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A word or 2 about GTS
flak monkey - 5/6/07 at 09:27 PM

I am sorry to hear of the recent problems that some newer members of the forum have been having communicating with GTS recently and extended delays in recieving parts, this is nothing new and despite promises that production and distribution are being improved these improvements aren't reaching the customer yet for some reason, which is beyond me.

I am not about to make excuses, as poor communication annoys everyone, myself included. Likewise late/non delivery is totally unacceptable.

I continue to support GTS, only on the basis that I am dealt with in an acceptable way, including reasonable delivery times and communication as appropriate. If I had a problem I would soon make it clear. I was supplied all of my parts in a timely fashion, and to a quality suitable for my perfectionism. It is however worrying me that these problems are still occuring and therefore I am somewhat wary of suggesting GTS to some people.

Please bear in mind that GTS are very busy (as are all manufacturers) at this time of year with increased demand and many kit car shows to prepare for so it is wise to allow slightly longer for delivery. However some of these recent cases are causing me concern.

Anything which is made to order/bespoke should be 28days or so, which is reasonable in any industry you care to mention. Off the shelf parts should be considerably quicker.

The best way to get in touch with Darren is to phone his mobile (07859005985) which has always been answered for me in the past - either this is customer favouritism, or i just happen to time my calls right.

For those people who are missing parts of their kit, you need to take some action to get those parts, legal action if you need to.

There are 2 sides to every story. All I know is that from personal experience GTS have provided excellent quality, low prices and on time delivery without fail. I did not approach them with unrealistic expectations (there were problems before I started building) and have never been unreasonable in my 'demands' as a customer either.

How I get good service from GTS:
1. Ask if the part is in stock, and if not what the lead time will be, BEFORE you place the order. If you aren't happy with that, dont order from them

2. Phone people, dont email them. Not only is it good to talk, you stand a better chance of gettng a quick reply. Usually mid afternoon is a good time.

3. If you place a big order (such as a kit) send a written order confirmation and ask for one in return. In this set a date for delivery and late penalties if it is not fulfilled on time. However if you are unreasonable, dont expect a nice reply.

4. If you have a problem with an order, be reasonable about trying to communicate this problem and if all else fails take legal action.

5. The quality of GTS parts is second to none in the locost market in my opinion. Be under no illusions, GTS are not the quickest with delivery, but you will get very high quality parts. Obviously if your order winning criteria is quick delivery then go somewhere else.

Cheers,
David

PS if there are any stupid replies this will just be deleted. Sometimes it would be apt to grow the bleep up.

PPS yes I would still recommend GTS as a supplier to most people. But you must not approach any company with expectations beyond those which they can possibly fulfil.

[Edited on 5/6/07 by flak monkey]

RichardK - 5/6/07 at 09:31 PM

Are we trying again

If you ring him on the mobile number David has given above don't with hold your number.

This goes for other suppliers as well especially if they use a mobile as a contact number.

Going to copy this to my clipboard this time

Regards

Rich

TGR-ECOSSE - 5/6/07 at 09:31 PM

Well done. Just a good simple bit of advice.

graememk - 5/6/07 at 09:34 PM

To be honest all kit companies are crap some worse than others its a shame though as the GTS panther really is a nice car and Darren should really do something about his communication problem i dont really think hes as bad as some people make out though.

I run my own company and i forget to call people all the time and i did start to get a bad name for myself but i employed myself a part time office woman to do my calls and take my calls for me, costs me £1k a month and i don't now loose a £1 in custom anymore. a simple phone call to a customer with a delivery date even if its late keeps people happy its not knowing that upsets people.

Darren please do something about it before its to late for your company, when i was looking for a kit i was going to buy from you but didn't because of the ongoing problem with supply, so i bought a mk instead.

If the reason is money slowing things down look for an investor borrow etc but if you sit back you will lose it.

Please lets look forward not back at the past.

