TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:43 am

the ddb is known by us northern folk
(albertans)into type 3's
sad to hear of the bull$hit service(6 month rebuild LOL)
we'll make sure to bring this up at future garagetogethers
until they make good you will not see a penny spent here

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:45 am

the ddb is known by us northern folk
(albertans)into type 3's
sad to hear of the bull$hit service(6 month rebuild LOL)
we'll make sure to bring this up at future garagetogethers
until they make good you will not see a penny spent here

Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:06 pm

Has anyone tried to get ahold of Martin today? I have called a couple of times and left a message and he still will not answer the phone or return my calls.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:28 pm

jbow1076 wrote: Kansas City doesn't have a whole lot of choices for VW engine builders, so I decided to go with Martin and the DDB. I shipped the engine via ForwardAir at a very resonable price, so I was like what is the difference to have it done here in town or to have it done by someone who deals with VW type III engine regularly. I guess you live and learn.....

I have decided to start taking on some work here at home too. To help cover some of my expenses to rebuild my T-3's. I am just a couple hours north of you in central Iowa.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:45 pm

jbow1076 wrote: Has anyone tried to get ahold of Martin today? I have called a couple of times and left a message and he still will not answer the phone or return my calls.

I tried as well... Answering machine only.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:21 pm

There are engine builders in Oklahoma City as well.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:25 pm

A. Start the legal process already

and/or

B. Get some buddies together with case of whiskey and ride on over to the oregon trail or whatever over there and put that sumbitches mouth on the curb then stomp him on the back of the head.

Either or.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:08 pm

spoon wrote: A. Start the legal process already

and/or

B. Get some buddies together with case of whiskey and ride on over to the oregon trail or whatever over there and put that sumbitches mouth on the curb then stomp him on the back of the head.

Either or.

:roll:

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:28 pm

spoon wrote: A. Start the legal process already

and/or

B. Get some buddies together with case of whiskey and ride on over to the oregon trail or whatever over there and put that sumbitches mouth on the curb then stomp him on the back of the head.

Either or.
Great...another ignorant, internet thug, dumb-ass with nothing helpfull to contribute :roll:

<><><><>

I'll contact Marting and see what's up. Since I know there's two sides to every story and I've personally seen some stupid stuff customers have done/demanded and not come through. As for Bob, he hasn't worked at the shop for a couple of months as he's now working at a VW dealership. So it's really just Martin doing all the work.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:29 pm

ibjack wrote: Being busy is no excuse for not dealing fairly with your customers. Especially if you do it as a business as opposed to the hobby type of guy.
Hey, I'm just trying to fill in what little, dated info I've got. I haven't seen Martin or talked to him since the end of October. Haven't been to the shop since mid September, which is when I last saw the engine parts & tinware.

The engine could be on a pallet on a freight truck somewhere, it could still be in pieces at the shop, but I have no idea one way or another. The only person who would know for sure would be Martin, which takes this whole thread back to square one.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:34 pm

I personally have always had great service from Martin and the DDB. Usually over and above the call of duty. Great customer service. As Toby said, he is doing it all himself right now. Martin will make it right. He is a good man.
Cheers

Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:35 pm

spoon wrote: B. Get some buddies together with case of whiskey and ride on over to the oregon trail or whatever over there and put that sumbitches mouth on the curb then stomp him on the back of the head.
Dude, lay off the Mister Badass. That act is so overdone here on TheSamba, and it's gotten really, really old.

Or better yet, go hang with the HoodRide idiots over on the KCW forums. With that attitude you'll fit right in. :roll:

Tue Jan 10, 2006 10:32 pm

Regardless of how busy a shop owner is, he should have the courtesy of informing his PAYING customers the status of their repair/job. There is always two sides to All stories, but when you did your end of the deal and paid and the other end was not met, the other person is a crook. There is just NO Excuse.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 10:52 pm

This is why i am the only mechanic that touches my car.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:31 pm

tristessa wrote: spoon wrote: B. Get some buddies together with case of whiskey and ride on over to the oregon trail or whatever over there and put that sumbitches mouth on the curb then stomp him on the back of the head.
Dude, lay off the Mister Badass. That act is so overdone here on TheSamba, and it's gotten really, really old.

Or better yet, go hang with the HoodRide idiots over on the KCW forums. With that attitude you'll fit right in. :roll:

Yall don't drink whiskey up there do ya? :shock: It's a joke guys... just tired of these deadbeat ass business owners taking our money. Stay local at all costs, save you tons of worry and trouble.

Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/

Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:38 pm

vdub wrote: This is why i am the only mechanic that touches my car.
Yup, I agree, which is why I learned to do much of my work.

However, I can fully understand having someone from another state do the work if you can't. I've had engines built in state, in Tennessee, and Idaho. The Idaho engine has been the best one to date. It's hard to judge based on advertising so reputation and word-of-mouth are the only way to find what one believes -- hopes! -- will be a good mechanic (or engine builder in this case).

I've yet to experience custom work finish on-time and on-cost (well, I should say that it's been very rare). Look to any of the reality shows on motorcycle building and car pimping ;) to see ways in which things fail to come together :(

I know Martin and he's a good man -- I've seen him eat costs and bend over backwards to work with customers (who, in my opinion, didn't deserve it) just to keep them satisfied. I know he's terrible at returning phone calls and emails but his heart is in the hobby, which is better than a person who simply does the work purely for the paycheck. Nobody is perfect, even those who claim to know how to run a perfect business.

Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:52 pm

I'm sure Martin's a good guy. What bothers me is that supposedly this engine was done in October, when the balance was paid. It isn't like the engine has been in progress- It's supposedly been done... for three months.
Do I believe that Martin would deliberately rip someone off? No, not really. But, on the other hand, nobody though Odin would do what he did either- for those who have been around long enough to remember THAT one. But what concerns me is that it sounds like one of two things has happened- Either his business has gotten out of his control, or he's dead. I really wish that SOMEONE would get ahold of him and get him in here just to reassure us he's still alive. I'm sure this can be worked out, and it sounds to me like the customer just wants some answers. If Martin fucked up, he should just come in here, say so, and work out a plan with the customer to make it right. But this continuing silence makes this look like a far more serious situation than it may be. As it stands, I don't feel that I can recommend Martin or the DDB for work or parts to people who ask me as I have done in the past. This needs to get resolved, and the sooner the better.

Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:47 am

i contacted martin last week about some parts that i havent received yet. when i ordered them in the first place, december 7, the floor pans were still in a car, so its understandible that it'd take a bit of time to ship them out. he replied that his shop had flooded over the holidays, and wreaked havoc on the place. if he's flying solo over there, it'll take some time to clean up. but this engine was done in october?

Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:57 am

If in fact Martin's had a disaster in his shop, what's stopping him from sending out a mass e-mailing to all his customers? They'd understand.

I've been following this thread closely, as I was just about to order one of his T3 alternator conversions. Kinda ironic this should hit just after Hot VWs ran a story on that very same alternator conversion.

PLEASE, somebody in Portland go knock on his door!

Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:59 am

I have been to Martins shop and it is in a very low lying industrial area so this is definately a possibility. I cant imagine if our shop flooded what a frikin mess it would be and we have 6 guys to clean it up. If Martin is by himself....... :shock: