Jon B from the PartsRack, worst experience I ever had!

[YellowViperSRT10]

Now, I would never make a thread about this if it thought it was not needed but i feel it is.

I hear everyone talk about Jon B from the parts rack so I gave him a call yesterday. In case anyone is curious I am looking for a set of coilovers since I am having issues with my KW Variant 2 and KW is taking them back under warranty since they were manufactured wrong. I was interested in Moton, I know nothing about them at all, so I called JoB B from at the parts rack since I hear about him on the forums.

I call and immediately get put on hold which of course is totally fine with me. He gets back to the phone about a minute later and asks "how can I help you" i tell him I am interested in a Moton kit for my SRT10. I asked if he has them in stock and he asks "are you going to buy them today" I said I really don't know but I need a suspension very soon since I do not have any suspension at all on my Viper at the time and need to get it up and running soon. I ask one simple question, when would I be able to have the kit. He again asks "are you planing on buying today" i again say I really do not know, possibly if I find out what I need I will. I needed to know a few things about the kit such as how much you lower it, what spring rates I need, how you adjust stuff etc. He then says to me, if you do plan on buying the kit today please do not waste my time I have other customers on the phone that are ready to buy and he would rather assist them unless I plan to buy today. I again say I would like to possibly buy it today but I first need to know more on the kit, I would not buy it not knowing ANYTHING at all. He then said some remark as his account said he gives out to much information to people that do not buy from him so he does not waste his time unless I buy today. I then just said thank you for his help and ended the call. I have never seen such bad customer service in my life. I totally boggles my mind how anyone would purchase anything from them being so stressed. If he cannot handle a customers question then I think he may need to hire someone that can. I would just like to know how I would purchase something from someone not knowing anything about it. I was ready to buy and he refused to answer any questions unless I admitted in buying today. It amazes me how he is still in business with an attitude like that. With such smart consumers today I would not know why anyone would go threw him. Only thing that comes to my mind is there are not many Viper places that sell parts and they are stick with him. Who does not ask a question before they buy. Or what if it is a part you are interested in, and plan on buying down the road. Obviously he will not care until tha time it seems.

The thing is, I am in the same type of business as him and run a much larger business then his for european cars and know that if I or one of my employees ever spoke to customers I would not be in business. I answer customers questions even if they will not buy from me. Maybe I am just an enthusiast and like to help. I don't expect that from everyone but this was just insane how he treated me. Reminds me of when I use to be car salesmen many years ago we were forced to ask the question "If we can fit this into your budget will you buy today."

Moding is supposed to be enjoyable, but he totally killed the whole experience. It turned out I was ready to buy today and later called Doug Levin and bought a coilover kit from him. Doug is the most helpful guy I ever spoke to, so it was a night and day difference.

Again I would never have dreamt to make a thread on this but I found his service absolutely embarrassing. I never spoke to anyone like that so I was shocked. I am just curious if anyone else had anything like this.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Since Jon is a "1 man band" at PartsRack, he does get busy a lot of the time. Often, he answers questions for people who then hang up and buy elsewhere (I'm not saying thats what you were doing!), so he gets cranky as anyone would. When I have a question for Jon, I usually just email him. To his credit, I usually have an answer within 5 mins. But, I have spoken to Jon on the phone a few times and he's never been rude to me and he was a great help with the questions I asked. Sorry you had a bad experience

 

[2002_Viper_GTS_ACR]

Sorry to hear about your incident. Its unfortunet that JonB rubs people the wrong way sometimes, or is just down right rude at times. I have had many an issue with Jon over this, but he does infact have some very strong supporters. VERY STRONG. More then anything, I was once told that a person can be judged by the company they keep. JonB has the support and admiration from a large number of good people that I have a lot of respect for. So does that make him a nice guy... no not always... but it speaks volumes for him, when he himself does a bad job of doing so, his friends do. JonB is the Walmart of Viper parts, he sells them cheap, and it only gets cheaper the more you buy from him. I think his rudeness is a defense mechanism, from people who take up all his time, but never put a penny in his pocket. Do I forgive him for it? nah... Jon and I have agreed to not do Business because we cant get past our personal differences. But JonB is not a bad guy, he would never screw anyone, and he always seems to do the right thing for his customers over making something right if its wrong. Is his personality award winning? Nope.. and thats the kettle calling the cauldron black.

