10-03-2010
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#1
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Cottage Grove, MN
Posts: 2,120
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HKS Product / Purchasing Issues
As a retailer in the sport compact market we have been selling HKS products via their distribution network for more than four years. Needless to say I was excited when I received a newsletter outlining an introductory offer for their latest product offering, the GT7460R turbocharger. Multiple distributors contacted me regarding this offer as availability of the kits was extremely limited and they were well aware of our presence in the Evolution markets. Armed with that information we immediately launched marketing efforts to ensure we were among the first to promote this introductory sale. We were not alone, however, as the news had spread quickly and several other retailers followed suit.
With an MSRP of $2150 we made the decision to forgo purchasing of the kits without a confirmed customer order as at the time there was still doubt in my mind in regards to the popularity of this turbocharger. Initial prices were quoted at HKS' MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) but we quickly realized that several other retailers (including one known HKS direct dealer) were quoting and ultimately selling the kits at a lower price. At the request of several customers we decided to match the lower pricing knowing full well that those very customers would simply purchase elsewhere at that same lower price if we decided otherwise. It is my opinion that those customers chose to purchase from us based on previous positive experiences and/or our track record for outstanding customer service.
Each and every sale that we made was prefaced with a phone call to our distributors to verify that kits were available to fill the order prior to accepting payment from our customers. Purchase orders were sent and confirmed with our distributors leading us to assume that all was well and it was business as usual.
On September 22nd a facebook post from Mike @ AWD Motorsports foreshadowed that my assumption of business as usual was incorrect:
Quote:
Today is just fun filled with excitement.. HAHA id just like to say its NICE for once to see a Manufacturer like HKS cut off a Vendor who repeatedly Violates the resale Policies.. Im not going to mention names but just like to say THANK YOU HKS!!! There are still standup LARGE CORPORATIONS in this industry that have some BALLS!!!
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At that point in time I hadn't heard anything from HKS or their distributors in regards to this claim. It wasn't until September 30th, over a week later, that the situation went downhill. A large HKS distributor that was the recipient of several of our purchase orders for these kits informed me that they would not be able to fill any of our orders. They claimed that they had not received enough kits to fill any of our orders, not one. I immediately recalled the facebook post above and realized what was happening. A phone call to HKS was in order...
If you aren't already aware getting a hold of HKS is nearly impossible unless you are a direct dealer as they direct all inquiries to their dealer network. I ended up calling a tech support line and ultimately made my way through the prompts to the customer service manager. I inquired as to why the decision to disallow my sales of their product was made without any communication or warning. I informed the manager that I had already accepted payment from my customers for these products, and had confirmed purchase orders from their distributors. I was informed several times that the kits were very limited and that the distributor in question may not have received enough kits to fill any of my several orders. I responded that my distributors were well aware of the number of kits they were to receive, and that I had confirmed each order individually prior to processing. At this point she defaulted to a response that involved me having to contact the distributor for additional information (which I had already done) and I quickly realized that the conversation was futile.
The rest of my day revolved around strategy as we prepared to deal with this PR nightmare. My sales staff had to contact several customers, inform them of the situation, and either move them into another product or process a refund. I can't imagine that any of these customers were happy to hear from us that day, but Mike @ AWD simply couldn't hold back his excitement, he's a real class act...
Quote:
Those of you who ORDERED HKS turbo kits thru MAPerformance i would rethink your order over as I am told they cannot get the TURBO KITS they ordered.. Please give Ivey Tuned a call @ 908-925-8700..He has them IN STOCK.. Thank you!!!
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The following day was just as action packed unfortunately. Apparently I mentioned the name of another distributor from whom we had purchased these kits when I was on the phone with HKS. My representative gave me a call and it sounded quite familiar, however, the "we didn't receive enough kits" excuse wasn't of much use this time around. The distributors online stock check system showed exactly the number of kits we had originally ordered available for purchase! Ultimately, my representative had no choice but to inform me that HKS would not allow them to sell the kits to me, just as I had suspected all along.
If you are a customer of ours that was involved in this fiasco I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. I hope this chronicle of events helps you understand why this happened and allows you to form an opinion in regards to HKS' actions and business practices. As always we will do everything in our power to rectify the situation to your satisfaction. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns.
