A cautionary tale: MazdaManiac
 

This is a simple word of warning. As all stories do, this one has two sides and I welcome Jeff to chime in with his.

I ordered and payed for a MazdaManic GReedy upgrade kit 12JAN2009. This totaled $1600-1800 (I don't recall at the moment.) I have made continuous attempts at communication with Jeff during this period with rare success at getting information back. Only one time do I recall a letter from Jeff that was unsolicited and suggested he would be doing better in communicating progress. Then the lines returned to their dark and gloomy state.

The only success I could generate in communication was to creepily stalk him on active forum threads or post my own thread on the topic. In this current calendar year, I have received numerous suggestive posts, including some with pictures of the kit in states of build, that assured me the kit was in progress and that all that was required was for him to pay some folks and then he could get busy getting busy.

That obviously is not going to happen.

For what it is worth, I recall Jeff mentioning that he got ripped off by a customer on one of these kits. I suppose what goes around... Given Jeff's current financial troubles, I am glad it was me that he ripped off in turn and not some other sap who's kid might not be going to college for a semester because of this.

So in conclusion, if you are considering doing business with Jeff/MazdaManiac or his partners, I am NOT suggesting that you don't. They do great work. I am only suggesting that do you not allow yourself to get strung along. A week or two late is pretty typical and a month is to be occasionally expected. Prior to that, no one really has any business getting huffy that they didn't receive their stuff. But after a month or two years... Personally, I have only lost my patience on this as I have got to get something going and need to start actively seeking another turbo solution. Despite claims to the contrary there are others that can get something similar done.

To the others that are waiting for their kits; I feel ya.

:tear: I guess sometimes it's just better to call it and move on

I hope it all works out for you in the end.

This thread confuses me. You have another thread where you complained that it has now been 2 years since you handed over money for it, which is inexcusable on any grounds regardless of the reason or situation, and yet when people agreed with you or supported you, you bashed them for it in defense of Jeff. Now you are posting this here as a word of warning? One moment you make it sound like you are upset about it and another you try to justify the situation and defend him and work with him on it. Which is it?

Not sure what is confusing. I tried NOT making this thread for as long as I could. The previous thread has passed beyond usefulness. If you want to shut it down, go right ahead. I would find it difficult to care less.

Carbon's other thread showed him trying to be patient. This thread is him showing that he has to reluctantly give in and move on. There are always two sides to a coin!

I read your last thread, and I hope whatever the outcome, all works out for you man. Good things come to good people, IMO. I probably would have done the same...

That being said, I won't count MM or the other vendors out. There have been positives and negatives. If someone has something I want, I'll get it from them!

I hope all the best for you and your future turbo endeavors!

Wow ....

Will mention one interesting thing in passing, that if true suggests that perhaps it is only me that is being selected for special treatment. I guess that is good for everyone else.

I picked up my motor today from a shop that Jeff recently traveled out to and dynoed 15-20 cars. One of the owners of those cars very, very recently received jeff's upgrade and installed it just days before so as to get the car tuned. So there are definitely kits moving out the door. There apparently was talk ar that time that Jeff was doing pretty well, contrary to the excuses I have heard pertaining to why I haven't received mine. I also know that another customer that ordered his kit very shortly before mine received his upgrade last spring. As Jeff has mentioned, the image he presents is carefully cultivated. I can only imagine that there must be a message here. D

Doesn't really matter as I have several shops that can perform whatever work needs done. I got a ton of good info today and will pick a place to get the work done shortly.

finances is a bust excuse IMO. granted you've got the story that the track days are virtually free due to working the corners etc... but having a few grand of someone's money for a couple years would lend itself to alterations of lifestyle in general until such debt is cleared.

no on is dumb enough to believe that a person cant cut lifestyle costs enough over a couple years to come up with the money needed to finish the work. I mean we all are aware that the cars we drive arent the most fuel efficient or cheapest to insure. thats just a single easy example

I say this confidently and think that most can reflect on personal experiences and agree. One of the minor reasons I'm about to sell my 8 in favor of a beater and a motorcycle is money. I can continue the lifestyle I live just fone with the 8. But I cant expand my lifestyle like I want. So I made a choice, call it a decision/sacrifice/whatever. Were I indebted to someone, it would have been a much easier choice to make

Don't get me wrong, I very much like Jeff for what I know of him. I simply don't buy into finances being the root of the delays, as that would make me question his ethics a bit

i will second this, I paid about $2000 kit + injectors, communication is non existent and 2 years. So now I am waiting for a part for a car I dont even own anymore. I got boost via other means :)

:eek:

So ur gonna let MM steal ur money ... wow ... i think i understand ... ur rich right..

damn dudes, 2 years. I would have been pounding doors and calling the courts.

Mr rx8 speciale , you realize you come across like the human equivalent of a chihuahua on 3 cans of 4loko? Seriously, try writing something constructive.



Interstate small claims is a pita. I would spend nearly that much identifying assets and on travel.

