Audio-Extremes....*long*

[BlueNWhiteTA]

First of all, before anyone reads the review:

I know that this may very well piss some people off, especially Neil Barber and anyone associated with him. For that, I apologize. I did not write this with the intent of flaming anybody and/or offending anyone. This forum is for posting reviews of shops, and I am simply posting my personal experience. I realize many of the people in this group haven't met me. The people on here that do know me, can vouch for my story. I have multiple witnesses to what went on. So if you don't believe my story, because it IS hard to believe....especially with all the trophies that Audio Extremes has to show for their work (you probably have little reason to believe me, since I am not as active nor as frequent a member as Neil is), you can ask your friends that DO know me what happened.





Well, I'll give you the shortest story I can. Needless to say, I'm a bit pissed off. This may be just my bad experience...I dunno, maybe he didn't like me or something? Anyway, a few months back, I purchased a brand new Eclipse AVN2454 2din navigation unit for my Infiniti QX4. I installed it myself, and then 2 days later I totaled the car. Nuff said. None of that had to do with Audio-Extremes. I bought it from a different vendor. Took the navi out, and put it back in the box, trying to sell it for the past 5 months. I got a 2002 Grand Cherokee, and I needed some custom dash work done to install the unit. Then my brother (shock6791) recommended me to Audio Extremes (contact: Neil Barber).

I called him up, and he quoted me a price. He said at first it was going to be around $250. I was fine with that. Then he figured out that the unit was all-in-one, with no brain, and he said it would be about $160. I was like :D DAYUM. Even at that quote, I still expected it to come out at around $250 with parts and all that. Anyway, I brought my car there, and right off the bat I didn't feel right or comfortable about the deal. He didn't seem like he cared about anything I was saying. My buddy was there, and he felt the same way. He kept saying well I *might* be able to do this or that. He even went so far as to say "yeah I could use this, but it wouldn't look very good." I wanted a stock look, so I asked him if he could use the stock trim piece (aluminum), and he said yes. Usually when you do custom work with somebody, there is some type of design process, and you guys go over things...ie: what you want it to look like, where you want it mounted, how, etc, etc. None of that. Maybe 3 minutes of discussion, and that was it. I kept asking questions and kept getting brief answers. I pretty much gave up, and decided to trust the recommendation. Although I was somewhat hesitant, I trusted my brother, and I trusted even more the fact that he was here on TMCA, so I gave him my keys, and left.

Five hours after dropping off my car (possibly less, but this is when I got the voice mail), I'm informed that its installed, and I can come pick it up. I was running late, so I got there as he was closing. I arrived, and all looked surprisingly well at a first glance, so I was satisfied, and paid him the money. Many of you will say "well that's where you went wrong." Maybe I made the mistake of not paying close enough attention at the time (although I did notice the rough cuts on the aluminum mentioned later in this review in which I told my friend I would fix when I got back to St. Louis), but nobody is going to sit there and undo all the work that was just done to see if he did a good job (which is what I eventually had to do). When he gave me my keys, he made sure to tell me to be careful not to push the buttons too hard, because this might cause the screen not to open. Thinking that this was some problem with the head unit that he knew about or something, I said I would be careful (I didn't want to break my navi!). He also said that he had used a jeep dash kit (single din), and cut it to fit the unit (there are some curves and openings that needed filling, and the dash kit did exactly that). All seemed well. I drove home, hardly using it because there was little traffic time for me to play with it, and because for some reason, the navi/dvd functions wouldn't work, whether I was in park, drive, e-brake on, off, etc (revealed later). I listened to a CD and just left it alone, figuring it was some setting that I could fuck with in the morning...and went home to my bro's.

I'm driving into my bro's driveway , and I guess I must have hit one of the buttons too hard, because the screen no longer opened. It would go about a mm, stop, and go back. I'm thinking oh great, I broke my navi....just what I need. NOT THE SITUATION AT ALL! I pull the trim piece off (mind you I've done this many times before with this vehicle so I know I did not break anything), and the unit practically falls out of the hole. What's it anchored to? NOTHING. THE UNIT IS *SITTING* IN MY DASH. Basically if I had floored my car, it probably would have fallen out.

