RP MOTORSPORTS/Tom Bell = BUYER BEWARE

[NSXSOON]

I have been a member of this community for well over a year now and an ecstatic NSX owner for the last 6 months. I feel a responsibility to this group to inform every one of the incompetent business practices of Mr. Tom Bell of RP Motorsports regarding a wheel order I placed in May of this year. I know I am not alone, as an isolated case, because I have conversed with 3 other Prime members who were treated in the same/similar way as I am about to describe. I am sure there are many more victims out there.
First let me point out Tom’s good points. I believe he is one of the most knowledgeable sources of NSX wheel and tire fitment data there is. Tom also does quote what I found to be the most competitive prices for NSX wheels (Volk GT-C in my case) and is marginally responsive prior to making a sale.
To make this as brief as possible I will state a list of some of the facts that related to my business dealing with Tom/ RP Motorsports:

• Placed an order on 5/6/05 for a set of Volk GT-C’s after receiving a quote from Tom and a commitment of delivery in 2 to 2 ½ months. Actual delivery took 5 months!
• 2 months after placing my order I stared to send polite email inquires requesting a status on expected ship date. Over 150 emails were sent to Tom over the next 3 months to both email addresses with rarely the common business courtesy of an acknowledgment or response. When Tom did choose to selectively respond he would never explain why he ignored the prior 2 to 3 weeks of emails and provided limited or no status update. I want to emphasize that every email I sent was polite and business like. I can provide the email strings to anyone who might want to read them to validate this point.
• 20 or more telephone voice mails were left over the same 3 month period with not a single one ever returned.
• Several Prime PM’s sent during the same 3 month period with not a single one ever answered.
• Tom never provided a reasonable explanation, when asked, as to why he chooses to ignore his customers after the deposit is received and the sale made.
• Over 3 weeks elapsed between the time Tom said my wheels were shipped from across the state (Tampa) via FedEx and my repeated request for the tracking number. Wheels were never shipped as stated and when they were took FedEx only 2 days. Imagine the frustration of thinking your long awaited wheels were lost or worse yet you are being ripped off by a scam artist! I felt this way for almost 3 months of this ordeal.
• Wheels finally delivered 9/27/05 in undamaged condition as ordered.


As stated by Tom himself running RP Motorsports, is not his “day” job and it clearly shows. I must say I have never been treated with the complete lack of respect and common business courtesy as was the case with this purchase from Tom/ RP Motorsports. Tom now has a proven track record with me and others I’ve communicated with of being incapable of running a professional business and should, in my opinion be avoided by fellow Prime members. Miss treating customers will eventually sink him but spreading the work should help in doing so faster.

Tom will probably come up with all manner of excuses as to why most or none of the above is his fault and that he is the victim of poor suppliers. He runs his business and is the only one responsible for customer contact/satisfaction and controlling his suppliers, he fails to do either.

To those that have had a good experience dealing with Tom, count your blessings. To those that have been abused as me please post your experience.

 

[menuserve]

Thank you for this post, I have received prices from him that were absolutely great. I have been considering ordering however your post has helped me make the decision to look elsewhere.

I think that spending a few extra dollars to be treated like a customer with respect and from someone that comes recommended is well worth it.

 

[CLINTNOPI]

MY OPINION>>>>>>>>>Me being a seller and workin for a large Import After Market Performance Center (NOPI)! And Nor do i know Tom at all or ever heard of him. I will Honestly tell you that it is very hard to get products sometimes but that is not an excuse for not comunnicationg with your customer's!

The only thing i can tell people buying Performance parts whether it is on the internet or in the store or on the phone ALL WAYS PAY BY CREDIT CARD because no matter what you can call your Credit Card company and get your money right back instantly!!!

It happens all the time ! But you have to prove you disatisfactory with them!!!!

Clint's tip of the WEEK!

 

[NSX 3.0]

Sorry to hear about your experience with Tom. He is a good friend of mine and I know for a fact is a good trust worthy guy. I also ordered a set of Volk's that were on a 2-3 month delivery date and guess what it took 4 months. All I can say about Volk is be prepared to wait. After he takes the order it is out of his hands until they arrive. As for the lack of returning emails he will have to answer that. I know I have bugged him on other orders on arrival time and has had to wait weeks for a response from the business he is dealing with to let me know what's going on with the order. At least you recieved your rims intact mine were missing the the hub rings right from Volk. As for thinking he is a scam artist your way off base.

