Firm Feel Rant

[dart4forte]

Years ago I use to drop off PS cores for Dick. He’d give me $100 per core as long a the residule valve wasn’t missing. Did ‘‘this for several years. Last time I took him cores I found out he had retired. When I got to their place his kid, Matt only wanted to pay $20. Told him it wasn’t worth the time nor the expenditure of fuel for $20. Raised the tail gate and drove off. They came back with me to Phoenix. After that I would provide a core to anyone needing one to save them the core charge. At the time they were charging $200 core charge. Last time I ever dealt with them. Had a little bird tell me years later they were hurting for cores.

As a note, Redhead Steering is the place to get your steering boxes. They are out of the Seattle area.

 

[Belvedere408]

The shipping quote is BS. I can get on pirate ship measure my box weigh it and get an easy estimate for shipping costs on car parts I sell. Firm feel just being lazy.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

Firm feel just being lazy.

No, I wouldn’t put it past them to charge some exorbitant amount after they ship and bill your card. When you complain they are going to say the parts already shipped.

This is what the email said from Matt when he sent my invoice.

“Your invoice with Firm Feel, Incorporated is attached NOT including the shipping and handling cost. A final invoice as well as a tracking number will be sent out in separate emails by 5 PM (PST) the day your order has been shipped.”

So they bill your card any amount they want for shipping then ship your stuff and only when the stuff is out the door do they provide you with a tracking number and a final invoice to tell you how much they ripped you off in shipping charges.

 

[furious70]

I think mancini does that too, don't they? I've never been screwed by them though.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

The shipping quote is BS. I can get on pirate ship measure my box weigh it and get an easy estimate for shipping costs on car parts I sell. Firm feel just being lazy.

I think so too, I can have USPS or UPS do a pick up at their address.

 

[Don selleck]

I was gonna order some stuff from them about a year ago, tried calling them several times, no answer so it says in there website to go thru put the part #s prices etc. in an email and they would get back to me the next business day, well I did and wasted my time, and that's a sure way to get my goat being that time is my most precious commodity. well about 6 weeks go by and already ordered my stuff from elsewhere. He finally emails me back and I told him what a shitty way to run your dads business, he said I was one rude dude, I told him he was an idiot. The kid doesn't know how good he has it, but he will when it finally falls down around him, hope he's loaded cause its really gonna suck for him going to work for someone else.

 

[440plus6]

Is it working?

It is

 

[440plus6]

Good question.

It is, works perfectly with zero issues. I still feel shatty for basically enabling bad business for my own personal gain. I don't do things like this to others, and it never has sat right with me.

 

[redchihuahua2004]

New to this thread but it seems like this business is not interested in your business.

There are a lot of red flags popping up based on what has occurred so far.

If it were me, I would move on and find someone that actually wants to take my money and business.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

If it were me, I would move on and find someone that actually wants to take my money and business.

I have, but know I won’t be able to get upper control arms our solid aluminum body mounts. They are the only ones making them. Bergman Auto competes with their power steering box and has a better product. Everything for up to a 72 b body that they sell can be had somewhere else. They only have the 2 things I mentioned above for 73-74 b bodies and they don’t have those in stock. They have to be manufactured and talking to Matt he told me they would be available when he decided to make them, so basically probably never. So it won’t be long and they will be out of business.

 

[Sixpactogo]

My FedEx online account and my Pirate Ship online account both allow me to enter package dimensions and weight. Then they both generate me quotes, and I choose the service I want and pay for the shipping label with my credit card on file in my account. I print the prepaid shipping label out on my brother printer and attach it to the package, and FedEx, UPS, or USPS (Pirate Ship uses UPS and USPS) comes and picks up the package off my side porch and delivers to the addressed recipient. I have never had a package returned or been charged additional shipping charges after the fact.

I do the same but I have been billed extra afterwards. I used the size printed on the box as the actual size when shipping a box thru Pirate Ship a couple years ago. Three days later I get an extra charge from them because the 6" X 6" X 8" was the inside measurement. The actual measurement was 6.25 X 6.25 X 8.25. Now, I measure the carton and if it is 1/8" more I round up to the next inch to avoid getting back charged.
Before that, I used to get quotes from different shippers before billing the customer and when I actually shipped it the cost was more so I can understand why Firm Feel wants to get paid for actual shipping costs rather than quotes. Shipping abroad is getting next to impossible these days. I have at least 6 items in my loft boxed up where shipping was the deal breaker.

 

[furious70]

Of course it's fair to charge actual shipping cost, it's weird to refuse to give a quote. I've trusted mancini on it, but for something heavy like a steering gear I wouldn't want to be surprised by the shipping.

 

[SlingLow]

Well if it was me, and I admit I like to stir the pot occasionally, I might go ahead and order the part, see what the charge to my card is, then refuse delivery and protest the 'unauthorized charge' to my card with the credit card company if I didn't like the amount. They might change their tune if this happened regularly. Of course that won't work with a part not in stock with no production schedule. Hopefully you'll find another vendor @RR Fan Dan , this situation kinda sucks.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

I do the same but I have been billed extra afterwards. I used the size printed on the box as the actual size when shipping a box thru Pirate Ship a couple years ago. Three days later I get an extra charge from them because the 6" X 6" X 8" was the inside measurement. The actual measurement was 6.25 X 6.25 X 8.25. Now, I measure the carton and if it is 1/8" more I round up to the next inch to avoid getting back charged.
Before that, I used to get quotes from different shippers before billing the customer and when I actually shipped it the cost was more so I can understand why Firm Feel wants to get paid for actual shipping costs rather than quotes. Shipping abroad is getting next to impossible these days. I have at least 6 items in my loft boxed up where shipping was the deal breaker.

So give the quote before shipping. Don’t ship and charge me an tell me how much it was. You could charge me anything you want after the fact and there is nothing I could do about it.

Of course it's fair to charge actual shipping cost, it's weird to refuse to give a quote. I've trusted mancini on it, but for something heavy like a steering gear I wouldn't want to be surprised by the shipping.

This

 

[Charged440]

Then they send it next day air.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Up here and on an Island, shipping is an issue. Amazon is okay. They deliver to my door. Fortnine does not. So I said send my coils by mail. Mail workers are doing rotating strikes.
Coils might arrive someday ?? These are Canadian outfits, but shopping for goods from the US can be a bigger problem.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

So just to be clear. Shipping was icing on the cake. Their customer service sucks, and after talking to him I didn’t trust him with my credit card to bill whatever shipping he thought it was. As an example I ordered $280 worth of fuel lines from Dante and the shipping before I paid was presented as $155 plus $22 handling fee. Was I okay with this? No. But I needed them I couldn’t get them anywhere else so I made up my own mind if it was worth it. In this case yes. Do I want firm feel to make up my mind for me? No.

 

[MarPar]

Have you tried Steer and Gear out of Ohio?

They did my steering box (stage 2) years ago and from what I remember it was a good experience.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

As an example I ordered $280 worth of fuel lines from Dante and the shipping before I paid was presented as $155 plus $22 handling fee.

A couple of years ago, I bought my fuel lines, brake lines, etc., through Inline Tube’s eBay store with free shipping. I couldn’t afford it otherwise.