On closer inspection, the trim piece was HORRIBLY machined. So horrible, in fact, that I went out immediately after, and bought a dremel tool to fix it myself. The cuts weren't even large enough to fit the unit through the hole. The vertical cuts in the aluminum were not even at 90 degree angles, nor were they smooth. They were crooked (not even crooked in the same direction...both just plain crooked) and rough. Rough like if you took a cutting wheel and cut it, and just left it like that. No polishing, no buffing, just a rough jagged cut that looked good at 6 when I thought I'd gotten my money's worth. Since part of the piece is plastic, I'm assuming that he just kind of bent it around the unit and wedged it back in the dash, which would explain why the piece was also broken (I glued it back together with plastic epoxy). I spent a good 2 hours machining the aluminum (the cuts weren't even CLOSE to straight!) and shaving down the plastic piece, just so the damn unit would fit through the hole. I went back to the car, and also noticed that the foam lining that fills the space between the duct and the air vents to insulate them and help keep the air from leaking into the dash was ripped, and because of that, my passenger air vent barely flowed. After I spent over 6 hours of my own time FIXING the damage that was done, which was MORE than what he spent originally doing it (I didn't have anything to fix the air vent with so it's still barely flowing), I worked the unit and the trim piece back into place.
I hooked up the harnesses. After powering on the unit, IN PARK, I could not use the navigation. I could not use the DVD player. I could not enter destinations. I basically couldn't do anything but listen to the radio. I put the emergency brake on. No luck. So, naturally, I took the unit and the trim piece back out of the dash. What did I find? THE DAMN HARNESSES AREN'T EVEN WIRED CORRECTLY! I asked him specifically if those functions were wired correctly before I left, and he informed me that they were. NOOO they definitely weren't! By this time, you can only imagine how pissed off I am. I re-wired the harness so that all the functions worked. By this time it was already 2:00a.m., and I hadn't even packed my shit. I went to my place, and packed it all up, and brought it over to my bro's. I finally finished everything at a bright and early 5:30a.m. So much for my good night's sleep for my drive the next day.....

At 11:00 a.m. , I set out for St. Louis for the summer with all my stuff. My cell was dead before I left, so I couldn't call on the way, and I had to unpack my things when I got here, so I didn't have time to call for the first 2 days. The third day back, I called the shop. Rang forever, nobody picked up. Did the same thing twice more the next day (May 3rd). May 4th I called twice, no answer. Didn't have time to call today because I had to move my gf out of her place, but I plan on calling tomorrow. Hopefully then I will get his answering machine so I can leave a message. I will also PM him on here shortly after posting this. Maybe sometime I'll get a reply.


I apologize that it was so long, but I really needed to vent. I didn't go and spend $1895 on a navigation unit to have it so horribly installed in my car. If I had known that I was going to get ripped off so bad (granted it wasn't that much money....but I figured hey, if I can get it done professionally for cheap, they can probably do it better than me) I would have done it myself and not bothered. After all, I had to FIX all of their shitty work, from wiring to modification....basically all they did right was run the wire for the GPS antenna (which by the way, I still can't find where the damn thing leads to.......) and I had to fix the rest of the install myself. On top of everything, he cut much of the remaining plastic out of the interior of the dash, so there was really not very much for me to anchor the unit to. As I've been on on a tight schedule since I got home, I have not had time to machine the brackets to mount the unit into the dash securely. So its still just *sitting* there. You can be the judge....but I doubt that ANYBODY would spend that much money, and put their investment in the hands of a professional, who even warrants his work "FOR LIFE," knowing that their investment could come flying out of the dash under many different circumstances. :(

I got ripped off, and I want a fucking refund.

http://www.fastlouis.com/forums/images/smiles/rippedhand.gif

[TurboL67]

Wow, these people will be staying far away from my car.

I sure hope he has no problem giving you your money back.

[Bullhead00]

Wow man. That really sucks and I hope it's made right.

[sstony]

:blink:

[Osceola16]

That friggin blows. Make em give you your money back.

[fatkid]

Shoulda hit up Stereo Sales. Sux though, hope you get your money back.

[flyingshitbox]

I check my caller ID and return calls to even the people who don't leave a messgae every time I return to the store. Based on what has been said here and I have wrongly been accused of I will not give you any kind of refund.

The unit and all it's accessories including the Back up cable and speed sensor were connected just as stated from Eclipse. Yours is not the first unit I have installed. All material that was removed fomr the inside of the dash was done so to fit your 2 DIN radio into a 1.5DIN opening. I only removed material on the bottom as to keep your panel as "factory" as possiable as you asked. The "gasket" that was torn for you AC vents only tore 1/4 of an inch in one spot that I could not get to come off to prevent snagging it with my die grinder and riping the entire gasket off while triming the ABS in the dash for the radio to fit.You took the vehicle for about 20 minutes to an ATM and still approved the installation upon your return and paid for the intstall. Still a happy camper. I was not contacted later that day or the next.

I was also not given a chance to fix all that was "wrong" with your "horrable" install. I believe my install was about 1/2 the price of the next place you called. Price was your number one concern when you called me. Your install was complete and I have pics of it on my digi for anyone who would like to the the "shitty" work.

Lastly I'm amazed at how some people on there I have met and know would automatically condim me and jump on your bandwagon without being party to seeing the install or hearing a response form me.


NeillBarber

[TurboL67]

hmm.. :nono:

[flyingshitbox]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/paintballcrazedjunkie/S4010166.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/paintballcrazedjunkie/S4010165.jpg


NeillBarber

[TurboL67]

those pics show nothing related to his problems with the install..

[flyingshitbox]

NOTE: The pics have been posted to address the poor fitment comments only.


Hope thats better.


NeillBarber

[redmach1]

People make mistakes. I do from time to time and the only thing I can ask a customer to do is to let me know when a mistake is made. I stand behind everything that I do. It sounds to me, however unfortunate, that maybe some mistakes were made. The problem is, Neil was not allowed to stand behind his work before being bashed. Shitty situation for both sides.

[BlueNWhiteTA]

People make mistakes. I do from time to time and the only thing I can ask a customer to do is to let me know when a mistake is made. I stand behind everything that I do. It sounds to me, however unfortunate, that maybe some mistakes were made. The problem is, Neil was not allowed to stand behind his work before being bashed. Shitty situation for both sides.

I attempted to call him numerous times. I was not even able to leave a voice mail (not blaming this on him or myself; sometimes that sort of thing happens). After repeated attempts, I felt that my only outlet was to PM him here, and voice my opinions. Mistakes and cover-ups are two very disctinctly different things. Its one thing to make a mistake, and attempt to right it any way you can. Its definitely another thing to blame the customer for your mistakes, or you inability to right those mistakes. I'm sorry, but that's not very good business ethics. Tell me, people, is there anyone here that would not immediately attempt to fix something that was done wrong on your car? My brother, for one example, got a clutch installed by somebody else, in another city, and ended up blowing it out (which many of you witnessed). Was he wrong for buying a perfomance clutch, and turning his car over to a professional business that specializes in installing clutches? Would he be wrong for taking his transmission apart to see what the problem was? I think that scenario speaks for itself.

[flyingshitbox]

As I asked you on the phone. Did your brother call the trans shop in Miami and ask them for the money back for the clutch install labor? SHould they have refunded his money or did they do a bad job because he broke the clutch AT A TRACK? Dosen't even apply. Second if your brother broke his clutch at Moroso he could have had the car towed back to the shop and had it checked out and possibly repaired for FREE. As you could have if you were still here.


I have spoken to Ross on the phone and offered to help satisify him in the only way I will. He will update this thread if he is happy.


NeillBarber

Side note. The Horrible wiring-the parking brake wire (which by law is to be connected to the parking brake) was connected to a 12v+ trigger to bypass this feature(as requested). Eclipe uses the 12v-. I was unaware as other manufacturers that we repeatably install use a 12v+. The parking brake wire for those that do not know allows the user to view video only while the vehicle is not moving. Conclusion one wire was wrong. My fault.

[RACER1269]

i say burn him at the stake :wicked:

well im not taking sides here.... but i do see in the retail area that ppl tend to jump the gun and blame the store for things that happen. it sucks when you try to "hook " ppl up and all it does is bite you in the ass.... been there done that. hopefully the customer gets what he thinks is fair and right. Neil you alwyas seem like a good guy to me maybe you should try to communicate a little better. he seems to think he was getting more than he did.... not saying he paid for a shitty install but he seems to expected a 2din setup to fit oem in a 1.5 din hole. i dunno what to say .....

why didnt the customer sell the system and buy the one that fits his truck. seem to have been the best choice?

[BlueNWhiteTA]

Well after a long debate with a lot of people (and myself), as I posted it sat in my house for about 5 months....I decided that it would be cheaper to have this installed into my jeep rather than trying to sell it. I looked at the running price for selling units like this, and I figured that I'd probably lose more money by selling it than actually paying to have it custom fit. Trust me I looked into the jeep navi systems, the Pioneer AVIC-N1....all that stuff. And for a while, that's what I really wanted. I just couldn't afford to take the loss that I would have incurred by selling the unit, then buying another unit at around the same price.