You want good pricing? Go to JonB. You want a smiling voice, ready to greet your questions with enthusiasm? Better not call on a Monday ;-) Roll the dice, he might be nice, he might not be, but he'll give a fair price. If you require a "hand holding session" (others have called it that) then he might not be your best choice.

Know his pro's know his con's make the decision that works for you.

Once again, sorry to hear about your issues, I have had EXCELLENT luck with Daniel Lesser from Viper Specialty and a few others that offer similar products but with a more catered approach to the person ordering.

Good Luck.

Jon

 

[twinturbo3150]

Is it wrong to shop around for the best price? Just because we drive vipers, doesn't mean we want a good deal at the same time. Not saying that the poster was shopping around, he was mainly wanting to know the performance of the shocks and springs, before plunking a few grand for a product he knows nothing about.02

 

[Phil]

Sorry to hear about your problem with JonB. But however, I would like to share my experience with all of you in regards to JonB. I have to admitted that I had some misunderstanding problem previously with JonB over a carpet issue that was dragged on for over a year. However, it was finally solved and I got the full refund. Therefore, I had decided to buy from JonB again this time and he had proven to be really helpful in all ways. I was thinking to buy exhaust, kits to lower the car and I think I had sent him at least over 20 emails over 2 days asking him various questions to the extents that I, myself felt quite embarass for the amounts of emails and questions that I had asked him. JonB had shown his patience very well with me by answering each and everyone of my emails and went that extra mile to further explain every weak and strong points for different exhausts and different lowering kits to enable me to make my decision smartly. He had also gave me lots of other input and comments regarding different products and what goes well with what...etc. Although due to my previous misunderstanding experience with JonB, I first only want to communicate with him through email. But after so many helpful email exchanges from him, I had finally decided to picked up the phone and talked to him directly to finalize the purchase. Once again, JonB had again spent a lengthy time to discuss further with me in regards to the products and had also provided me with lots of extra commments and input as well. All this was before I made my purchase with him. Finally, I will have to say JonB is an excellent person to do business with afterall. And for sure I will definitely continue to do business with him indefinitely.

Once again, really sorry to hear about your incident.

 

[FrankBarba]

JONB, is one of the most helpful Viper people you will ever find. In regards to your questions..Did you do a search for the answers you were looking for before you contacted JON?
The questions you are asking are all suspension questions, which can only be done by trial & error. Setting ride hieghts, spring rates (what is your driving style?), bump & rebound....You might want to get a book on suspension tuning. You may also want to check the Moton web site, they might have a pdf file on the workings of the suspension setup your looking at..

 

[PDCjonny]

There's no excuse for that kind of rude treatment over the phone to a potential customer, sorry. I run an Internet only business, have TOLL FREE numbers that people call all day long and ask questions before they buy and would never talk to anyone like that. Jon B is not even paying for the call. I guess it's how you view customer service. I spend many hours daily on the phone with customers, most end up buying thanks to the hands on service. Some don't. But you can't make that distinction in two seconds. And you don't rudely hangup when someone says they'll get back to you. They probably will, but not in his case. So shopping around or getting a little informational help before you buy is wasting his time? What are Viper parts special, you shouldn't question anything just plunk down your money and be happy he will sell you the parts? He is very lucky that he has a generally good name among Viper owners, a very small market for his products. If he had serious competition from other dealers, his tune would change quickly as the sales drop. Best thing to do I guess is mention how much money you want to spend up front, and your degree of customer service is based on that?