Chris Carey, President
Modern Automotive Performance
__________________
Chris Carey, President
Modern Automotive Performance
P: 763-545-3800
E: chris@maperformance.com
We want your business! Please contact me directly for a quote or stop by the facility for a quick tour!
Last edited by v8klla; 10-05-2010 at 02:33 PM..
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10-03-2010
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#2
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At-Least-It's-White-Again
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
HK$ has always been a ripoff elitist company anyways. They were always all elistist about their distributors for releasing any info/sales on their crappy F-Con standalone/piggyback-whatever it was too as far as I remember. Meh there are better companies out there.
__________________
'04 Honda Ricer: stock
Done fuckin' with cars but I will snap some photos of yours for now! =)
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10-03-2010
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#3
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flips McGee
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
People, quit looking for overseas for big brand-name turbos! There's bad-ass, proven turbos being produced from American companies!
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Murlo26
I need to listen to Scheides more often i think :)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by turbotalon1g
...I realized that I can't keep up my shit talking without anything to back it up.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JV
S2000: For those of us that know the Miata is the best car on the planet, but also want extra power and to not have to turn in our man cards.
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10-03-2010
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#4
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Coon Rapids
Drives: 07' Z06, 16' Beta 300RR
Posts: 804
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
So why did HKS get pissed for you selling the same kit for the same price as someone else? Sounds like favoritism... Like Scheides said, theres plenty of other american turbos, but like you said, those people that already bought them I'm sure were pissed. What a dick move.
__________________
-When in doubt, Moar RPM.
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10-03-2010
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#5
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Tournaments Won: 3
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Maple Grove, MN
Drives: Lancer and Durango
Posts: 7,017
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
yeah thats very interesting. I wonder if the companies that you were price matching also got cut off. Mike at AWDMotorsports sounds like a complete dick and a clone of Huml at Slowboy in his tactics.
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10-03-2010
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#6
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Banned
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Boulder, CO
Drives: Conquest
Posts: 5,049
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Good ol' boy networks suck. But screw them, there's no need to swing from their nuts because they were famous in the 80's. If I was going to pay $2000+ for a turbo, it better be made of gold and make 2hp per dollar spent.
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10-03-2010
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#7
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*Resting In Peace*
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Heaven
Drives: 94 Plymouth Acclaim/2008 EvoX
Posts: 2,430
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Some of the JDM nut-swingers on the X forums having been going ape over a new HKS turbo. It has less power than an FP Green but it's ball-bearing and JDM so it must be better.
After going through two sets of Rays lug nuts that are crap, I'm over the JDM mystique.
Last edited by mlomker; 10-03-2010 at 07:58 PM..
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10-03-2010
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#8
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2stepadepaaadepaaadep
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: bloomington, Mn
Drives: myself crazy
Posts: 822
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
lol when some one says jdm i instanly thing of the most riced out honda civic hatch ever lol
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by 311evo
I put more into my car then what its worth, did it for my own enjoyment and that was all.
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^^thats what modding is about.. your own enjoyment
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10-03-2010
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#9
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Finally Tuned...
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Zimmerman
Drives: Spyder GSX
Posts: 2,484
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
I hope this gets posted on every forum so ALL of the mitsu enthusiasts see how HKS, AWD Motorsports, and slowboy are all alike. Can I copy this and post on other forums?
__________________
94 Supra TT Auto, Project 9.xx in the works
97 Spyder AWD 6 bolt 2.3, 579hp 496tq **FOR SALE**
Amsoil Dealer
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10-03-2010
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#10
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Cottage Grove, MN
Posts: 2,120
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Please do, EvoM already took the post down as apparently they don't allow commercial reviews and they felt my thread would adversely affect the sales of other vendors I guess I will have to get the customers that were affected by this to post themselves...
__________________
Chris Carey, President
Modern Automotive Performance
P: 763-545-3800
E: chris@maperformance.com
We want your business! Please contact me directly for a quote or stop by the facility for a quick tour!
Last edited by v8klla; 10-03-2010 at 10:35 PM..
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10-03-2010
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#11
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aka Goodbye
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Sad to hear, but I can relate. I also called their "tech" line way back in the day when I was having problems with my VPC, they were absolutely worthless and the tech obviously didn't care if I had a problem with their product. Back then, they were a major player, I didn't know they were anymore since so many new companies have come along with better, more cost effective products.
