Why certain vendors deserve support and others.........

I think all of us can take for granted just how sharp guys like Phil are as a recent order I placed with Autogeek got screwed up once again................................ bombarded with specials near the end of the year I needed some Megs gear and ordered, and once again I recieved the order confirmation in a e-mail and it was WRONG.

This happened lastime as well to get some hydro pads and I called right away and got the run around(Gal on the phone said "That is what you ordered" and I replied "Why would order what I already have in abundance?", so I thought that's it I will never order again................but I did because of the CHEAP price and of course their shopping cart is messed up like last time and I needed the gear with "The quickness" so this time I ordered from Kevin Brown @ Buffdaddy and he sent out the stuff I needed(Want to support a goodguy as well).

Here are my list of guys to deal with...................


1. Phil @ Detailers Domain(Would order more if he was closer) always gets it right as mistakes can happen, but it NEVER does.
2. Ken @ Autowerks , friendly easygoing and "Gets it done"
3. Kevin @ Buffdaddy super cool guy with knowledge that helps ALL of us, sand paper heaven on display and connections with everyone

The "Geek" has a tremendous operation as I was at "Detailfest" last year, but over a 50% failure rate on all my orders plus a forum that sucks tells the story.. my .02$


Kevin is number three as I just ordered for the firstime and the order does not reflect any favoritism on my part.

 

Sound good Bob! We should appreciate good services and businesses that provide good business and post it!
I do tell a lot of people about your services

 

The only reason I order from anyone except the 3 that you have listed is that they don't carry what I am looking for, but I agree AG forum sucks balls to the max, I've often related that forum to communism you'll know what I'm talking about if you read the "rules". The only reason I would even think of going to that place is for some technical articles but then again if you do some searching then you can often find it elsewhere....

 

Too bad. Customer service is a must in the detailing products business but have not had any issues ordering from AG. It is interesting how what you had in the cart did not end up in the order confirmation email.

Phil has always been top notch especially for almost 24 hr email support. I did not know Kevin Brown had his own operation.

I thought Ken at Autowerkes had shut his store down temporarily.

 

Bob once again you share something that a lot of people over look. If you look at the cost of the supplies that go into a detail they are such a small percentage of the whole. If having the right product is crucial to keeping the labor from getting out of hand then the savings from Other vendors with cheap prices and faulty shipping accuracy is quickly negated by the increase in labor when you don't have have you need and are forced to "work around" the issue with the wrong products. I have been guilty of chasing a few bucks in savings only to find that after you put it all together figure your time spent shopping the savings was not really that great.

 

I must admit that I've only placed a couple of orders with Phil, although I wish I could say I've done more business with him.

One of the orders I placed was for my Flex 3401 which started having problems almost immediately. I emailed Phil, and got a very quick reply. He also got in contact with Flex directly and gave me a direct number for the Flex rep he had been in contact with. With the unbelievable, overwhelming presence that Phil has on a huge number of car forums, plus running his own forum, answering calls and emails all day, and trying to run a business, I figured for sure to get a response within a couple of days and I was okay with that. But to my surprise, everything was handled the same day I first came to Phil with my issue. And in no way was there any kind of favoritism since I believe that was my first order.

Customer service like that is hard to find, and I hope in the future to send more business Phil's way. My experience with DD has been outstanding.

 

I only use Phil. Not only do i consider him a great business man, but a friend. He always provides great detailing knowledge, practical advice, and has never pushed a product on me. Over the years I have learned a tremendous amount from him. His orders are always correct, and the product recommendations (not hard sells) have always produced spectacular results. I understand that I can not evaluate others as I have never used them, however, that being said.....why would I want to. Im the type of person that once I find something that works, and works well, I don't complicate the equation.

 

drove from oregon to canada just to meet ken. a very nice guy and knows product. i still buy ag but prefer phil and the occasion chem guys (when i am spaced out and cant find it anywhere else.

 

It is really tough to find exactly what you want from any 1 store, and being 3000 miles from the best stores that will most likely have what I want, it comes down to getting what you want and paying huge shipping and at least 5 days travel time from actual shipping now, or trying to find the exact product closer. It is never a fun thing to do whenever I have to do it. Something about the Northwest just seems to take longer than normal.

I totally vote for Phil, Ken, and have also had great success with Greg at Detailed Image, out of NY.
Now, if I could only get a reasonable shipping rate and time, I would be golden !

I also have an order for Ceriglass at A/Grunge that they listed as available but after I ordered it, it is now on back order. I tried to cancel it by email to "Contact Us", and now find out they charged my credit card, and who knows when I will get the product, that was ordered on Dec. 9th..
Never again, Bucky, never again...

Dan F

 

happy new year all! wow wow wow is all I can say, I appreciate all the great feedback and I hope that 2012 is a good one for all.

I will continue to support you all the best I can.