I have bought from Jon B also, tires amd exhause system so I know what I talking about. He was okay to deal with, but I only used him because Chuck Tator advised me at the time. I admire and respect his Viper knowledge and history with the car that is unquestioned, but his business attitude is separate from his Viper background.

That used car salesman attitute "ready to buy today?" doesn't cut it. This is what happens when you don't have a lot of competition in your marketplace, you get that "doing you a favor attitude". If someone talked to me like that, I would have hung up with a big f*** you.

 

[Fishtail]

I never purchased anything from Jon B. so I really can't say much about him.
All of my experiences with Doug Levin have exceeded my expectations. Doug has a very busy shop but he comes through and it's ALWAYS been a great experience dealing with him. Hope everything works out for you.

-lou

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

All of my experiences with Doug Levin have exceeded my expectations. Doug has a very busy shop but he comes through and it's ALWAYS been a great experience dealing with him. Hope everything works out for you.

Aint that the truth. Talk about a guy that goes above and beyond, Doug Levin is the man! I have NEVER purchased anything from him and he still helps out if I need anything. to Doug Levin.

http://www.douglevinmotorsports.com/

 

[Brian GTS]

Wow! I have called JonB for some info before prior to purchasing items from him. It was on a Monday (one of his busiest days) and he indicated that he would try to provide as much info as he could, but if he got another call, I would have to call him back later in the week. That worked for me. A previous time I called, he was a bit more rude with me but I don't remember all the details of that conversation.

It sounds like he was slammed with phone calls at the time of your call. He should have taken the approach that he took with me at the least instead of pinning you down.

I buy things from JonB that I cannot get anywhere else. If possible, I try to buy things from Chuck Tator even if they are a couple bucks more than PartsRack. He has gotta be the nicest guy in the Viper community. He helps a lot of people regardless of whether you buy parts from him or not. Just proof that being a nice guy does pay off.

 

[AG98RT10]

No soup for you!!!

You must be registered for see images

Oldie but goldie ---

These threads come up about every six months or so. Jon B is a national treasure for the Viper community.

 

[KenricGTS]

I had a simliar thing happen to me. Just talk with your money and buy somewhere else. Too many Viper vendors out there to worry about it. Call Woodhouse I know they have Motons.

 

[rleminv]

First of all I need to declare that I am one of JonB's biggest supporters. We have had our ups and downs, big time both ways, but their is no one else that can match his service and prices. He is among a few of the most knowledgeable persons I am aware of when it comes to Vipers and the VCA.

I spoke to him at length on Monday late afternoon, I was in fact very suprised he had the time. Jokingly he let me know that since most of us are now aware of "cranky Monday", his Monday's have slowed somewhat and he gets bombed now on Tuesdays. What is interesting in this to me is that there are enough of his customers that respect him and still want the price and service he gives so they possibly delay their requests in order to get past his busy Monday and now Tuesday is his busiest day! Like a tube of toothpaste was his remark or something like that.

Jon is not rude, he is brusque and abrupt. He attempts to keep his overhead low and passes the saving on to his customers. He works on much less mark-up than most and attempts to make it up with volume and the best service he can provide. He is damn busy. It is his choice and right to keep his staff to minimum and not deal with the administrative duties necessary to have multiple order lines and employees.

When I say that he is not rude, I know from personal experience that he takes the negative comments that come from here and his callers to heart and it bothers him that he feels it's necessary at busy times to triage his customers for that is what works the best for him. Best for him is that his business continues and for many of us here, it's best for us. I would rather know I am getting good service and prices than give it up so he can have a warm and fuzzy interface with everyone by hiring a larger staff.