[shock6791]

As I asked you on the phone. Did your brother call the trans shop in Miami and ask them for the money back for the clutch install labor? SHould they have refunded his money or did they do a bad job because he broke the clutch AT A TRACK? Dosen't even apply.


My car broke at Valdosta, unfortunately. I really do not expect a refund on the install because it was the clutch. THe thing was horrible from the moment I got it installed. After it was broken in, it was slipping on hard shifts in 2nd and 3rd gear. I gave it a few hundred more miles and it would slip more and more as I drove it hard. It was my mistake because I bought a cheap clutch from a reputable manufacturer. But, I have my spec clutch that is going in today 8)

[ZBrewha863]

I've done business with Neil before and you seem like a pretty honest guy, I don't think that you would intentionally screw this guy on the install.

I've also done a lot of business with Stereo Sales and the only thing I hear from them about Neil is how much of a genius he is at car audio -- so I don't think that he really would've done that shitty of a job.

I bought a factory renewed Rockford amp from Neil, and the thing was fucked up the second we hooked it up. He sent the amp back to Rockford (he paid shipping) and gave me a similar amp to ride around with for a week until the amp I bought was back from Rockford. When they sent it back it was still fucked up (something completely different that time), so I called Neil to see what was going on -- he talked to Rockford and got them to replace the entire board (so basically a brand new amp), and then let me use his tools (and like 5 fuses that he gave me for free) to do the install.

So basically, Neil you're a great guy, thanks for the help. I just wanted to show everybody that Neil doesn't fuck people on business, this is just a mistake. So don't be afraid to go to Audio Extremes, he did a great job of hooking me up when I he didn't even know me, he's got the trophies to prove he knows what he's doing, and he's got a great reputation with everybody in Tallahassee.

Good luck with whatever happens with this deal, I know you'll make it right.

[IUP99snake]

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG, PLEASE READ:
Having been working at a mobile electronics retailer (and an eclipse dealer) for 2 years now, and reading this, i can side and disagree with both of you.

First of all, Neil, holy shit!! you put a double-din in a 1.5 din. Thats opening up a can of worms that wouldnt be worth the cash in my opinion. Im not sure about how other shops feel about installing stuff that hasnt been sold from them, but I hate it. Maybe I sell and install enough to where I dont need to scrounge around for goofy jobs like that. They suck because if you damage some of THEIR equipment that hasnt come from your store, you probably have to eat it and buy them new stuff, or pay for it to get fixed. Whereas, if if came from your store and you screw up, you can always get an RA# and get it replaced for free.

Ill be brutally honest, i wouldnt have even done it. I would have let my comptetitor a few blocks down the road deal with all those problems.

Shops do make mistakes all the time, and most of them are so insignificant that no one even notices... but when we make mistakes that are expensive, we never try and hide them, and make the customer feel like they are taken care of, while we fix the problem.

A good installer should pay the same if not more attention to what the head unit and the wiring looks like behind the dash, versus asthetics and fitment. A head unit's motorized face should function properly and not move. The wires behind the head unit should be soldered and taped in a fashion that makes them look similar to factory harnesses.

Ive installed many motorized double-din kenwood and eclipse units, and sometimes they do require lots of custom work to get to fit in non-japaneese vehicles. Ive cut up corvettes, mustangs (with the double din opening) and ford trucks to get these to fit. Sometimes, the face does get in the way, but you HAVE to idiot test them, and pour salt right in your wounds, before the customer gets his hands on it, because if you dont check it, they'll fuck it up.

As for you.... the customer. Why did you mess with it? First of all, why did you get a car knowing that you had invested 1800 on a double din that WOULDNT FIT IN A JEEP!!! You just threw out all of the shop's intentions to help you and make it right for you. When customers come back and complain to me, I let them tell me everything they think is wrong with it, because they arent happy for a reason. When they come back and have messed with shit, how am I supposed to know how or what or who caused the problem? I would have put it back together exactly as it was when it was installed, then disassembled it in front of the installer, pointing out everything you werent happy with.