I believe our shipping rate is great $9.99 flat rate has been going on for the last 3-4 months.

As for shipping time sorry I won't be able to do much.

 

I second the notion of it being difficult to get everything from one or two vendors. A recent example being that I needed to obtain more Kwazar mercury pro + bottles in yellow. I saw they were available at Autogeek and placed the order and got a confirmation order number. Several days later they called me to inform me the bottles were on back order and to call them. I returned the call and told them it's no problem I can wait. Several days later they call me again and tell me they cannot get them and asked if I wanted blue. I said to myself if I wanted blue I would have already ordered them from Phil and the ONLY REASON I was ordering from Autogeek was that Phil did not have the colors I wanted and Ken does not sell them and is not open for business right now. (if u read this Phil PM me if u can get them and black color too! lol)

 

Thanks for your feedback Bob. I only deal with a few suppliers and your list matches my preferred supplier list. I have only ordered from AG once and it's going to be my last. My order charge got messed up because a discount code didn't work correctly. Spent a good amount of time calling customer service and never got an answer over the phone. I never got a "we are sorry we screwed up", just got an email stating that the refund was going to happen in a few days.

Ken and Phil ALWAYS answer any question I have regarding the products they sell. I like the fact that they recommend products that they have actually used, instead of just carrying everything under the sun.

 

If I need something fast and megs, ill order from ADS, never had an issue. Other then that Generally I order from Phil as well, never had an issue and he has taken care of me and gone out of his way to make things right that never even asked for. Shipping from the east to west coast couldn't be faster, and most of my orders ship that day........

Ken is a good guy too, he has taken care of some stuff for me as well, once he gets up and running again ill he will be on my short list.

Its not always about the discount for me, I am willing to pay more knowing 1) it supports a local or independent 2) outstanding service before and after the sale...........

 

I appreciate the comments guys. Hopefully we'll be back up and running in February. As mentioned, we do only sell products that we use or have used are are confident will make you happy as well. For a small store such as ours, it is tough to carry all the items the larger vendors carry but will continue to test and bring in as many of the better products as possible.

 

currently kwazar bottles only come in blue, we had sold out all the colors a few months back.

as for black nothing solid right now.

 

Im guilty of always shopping for deals. but I never had any bad experience with any vendors...

what I like about Phil most is that he only offers the best products available currently IMO. His service is very very very hard to find....there's no 1-800 please hold. His site is very simple to navigate. I will always recommend people to Phil as I trust him with the product he sells and the service he provides to every single customer! + He will not tried to sell you stuff you don't need.

 

Nick and Heather from Prima are at the top of my list for favorite vendors. Customer service is amazing, and we've become friends over the years as well.

Ordered a ton of things from AG and have never had a problem, orders are shipped quick. If I order on Monday morning, they are on my door step by Wed. Granted, they are 2 hours away from me, but still, 2 day shipping is tough to beat.

I keep reading so many good things about Phil since I joined, it looks like I'll be trying my next order with him.

 

We always use Detailers Domain! Used Autogeek in the past, but once I saw what Phil was all about I closed the door on Autogeek.

 

I as well support Phil's customer service, prices, shipping and know how. I live in San Diego, literally on the complete other side of the nation and i'm still surprised at how fast my products are picked, pulled, shipped and delivered. I don't mean to put AutoGeek down as well but they took almost twice as long!

Another deciding factor for me is the communication i have with the business i buy from. With Phil, if i have a question or concern i simple email will normally take car of things as they are replied to with that same business day. You just don't find that anymore!

All in all, i have not bought from either Ken or Kevin so i can't attest to their services but i fully trust Bob's know-how and purchasing techniques. DetailersDomain is definitely my one stop shop for all my products.

 

May as well add my $0.02 here. Consistently ordering for both personal and business, I have yet to run into any issues with any vendor personally. That being said, Phil @ DD has most definitely gone above and beyond, including replacing product that didn't perform, with new shipment, no questions asked. If ever there was an issue with packaging, or a cracked bottle of product...another would be shipped out same day. Beyond that, the guy is available via PM, e-mail, or phone almost all day long. Seriously Phil, the amount of time and effort you put into your business is phenomenal for your customers. At some point though, it's so much that I would assume you would eventually weigh your time devoted to the business vs. your family. If you're able to manage everything healthily, you're some sort of super hero.

I have no other personal business relationship to any other supplier...other then Ken @ AutowerkesExclusive. He's equally involved and in-tune with his products. The international shipping may be a bit more if you're ordering from the US, but it's all worth it. He carries products you want (and need), at the best prices, and is even developing his own line. Having sampled a few items...they perform with the best of them. It's nice to see the evolution of a detailer, a distributor, and an entrepreneur. It's truly great to order product from an individual who can offer his personal opinion and experience. BTW, Ken, I'm awaiting the reply of the RaceGlaze Black Label, as well as that Menzerna...