Those of you that seem to come to this forum and bawl like babies every time something bad happens really need to get over this and grow up and stop becoming victims everytime someone doesn't treat you the way you feel you should, have earned, or demand to be treated in this life. If coddling is what you really need, go somewhere that you can get your backside kissed and enjoy your shopping experience. Why trash long time vendors that sponsor this forum because of instances just because you feel outrage at being treated so poorly. Apparently you solved your purchase and felt good about the results, that's terrific. Why didn't you call JonB back and rub it in his nose, it would have taken less time than your post? If I went to your business and had a bad experience, how would you feel seeing it here for all to see? Yes, you absolutely have a right to express any opinion you wish on this forum and in this great country of ours, but when you knock in order to possibly damage a guy's livelyhood based on one or two telephone calls, you're just a richard sucker in my opinion. Be a man and call him back up, give him a piece of your mind. Yell at him, tell him off, talk rational, become unglued whatever, just call him or email him directly. Handle it man to man instead of ******* and moaning here. Call me a tool, that's the cool phrase now isn't it? Okay, I am a tool and you are a wuss (and that's the nicest way I could think of describing it).

You don't run your business that way, super. I'm sure you're extremely successful and I wish you all the best in that endeavor. Just don't knock someone else's methods based on one or two experiences especially when that person has spent more than a decade supporting the Viper experience because of passion and profit.

My car is all but finished. I will not be buying any more parts unless I wreck it or buy another so if you're thinking I'm kissing up to get deeper discounts, that's not it. I'm just a poor country boy businessman that doesn't like seeing another abused.

It reminds me of my call today to a tech support that was answered in another country that all were trained to be very polite "how can I help you today?; I am here to give you excellent service; have a wonderful springtime season; I am so very sorry you are having a problem but rest assure I am here to make your experience a happy one". The end result is it took 73 minutes of which I was put on hold 5 times and they still didn't solve my problem.

No I would have rather had JonB at the end of the other line on that one.
Larry

 

[DSR207]

Long distance call to Jon B..........................................$1.95
Breaking the phone after talking to Jon B......................$40.00
Tylenol after breaking the phone..................................$.25
Talking to someone that knows everything about Vipers.. PRICELESS

 

[George Murray]

I've had nothing but outstanding service from Jon B. I order parts from him 3 or 4 times/year. I've had as good service from him as any of the great Viper guys.

Too bad some of you folks have had less than perfect experiences. I'm sure Jon will take care of you.

He'll continue to get my business.

 

[VIPER D]

Long distance call to Jon B..........................................$1.95
Breaking the phone after talking to Jon B......................$40.00
Tylenol after breaking the phone..................................$.25
Talking to someone that knows everything about Vipers.. PRICELESS

thats funny lol

vd..

 

[NoRice]

I ordered the seat lowering kit from Jon on Thurs(via email) 2 weeks ago and told him I needed it here at my house that next Tues. He sent an email back stating no problem, and the kit arrived when I needed it. That was the only communication I had with him Jon, so no complaints from me.

 

[CajunViper]

Nice going DSR207,

The last line in that statment is the truth.

I support JonB

 

[ViperGMC]

Quote:
________________________________________

Long distance call to Jon B..........................................$1.95
Breaking the phone after talking to Jon B......................$40.00
Tylenol after breaking the phone..................................$.25
Talking to someone that knows everything about Vipers.. PRICELESS
________________________________________
& the soup ****, you guys know him well. Good stuff!!


I thought I would chime in on this. I have sent an obscene amount of $$ on my car and most of it thru Jon. And I have had conversations similar to the ones described, rude-yes, curt-yes, pleasant-no, informative-sometimes. The most frustrating thing about Jon is how brief and information-less his responses can be, but the up side of that is that I am very busy too and I can get an order placed quick and his prices are the best and the stuff show has always shown up on time (I can not think of a single exception). There have been countless times that I have decided that I needed something last minute before Viper Days and Jon has not once missed.