You'd be refunded most of your costs in the judgement that you would no doubt easily obtain, as there is no real defense on the other side as to why your paid items have not been supplied. Some would do it purely out of principle. Also many courts are now looking more progressively upon interstate jurisdiction with the popularity of internet deals. The argument can be successfully made that you never left your home state in order to conduct your dealings with the other party, the other party actively conducts advertisements, the other party has likely done prior and subsequent business in your state thus meeting minimum contacts for jurisdiction there, and has possibly traveled there himself for business purposes.

So you file in your home jurisdiction and have him served. He either ignores it and you get a default judgement which you can then file in his home state and attempt to execute, or he comes to your state in defense and you'll win anyway and you still execute in his home state. The court would probably give you legal costs and service fees as part of the judgement. You dont even really have to have a lawyer, you can file the paperwork yourself for about $50-200 in court costs and service fees.

WAT

Some people just won't learn until they get screwed themselves. "Oh hey, I see you got the shaft, but it's okay, maybe my results will be different. I'm okay with putting myself, my project, and my money at the mercy of someone who's proven themselves to be untrustworthy and unscrupulous in business dealings." :wallbash:

A fool and his money...

To a point I agree that the way the OP did this was backasswards. But I also see what he was thinking and what approach he was trying to take. Here's a copy/paste of a comment I made to another member about it during the old thread.

drink two cups of koolaid and call us in the morning ... :cwm27:

j/k if it makes you feel any better I did my part to try and help by taking his Cobb seminar recently, thought he indicated recently that he was close to finally getting this all resolved :dunno:



.

First off, I have done business with MM in the past. I ordered an AP and got it within a month, and that was when they gave the notice that they were discontinuing! I was probably one of the last to place an order! However, he found one and sent it to me ASAP. Therefore, my own personal experience with him has been a positive one.

If every second new thread came out as "Bad guy-MM",then I'd consider taking my business elsewhere. But, that isn't the case, so don't pretend that you have all the answers!

That being said, I respect that you may have had a bad experience with one person or the other. This forum is for people to read up and learn on there own. Don't criticize someone and call them a fool without knowing all of the aspects.

Thanks and I hope the OP and other readers will read and research and make their own judgments...

This and all threads that are cautionary, derogatory, or otherwise posted about a vendor....should not have comments from others that are involved in the business side of things....or have a vested interest

There is no way that they can not be interpreted as self serving or biased....

You know who I am talking about it...

No More......"I don't do business like that" posts....we don't care ;)

If you have something to say, say it. :squint:

I guess I should make an anonymous individual account and never speak of my mechanical or building experience or business with it, using just for times like this so that I can give an honest opinion without it being looked upon as politically or competitively motivated. :uhh:

It would be different and you may be correct if I were a tuner or offered a custom turbo kit, because I would be going against a direct competitor. As it is we do nothing that is similar, to my knowledge. Still it seems some would handcuff me because of my position.

also if u paid via google, its all recorded, i was looking up on how to do small claims, 2 grand is no small amount

login to google on the main page settings -> data stored on this account

Jan 16, 2009 MazdaManiac - Payment request from MazdaManiac View Order $1,837.00
Mar 28, 2009 MazdaManiac - Payment request from MazdaManiac View Order $220.00

Oddly enough the original thread has been deleted (or at least hidden from public members' view). Wonder if some forum politics came into play? It would seem shenanigans are afoot.

Ever seen that before anywhere else???:rolleyes:

Very stressful for all involved, no doubt.

For those of you that are speculating about my financial situation - feel free to speculate.

For those that have no stake in this - entertain yourselves however you wish. Your opinions are duly noted and ignored.

As far as thread deletions go, I've had nothing to do with that. Anyone that is even remotely paying attention realizes that isn't my MO. I take the good with the bad. Even ulcer-inducing threads like this one have a purpose in the grand scheme of things that I recognize and accept.

BTW - The kits that have moved around over the past year were all used kits changing hands. I have no involvement in that. In the "heyday" of this upgrade (the end of 2008 to the Spring of 2009), I made and moved quite a few kits, prior to the onset of this complete disaster.

As I've stated before, those that have outstanding orders for kits will get their kits. I realize that it isn't even remotely timely, but that will be the end result.

It has been suggested that I ship the kits in their present state (pic below) and allow the end-user to finish the fabrication. If this were a viable possibility, I'd consider it, but I don't believe that those who are requesting such an option understand what is involved to accomplish this.
The status of the kits are not being hobbled by financial issues (at least not directly). This is a physical issue.

In any event, you guys keep doing whatever you feel is necessary to assuage your fears, affect a result and/or satisfy your egos and I'll keep doing what I need to do to fulfill my own.

I saw an MM turbo install (and tune) about a month back. Learned along the way that the turbo passed through no less than two prior owners' hands to make it to its current car.

CarbonRX8 you're an odd one, no doubt. At least now you've got a thread placed in the right place, and with an appropriate title, to state your case.