While the shop might have done a sub-par job in the install, and you might not be happy with it, you should have gone to them first. I know it sucks having your car worked on and getting screwed up, but they didnt do it on purpose.. I promise. No shop will ever do a shitty job on purpose. They have too much to lose.

Trust me man, i feel for ya!! Ive been burned by shops too. Ask some of the guys, they are probably tired of hearing me bitch about a $16,000 coolant-fill mistake that happened to my brand new forged blower motor in my cobra. I gave the shop an opportunity to fix it before I went public, but they kicked me to the curb. So, i sued their asses.

-Homer

[ZBrewha863]

^^Well before any lawsuits arise from this, you're right in that he should've taken it back to the shop first. Sorry about the situation bro, but if you don't do that it's really hard to convince the shop later that all this stuff was wrong when you never showed them, and now live halfway across the country.

[BlueNWhiteTA]

Not to open up another can of worms...its been a year....but I didn't buy the unit for the Jeep. I bought it for my Infiniti, and installed it myself. Then my car got totalled. So I was stuck with the unit in my closet for 5 months until I finally decided to install it in my Jeep. I was tired of spending all my money on something I really wanted and not being able to use it. I wanted to have it done before my trip home for the summer. I would have done it myself but didn't have the time, that's why I took it there. I absolutely agree I should have taken it to the shop, but driving an hour out to his shop to have him fix a crappy job when I probably should have just done it myself in the first place wasn't worth it. I wanted my money back, and that was obviously not possible. He offered me some kind of discount or something after the whole ordeal, but I didn't want to do any more business with him, so I just dropped it and forgot about it. What really made me open this back up was that I kept getting REALLY crappy reception on the GPS. I figured he installed the antenna up on the top of the dash, and maybe the windshield was interfering (I couldn't see it outside on the roof anywhere or anything). Nope. The antenna was UNDER the unit...still coiled up with a twist tie. That was a month ago I found this out. I had been dealing with crappy reception for a year, blaming it on the unit, when in reality, again its linked back to the instal. You just have to ask yourself...what was actually done that I paid $260 for? I rerouted the antenna up to the roof in less than 30 minutes. I left my car there for 9 hours, and the antenna, a crucial part of a GPS receiver, was not even installed. Smart.

[slowLX]

We install that unit almost daily and our customers are made happy if there was any kind of problems as fast as we possibly can, but more importantly those kinds of problems are eliminated before they can happen. Some people take pride in what they do and others don't. Customer service is one thing, but how about the initial quality of work, that's the real divider.

[BlueNWhiteTA]

We install that unit almost daily and our customers are made happy if there was any kind of problems as fast as we possibly can, but more importantly those kinds of problems are eliminated before they can happen. Some people take pride in what they do and others don't. Customer service is one thing, but how about the initial quality of work, that's the real divider.

Exactly. That's what I was trying to say initially. You don't run your business by hiding behind clauses and disclaimers and false accusations. You run a business by being honest and doing the job right. Next time I'll come to you.

[flyingshitbox]

Wow. I was called and told about this.

Your GPS antenna was originally installed in the defroster vent and very well hidden. After you reomved the unit yourself I can see where it might have gotten shifted around. The remainder of the wire would have been coiled and wrapped up to be properly hidden away as well.

2 Local dealers here have switched their business to us based on the quility of work and follow up care I provide. We install all of their navigation and video without any problems or failure to this point.

You and I spoke extensively and came to an amacable agreement almost a year ago. You have to this point not chosen to take advantage of our agreement.

Please read IUP99snake's post above for a view from a retailers side.

50 cars can come through and never have a problem then you get one that kicks you square in the nuts. The difference with those cars is the customer. Some customers understand this and give the shop and individual a chance to fix it some don't and fly off the handle which is what you did. I was never orignally given ANY oppertunity to check, diagnose, or fix any problems you had. You made the board aware of your thoughts before myself.




NeillBarber
229-227-5707

[BlueNWhiteTA]

I read IUP99Snake's post, and I understand where HE is coming from. He has good customer service and gives the customer the benefit of the doubt, not himself.

As far as responding to your post?

LOL.

That's all I have to say.

[NotoriousGreaseMonkey]

There are 2 sides to every story. I dont think Neil should be judged by one problematic job. I am taking my truck to Neil after talking to him and a few others who have delt with him. And for those of you who know me my truck is my babie. As far as this complaint (that was started a year ago I might add) I feel that Neil did offer a resolution and the "customer" who is NOT always right never took him up on it. I feel that this thread should be locked before it becomes a pissing match.. Just My .02

[BlueNWhiteTA]

I agree it should probably be locked. Just ask yourself this question. If you got screwed, would you spend more money with the same guy to resolve it?

