EMS Manufacturing ( patch panels)

[Topsterguy]

I recently had a bad experience with these people I thought I'd pass on , because I know I appreciate it when someone gives us a heads up anout a bad experience with a company , and more than a * I think it's a justifiable complaint. I ordered some patch panels for my 37 Ford from them and this is my experience. I bought the tailpiece below the trunk and the tool tray with it, the quarters, front and rear floors and lower cowls in and out. The tail pan and tool tray were "okay". The quarters were 5/8" too long into the fenders when we lined up the door jam, & the door jam indents weren't even close. When I called "Bob" ( customer service rep)about this he said "that's impossible" and then added " if they don't line up don't use them" , got really indignant about it all and eventually  hung up on me. I can't remember running across anyone as arrogant, self rightous and rude....and he's the customer rep / manager. The outer lower cowls were a joke - we used the basic skin only and used the existing door jam / hinge pads and the areas where the hood met the cowls. The floors were "okay to start with" and build on / modify from there.

To top it all off, I ordered the lower cowls after I got the rest of the order and emphasized that they were to be shipped to the same place , Blaine Wa, as the other order and under no circumstances to use UPS because it costs us BIGTIME brokerage as we all know. The person who took this order ( not Bob) understood perfectly. The following monday I got the invoice in the mail ( for clearing customs), printed on a computer etc with the Blaine adress boldly on it. Three days later the UPS truck showed up in my driveway with the package and it cost me $57 brokerage. With it was a hand printed invoice , the shipping adress had been changed to my home, and at the bottom was Bob's signature. My guess is he changed the adress because he knew ( I told him) it would cost me bigtime, and he did that after our heated discussion when he hung up on me. After a few calls to Bob about this, THEIR / HIS mistake, he refused to reimburse me the $57 ( said "his boss" refused too), and said they would take it off my next order! Fat chance that'll happen , Bob! I talked to him a couple of days later and asked to speak to his boss and he said " No, can't do that" and the conversation was over. I spent about $2000 with them and they wouldn't refund $57 for the "mistake" ( more like getting even) Bob made! Would I deal with them or recommend them to anyone - NO WAY! * good thing I've got a really good body guy!
As we all know, many panels are "close" and you go from there and their panels were pretty much that, and I've since learned that another guy here is doing a 37 and he had major probelms too, and didn't even use a couple of panels , but rather than try to send them back he just wrote them off.  More than anything it was the poor customer service that really * me off.

[chimp koose]

I feel your pain.I have ordered stuff before and requested them NOT to use UPS because of the crazy brokerage fees.I was told that UPS was cheaper than other bonded carriers. Yes they were cheaper on shipping charges until you added in brokerage fees. What didn't help in my case was a supplier who did not hold the order until he could ship complete but rather dribbled pieces my way a few at a time all the while racking up new broker fees with each shipment.The real killer was when he shipped the last two boxes and filled out the paper work like two separate shipments claiming the combined value of the boxes for each box on the customs declaration.The result, twice the broker fees and twice the taxes at the customs office.This guy then emails me asking for more money to cover the extra shipping costs after he had quoted shipping. I had already paid extra more than he had by way of just the one double valued shipment.Sometimes ordering stuff out of the states makes a guy nervous due to what can happen when things are lower quality than you expect or someone doesn't get the shipping preference right.

[Topsterguy]

Yup, a lot of stories out there!  I'm still convinced that a lot of US companies have " Canada Bins" - where they put defective products or seconds and ship them up here because they know we have to much hassle to send them back and we'll just fix them!

[Harry]

Lately I have been getting my parts from Old Car Centre in Langley. If the product is not good, they will take it back.

[Arnold]

I feel your pain.I have ordered stuff before and requested them NOT to use UPS because of the crazy brokerage fees.I was told that UPS was cheaper than other bonded carriers. Yes they were cheaper on shipping charges until you added in brokerage fees. What didn't help in my case was a supplier who did not hold the order until he could ship complete but rather dribbled pieces my way a few at a time all the while racking up new broker fees with each shipment.The real killer was when he shipped the last two boxes and filled out the paper work like two separate shipments claiming the combined value of the boxes for each box on the customs declaration.The result, twice the broker fees and twice the taxes at the customs office.This guy then emails me asking for more money to cover the extra shipping costs after he had quoted shipping. I had already paid extra more than he had by way of just the one double valued shipment.Sometimes ordering stuff out of the states makes a guy nervous due to what can happen when things are lower quality than you expect or someone doesn't get the shipping preference right.

  UPS and other couriers buy the rights to ship to Canada from the USPS
(United States Post Office) for $5. This info came from USPS. They get
DELUGED with complaints about this and HATE IT!
 UPS and other couriers make flat rate deals on shipping. They agrees to charge the company "X" and then they(the company) charge the consumer whatever they feel like.
 "Brokerage Service Fees" UPS(for sure) makes deals with sellers to only charge "X". OR they will give you a credit on them.

  Shipping charges.

   Credit card companies (MasterCard here in Canada anyway)
have decide to allow sellers to "adjust" shipping charges on your credit card
WITHOUT authorization :evil: .

  Very hard to believe but VERY TRUE!

   I recently got embroiled in a very nasty dispute where I had purchased
something on my credit card..the shipping to Canada was "X". I paid the amount in full.
  30 minutes later the company "adjusted" the shipping charges AND BILLED MY CREDIT CARD!
  They FIRST quadrupled the shipping charges..THEN ADDED that to
what I had paid WITHOUT my authorization.