I also think it would do you alot of good by maybe having an open day and even inviting past upset customers to show that there complains havent gone in one ear and out the other.

robertst - 5/6/07 at 10:23 PM

whats up with nuns in avatars? have we grown a fetish for them or what?

grahamgg - 5/6/07 at 10:35 PM

whats brought this on, are you some spokesman for GTS now that calvinx has brushed his hands from supporting the company.

I noticed the other day that you have a Testimonial on their website, obviously you have got a good relationship going with the owner. And it is also obvious that other peoples buying from GTS have not had the service you have had from the posts seen here on this forum.

You state that people missing part of their kit, take action "Legal action if you need to". What sort of statement is that, not very good if thats what you have to do to get parts from GTS.

I have had no dealings with GTS so I cant really comment on how good or bad they are, but what I have read on this forum over the past 6 months or so would put me off ordering anything.
Also David why a statement like this out of the blue defending them, are you turning into calvinx

regards Graham

TGR-ECOSSE - 5/6/07 at 10:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by robertst
whats up with nuns in avatars? have we grown a fetish for them or what?


Here http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=67930&contribmessage=none

And here
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=68180

Hellfire - 5/6/07 at 10:42 PM

Now I don't want to rock the boat, but I feel this must be said...

The only thing that annoys me about threads such as this, is that (the company) GTS do not contribute anything to this forum and actively promotes his own builders forum. The GTS builders and buyers are 'generally happy' with what they get, when they get it as we were.

I feel it is a positive bias that all the other represented manufacturers LUEGO, MNR, MK, TIGER & MAC1 have no moderator, there buyers and builders are their greatest assets!

It's very sad for GTS that this forum is being used as a firewall for bad publicity.

I do not mean to offend anyone by this statement, I speak as a happy former GTS customer.


Steve

JoelP - 5/6/07 at 10:49 PM

quote:
Originally posted by grahamgg
Also David why a statement like this out of the blue defending them, are you turning into calvinx

regards Graham


david has always defended gts where he feels necessary, so this post isnt out of the blue. He speaks as a satisfied customer and has the honesty to admit they arent perfect. The bit about the legal approach applies to any company messing about, its always a possibility.

[Edited on 6/6/07 by JoelP]

flak monkey - 6/6/07 at 06:53 AM

quote:
Originally posted by grahamgg
whats brought this on, are you some spokesman for GTS now that calvinx has
brushed his hands from supporting the company.


No I am not. I am however getting pissed off with the amount of shite directed at GTS through this forum, especially as Darren doesnt actually post on here any more, for that exact reason. I speak only as a satisfied customer.


quote:
Originally posted by grahamgg
I noticed the other day that you have a Testimonial on their website, obviously you have got a good relationship going with the owner. And it is also obvious that other peoples buying from GTS have not had the service you have had from the posts seen here on this forum.


I do indeed have a testimonial for the Pather on the GTS site. I was asked if I would give one, and therefore I did. There is nothing in there that even remotely stretches the truth, so pull the other one. A request for a testimonial was sent to a couple of builders and if you look around the site, mine isnt the only one on there. I have no 'special' relationship with Darren, other than the fact I have built one of his cars.

Why other people cannot get the service I and other have had is beyond me, hence the reason for this post in the first place. I feel many people aproach kit car companies (not just GTS) with the expectation of next day delivery, which just isn't going to happen. My aim was to highlight a few important points, and to explain how I, and others, have got good service in the past.

quote:
Originally posted by grahamgg
You state that people missing part of their kit, take action "Legal action if you need to". What sort of statement is that, not very good if thats what you have to do to get parts from GTS.


A statement of truth is what sort of statement that is. If any company fails to supply you with parts which you have paid for, and you have made all reasonable attempts to resolve the issue, legal action is a last resort. I never said that it should be the first port of call. It applies to all companies whatever their background.


quote:
Originally posted by grahamgg
I have had no dealings with GTS so I cant really comment on how good or bad they are, but what I have read on this forum over the past 6 months or so would put me off ordering anything.