[IUP99snake]

dont lock this thread. its not a flame war, but a legitimate debate discussing both sides of a very common issue.

the issue is: a shop vs. the consumer. regardless of how long this specific issue happened ago, this general problem happens all the time, and I think it should be debated.

-Homer

[flyingshitbox]

Don't see what there is to debate.

A customer was not happy with his install. I WAS NOT given an oppertunity to fix it. Bottom line. I can get questioned all day, but the fact remains I was not allowed to investigate, diagnose, or correct any "problems" mentioned.

They are to this point rumor and hearsay.

An offer was made to the custome to make him "feel better" he has never chosen to take advantage of it.

---You take your car in to get a brake job. They squeak. You take your front end apart in the driveway to investigate. At this point you can not put it back together yourself. Youh have to pay a tow truck to come get it. Do you at this point call the mechanic and say "I think there a problem with the pads you installed, and I want my money back for the tow truck!" ? I think not.---


NeillBarber

[tibster]

^ Post a intro dirtyblackhoe. :scratch:

[dirtyblackhoe]

---You take your car in to get a brake job. They squeak. You take your front end apart in the driveway to investigate. At this point you can not put it back together yourself. Youh have to pay a tow truck to come get it. Do you at this point call the mechanic and say "I think there a problem with the pads you installed, and I want my money back for the tow truck!" ? I think not.---


NeillBarber
That is a very good comparision right there buddy. I will be honest that there are ALWAYS 2 sides to each story, but I know Neill very well and he is one of my best friends so maybe I am biased with my opinion but here it is.

I have seen Neill's work and I know how hard he strives to make customers happy no matter how aggravating or how much EXTRA work it takes. You can't be pissed off at the guy if you didn't give him a chance to fix the problem. If you didn't feel comfortable with him doing the work then you shouldn't have let him do it. You also should have inspected the work before you took it to the house and took it apart. All you had to do was check it over and then play with it on the ride home...once you got home and it didn't work you should have just waited till the next day and driven it back up to the shop for NEILL to fix. Instead you tore into it and then blamed Neill. There is no telling what you messed up or pulled apart when you (the professional I might add) went thru and checked Neill’s work. It seems like you think you know as much if not more then Neill so why did you even worry with paying someone to do the install? Custom work isn't easy and you had him try to put in a part that SHOULDN'T have ever gone in there or fit...then you go and undo his work trying to fix the problem and then flame him on the forum. If I was Neill I would have told you to fuck off and wouldn't have even offered to try to fix the problem, but he did. He is a good guy and I think more than anything your pride took a hit cause you thought you could fix it and u couldn't.

Bottom line: You can't take apart all that work and then expect Neill to put it all back together and fix it. You should have just taken it back to him and gotten him to fix it or give you a refund.

[tibster]

:rulez:

[dirtyblackhoe]

:rulez:
I don't know what rule I violated. I never said any "so and so" comments that I know of. I'm not being a smartass I just don't know what other rules there are and such.

[NotoriousGreaseMonkey]

I'll tell ya'll what Neil is doin a custom install on my truck tomorrow. I will let ya'll know how it comes out. I am not Neils friend so I have no reason to be biased and before this thread was brought back up I never knew he existed. So I have to thank BlueNWhite TA for doing that. I have had the opprotunity to talk to him several times in the past few days and am VERY impressed with his knowlege and enthusiasm(sp) to work on my truck. That is unusual to find in the service industry any more. That enthusiasm alone made me feel better about leaving my truck with him. I am a shop manager and customer service is very important to me. Tomorrow will tell the tale.

[J8127]

I don't know what rule I violated. I never said any "so and so" comments that I know of. I'm not being a smartass I just don't know what other rules there are and such.

I think he wants you to post an intro, which you did

[dirtyblackhoe]

I'll tell ya'll what Neil is doin a custom install on my truck tomorrow. I will let ya'll know how it comes out. I am not Neils friend so I have no reason to be biased and before this thread was brought back up I never knew he existed. So I have to thank BlueNWhite TA for doing that. I have had the opprotunity to talk to him several times in the past few days and am VERY impressed with his knowlege and enthusiasm(sp) to work on my truck. That is unusual to find in the service industry any more. That enthusiasm alone made me feel better about leaving my truck with him. I am a shop manager and customer service is very important to me. Tomorrow will tell the tale.
what is he doing to your rig tomorrow man? I'm up at Neill's shop almost daily when we go get lunch or chill after work so I might have to swing by and check out what he's doing to it.


