Interesting.... Seems like it's a mixed bag. Here's how my story goes:
12/22/06 - I had posted a question here asking why the price on their website for the dual exhaust was $979.00, but went up to the old price of $1295.00 when added to the cart. Wade responded that there was a problem with the website, and to call him. I called, had a very pleasant conversation, and he offered me what I felt was a very reasonable price for the system. I ordered the system on the spot, having heard good things about the company and the way the system went in.
1/02/07 - The system arrives, I'm excited, I go home and start the install right away...
1/03/07 - 01:30AM I realized that the reason that nothing would line up properly was b/c the mid-pipe was not the correct part #. Later in the day i called Wade, explained the situation, and asked that they overnight a replacement. Wade was very nice, apologized, and said that due to the cost, they would have to send the replacement 2nd day air. No problem. I also mentioned that the instructions had said that I needed to cut from both ends of the mid-pipe (I have an ex-cab S/B truck), and that I was supposed to use a butt-joint clamp to make the connection to the head pipe, and that wasn't included (but it also wasn't listed on the packing slip for the hardware kit, so I suggested that possibly the instructions were wrong). Wade said he would ask about it, and call me back.
1/05/07 - Box arrives UPS. I open it, and find a new head-pipe. I check the invoice, and Wade had clearly written that I needed the 3rd pipe back from the turbo, but had also put down that the part # I had received in error was 60401, which was a Ford head-pipe. Apparently someone assumed that I needed the DMax part # 66401, and didn't read the rest of what was written. I called ATS, and was told that Wade was out of the office, and would call me back. I asked if there was anyone else I could speak with. I was given Matt (I think...), who said that I would have to wait to speak with Wade, since he was familiar with the problem. I explained that I had received the incorrect pipe in my kit, and Wade had sent a replacement, and that was also incorrect, and all I needed was part # 66402, but I was told that no-one would be able to help me except Wade. I call back again at 5:00 EST, and am told that Wade is still unavailable, and will call me when he gets back. I call back at 7:25 EST (since they close at 5:30 Mountain Time), and am told that Wade is on the phone. I ask to wait. I finally speak to Wade at 7:30, and he apologizes, and says that he will get a replacement sent out overnight, but that it will have to wait until Monday, since UPS has already left. (At this point, I was a little annoyed, b/c my company's employees will drop something off @ UPS if it is important and the pickup has already arrived... If they had offered to do that, I would have had the pipe Sat instead of Tues, but I didn't say anything). I ask about the clamp again, and Wade said that he would ask someone.
1/09/07 - Late afternoon, I call Wade, and asked if I could have a tracking #, as I still haven't seen the replacement pipe. Wade said that due to the cost of overnight, they had to send the pipe 2nd day. I understand this, but I'm a little annoyed that I wasn't TOLD about it.... Not to mention the fact that from a customer service perspective, I'm still dead in the water a week later b/c of 2 mistakes THEY made, which were both out of my control. I ask about the clamp again, and Wade says that he spoke with one of the other guys, and that the instructions are incorrect, and that I am supposed to make one of the cuts on the head pipe, so there's a swaged end to clamp still left on the mid-pipe. I mentioned that the directions were particularly bad, and in addition to this error (which could conceivably cause someone to really mess up their system if they followed the directions), they also contained numerous spelling and grammar mistakes, and not a single picture or diagram. Installing an exhaust isn't difficult, but it also isn't that hard to make some basic directions.
1/10/07 - The mid-pipe arrives, and I spend a LOT of time trying to get everything lined up... Something still isn't right. I finally get to a point where everything is clamped together, and not hitting anything, and it's LATE, so I decide to tweak everything the following day, and put the tips on then. No matter HOW I moved things, rotated pipes, etc, I couldn't figure out how to get the hanger on the mid-pipe to connect.