  I TRIED to cancel the order but I needed a U.S. address to do that.(didn't need one to BUY from them)

   I contacted MasterCard and from there things just got UGLY.

   MasterCard conceded that there were so many problems regarding
U.S to Canada shipping anyway..that they decided to allow sellers to
"adjust" shipping charges without authorization.

    I have ONLY shipped USPS into Canada forever.HOWEVER some companies..even though they agree to it..say it on their websites ETC
have already made deals with UPS and just do as they please.

   Sorry for the "yelling" and rant. This was a long drawn out UGLY affair
that did not end well. I had to agree with the bank that I would NOT refuse to accept the package. NOR automatically Return it to sender.When the package arrived..there was ANOTHER $60-$80 I HAD to pay that was NOT refundable IN ORDER to receive it.

   I went back on my word and REFUSED the package.
   "Shipping" had now reached $240! for a few small pieces of
JEWELERY for my g/f.

[Topsterguy]

Lately I have been getting my parts from Old Car Centre in Langley. If the product is not good, they will take it back.

Absolutely!  Been dealing with them for many years and not a single problem , no question on returns.

[Topsterguy]

I feel your pain.I have ordered stuff before and requested them NOT to use UPS because of the crazy brokerage fees.I was told that UPS was cheaper than other bonded carriers. Yes they were cheaper on shipping charges until you added in brokerage fees. What didn't help in my case was a supplier who did not hold the order until he could ship complete but rather dribbled pieces my way a few at a time all the while racking up new broker fees with each shipment.The real killer was when he shipped the last two boxes and filled out the paper work like two separate shipments claiming the combined value of the boxes for each box on the customs declaration.The result, twice the broker fees and twice the taxes at the customs office.This guy then emails me asking for more money to cover the extra shipping costs after he had quoted shipping. I had already paid extra more than he had by way of just the one double valued shipment.Sometimes ordering stuff out of the states makes a guy nervous due to what can happen when things are lower quality than you expect or someone doesn't get the shipping preference right.

  UPS and other couriers buy the rights to ship to Canada from the USPS
(United States Post Office) for $5. This info came from USPS. They get
DELUGED with complaints about this and HATE IT!
 UPS and other couriers make flat rate deals on shipping. They agrees to charge the company "X" and then they(the company) charge the consumer whatever they feel like.
 "Brokerage Service Fees" UPS(for sure) makes deals with sellers to only charge "X". OR they will give you a credit on them.

  Shipping charges.

   Credit card companies (MasterCard here in Canada anyway)
have decide to allow sellers to "adjust" shipping charges on your credit card
WITHOUT authorization :evil: .

  Very hard to believe but VERY TRUE!

   I recently got embroiled in a very nasty dispute where I had purchased
something on my credit card..the shipping to Canada was "X". I paid the amount in full.
  30 minutes later the company "adjusted" the shipping charges AND BILLED MY CREDIT CARD!
  They FIRST quadrupled the shipping charges..THEN ADDED that to
what I had paid WITHOUT my authorization.

  I TRIED to cancel the order but I needed a U.S. address to do that.(didn't need one to BUY from them)

   I contacted MasterCard and from there things just got UGLY.

   MasterCard conceded that there were so many problems regarding
U.S to Canada shipping anyway..that they decided to allow sellers to
"adjust" shipping charges without authorization.

    I have ONLY shipped USPS into Canada forever.HOWEVER some companies..even though they agree to it..say it on their websites ETC
have already made deals with UPS and just do as they please.

   Sorry for the "yelling" and rant. This was a long drawn out UGLY affair
that did not end well. I had to agree with the bank that I would NOT refuse to accept the package. NOR automatically Return it to sender.When the package arrived..there was ANOTHER $60-$80 I HAD to pay that was NOT refundable IN ORDER to receive it.

   I went back on my word and REFUSED the package.
   "Shipping" had now reached $240! for a few small pieces of
JEWELERY for my g/f.

Some interesting points, thanks!  I just refuse to deal with anyone that insists on ups - there's always another company somewhere that will understand.

[1800guy]

I have a friend in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario who has all his parts shipped to a storefront in SSM, Michigan.  When he drives down to pick them up, he also fills the gas tanks in his truck.  He says duty is usually less when he hand carries the parts, and if an order is big, he splits it and makes two trips.  When he does pay duty, the fuel savings make up for that.

[chimp koose]

There was a guy who would allow some of my Ford buddies to have stuff shipped to his Montana address and come pick it up from his place. Great deal when you buy something that ships free or low fee to 49 states. Problem is most places will not ship to other than billing address for credit card orders.Good Idea to avoid credit card fraud, but a pain when ordering stuff.

[Topsterguy]

What most of us do here on Vancouver Island is have it shipped to Express Air's adress in Blaine Wa. Express Air works out of the airport here and runs back and forth daily to Blaine and brings all the items back to their office in the airport.  Then they call you and you go out, pick up the paperwork, walk it through customs at the airport and pay taxes, then back over to pick your stuff up and you're done!  VERY easy and very inexpensive.

[parklane]

I have a friend in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario who has all his parts shipped to a storefront in SSM, Michigan.  When he drives down to pick them up, he also fills the gas tanks in his truck.  He says duty is usually less when he hand carries the parts, and if an order is big, he splits it and makes two trips.  When he does pay duty, the fuel savings make up for that.

Actually there is no duty on these things under the NAFTA agreement, but there is taxes. In Ontario for instance, it's 13%. So what they do at the border is change the amount from US to  Canadian $$, and then add 13% to the total. Fortunately, most of the guys at the border allow you about $200 without a problem.