 

[NSX 3.0]

Sean has a both beat he waited 8 months.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?p=526624#post526624

 

[Jeff@Carbon6]

I also know Tom personally (he is my neighbor). I have never done business with him in this capacity but I can vouch for him being a good honest person. Tom has a passion for this industry and especially the NSX. I have a hard time believing he would misrepresent himself in any way.

 

[MJK]

• 2 months after placing my order I stared to send polite email inquires requesting a status on expected ship date. Over 150 emails were sent to Tom over the next 3 months to both email addresses with rarely the common business courtesy of an acknowledgment or response. When Tom did choose to selectively respond he would never explain why he ignored the prior 2 to 3 weeks of emails and provided limited or no status update.

I can understand your frustration in having to wait, but just to play devil's advocate here: you ordered wheels you knew would take months, that Tom is merely a distributor for. If Volk provides him no ship date, how can he provide you one? As for the e-mails, 150 e-mails in 2-3 months is a little excessive. That is what 2-3 a day? If he doesn't know, then he doesn't know. If he sent you an update when he had one, then I think that is all you can ask. Low price = low service & low overhead. One does not often come without the other. As long as they are honest (and he seems to be), then what's the problem?

 

[EIFFEL]

I was told you can have 2 out of the 3. High quality, Low price, Excellent service. If you want low price and high quality, service will suffer. They are plenty of high quality, and excellent service vendors on prime, but the price is higher. You CHOOSE low price and high quality, so live with your decision and enjoy the wheels. I got the same set btw. Eiffel

 

[NSXDreamer2]

Notes to Tom, if there's any future customer sending over hundred emails in 3 months period. Send them back the money and go yell at Rays/ Mackin ind.

If you have to take the wheels, I'll be sure that as soon as you put them on For Sale Forum, it will be gone like yesterday. (Or so I've seen in the trading/buy/sell threads in last couple yrs.) I somehow thinking that there's a market for people who be able to buy Volk Racing wheels with no waiting time.

Notes to future buyer: Volk Racing had such a good products and it's very popular throughout the world among Pro/Amature Racing Teams, Drifters, and enthusiasts. Their production is not up to speed. There's the reason that they are expensive and long to wait. Maybe before you order, you should have an agreement in writing that you could change the order if it's later than what you expected...etc...

nsxsoons, thanks for your post. At least even without Tom's reply, we sort of seeing both sides of the stories. I too not understand the lack of his communication. (He had been very patient with me and also it's usually within hours of communiations. Note: I'm not his big customer, to this date, I had only purchased 2 tires from him.)

 

[RP-Motorsports]

You win most, and lose a few. From the day the wheels were ordered (not paid in full, I covered 50% of the payment with my money, and allowed a 50% deposit on the product ONLY, nothing on shipping. I have 0% control. Mackin gets the order, and they forward it to Rays in Japan. There is a paper wait, mfg wait, the Boat wait, customs wait, truck wait to Mackin, then truck wait to the distributor, and then truck wait to the customer. I drop shipped these, so I never even touched them. Mike sent me 10 to 20 emails A DAY asking the same question. I explained to him that they were in Customs, and when they finally ship out (drop-ship) I would supply the tracking #'s I did not ask for the remainder of payment until they were @ Mackin. I am sorry I was NOT in the box with the wheels to give you day by day status. My supplier is useless for info, unless it is CONCRETE. i.e. tracking #.

The main reason for people being pissed, is Ray's fault. Up until this summer, they could turn wheels around in 3 months max. But with the increased OEM wheel demand (Nismo/Nissan/Infinity etc) they have been slacking.

(1) If you want Volks, and do not want to wait buy used.
(2) If you want Volks brand new, plan on waiting.
(3) if you choose B, you will get what you pay for.
(4) there is a air freight option for shipping, but it costs as much as a wheel!

I also give Prime members these wheels at damn near wholesale prices, and yet I still can't please everyone.

