Drama said:
I don't quite understand your first statement. If every company only fitted/installed actual products that they originally sold, many would be out of business today. (I'm talking all industries here)
I did not state that all businesses operate like that, but merely that those in the business of supplying AND installing sensitive hardware with advanced configuration generally adopt the approach of either being hesitant or outright refuse to install/configure hardware purchased elsewhere (for good reasons).
Drama said:
I had a brand new sealed product that needed to be installed (was bought from VC because it was reasonably cheaper due to a pricing mix up). Yes, I understand the warranty concerns as stated above but if there was a problem with the unit, the supplier would have been contacted and if it was the installer, then they would have had to rectify it. I don't see how this would have been an issue.
The only reason I contacted the advertiser is because of their wealth of knowledge and being an active member who was going to pay for the installation, I thought it wouldn't be a problem.
I'm not sure what to tell you here, except to repeat myself: You cannot force a vendor who is not in the business of charging for installs/support to agree to be paid to do that. Again, the hesitancy to do this is down to being able to ensure a quality product is supplied and that the line of support is clear.
Let me illustrate. I bought a JB4 for a friend's car from a vendor here. The JB arrived, I installed and configured it as I had on my own car. Several weeks later the unit failed. Now this failure could be attributed to my own installation or it could have been, as rare as this is, a bum unit supplied by BMS themselves. I had no issues getting this resolved as the vendor in question, using their relationship with BMS and knowing what they supplied, were able to get BMS in the US to replace the unit, free of charge, without even seeing it. This is not something that would have been possible with units sourced elsewhere but installed under the guidance of the vendor. It is simply cleaner, easier and safer to support hardware that you supply.
Drama said:
Lastly, I'm not sure what your last point refers to. I know countless people who praise Shaun's service and after-care.
Simply sharing my experience...just as you did. I also know of countless people who praise Revo/Shaun and I know a fair whack of those who have had bad experiences relating to exactly what I mentioned above, i.e. fantastic service until something goes wrong or not according to plan.
Anyway, my point was not to claim Revo/Shaun were unreliable, but merely to support the point made above that there is difference in aftersales support between vendors with some going further than others. My experience with the vendor you are likely referring to with regards to the JB4 installation has gone out of their way to assist, advise and support me in ways that Revo simply had not on either of my VAG cars.
r0ckf1re said:
I disagree, it should not matter where to get the hardware from. Fitment is another ball game all together.
What if you purchase something second hand, will no one be able to assist with install?
Not even Terry Burger, owner of Burger Motorsports, who created the JB4 is in the game of supporting second hand JB4's for numerous technical and historical reasons. He does however have a great forum over @ N54tech that will allow anyone, new owner or second owner of one of his units to install and configure them by simply reading the stickied threads over there. Those buying second hand will always have options.
wikked said:
In our price-sensitive climate, why should you be locked in to purchasing hardware from a single supplier if their prices aren't competitive?
If a customer is then willing to PAY for your after-sales support, why turn them away? If you give them a positive service experience, the next time they need something they will think of you first. Voi-la, you have built a customer relationship and an income stream... why shoot yourself in the foot?
This laager mentality for aftermarket parts is silly and childish...
regarding the vendor concerned, VAG Cafe.. Shaun is an exceedingly pleasant person to deal with and I have recommended many friends to purchase hardware from him. If you're worried about after-sales support for a brand he doesn't explicitly handle, why not speak to him first?
It's very simple. You get what you pay for. If VAGCafe is able to supply products for cheaper than our vendors on here, but are unable to support them in installation/configuration is their price actually cheaper?
