Brothers?

[bpmcgee]

Steve,

I appreciate your candid response. My desire to avoid throwing mud around, though, may have led you to a misunderstanding of the real scope of my problem.

1) The other vendors I've been ordering from are GMC Pauls and Mothertruckers. I've had excellent -- BETTER than excellent results from them on the other items that I've ordered.

2) Every time they had to order a part through Brothers, it has taken at LEAST two weeks to get to me. Several times more. These items were all shipped UPS Ground, which (these days) is about 1 week delivery.

3) The big problem I had was a set of seatbelts, ordered through you, that showed up incomplete -- two of the bolts were missing. I JUST got the second of the two bolts -- more than 6 WEEKS after I notified Mothers of the problem. I called him weekly to follow up. Finally I called your customer support. Your agent there, although not willing to say that Ed was lying, DID say that "What Mothers is telling you doesn't match the facts."

4) I understand that it's possible that Wes and Ed are making you the fall guy. Ultimately I don't have any hard evidence. Given 1 and 2, though, it doesn't seem likely.

Thanks,

Brian

[jays68yak]

Well im just starting to buy parts for my suburban. I have bought some parts from the Truck Shop, cuz they have a huge presence at the local swap meets. I was happy with them other then the window cranks.

I ordered some parts from Brothers and then saw this thread. That was about the time that the thread started. I was a bit worried that I might get screwed too, but so far it seems ok. I should get my parts tomorrow, so well see.

[dabeers]

Now I'm confused too. I just got my truck and am just starting to buy stuff too. I like Brothers catalog because it has the best pics and seems to be priced better than my LMC catalog, but I don't know what to do. I'm getting a catalog from Tim Chrisitan and GMC Paul, but it sounds like they get parts from Brothers anyway, so why not just deal directly with Brothers?

[9teen69]

Easy answer: Better customer service from the small guy. I know LMC just wants a catalog number and won't give you any tech answers or advice "just what the item description says, sir!" "do you have a part number"

[BLAZIN'72]

Riveted1, you're right! My bad. After re-reading Steve's post I understand what he was saying. I purchased lots of parts from Brothers, and most of them I got over the counter (without any problems). I have never mail ordered from them. I'm not saying don't order from brothers (if they have what you want and the price is right, go for it) what I am saying is don't wait! There are far to many vendors out there to wait for a product , if they don't have it go somewhere else (and just because someone else had a bad experience dosen't you will) because if you wait to long you might miss your chance! The thing that pi$$ed me of the most is they never called and told me when they found out that G.M. discontinued the part, they had me waiting for a repro part! And becuase I didn't know i was waiting for a repro I waited so long that i might not be able to find one!

[Mixup]

I don't think there is a place where you will have no problems. I have bought from Brothers, and many other places and had no problems. I have bought from GMCPauls and had a problem one time. He did get it straightened out but there was a problem . So everyone is not perfect.

[Steve @ BROTHERS]

Ok, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I do have some answers to problems bpmcgee discussed here regarding BROTHERS drop-shipping for other vendors. Normally, I would have just contacted him directly to discuss, but in this case, they illustrate a point I made earlier in this thread. So, I felt that detailing them here would be helpfull.


After talking to Ed at Mother's and, almost a full day of research here talking with our guys, I have come up with a pretty clear understanding of what bpmcgee experienced.

To start with, he ordered, from Mother's, a pair of complete 3 point seat belts. Mother's had BROTHERS drop-ship them to bpmcgee on 3-31-03 and it was delivered to bpmcgee on 4-08-03. In the kit, there is a bag of hardware that should have contained a pair of bolts that hold the shoulder strap to the roof, they weren't in there (in our defense, we get these seatbelt/hardward kits pre-packaged and sealed from our supplier), never-the-less, this is BROTHERS fault.

On 5-01-03, bpmcgee called Mother's to let him know of the problem. Mother's called BROTHERS and spoke to Jim Genty (BROTHERS General Manager and Wholesale dept head). By Mother's own admission, he misunderstood that bpmcgee needed both bolts and asked Jim to send bpmcgee one bolt, which BROTHERS sent out that same day.

On 5-12-03, Mother's called and spoke to Dale, one of BROTHERS Customer Service reps, and asked Dale to send bpmcgee the other bolt. Finally, bpmcgee has what he ordered 6 weeks ago.


Bottom line here was not to point fingers and make someone or everyone the bad guy, but to illustrate something I mentioned in my original post about the "phone game". I have discussed the content of this post with Ed @ Mother's already and I have his blessing.
So to re-cap - Yeah, BROTHERS sent a hardware kit that was incomplete, and that's screwed, but then the problem was compounded by bad communication on Mother's part. My real point is that this could have easily happened during the original order and not the "make-good" order. Either way, we look like the bumbling fools and become the "fall guy". Additionally, the customer gets unnecessary foul service. No matter how hard we all try, Mother's, Paul's, BROTHERS, Etc... we all eventually make mistakes, some of which can't reasonably be avoided. No matter if the business your dealing with is a big one or a small one, nobody comes to work to make mistakes or enemies, but occasionally we do. All we can do afterwards is do whatever we can to make it right. Unfortunately, it's not always enough once you've messed up to start with, but you've got to try, and that's what we're all doing.


