well, it's here...
Getting this converter became an ordeal and this is the first bad review I'm ever posting, but I'm so upset, it needs to be said.
but, first some pictures
and the story:
I drag race my GP often during the summer, and the past couple of summers I've been getting more serious about it. It's a quick car as is, but it's a missmatched combo, and has more potential. After many discussions, consulting, I finally decided to buy a proper converter. I was hoping I could do this on a budget.
After some researching, someone suggested BDR Torque Converters, who they've had positive experience with. I researched the brand online to get some reviews. They aren't well known, but every review I saw was positive. I called them and spoke to Brian the owner. Brian is a long time racer, he competes himself and his products with well known brands and does well. He also recently signed on with Mike Janis Racing Team.
Brian guarantees his work, he will build a custom converter for your car, with free stall adjustments. He's very open about how he builds his converters and works with you to get exactly what you want. Every review I read on him and the company, the customer was happy, stall was dead-on the first time or only needed one adjustment.
After a few detailed conversations with Brian, I felt comfortable, and asking him to build me a custom converter for my 700r4 with a lockup, to stall at 3800-4200 rpm in my car. He guarantees his formula is tight for the road and aggressive for the strip. It would be $395, plus $60 for shipping to Canada
Said he will have it shipped within the next week. A few days later, I see the money withdrawn from my visa. I gave him a call to checkup on how it was going. He told me he's got all the parts ready to weld, and asked me which input shaft my 700r4 has (I didn't know there were two types, 27 and 30 spline). I told him I didn't know and that I'd have to wait until April when car came out of storage and could pull the transmission to check.
We had to put the converter on hold. And my mistake, I didn't ask for my money back at that time. I even forget the receipt. Well, the months went by, car came out towards the end of April, took a few weeks to get input shaft spline count, called him the day after. He said he'd been waiting patiently and he'll have the converter shipped within the next week.
I waited a week, plus another for shipping delays. Those couple weeks later, no converter, so I called them to get a tracking number. I couldn't get Brian but got their reception, who doesn't have the info, but said would findout from Brian and call me back. I waited a couple days, no call, so I called them back and got this kid at reception again. He said he'll find out from Brian and call me back. I waited another couple days, no call, weekend was here.
Called them the next week, kid again, still no info, WTF... Wait a couple days, call again, finally get Brian on the phone. Brian was very apologetic, said his welding machine failed and he's been down for a couple weeks, said it should be fixed within a day or two and he'll have the converter shipped the coming Monday. I asked him to email me a tracking number soon as he ships.
Monday comes & goes, no tracking number. Tuesday comes & goes, no number. Wednesday, I start calling, get the kid again, says he thinks it's been shipped, he'll send me a tracking number soon as he gets it from Brian. Thursday goes by, no tracking number. Friday, start calling, no answer.
Next week, call, kid again, says it has been shipped, tracking number is with Brian, will email soon as he gets it. Next day, call again, same story. Next day, call again, no answer. Next day, calling calling calling. Finally catch Brian on his way out. I say, "Brian, what's going on... we're going on a month here". In a snarky tone, he gave me a "yeah, I know, I'll get you that number" then says he's gotta run and hangs up.
guess what... no tracking number. Next day, nothing either... Calling calling calling, no answer. Weekend comes and goes. Calling calling calling, no answer. About mid week, finally kid answers. Says converter has definitely shipped, tracking number is on their truck, which is on it's way back from another job, and he'll email me the number.
guess what again... NO TRACKING NUMBER! Next day, kid says he couldn't get the number and he'll get it today. Next day, call call call, no answer. Weekend comes and goes. Monday, call call call, no answer. Call call call, finally get the kid around early noon, says he just spoke the Brian who has the number and on his way back from a race, about 4 hours away. I say, "I don't care, call him and get the number". I tell him I'm gonna call him back and he better have it.
After lunch, I called him, he answered, said Brian is about 40mins away and he's got the number. About an hour later, no number, so I called him again, no answer, and again and no answer, and again and no answer. I came home from work, and FINALLY, a email from them with a number, but no info on who they shipped with. I tried a few shipper sites and no record of the package was found. Next day went by, calling calling calling, no answer. Finally when I came home, the number registered on USPS and said it was brought in the afternoon before... meaning, the two weeks before where I was told it was shipped was BullShit.
It took two more weeks in shipping because it was held at customs... got a nice charge at the door too
I don't have experience with other converters... physically, it looks like a nice piece to me. I compared it to my brother's TCI for a th350 and it looks similar in quality. But it's very obvious it was painted a short time before it was thrown in a box and rushed for shipped, paint was stuck to the bubble wrap and chipped off in other places... not professional
in the box was this
it says 3500rpm, so I hope to hell he's built it to stall to 3800-4200rpm like we discussed
My review is only based on Business Conduct and Service. I can't review performance yet. I am rebuilding my engine at the moment and when I get the driveline together, I will post my response the performance.
I'm slowly learning to stop being nice. To treat a business like a business. Time and time again, I give them the benefit of doubt, and I get stepped on. This is my first bad review. I guess it's built-up over the years, and I finally had enough. I'm not even upset that it took long, I'm pissed that for about a month, no-one knew where my $500 converter was! No one gave me a call to say there'd be a delay or there was a problem, and they lied for two weeks that it was shipped when it wasn't.