I think he wants you to post an intro, which you did
Ah I got ya...i didn't know if i did something wrong by my post. I figured it being my first one and it being how it was might have caused a problem.

[NotoriousGreaseMonkey]

Its not a huge deal. 1 10" sub in a custom box under the back seat. 2 amps front and rear door speakers and head unit. Its all stuff I had in my Ranger. I dont expect to win competitions with it. I just want to be able to turn it up and it sound good and look decent. BTW its the 05 F150 getting it.

[01COBRA]

That is a very good comparision right there buddy. I will be honest that there are ALWAYS 2 sides to each story, but I know Neill very well and he is one of my best friends so maybe I am biased with my opinion but here it is.

I have seen Neill's work and I know how hard he strives to make customers happy no matter how aggravating or how much EXTRA work it takes. You can't be pissed off at the guy if you didn't give him a chance to fix the problem. If you didn't feel comfortable with him doing the work then you shouldn't have let him do it. You also should have inspected the work before you took it to the house and took it apart. All you had to do was check it over and then play with it on the ride home...once you got home and it didn't work you should have just waited till the next day and driven it back up to the shop for NEILL to fix. Instead you tore into it and then blamed Neill. There is no telling what you messed up or pulled apart when you (the professional I might add) went thru and checked Neill’s work. It seems like you think you know as much if not more then Neill so why did you even worry with paying someone to do the install? Custom work isn't easy and you had him try to put in a part that SHOULDN'T have ever gone in there or fit...then you go and undo his work trying to fix the problem and then flame him on the forum. If I was Neill I would have told you to fuck off and wouldn't have even offered to try to fix the problem, but he did. He is a good guy and I think more than anything your pride took a hit cause you thought you could fix it and u couldn't.

Bottom line: You can't take apart all that work and then expect Neill to put it all back together and fix it. You should have just taken it back to him and gotten him to fix it or give you a refund.


I know Ross personal and have also had a chance to see the install, and from day one there was a problem with his GPS not reading or telling the wrong position. I also got to see how much the head unit moved inside of the den (which was a lot might I add). The GPS wiring and antenna were also curled up under the head unit not out in a spot where it could recieve a signal to allow the unit to read a correct postion. Yes custom work is hard and time consuming, but it should never be half assed. You don't have a custom motor build just so the guy can half ass it and it drop a rod on you. Any time a shop does something less than the standards they state that company is going to take a hit if they didn't put in the time and effort on the install.

[Supradedupra]

I can sympathize with Ross on dealing with shitty work. In my case, it is my alarm.

I have had issues with my Clifford alarm ever since I had a much reputable shop from South Florida install it. I paid almost $600 to have this top of the line unit installed in my car, and it has never worked right.

I have nearly died over my car shutting off in the middle of the palmetto during rush hour traffic. I have been stranded and had to have my car towed (At my expense) back to the alarm shop.

Last time my alarm fucked up, I payed them more money to have them replace the anti-hijacking key pad because they said it was malfunctioning. This didn't fix the problem.

I called them soon after, and they told me to pay to have the car towed from Tallahassee to Miami. I told them this was out of the question. I then asked them to help me over the phone fix my ignition wires to that I could at least start the car.

They told me to fuck off.

So what am I left to do? Clifford isn't helping me. Travis wants me to take it to Stereosales so they can play with it.

At this point, I feel like paying another $400+ and just getting a Viper alarm at Best Buy. That way I know that if anything fucks up on it, I can take it to any Best Buy.

Oh well... im going to South Florida in a few weeks, and im going to see if they can give me some sort of refund :(

[slowLX]

So what am I left to do? Clifford isn't helping me. Travis wants me to take it to Stereosales so they can play with it.

At this point, I feel like paying another $400+ and just getting a Viper alarm at Best Buy. That way I know that if anything fucks up on it, I can take it to any Best Buy.

Oh well... im going to South Florida in a few weeks, and im going to see if they can give me some sort of refund :(Best Buy won't touch it at this point, they'll get under there and see the old alarm hacked up and say "F-U". I'm not just saying this cause I think you should let us do it.........take it there and see what they say.