Thanks again for your time and patronage, we truly appreciate it! You guys all have my e-mail and phone number, so e-mail or phone me when necessary, I look forward to hearing from you.

Steve Flanders
BROTHERS
909-808-9790
909-256-3028 direct line
800-977-2767 toll free
steve@brotherstrucks.com

[9teen69]

So ease the pain - make it up to him. Like you said you "bumbled" and your ultimately responsible. Policy should be to take care of the customer with some kind of compensation. Give some credit - some free parts - a smokin deal, h*ll give him your 70 Camaro Z/28 RS

[Chevy Wrench]

So, who's mothers' brother is it anyway?

Sorry, couldnt refuse.......

[old Rusty C10]

id go down there and raise hell id also report them to the better business bureau . if all else failed id sue them

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

bpmcgee, I understand your concern on the missing bolts in the original order and after you called me it might have been my mistake not telling Brothers you were missing both upper bolts, I honestly can't remember if I said bolt or bolts when I called them. All vendors are under the gun to deliver QUALITY parts in a timely fashion to our customers BUT sometimes the companies that make the parts for the vendors screw up and then we get blamed for incomplete orders. A good example I have been waiting on a shipment of GMC grills for 2 months ( they told me 1 week) and finally got them yesterday! GM NOS grills are coming in with bad anodizing on the 69-70's and until they fix the problem i'm the fall guy for my customers who have ordered them. All vendors that care about QUALITY parts for their customers have this problem and with the popularity of these year trucks in the last few years no manafactures were ready to supply the vendors the volume of parts ordered. Believe me when I say 99% of the time when an order gets screwed up it's not the vendors fault. I called GM for tilt column shift levers and asked about availibility 2 years ago and they said over 900 in the warehouse so I ordered 20, A week later I called to order more and they were out of stock and discontinued. Supply & demand? Right now I have a 35,000 dollar custom truck waiting on a simple 400.00 wiring harness ordered 3 weeks ago from the maker before we can even start it, multiply pissed off customer by 100000 then add lots of cussing,ulsers,headaches and tears (it was a birthday present to his wife 2 weeks ago). PLEASE plan your project well in advance to avoid or correct problems that can cause waiting on a back ordered part. MY 2 COMMON PENNIES.

[Steve @ BROTHERS]

Originally posted by 9teen69
So ease the pain - make it up to him. Like you said you "bumbled" and your ultimately responsible. Policy should be to take care of the customer with some kind of compensation. Give some credit - some free parts - a smokin deal, h*ll give him your 70 Camaro Z/28 RS

My post wasn't to place responsibility on someone for the things that happened to bpmcgee. It was merely to point out that communication problems happen and we're not always to blame. It just happened, in this case, BROTHERS and Mother's were both to blame for a number of subsequent errors. As far as "easing the pain", normally we would do something exactly like you suggested, killer deal on next order, free shipping, credit, etc. But in this situation, Ed has told me that he intends on offering bpmcgee a discount on his next order to take care of him and we will compensate Ed accordingly.

Originally posted by old Rusty C10
id go down there and raise hell id also report them to the better business bureau . if all else failed id sue them

What? I'm not sure you meant this reply to go into this thread



Steve Flanders
BROTHERS

(Edited to add signature)

[BubbaGreen]

I will heed the warnings as well....they're plenty of other places that will do all they can to get your business. This place isnt one
of them...THANKS!!!

[Warbones]

Just my opinion. If I go to a restaurant and get a great meal I will continue to go to that restaurant. If I go there enough it's only a matter of time before I have a bad exp. Cold food, something left in that I wanted left out...ect. If the Owner makes it right, would I have a problem going back? No! What would have bothered me is not being respected enough as a customer to be called back by Brothers and told upfront and have explained as to what the situation was. What exactly the hold up is. If that was the case. It's obvious that comunication is crucial in a business. As seen by the seatbelt bolt story. One thing that can help is to restate what the request is . Example: So you need left drivers side tail light. Is that correct???
I have been in customer service for years and we get trained in alot of crazy stuff.

As far as price. I don't look for the cheapest. In fact if I find a place in town that happens to cater to my current hobby. I would pay more just to help do my part to ensure that they stay in business so that on the days I feel the need to go there and get what I need, I can hop in the truck and go. In fact a few places allowed me to simply call them when closed ( within reason ) and they would meet me there and open up and allow me to buy what I needed. I don't focus so much on price as much as I do getting what I expected. I don't care if I pay $7.00 for something or $10.00 if its not as good of quality as what I was expecting then it's all a waste and will end up refunded or in the trashcan or made into a lamp. ( steering wheel ) But you WILL lose my business if not rectified. For the most part as long as your upfront with me then things will end up ok. I don't like the runaround. Never have. Just not my style.