1/11/07 - I drive to work, then go to get coffee @ lunchtime... I hear horrible noises when I go over bumps.... I park the truck. After work, I slide under the truck to find that the clamps have all slipped (they were all tightened all the way) and that the mid-pipe is hitting the crossmember (not much, but metal-on-metal makes LOTS of noise), and the Passenger-side tailpipe has hit my shock, and now that's leaking. I loosen all the clamps, remove the tailpipes, and mess around with things until I can get the midpipe and muffler in a position where they're not hitting anything. Something still isn't right though, b/c the right outlet from the muffler is pointing straight at the shock. (which now needs to be replaced with 14,000 miles on it....).
1/12/07 - I call Wade, and ask what he thinks, and if there are ANY pictures of how things are supposed to line up. He said there aren't any pictures, but that he will go take some pictures in the morning of a truck he knows about with the exhaust (an ex-cab S/B truck...).
1/13/07 - I drive an hour to meet a friend of mine who has the ATS system on his DMax... I slide under both trucks with a tape measure, and find out that the factory hangers are identical, but that the clamp/hanger on the back of the muffler is different. His is 6" from the tip of the hanger to the center-bolt, and mine is 7-3/4". This explains why my system just won't lineup. I get a headache driving back b/c of all of the resonance (which I'm hoping is strictly due to me not having tailpipes installed).
1/15/07 - I call ATS, and explain what I found out to Wade. He said he was unable to get any pictures, but that he'll get a clamp from the shop and check it. He calls me back and says that they're going to get that sent right out.
1/17/07 - It's been over 3 weeks since I've ordered the exhaust, and I still haven't gotten a complete and correct set of parts. I call ATS, and ask Wade if I can have a tracking #, since the clamp still isn't here. He said it would take a few minutes to find, and offers to e-mail it to me. I get the e-mail at 6:00PM, and find out that the shipment is on time, and UPS has scheduled delivery for Tuesday, 1/24/07. I check the shipping rates, and find that they COULD have overnighted the part (based on the weight UPS listed) for under $35 (minus whatever their discount is), or sent it out 3-day for $11... but they chose to spend $6 to ship it ground, and REALLY get my aggrovated. I call back, and wait 10 minutes before I can get Wade on the phone. I explain that I feel like I've been very patient, but that I can't believe that they sent this part out ground. I am told that they have spent a fortune on shipping me 2 replcement parts air-freight, and that they have already lost money on the deal. My response was that I have no control over any of these events, as each of these issues has been a mistake made by ATS, and that we are now approaching a month and I still have not gotten what I ordered. Wade asked what it was that I wanted, and I said that if I had the correct part by Friday, that would be acceptable... Which he said they would do... I'm waiting to see if I can finally get my system installed tomorrow.
In summary, these are the points that I think the owner or owners of ATS need to seriously consider:
1
Wade is a very nice guy to talk to, and I always felt that he was shooting straight with me, however.... There NEEDS to be more than one person who can handle a problem or complaint from a customer.... What if Wade were sick or on vacation, would I just be waiting?
2
There should be better quality-control checking (ie: someone signed off that my shipment had the correct parts, but didn't, the first replacement part was NOT what was written on the invoice, the clamp/hanger is wrong, and the directions are horrible).
3
When the company causes a problem, it is cheaper - in the long run - to fix it right, and fix it fast, than to weight the immediate cost. The difference between shipping a part 2nd-day air and overnight-saver is ~ 20% higher, but would have made a world of difference in how I veiwed the response. Even at the 2nd-day rate, I would have been much happier if someone had dropped off the shipment to UPS, rather than waiting for the next day (or next WEEK!) for the scheduled UPS pickup. This is especially true in circumstances where the ONLY reason it wasn't ready for the UPS guy was b/c I had to wait hours for a callback from the only person they would allow to deal with the issue. I also felt like shipping the clamp/hanger GROUND was a rediculous was to handle the situation (and, in the end, is going to cost MORE, since they're overnighting another one).
IN CLOSING:
Sorry for the long rant. I am NOT trying to paint ATS as a bad company, I am just hoping that they might see this and make some changes in their customer service.
-Chris