I do now let people know that the Volk wait is about 1-2 months longer than normal, and if you want custom colors double that!

Still worth the wait IMO, they are awesome wheels.

 

[NSXSOON]

Just for the record I would send Tom 1 to 2 emails a week (usually un answered or even acknowledging receipt of same) up until the 4th month when a fellow Prime member suggested sending 10 to 20 a day to "get his attention" which is what I did. By the way this seemed to produce maginally better results, a hint to current customers who are not getting answers.

My issue is that he can't manage his way out of a paper bag and is down right rude in not communicating! Regadless of no communication from his supplier he should of at least stated that so you don't think you are being ignored or ripped off. He failed as a broker in this case and as you can see above never takes responsiblity for his actions or the lack there of.

Explain why you refuse to communicate to reasonable requests Tom! Do you have any reasonable answer for not answering a single phone message or PM in 5 months? I think not. You choose to be incompetent and YOU should warn your customers that this IS the way you will treat them after the sale.

This guy is a risk from the word go. BUYER BEWARE

 

[RP-Motorsports]

Explain why you refuse to communicate to reasonable requests Tom! Do you have any reasonable answer for not answering a single phone message or PM in 5 months? I think not.

I am sorry for not answering the 20 emails in a row for weeks. I actually started getting pissed at you and at my supplier for giving me NO new info on the status. I actually copied and pasted a page of your 20+ emails and sent it to my Volk guy, and said to him that I have customers getting pissed, give me some info. When the container FINALLY arrived, I told you it was in customs, and you still sent 20 emails a day wanting the tracking number. Come on Mike if I was a scammer, would I be 200 times more "public" than Dali? I would take your money and run. I gave you a kick ass deal on a set of wheels, that you can NOT find at that price anywhere in the USA. It did take longer than the original "guess" BUT you were informed at the 3 month mark about the Infinity/Nismo/Nissan deal slowing things down.

I am just as upset as you are Mike at Volk for having guys get pissed at me. You accuse me of acting different once the sale is made. You should talk. You were all excited at the price, and when you had the tracking #'s etc. Then once the boxes wee opened, and I actually didn't rip you off, you bash me. Thanks alot.

I am guilty of not replying all of the time Mike, but I am not a liar. I could have easily replied with lies, saying they were on the boat, or on the truck, etc, like I get from a LOT of suppliers. I only like supplying facts. i.e. tracking #'s or prices, or if in stock etc. I actually hate saying that it takes about 3-4 months, because people (you Mike) hold me to that.

Yes I could take out a home equity loan, and stock a bunch, but then I would have to charge what everyone else does. I would rather keep the prices low.

 

[TyraNSX]

I bought a pair of tires from Tom. Very, very helpful before the sale & tires came quickly once I made up my mind. Sounds like the wheels just took forever to get built & into U.S. Maybe just tell everyone it takes 7 months & if they still want to order it will look "quick" at 5 months.

 

[NSXSOON]

Tom,
You are correct that I was "excited at the price" but OVER 3 weeks to obtain tracking numbers is un acceptable. Additionaly you finially supplied them the day AFTER the wheels were delivered! Do what ever you do seriously or don't do it at all.

I also waited to slam you, and will continue to do so by the way, until all the other members on Prime that I was in contact with had there orders resolved. All you had to do was not leave us hanging and return a phone call, email or PM.

You still havn't explained why you NEVER returned a single phone message or PM not just to me but the others as well. Buy the way, at the same time you were ignoring responding to current customers you were activly posting to drum up new business on Prime! Did you even consider that this would be viewed as a slap in the face to those of us that were trying desperately to get as little as "I'm working on it" as an answer?

 

[MikeC_587]

My personal opinion is... In order to have a successful business you either meet the expectations agreed upon between you and the customer or you take the "head wound" and reset the expectations. I think an e-mail stating the truth no matter how bad or hard it is to say, should have been sent to NSXSOON. I think that is all he really needed was an e-mail to appease him.

For me personally, I purchased a set of SSR's Competition (17 and 18's) with S03's and the correspondence from Tom was excellent up until the time I received my order. However, when I needed an extra set of center caps, Tom offered the set for free. His e-mail stating this was sent on July 14, 2005 and I still have not received them inspite of sending 4 e-mails and two PM's through Prime.

