Quality improvements please

[ivar hestnes]

This is ment for the vendors around the globe.

Some vendors make products of great quality and some vendors just charge you for crap. Sometime I just think that lots of people just are interested in grabbing your cash for a low-quality product. Pictures look good, but functionality is poor. I am a kind of man that easy pay more to get what I think is a better product. But higher price is better is not always the truth in this business!

This is really a big issue for us builders. We pour out money all over the world for products that we can not test before it is in the mail.

Just an example here: I have a column neck that has a ball-bearing. Sounds nice doesnt it? But how can someone be such stupid that they use a threaded rod for shaft? and only one ball bearing? It is pointless if there is not two bearings anyway. You dont have a chance to get it straight on the bearing with the threaded rod. ( A threaded rod is 100% useless as an axle). The splines where the yoke is to be attached is not attached straight on the threaded rod either. So the yoke will have a strange movement when you turn on it. The fibreglass neck is not round at the column end. It is oval!!!! So I have to use duck-tape in strategic places to make it round. And then slip it into the column. The spline that the yoke should attach to is probably some crap cut from a cars driveshaft. It is not a new item, but a well used one. It has scars on the splines and is corroded, and it is **** to get the yoke to fit. The chain does not have a good match to the chain-wheel. Slips off easily.

Also the lack of support from some vendors are a quality issue. Doesnt matter how good your product are if you cant answer an e-mail when your customer has a question.

I had a product that arrived with a function failure. 2 months of e-mailing before I could ship the product back for repair. the manufacturer obviously did not have a customer list. He did not know who I was and asked about my product was new or used. And even then I am not a customer of priority. 3 months later, a replacement part is still not in place.

I am not sure if I should laugh or cry. (The truth is that I am really pissed off. My patience is to come to an end). So be warned fellow builders. Choose your vendors carefully.

And vendors: I really want to see some improvements in the future. After spent 35000 usd on my project with all bits and pieces, and still lots of work to do. you can be very sure that the vendors with poor quality will get known for that. If you make a bad product for the money you charge, you dont want to have me as a customer!!!

So if someone with good computer-tech skills want to make a web-site where we builders/users can rate vendors and their products with our comments, it would be much welcome. It is necessary I think. To much overprised products regarding quality in this business.

Just had to get this out. It has annoyed me for a long time now.

Thanks god that my main supplier is a serious company. Thank you for your support PC

[Trevor Hale]

Ivar,

For the reasons you state, this is exactly why MyCockpit is creating a "Certification Process" It is our hopes that while doing product reviews, that we can have vendors subscribe to out certifications. This will allow customers like yourselves to invest in products that have our MyCockpit Seal of approval on it.

Over the next few weeks, you will begin to see this list come together. The list will be available at http://www.mycockpitinc.com/certification.htm
and full reports will be available on http://www.mycockpitinc.com

I know this is late for you, however it will benefit more customers down the road.

The association will force those vendors producing inferior products to work harder on their products to create that good value for the money.

Best regards,

Trev

[ivar hestnes]

That is excellent news Trevor.

It is not late for me Crap can be replaced. And I have still lots of products to order.

I know there are lots of good vendors around, and I am impressed of what some of the fellow builders here make for sale.

I was a little scared to write the post above. But I think it was the right time to do it. Somebody has to.

One think important Trevor. The vendors support service must be an integrated part of your certification. A product is not better than the weakest link in the process.

Thanks for your understanding of my above post

[Trevor Hale]

I couldn't agree with you more. Matt and I are working diligently to create this certification process, and not only are we taking into account support, but customer service as well. Plus as an added bonus, Vendors who meet the requirements, and then renege on them in the future risk loosing certification of all their products. The process will be available to be viewed by the public so that they can see what requirements the vendor
must adhere too. Additionally, MyCockpit will have an area where customers can submit claims, then we will work as a liaison between the Vendor and the customer, to resolve any issues that do not get resolved internally.

We want customers to be able to buy into this process as much as vendors.

Trev

[BlackWidow]

Fantastic idea!

[dodiano]

Could you specify what product are we talking about?

Regards,

Roberto

[ivar hestnes]

I am not talking about your product Roberto

One of your competitors Not so many of them though. ( it is the neck/angle from yoke into the column. The part with the tricky shape).

If I write a name it could be seen as bashing, so I dont want to do that.

Cheers

[Philb737]

I'm in 100% with Ivar!!!
There should be some sort of a filtering process. I have dealt with 6 major vendors in the last two years. I'm super happy with 5 of them!!!!!, But unfortunately, there is the one who's name has been mentioned here several time by other members!!! He makes the absolute worse parts and quality and dimension!!! I wouldn't take his products if he offered it to me for free!!!!!!
Just my two cents

[Trevor Hale]

I'm in 100% with Iver!!!
There should be some sort of a filtering process. I have dealt with 6 major vendors in the last two years. I'm super happy with 5 of them!!!!!, But unfortunately, there is the one who's name has been mentioned here several time by other members!!! He makes the absolute worse parts and quality and dimension!!! I wouldn't take his products if he offered it to me for free!!!!!!
Just my two cents

Another perfect reason, why Matt and I are working so hard on this.

I am not saying it will solve all the problems, I am just saying that if Customers are demanding that vendors products have gone through the certification procedure before they submit to buy them, it would solve a lot of issues after the fact, and force people to increase their quality.

Trev

[Padraig]

This is a very good idea Trev, and also good thread Ivar. I don't know know what vendor you are on about, but in this hobby, we all know things are pricey, and to pay so much and then get something that is unworthy is not acceptable. Support should also be 110%, 2 months waiting for a reply for a question about a product you bought is a damn joke.