Did you try to exchange for the right ones from summit? They're REAL *** about taking returns. I had an adjutable vacume advance that was broken when i got it, and they let me return it 4 months later without a problem. THey covered shipping the new one out to me also. Of course, I always have the part number I need.