Getting this converter became an ordeal and this is the first bad review I'm ever posting, but I'm so upset, it needs to be said.
but, first some pictures
and the story:
I drag race my GP often during the summer, and the past couple of summers I've been getting more serious about it. It's a quick car as is, but it's a missmatched combo, and has more potential. After many discussions, consulting, I finally decided to buy a proper converter. I was hoping I could do this on a budget.
After some researching, someone suggested BDR Torque Converters, who they've had positive experience with. I researched the brand online to get some reviews. They aren't well known, but every review I saw was positive. I called them and spoke to Brian the owner. Brian is a long time racer, he competes himself and his products with well known brands and does well. He also recently signed on with Mike Janis Racing Team.
Brian guarantees his work, he will build a custom converter for your car, with free stall adjustments. He's very open about how he builds his converters and works with you to get exactly what you want. Every review I read on him and the company, the customer was happy, stall was dead-on the first time or only needed one adjustment.
After a few detailed conversations with Brian, I felt comfortable, and asking him to build me a custom converter for my 700r4 with a lockup, to stall at 3800-4200 rpm in my car. He guarantees his formula is tight for the road and aggressive for the strip. It would be $395, plus $60 for shipping to Canada
Said he will have it shipped within the next week. A few days later, I see the money withdrawn from my visa. I gave him a call to checkup on how it was going. He told me he's got all the parts ready to weld, and asked me which input shaft my 700r4 has (I didn't know there were two types, 27 and 30 spline). I told him I didn't know and that I'd have to wait until April when car came out of storage and could pull the transmission to check.
We had to put the converter on hold. And my mistake, I didn't ask for my money back at that time. I even forget the receipt. Well, the months went by, car came out towards the end of April, took a few weeks to get input shaft spline count, called him the day after. He said he'd been waiting patiently and he'll have the converter shipped within the next week.
I waited a week, plus another for shipping delays. Those couple weeks later, no converter, so I called them to get a tracking number. I couldn't get Brian but got their reception, who doesn't have the info, but said would findout from Brian and call me back. I waited a couple days, no call, so I called them back and got this kid at reception again. He said he'll find out from Brian and call me back. I waited another couple days, no call, weekend was here.
Called them the next week, kid again, still no info, WTF... Wait a couple days, call again, finally get Brian on the phone. Brian was very apologetic, said his welding machine failed and he's been down for a couple weeks, said it should be fixed within a day or two and he'll have the converter shipped the coming Monday. I asked him to email me a tracking number soon as he ships.
Monday comes & goes, no tracking number. Tuesday comes & goes, no number. Wednesday, I start calling, get the kid again, says he thinks it's been shipped, he'll send me a tracking number soon as he gets it from Brian. Thursday goes by, no tracking number. Friday, start calling, no answer.
Next week, call, kid again, says it has been shipped, tracking number is with Brian, will email soon as he gets it. Next day, call again, same story. Next day, call again, no answer. Next day, calling calling calling. Finally catch Brian on his way out. I say, "Brian, what's going on... we're going on a month here". In a snarky tone, he gave me a "yeah, I know, I'll get you that number" then says he's gotta run and hangs up.
guess what... no tracking number. Next day, nothing either... Calling calling calling, no answer. Weekend comes and goes. Calling calling calling, no answer. About mid week, finally kid answers. Says converter has definitely shipped, tracking number is on their truck, which is on it's way back from another job, and he'll email me the number.
guess what again... NO TRACKING NUMBER! Next day, kid says he couldn't get the number and he'll get it today. Next day, call call call, no answer. Weekend comes and goes. Monday, call call call, no answer. Call call call, finally get the kid around early noon, says he just spoke the Brian who has the number and on his way back from a race, about 4 hours away. I say, "I don't care, call him and get the number". I tell him I'm gonna call him back and he better have it.
After lunch, I called him, he answered, said Brian is about 40mins away and he's got the number. About an hour later, no number, so I called him again, no answer, and again and no answer, and again and no answer. I came home from work, and FINALLY, a email from them with a number, but no info on who they shipped with. I tried a few shipper sites and no record of the package was found. Next day went by, calling calling calling, no answer. Finally when I came home, the number registered on USPS and said it was brought in the afternoon before... meaning, the two weeks before where I was told it was shipped was BullShit.
It took two more weeks in shipping because it was held at customs... got a nice charge at the door too
I don't have experience with other converters... physically, it looks like a nice piece to me. I compared it to my brother's TCI for a th350 and it looks similar in quality. But it's very obvious it was painted a short time before it was thrown in a box and rushed for shipped, paint was stuck to the bubble wrap and chipped off in other places... not professional
in the box was this
it says 3500rpm, so I hope to hell he's built it to stall to 3800-4200rpm like we discussed
My review is only based on Business Conduct and Service. I can't review performance yet. I am rebuilding my engine at the moment and when I get the driveline together, I will post my response the performance.
I'm slowly learning to stop being nice. To treat a business like a business. Time and time again, I give them the benefit of doubt, and I get stepped on. This is my first bad review. I guess it's built-up over the years, and I finally had enough. I'm not even upset that it took long, I'm pissed that for about a month, no-one knew where my $500 converter was! No one gave me a call to say there'd be a delay or there was a problem, and they lied for two weeks that it was shipped when it wasn't.