Hopefully, I will receive the centercaps some day as offered...

Mike

PS: Tom if you are reading this, please check your e-mails received on 10-11-05, that was the date of the last e-mail that I sent to your [email protected] e-mail address.

 

[Distance Runner]

Buy the way, at the same time you were ignoring responding to current customers you were activly posting to drum up new business on Prime! Did you even consider that this would be viewed as a slap in the face to those of us that were trying desperately to get as little as "I'm working on it" as an answer?

Good point. I might be upset as well, if I saw this trend.

 

[Q]

I've ordered two sets of tires, and my Volk TE37s this past March through Tom, and he's been nothing but professional towards me and with the transaction. He warned me up front that since I'm ordering Volks, and especially a custom color, that I should be prepared to wait. Rays is notorious for exceptionally long lead times, and seems to be getting worse. Boy did I wait (8 months), but Tom was HONEST and informative with me along the way. He had no control over my wait time, and I understood that. If he had a status update on the order, I was informed. All I know is I'm much more comfortable purchasing Volks through Tom and get SOME information on my order status, than through some warehouse where you're going to be lucky to get ANY response. You'll never get that kind of response from another reseller, as you'll most likely be ignored completely. Ordering Volks is EXTREMELY tough, and the heart of the matter I believe lies with Mackin and Rays Engineering.

I wish you could know Tom as NSX 3.0 and I know him. Tom is a man of integrity, and I agree his passion for the sport and the NSX community is second to none. I may be biased because Tom's a friend of mine, but I trusted his word on more than one occassion, and he has always come through for me. Tom is the farthest thing from a scam artist, and I caution those who would label him as such.


BTW - Tom , I need to order some tires from you! :biggrin:

 

[MikeC_587]

One other thing I do want to point out that I negelected on my previous post... A couple of friends of mine ordered Volk Racing wheels for their cars (not NSX's) and it took 7 to 9 months for delivery. So even if you order from someone else, its possible you may experience the same delay.

Mike

 

[Zero-Cool]

..

 

[Dave Hardy]

If somebody started harassing me with 20 emails a day they would get automatically sent to the trash folder. Tom apparently left something to be desired as a vendor, but you certainly were not the perfect customer either.

 

[KingsCourt]

My experience with Tom has been a very long, drawn out, and frustrating one. I believe I've been more than patient. This story could be so long, that I have to be careful and not write a book. Let me try to be as brief as possible.

First part of payment made on 6-30-05, followed by the second part of the payment on 7-7-05. I expected wheels in within a couple of weeks, max. It turns out that HP in Miami shipped the wheels to Tom in Wisconsin, instead of to me in Central Florida. After a while I started thinking, "Goodness this is taking a long time." On August 1st Tom tells me that HP shipped them to his PO Box in Wisonsin, and that he would be sending them FedEx Ground to me. Well, that explains what was taking so long. This could have possibly been because of lack of communication from Tom to HP, but I like to believe that it was just carelessness on HP's part. On August 6th I received the wheels, but apparently one of the fronts got lost - just straight-up disappeared. HP was not gentle/careful with the mounting, and each wheel had some type of imperfection on it. Some from the mounting, and some from the excessive running around and being manhandled through FedEx. I made it very clear that the wheel/tire combo that I NEED is the passengers side front, and even sent a picture of the front that I have, so they know exactly how I need the mounting. Here is where the monumental waiting starts, with very, very little communication on Tom's part. I would send an e-mail, wait a week, send another, and still nothing. Very frustrating. When you are left in the dark, you can't help but think bad things. On August 29th I get an e-mail stating "shipped." After weeks with no reply to multiple e-mails, nothing, and on September 15th I finally get another e-mail from Tom that says, "shipped," and the wheel finally arrives on the September 23rd. I wasn't too surprised when I discovered that the replacement wheel/tire combo was mounted backwards. I now had 2 driver's side fronts. More money, more hassle, and more wear and tear on my new wheel.