If you have had no dealings you have no right to comment as you haven't experienced their service and quality. Whether what you read puts you off is up to you. Just remember people are more vocal about a bad experience than a positive one, we are afterall British and love to moan behind other peoples backs. I will happily post both positive and negative about any company, but I am in the minority.

quote:
Originally posted by grahamgg
Also David why a statement like this out of the blue defending them, are you turning into calvinx


Its not out of the blue. I dont give a crap what people think. The aim of this post was to highlight a few important issues, all in one place for reference, whether people heed them is another matter entirely. GTS are not perfect, but neither are any of the other 'locost' companies.


I am not the first person to say these things, infact Mark (calvinx) has said exactly the same things previously, if you hunt through the archives you will find his post, and got flamed for it. This also irritates the hell out of me. You post something helpful, and get a load of abuse is not on.

Do not make things personal on here, all you will get is a snotty retaliation and people leaving the forum because of it. Mark staunchly defended GTS until a few recent problems which I am aware of. Any 'abusiveness' in past posts was more than likely due to being pi55ed off with people moaning on here about problems, rather than trying to speak to Darren to sort them out.

Posting on here will not solve your problem at all, so why bother? Everyone is aware of the negative press surrounding GTS in the past so it doesnt need to be repeated 100's of times. This forum is for GTS builders to discuss technical issues for their cars, not for a public slagging match.

Rgds,
David

[Edited on 6/6/07 by flak monkey]

jay taylor - 6/6/07 at 02:06 PM

david i am not trying to be funny but when i had a problem i wasnt winging about it i was asking for help and was then set upon with how i should get in touch with him and everything else which didnt help and so were a few other people who have posted on here.
i have no problem with any people on this forum, but constantly telling people to phone him on his mobile when it is on his website as a contact seems to be a bit pointless because no one is that silly not to try all points of contact before asking for help.
i just feel that if you think you can help someone with there problem give them a hand.
all i want is my kit done so i can enjoy the open road properly

regards jay

flak monkey - 6/6/07 at 02:34 PM

I am aware of your problems Jay, and I dont know what to suggest other than what I have already mentioned. I really do sympathise with you, and if I do happen to speak to Darren in the next couple of weeks I will mention it to him.

To follow on from calling and not withholding your number, I am guessing many people try to call Darren from their phone at work. If this is on an internal phone network as well, the number will show up on caller ID as withheld. This may be part of the problem some people are having?

David

dave1888 - 6/6/07 at 06:30 PM

So who is the blonde in the avatar.

TangoMan - 6/6/07 at 06:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dave1888
So who is the blonde in the avatar.


So that's were I left that picture of my missus

flak monkey - 6/6/07 at 06:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dave1888
So who is the blonde in the avatar.


Susan Wayland (www.susanwayland.com) Not safe for work.

Simon S - 6/6/07 at 08:25 PM

Can't help but wade in as a recent contributor & I can report a positive outcome. I like most people ran into communication problems with GTS over recent weeks and this being my first time of using them interpretted things as a possible sign of a company that was just about to fold. Perhaps if I had searched the forum first I would have been more familiar with the pattern, but the products have received such positive postings that I didn't do so. Whether it was because of the letter I ultimately sent GTS or because they just got around to doing it I don't know, but two days after an e mail from GTS my new wishbones arrived today.

There can be no denying that they are excellent products, and therein lies the rub. If GTS produced naff kit then they would be dismissed out of hand, but my limited experience says that for what I wanted they have delivered.

Just a pity that I ordered the wrong lower 'bones..... Bugger.

Since the earliest days of 'Alternative Car' magazine (yes, I am that old) I can remember the advice to aspiring kit purchasers was to always visit the supplier first, and that is as true today as ever. I am sure a visit to GTS would be enough to enable people to make their minds up one way or another. So I guess if you are looking to buy a kit then visit, but if you are just ordering off the website then be aware of the possible timescale that may be involved.

Anyhow, bottom line is would I use them again? I would have to say most likely a cautious 'yes', as the wishbones will continue to look great long after the frustration of the troubled communications has been forgotten.