__________________
2009 Corvette Z51-SOLD
1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX-SOLD
2013 BMW Z4-Current summer hooptie
2017 GMC Yukon-Current winter hooptie
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10-04-2010
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#12
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: St. Paul
Drives: 91 Galant VR4, 97 Eclipse GSX, 91 Talon TSI
Posts: 139
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Meh, I say screw them. Like everyone already said, HKS is way overpriced compared to other brands of comparable quality, and to hear that such an established manufacturer in the performance industry is willing to be that shady is shocking to me. But, the good news is the free market will always win. Let HKS and AWDmotorsports and anyone else do exactly as they please, whether that is price fixation or shit talking other performance shops (very very mature I might add), because in the end the free market via consumers will correct itself. Oh, and negative word of mouth sure is a bitch
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10-04-2010
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#13
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R U DTF bro?
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Oak Point, TX
Drives: C8 Stingray Z51
Posts: 20,620
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Sucks to hear, but that's about what I'd expect out of Mike @ AWD. I have never bought anything from him and I know I never will.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murlo26
I agree with Kracka.
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10-04-2010
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#14
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Blaine, MN
Drives: '91 Automagic
Posts: 13,908
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
I had a similar experience to steve back in '06ish or earlier I had a problem with their WG they at the time didn't make a replacement seal and couldn't give a fuck.
F
uck HKS I actually don't even see how they are in business with all the other companies that have popped up over the last decade.
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10-04-2010
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#15
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Got Boost o_O'' m
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: In a house
Drives: 1991 Eagle Talon TSI AWD Spooling Fiddy Trim Style
Posts: 1,389
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
This is ridiculous. How can they even do that? Confirm, and agree to sell the product then fall through for a none valid reason. I never thought something like that could happen on such a high level of business. Fail on HKS part. Just curious as to the facebook post. . .why would another vendor post such things about MAP. I understand competition etc, but it seems uncalled for and out rite low life.
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10-04-2010
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#16
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Reynolds number user
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: grove/tempe
Posts: 3,553
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
The attempt to redirect business to a competitor using facebook strikes me as an amateur tactic. The guy probably hits on his friends girlfriends too! CLASSY
__________________
07 Ducati Monster S4R
00 honda elite 50 (64 mph braH!)
05 malaguti F15
04 E55 AMG
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10-04-2010
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#17
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Shit Rocket Pilot
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Shoreview, MN
Drives: 2003 Evolution VIII
Posts: 7,752
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Chris, this saddens me that a vendor such as MAP is treated like this, but doesn't surprise me all that much considering HKS' track record. You guys do amazingly good work for the volume of sales you deal with, especially considering you do business globally.
The comments from Mike @ AWD Motorsports chaps my ass, I'm running his aluminum driveshaft.
__________________
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." -Mario Andretti
03 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tachyon
Every minute you spend in your Evo, not in boost, is a minute of your life you'll never get back.
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10-04-2010
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#18
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Cottage Grove, MN
Posts: 2,120
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Thanks for the support guys
__________________
Chris Carey, President
Modern Automotive Performance
P: 763-545-3800
E: chris@maperformance.com
We want your business! Please contact me directly for a quote or stop by the facility for a quick tour!
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10-04-2010
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#19
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Transmission destroyer
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Cambridge
Drives: G37, 91 TSi
Posts: 7,150
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt D.
The comments from Mike @ AWD Motorsports chaps my ass, I'm running his aluminum driveshaft.
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If you are real broken up over this, I would gladly take the driveshaft off your hands
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by scheides
I swing from the nuts of cold hard data. Anything less is a guess.
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10-04-2010
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#20
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Finally Tuned...
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Zimmerman
Drives: Spyder GSX
Posts: 2,484
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Re: Why you should think twice before buying HKS products
Quote:
Originally Posted by v8klla
Please do, EvoM already took the post down as apparently they don't allow commercial reviews and they felt my thread would adversely affect the sales of other vendors I guess I will have to get the customers that were affected by this to post themselves...
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Fuck evoM! They are dumb asses then if they feel that they don't want the truth to be heard about their own vendors that they are supporting. That's the stupidest shit I have ever seen. That just makes EvoM look bad that they would rather have them as a "good" vender instead of people knowing the truth.
__________________
94 Supra TT Auto, Project 9.xx in the works
97 Spyder AWD 6 bolt 2.3, 579hp 496tq **FOR SALE**
Amsoil Dealer
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