I remember early on when I received some parts from Jon and in the box was a very nice surprise, a die cast Viper and a hat that I did not order with a note saying thanks for you business. Wow, I thought how nice. I call him for questions/parts a short time later (might have been on a Monday) and he was rude and short with me. So I sent him an e-mail asking what the hell was going on and how his rudeness cancelled out the gift. He apologized and changed his ways for me about .0001%. That’s Jon. I have never met the guy but I have bought a lot I mean a lot of parts from him. I think if I ever do meet him, I will thank him for helping me out so many times and then slug him for being such a putts sometimes. Definitely an acquired taste, and I am his biggest supporter.

 

[houstonT]

Another DIS-satisfied lost customer of JonB. He was a down right rude [******] when I spoke to him on the phone about ordering something. He treated me the SAME way you were treated, and I will NEVER buy anything from him. I turned around and spent $80k elsewhere...

Peter

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Another DIS-satisfied lost customer of JonB. He was a down right rude [******] when I spoke to him on the phone about ordering something. He treated me the SAME way you were treated, and I will NEVER buy anything from him. I turned around and spent $80k elsewhere...

Peter

what in the world were you ordering for $80k? A GTS-R??

 

[zorroespanol]

Did anyone take time to read that 5-page dissertation in defense of John "B"???

I had the same experience. The guy seemed to be annoyed that I called (W-T-F???), so I got off the phone and never called again.

Simple.

And I agree, if I ever caught one of my employees being 1/10th as rude as this man, he'd be on the street the next minute.

 

[KenricGTS]

It is simple just never buy from the guy again.

 

[Vipera Russelli]

First of all I need to declare that I am one of JonB's biggest supporters. We have had our ups and downs, big time both ways, but their is no one else that can match his service and prices. He is among a few of the most knowledgeable persons I am aware of when it comes to Vipers and the VCA.

I spoke to him at length on Monday late afternoon, I was in fact very suprised he had the time. Jokingly he let me know that since most of us are now aware of "cranky Monday", his Monday's have slowed somewhat and he gets bombed now on Tuesdays. What is interesting in this to me is that there are enough of his customers that respect him and still want the price and service he gives so they possibly delay their requests in order to get past his busy Monday and now Tuesday is his busiest day! Like a tube of toothpaste was his remark or something like that.

Jon is not rude, he is brusque and abrupt. He attempts to keep his overhead low and passes the saving on to his customers. He works on much less mark-up than most and attempts to make it up with volume and the best service he can provide. He is damn busy. It is his choice and right to keep his staff to minimum and not deal with the administrative duties necessary to have multiple order lines and employees.

When I say that he is not rude, I know from personal experience that he takes the negative comments that come from here and his callers to heart and it bothers him that he feels it's necessary at busy times to triage his customers for that is what works the best for him. Best for him is that his business continues and for many of us here, it's best for us. I would rather know I am getting good service and prices than give it up so he can have a warm and fuzzy interface with everyone by hiring a larger staff.

Those of you that seem to come to this forum and bawl like babies every time something bad happens really need to get over this and grow up and stop becoming victims everytime someone doesn't treat you the way you feel you should, have earned, or demand to be treated in this life. If coddling is what you really need, go somewhere that you can get your backside kissed and enjoy your shopping experience. Why trash long time vendors that sponsor this forum because of instances just because you feel outrage at being treated so poorly. Apparently you solved your purchase and felt good about the results, that's terrific. Why didn't you call JonB back and rub it in his nose, it would have taken less time than your post? If I went to your business and had a bad experience, how would you feel seeing it here for all to see? Yes, you absolutely have a right to express any opinion you wish on this forum and in this great country of ours, but when you knock in order to possibly damage a guy's livelyhood based on one or two telephone calls, you're just a richard sucker in my opinion. Be a man and call him back up, give him a piece of your mind. Yell at him, tell him off, talk rational, become unglued whatever, just call him or email him directly. Handle it man to man instead of ******* and moaning here. Call me a tool, that's the cool phrase now isn't it? Okay, I am a tool and you are a wuss (and that's the nicest way I could think of describing it).

