Guest 400HP280z Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 you always hear about the shitty shops so i wanted to post about my dealings with MSA. i ordered the aero2 front dam, ZG flares and headlight covers on fri. the dam is put on back order until around the 10th of nov. i ordered a rear diff mount and a whaletail on monday. i got everything today around 9 am(weds.) no damage and all the parts were there. the front dam was also shipped out today. i dealt with sam and he was very cool. just wanted to let you know there are cool shops still around. i will buy from them again very soon. david in T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 hmmmm....I think that you are one of the lucky ones!! I recently purchased something that was advertised in their sales flyer. When I received it, it was more than $15 more than advertised (for a ~$60 part). Called them and they said..."well the prices have gone up..." I will admit that the parts arrived in decent time and intact. After 4 or 5 deals with MSA all have had some type of issue.... Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I'm with Tim, your story is NOT the usual Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 i will say that i have ordered alot of parts from MSA.. i will say that alot of the times the service sucked... took 2 months to get my headlight covers and motor mounts when both were said to be "shipped out the next day." last time i ordered something from them was a pretty big order.. for me anyways. ZG flares, air dam, and some suspension parts.... a guy there called me up asking why i ordered a 240Z air dam if i have a 280Z i told him and we gota talking .. he was very cool and gave me free shipping... i was like wow.. he went out of his way to help out somebody he didnt no, and also took the time to really talk to somebody about something that they both share a intrest in.... just because of that guys (i have his name writen down some place) help ill keep on buying from them. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vince Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I never had to order anything from MSA, since i dont live to far away i just go to their shop. Most of the time they were very helpful with any questions i had. Sometimes i would end up staying longer than i expected just chatting about my project and parts an such. Also i've noticed prices are often cheaper than advertised on many of my purchases. For example, the full length v8 headers are advertised for $289, i got them for about $260, and when i bought the v8 conversion kit they threw in the turbo350 adapter for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Ive had nothing but good service from MSA. The only gripe i have is about their telephone service. Its really wierd. The lady on the machine sounds so real. When i try to reach a particular person by using the company directory, it sends me to a dead end, then connects me to someone who i didnt want to talk to, but hey, its someone at least. On delivery of shipped parts, i dunno, i just walk in. Be prepared to spend an hour sitting and chatting about parts in the showroom. If MSA werent around, Z's would be rare and near extinction. They offer parts that we cant get otherwise. We cant go hybridizing everything now, can we? That would take ages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I have had nothing but good service from them. I have ordered a lot of parts for the stock parts that are on my car and if they said they had it then it was shipped out right away, if it was on back order they told me and it was shipped out as soon as they got in it stock. MSA = (2 thumbs up!) Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buschj Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I live about 5 miles from MSA and they are always UNDERSTOCKED! When I restored my 65’ Mustang, the guy’s at the store knew me by name and always gave me a discount for being a loyal customer. The guys at MSA act like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. THEY SUCK!!! But they put on a great show once a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I live about 5 miles from MSA and they are always UNDERSTOCKED! When I restored my 65’ Mustang, the guy’s at the store knew me by name and always gave me a discount for being a loyal customer. The guys at MSA act like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. THEY SUCK!!! [/b']But they put on a great show once a year. I think people expect too much from MSA. People gotta remember, they are 1 of 2 major Z part distributors, so they are B-U-S-Y. Dont be offended if they dont have time to chat, if they have a hurried attitude, if they dont give you the service you get from a Hooters girl. They just dont have time for it. They have always had what i needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I live about 5 miles from MSA and they are always UNDERSTOCKED! When I restored my 65’ Mustang' date=' the guy’s at the store knew me by name and always gave me a discount for being a loyal customer. The guys at MSA act like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. [b']THEY SUCK!!! [/b']But they put on a great show once a year. I think people expect too much from MSA. People gotta remember, they are 1 of 2 major Z part distributors, so they are B-U-S-Y. Dont be offended if they dont have time to chat, if they have a hurried attitude, if they dont give you the service you get from a Hooters girl. They just dont have time for it. They have always had what i needed. That is completely irrelevant!! If the consumer is giving them business and giving them their hard earned $$$, the least they can do is be curteous!! I can understand if they are short on stock from time to time....it's a good way to do business (keeping the stock on shelves low), but at least have the common decency to be patient, curteous and HONEST about the time to get stock!!! In this country SERVICE is the main product and without it, it leaves the consumer thinking that they got ripped!!! Just my 2c worth. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Want aZ Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Tim, Cant agree with you more, I used to work in the service industry and the customer ALWAYS should be first! Because without the customer you have no business. And dollar for dollar word of mouth is always the best advertising out there!! Damon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 007fastZ Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I would agree that MSA is not doing business like they should. I'm in operations management in the business college of the university of Cincinnati right now. If we looked into MSA during business class their would be so many things wrong with their company that we could put out. I know that they can get busy from time to time, but what business doesn't. The customer service sucks and from my experience their attitude. But until another good Z supplier comes along we're all screwed. I thought i would just put my "2 cents in to". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I've always had good dealings with the folks at MSA. But, I race with Sam, Kurt, and Kurt's son Kyle and ran MSA's logos on my 240Z for a long time. Ultimately, like any business dealing, it comes down to individual relationships. And I disagree with the concept that the customer is number 1. I feel that employees are number 1 and are the most important contributor to a company's success. Customer are number 2. Although it would be a very difficult choice and I would do everything I could to avoid it, I would rather lose a good customer then a good employee. And before you guys start flaming me, remember back to when your boss wouldn't back you up when a customer was wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buschj Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 The whole problem is lack of competition. When you are the only store in town selling milk, you can get away with murder. MSA is just a little warehouse with phone lines. They don’t deserve the monopoly status they hold. We need a reputable alternative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaparral2f Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 IMHO John is right on. What he said about the employee being number one, is the approach taken by Southwest Airlines and it seems to work very well for them. If your boss doesn't treat you like an asset, well as they say "S*** always rolls downhill" Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 While I totally agree with putting stock in your employees, I think that the average hierarchy in a small company (or any one for that matter) is: #1: The boss #2: The bottom line #3: The suppliers #4: Systems (procurement/accounting etc) #5: The customer #6: The employees. And many times the customer ends up lower as someone that just gets in the way of yanking the $$ of their wallets! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240hybrid Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I've dealed with MSA a good bit and overall I have only good things to say about them. I would agree that their phone system is the worst part about their co., as it is hard to get ahold of a certain person unless you call about 10 times. A few of their phone operaters could cheer up also, but thats the only problem I have had with them. As far as their product, its never been damaged upon arrival and always seems to get here relatively quick for me being in GA . Just recently, I ordered a fiberglass valence and they call me and said it had a small chip about 1/4" in size and wanted to know if I would wait 2 weeks for another, but I said just send it and I will fix it so they knocked off $40.00. Not too bad for something that will take me 30-45 minutes to fix. Also they just recently upped the shipping prices from 30 lbs. to 50 lbs. for airdam/valences, but I only sent enough for the 30 lbs and they let me have it for what I sent instead of making me pay the difference. That was cool, I didn't want to wait another week and a 1/2 for a check to get there. I give them 2 thumbs up overall....beats going to the dealership for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 I have a question for you guys haggling the prices down - is that after the IZCC/Z club discount? As for my personal experiences - most of them have been good, and the shipping costs are excellent. When I bought my airdam, MSA charged me approx 30$ to ship it. I got quotes from 6 other places that had cheaper prices. The shipping they quoted was between 80 and 125$ (!!!) dollars. It is not easy to run a speciality shop like that - so if you guys think you can do better - please do! Competition will only improve the situation, but I think it's a little harder to be successful in their market than (some of) you seem to think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 A little friendliness and courtesy is not too much to ask is it? Motorsport does have a niche market and their prices, while sometimes a little high, are resonable. It's just the warm fuzzy feeling that's missing, and many times that is worth a hell of a lot! I love ordering stuff from Summit! They have always been very polite and friendly. It's just a pleasure doing business with them. I just don't come away from a transaction with MSA with the same feeling of satisfaction. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest znow white Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I agree with most of you guys here but there should be more alternatives and more competition thus the busisness will always try to lower prices. Id rather have choice than service my 2 rusty copper cents.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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