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

If anybody has been on our online catalog the first thing you see is 100% money back including shipping on all our parts including our used parts. Name another vendor that offers this guaranty on QUALITY PARTS! bpmcgee call me toll free 1 866 755 6772 to solve this matter.
ED

[mocwon]

I like their catalog for the part pictures. Their prices are higher than a giraffe's butt and after the problems I see here there is no chance I would buy from them. If you read the fluff in the front of their catalog they are self-professed gurus on these trucks but obviously don't walk the talk and they must know nothing about customer service. This type of attitude is like what you find in a junkyard and who knows maybe that's where the owner/manager came from. One thing is for sure if this is the way they treat their customers we should be able to pick up some parts at really good prices during the going out of business sale.

[moneyguru]

Fairly new member here, don't post much at all normally read alot.
From what I can tell a simple mistake was made, and apologized for. Discounts on future purchases have been offered as a kind gesture from the retailer.

What I don't understand is comments like the one below:

Originally posted by mocwon
I like their catalog for the part pictures. Their prices are higher than a giraffe's butt and after the problems I see here there is no chance I would buy from them. If you read the fluff in the front of their catalog they are self-professed gurus on these trucks but obviously don't walk the talk and they must know nothing about customer service. This type of attitude is like what you find in a junkyard and who knows maybe that's where the owner/manager came from. One thing is for sure if this is the way they treat their customers we should be able to pick up some parts at really good prices during the going out of business sale.

I have talked with Brother's once, and ordered inner and outer rockers for my 67 GMC (GMC's Rock!) when I ordered I was politely informed that one of the rockers was out of stock, and it should be back in stock in about 2 weeks. I asked if they could ship the entire order at one time, to which Brother's said yes, and we won't charge your credit card until we ship.

They were knowledgable, polite, and honest. What more could I have asked for?

Chris

[SCOTI]

I read these posts & it seems to me an honest mistake was made and I agree w/warbones in that if you buy enough stuff, sooner or later you'll have a bad experience. . . .... but, it's the companies customer service that will either drive you away or keep you coming back for more.

As for the accusation of 'not knowing anything about customer service', it would seem Steve @ Brothers is personally trying to right this situation, what more should he do??

[SEVEND2]

Well I purchased a mass amount of Parts for $$$$ from them.
Most they had instore and few items on order. I got a quick call with in 2 weeks from them and 3 days later the parts where at my door from th ones they did not have. A few items they could not get even though the people the get parts from Promised them they whould be in and i did hear the conversation from their supplier too. on a delivery date. well a Month went by and no parts they called me and cave me a substitue part for a discount price off normal.

The only issues i had with there parts was, I bought Inner and outer left and right sides. hmm only like 2 bolt holes on each lined up. I had the fenders about 6 months before i was ready to put them on so i could not return them. So i have to re drill and modify the holes, some where more than 1" off. and the right fender was not pressed right so it sticks like 1/4" out from the door. a local body shop said they can cut and re weld it when i am ready.

Other than that, my experience with them has been really good, and Steve at Brothers has been a great help.

[PICKMUP]

Well said, moneyguru. mocwon's comments were over the top...rude & harsh. Especially for someone who has NO experience with Brother's. Small dealer's cannot keep this industry going without the help, development and discounts from the big companies like Brother's. I am sure glad that they will share so many of their products with us. They could just keep them to sell only direct...at any price.

[mocwon]

You guys are right; I was way out of line with my distasteful and inappropriate comments on this topic. My sincerest apologies to the board members and especially to Steve at Brother's. I was stiffed several times from parts companies when I was restoring my Mustang and this struck a cord very close to home with me having been through similar circumstances. I should have chosen my words more carefully or just kept my mouth shut.
Again, my apologies to all. Greg

[FILICE72C10]

sorry about the post guys, i wrote it and submitted it after I read the rest of the posts.

my bad

[Ron]

I have been building trucks for 30 years or so. Early Classic Enterprise is where I go. Excellent quality and service. I have tried the others but always end up with ECE.

[Ron]

I have built trucks for 30 years or so. I have delt with all the vendors. Early Classic Enterprise has the best service and highest quality parts that you can get. I am 100% pleased with them.

[spinning wheels]

I guess I'll add my 2 cents worth. I lived in Corona for 10 years and I have purchased items from Brothers. Their prices are fair, sometimes they are a few dollars more. Other times they were a few dollars less, than their competition. They put on events that promote our old GMC and Chevy trucks, which is always a good thing. I have to give them a thumbs up. They may not be perfect, but then who is.
That's just MHO.