You don't run your business that way, super. I'm sure you're extremely successful and I wish you all the best in that endeavor. Just don't knock someone else's methods based on one or two experiences especially when that person has spent more than a decade supporting the Viper experience because of passion and profit.

My car is all but finished. I will not be buying any more parts unless I wreck it or buy another so if you're thinking I'm kissing up to get deeper discounts, that's not it. I'm just a poor country boy businessman that doesn't like seeing another abused.

It reminds me of my call today to a tech support that was answered in another country that all were trained to be very polite "how can I help you today?; I am here to give you excellent service; have a wonderful springtime season; I am so very sorry you are having a problem but rest assure I am here to make your experience a happy one". The end result is it took 73 minutes of which I was put on hold 5 times and they still didn't solve my problem.

No I would have rather had JonB at the end of the other line on that one.
Larry

Nicely put and right on the money!

JonB ALWAYS goes way beyond the call of duty for me. I've needed his above-and-beyond services more times than I care to admit and the guy ALWAYS comes through. Keep up the great work, Jon!

 

[Warfang]

I used to work with a lot of newly signed recruits about to go into the military. Many were worried about boot camp... getting yelled at, etc. My advice was always to pretend you're an actor, and this is a role in a movie... we all know what a bad@$$ drill instructor is supposed to act like, so there's no suprise.

Same thing here... pretend you're calling the soup **** of Viper parts, mean on some levels, but utterly principled and his knowledge of Vipers is some good soup. Wait your turn, place your order, scoot over, pay, and enjoy your soup.

Like the soup ****, he has his moments of warmth, and generous with his time and money (I read he sponsors a lot of Viper events). Some people are just characters that way... they make life more colorful.

 

[gts_2001]

NO BEEFS from me!
ALL of my encounters with Jon B have been positive . He does his homework and knows his products and customer base well.

During my last phone call with Jon B (just a few weeks ago) he recalled details of a conversation we'd had months ago that were totally unrelated to the issue at hand. I was impressed at the personal interest.


"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!"

Jon B, yer OK in my book!

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Yellow Viper SRT10 said....
" It turned out I was ready to buy today and later called Doug Levin and bought a coilover kit from him. Doug is the most helpful guy I ever spoke to, so it was a night and day difference."
.....................................................
So if you WERE ready to buy today why not just say so?? Seems as if you wanted to enter into a joust where you had the upper hand. That is not the way you deal with a guy like Jon. With the prices he gives there's no need to dicker or play committment games.

 

[Big Medicine]

If you are going to buy $hit tickets, I can't think of any better place to purchase them than Sams Club. Bulk, cheap, handy, and a must have for any bathroom.

Of course, when I go, I know what I am looking for and I am prepared to deal with everything that comes witha trip to Sams Club.

 

[rleminv]

ViperGMC said:

..........I think if I ever do meet him, I will thank him for helping me out so many times and then slug him for being such a putts sometimes.....an acquired taste,

Yiddish lesson number 1: it's "putz"
definition a p r i c k, a schmuck


And I agree with those that put it simply, just go elsewhere.

Larry

 

[Warfang]

Yellow Viper SRT10 said....
" It turned out I was ready to buy today and later called Doug Levin and bought a coilover kit from him. Doug is the most helpful guy I ever spoke to, so it was a night and day difference."
.....................................................
So if you WERE ready to buy today why not just say so?? Seems as if you wanted to enter into a joust where you had the upper hand. That is not the way you deal with a guy like Jon. With the prices he gives there's no need to dicker or play committment games.

Exactly... when I'm not quite sure of my commitment to buy from Jon (waiting on wifey's permission), I email him with my questions and let him reply at his convenience.

Would have been smarter to have said you were definately buying today, "...but I was wondering about such and such." I think he would have been more receptive.