To add to the above frustration, I was invoiced and charged for two 3mm spacers for the front, lugs, and hub-centric rings. I made the mistake of assuming that Tom was correct with his information regarding just needing spacers up front. It turns out that I needed a set of spacers for the rears, too, and I never received the lugs, nor the rings. I never got refunded, either. Ever since I received the 3 wheel/tire combos, I've mentioned to Tom that I have not received the lugs nor hub-centric rings. Never has he addressed it, mentioned it, or replied to an e-mail regarding it. I even copied the invoice that show me being charged for the lugs and rings. After a while I just said to refund me -- but no refund, and no response. Last e-mail sent was on September 25th, so I'm assuming he's not addressing it. I was just going to accept it as is and move on, because the money amount is small, but when you've been ignored, it's insulting. It's a matter of principle. Plus, when you realize that you are not alone, I felt compelled to share my story.

The last frustrating part of the purchase (which isn't Tom's fault), is that a 3mm spacer worked on the passenger's side front, but not on the driver's side front. I have aftermarket cross-drilled and slotted rotors, which MAYBE have something to do with it. A tiny little bit more is needed on the driver's side front. Now I'm probably looking at getting a set of 5mm spacers up front with the extended studs.

Tom may not be guilty of a lot of the frustrations that I've dealt with, but he is 100% guilty for the lack of communication, and he is 100% guilty for ignoring the ring and lug situation. Trust me, the lack of communication, and being ignored is a killer --as I'm sure NSXSOON can attest.

An example of being ignored and being left in the dark is the Bobolinski wheel situation. After Tom started a thread and got some people interested, he stopped providing information. After a while people were begging for any kind of information, which never came. I know some people were frustrated with that, cause it was obvious by some of the latter posts. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[AutoVation]

I have had a bad customer service experience also. My first PM after joining Prime was from Tom letting me know that if I wanted a good deal on parts and wheels that he was the guy to go to. I tried to quote a couple different options of wheels and that's when I found out you have to know exactly what you want to order. Once labeled a difficult customer that needed questions answered before I ordered, the replies disappeared. Apparently, it wasn't worth it to service me. I also got upset seeing replies on Prime trying to get more business when my questions went unanswered and he can't handle existing business.

My money for Volks has gone elsewhere and I received just as good a deal. After this experience, I did not feel comfortable sending that amount of money to someone who would not reply to me and who does not do this for a living which means he can walk away at anytime.

 

[AutoVation]

If somebody started harassing me with 20 emails a day they would get automatically sent to the trash folder. Tom apparently left something to be desired as a vendor, but you certainly were not the perfect customer either.

If you sent $1000+ a couple months ago to a one man company who did not answer your 1-2 e-mails a day, what would you do next?

 

[GHOSTRIDER]

If somebody started harassing me with 20 emails a day they would get automatically sent to the trash folder. Tom apparently left something to be desired as a vendor, but you certainly were not the perfect customer either.

A "perfect" customer is one that pays. PERIOD. That is where their part ends.
A simple response would have reassured the customer that everything was cool and is moving along. Even if the predetermined schedule needs to be adjusted that is usually fine. It is when people are kept in the dark is when things get dicey.
I have to say I have an order placed with Tom at the current moment and am awaiting delivery of some parts I paid for about 2 weeks ago. I got real nervous when I started receiving PM's warning me about RP-Motorsports communication problems. Today I got messages from Tom that made me feel comfortable. Thanks Tom, lets keep in contact over the next few days to get everything here.

I will say that I will never again buy anything online without talking ON THE PHONE with the seller/vendor. Confusion and miscommunication can happen way to easily and a simple 5 minute phone call can clear everything up. It also speeds up the process instead of waiting for a friggin email back.
Tom please rethink your phone policy, I think it is hindering your sales present and future.

 

[nsxhk]

I feel you buddy! Cumstomer communication is crucial in doing business. Ignoring customer is in-excusable! Eventho there are no news, at least reply the customer something like "I'm still working on it" or something. Let the customer knows that you're still in business and you're still on top of things. In addition, I think 'paid' customers should have priority.

Nobody in their right mind will send multiple emails a day UNLESS they're desperate!! And it also means that you as a vendor is not giving your customer the needed confidence.

And you know what? This seems like a trend for aftermarket nsx parts vendor except comptech.

jmho, ymmv

Henry.