New title: Lesson learned- Buy local! No more mail order (except for Bratton's).

[P.S.]

I live about 1.5 hour's drive from Sacramento Vintage Ford. However, they are almost always out of what I need. They do offer to backorder everything, but it is getting really old. So, decided to try some of the popular places with websites.

Bratton's has some good stuff, and have placed a few orders with them. Never had to utilize their customer service for anything until today, and am not pleased.

One of the items in my order was a rebuilt item sold on exchange basis only. I sent my core, they sent the item. It's defective. Whoever "rebuilt" it forgot a couple of key things. One of the key items is so corroded, it is about ready to fall off, but they powdercoated right over it despite being clearly, visually, about 1/2 the size it should be due to severe corrosion underneath all that pretty black powdercoat. This never should have been sent out, even someone with little knowledge of the part would be able to spot this flaw immediately. Yet, Bratton's shipped it out this way.

So, I called today, 10 minutes after receiving the package and opening the box. I got transferred to another gentleman (nameless) who was VERY abrupt. He gruffly said "What's wrong?" and I told him, very nicely. He said very abruptly, "send it back, we'll send you a new one" (click) hung up. Yes, he offered, I'll agree to that. However...

Wow.

I have been to Sac Vintage dozens of times and even though they seldom have what you need in stock, at least you have the opportunity to inspect it before you take it home. This "rebuilt" item should have cost just under $100, but now add shipping for the core, and shipping for the defective part back, and hopefully not shipping for another, and the rudeness on the phone, it is totally not worth it!

For you guys that live close enough to a Model A parts dealer, please learn from my mistake. Would have come out ahead to wait for Sac Vintage Ford to get around to stocking this item!!

This is likely also the very last Bratton's order for me. Is that just the way they are over there? Is that sort of rudeness "normal"?

[Ross/Kzoo]

That's the first time that I've something like that from Bratton's. I've probably had about 12-15 different deliveries from Bratton's and only once the package arrives with small bolts and misc. in the package. I called Bratton's and they apologized and all the stuff arrived in 2 days with no cost. Always very good to work with and ask questions in my opinion.

[700rpm]

I have always had a good experience with Bratton's. I once received a floor mat that was badly damaged. I was willing to send it back, but they said they'd just send me a new one, no problem.
One fellow there seems only to know how to answer the phone and take orders; if I have a product question I get transferred. I can't explain what happened to you, but that has been my experience.

[Fred K-OR]

P.S. I have has similar situations with Sacramento. So I will call them before I place an order or pick up an order from them.

Bratton's have been good to work with and get what you need. Could be this person had a "bad" day when you called. In fact I have had good results with other vendors also like Bert's, Mac's, etc.. But with any vendor you can have a bad experience at some time. So it would seem like to judge a vendor because of one bad experience may be a bit unfair to a vendor.

[miss victoria]

Always had good luck with brattons,i also live a couple of hours from sac ford and they seem to always be out of stock, real nice catalog but not much inventory?

[latecomer]

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I have placed dozens of orders with brattons in the last three years never had evan one problem with sales or customer service. len mercurio fafld. county model A s .

[Karl]

When you live on the other side of the world you quickly work out who is good to deal with as snafus are very hard to fix from this side of the Pacific . I have dealt with Brattons Mikes and Synders with absolutely no problems. Synders once replaced a cracked brake drum at no cost including postage -(postage cost alone was more than the part cost ) Macs a different story ! -Karl

[flatford39]

I have had many dealing with Walt Bratton and he has always stood by his product. They are my number one source to go to not because of price so much but for customer service. If there is ever a problem I know he will stand behind it.

Sorry to hear about your experience. You may want to call Walt direct and let him know.

[Bob/Kansas City]

I always go to Bratton's first with my list and have never been disappointed with the quality of the items received. They have always been good about answering questions and have been good to suggest the right parts for my project.
Often times rebuilt parts that are stocked by Model A parts vendors are reconditioned by individuals on the outside and sometimes the quality may not up to par. That doesn't relieve the seller from the responsibility of a little quality control on the receiveing end however.
I'm not sure if that is what happened here or not.
I hope what you experienced was a fluke. They are certainly better than the treatment you received.

[Gary WA]

Bratton's is one of the BEST!!!! Talk to Walt He will make it good!!!

[peters180a/170b]

I can not count the number of times i have bought from BRATTON'S over MANY YEARS ! Endless times... ONLY ONCE i had a issue with the rebuilt steering box... And that could of been in the shipping ! ! ! They made good before the week was over! That's all i can say about Walt. And the same goes for A+ L Parts and Snyder's ..BERT'S.

[tudoor]

We are only humans. And Walt is one of the good ones.

[Ron Lowe]

Many years with Bratton's and dozens of orders without any problem and I'm very picky.

[Bill in NJ]

Brattons is first in my opinion. Excellent service !!

[P.S.]

Good points, thanks.

Timothy: You'll see that I did not send them to the "electric chair". I shared the highlights of the deal and asked if it was "normal" or not for this vendor. Others chimed in and advised that it is not normal, and I posted that it is good to know.

Getting gruffly treated and then hung up upon isn't what I call ideal customer phone etiquette. Sharing this with the group wasn't done with malice, but to find out if it is expected from this vendor or not. I certainly do not hold any grudge against this vendor, and wish them no harm to their business. Though, as I typed the first message, they had lost mine. After reading some of the helpful replies, I admittedly may have decided that too quickly.

I treat everyone with respect, and can assure you that my tone on the phone was professional and kind, certainly not a tone deserving of what happened. I took the stance that there was a problem with my order and was kindly requesting help to make it right with a cheer in my voice. I had the kind of tone that should have been on the other end of that phone call, but wasn't. You can imagine, it was cause for alarm on my part.

So you see, you missed the point. It wasn't whether or not the situation would be resolved, but how I was treated that caused me to come here and share the situation and ask the question.

As for Sac Vintage almost always being out of things and not being able to inspect a part they do not have in stock, you may have missed the point there also. That is precisely the point, and why it made sense to try another vendor with the part in stock since I couldn't inspect in person anyway. Then, to make the point, I surmised that it may be better to have the local vendor backorder the part and get it in since the delay and expense of going through Bratton's (twice) doesn't make up for it. A sort of epiphany on my part that I shared and you may have taken with some offense. My apologies for not being more clear.

[miss victoria]

Did you think maybe the man had other calls waiting? he said SEND IT BACK. what more do you want but for him to kiss your****** walt bratton i a # 1 guy. and will take care of you.

[29ModelA]

Originally Posted by miss victoria

Did you think maybe the man had other calls waiting? he said SEND IT BACK. what more do you want but for him to kiss your****** walt bratton i a # 1 guy. and will take care of you.

Maybe at least tell him that he will not have to eat the freight for THEIR screw up?

[firechief5215]

I have dealt with Brattons for years and never had a problem, I have a early 28 aa and they have put allot of effort in helping us get it back to original .Sent many pictures to them to help identify originality. Super People.

[BrianBurkert]

I work at a customer service oriented family business (we sell specialty lumber products for custom homes and restorations, as Bratton's sells specialty auto products). Sometimes it is tough to keep up the polite and cordial tone. I'm pretty good at it, but my father isn't. Sometimes you get a customer that is a real handful, and then you're a little sour the rest of the day. I'm a very patient person (I think), but I did have to throw a "prospective" customer out of the store once (i.e. "That's it, get the %$&^ out of here."). I don't think I was in the best of moods for the rest of that day.

I have bought LOTS from Bratton's. In many years, I think I only had one insurmountable problem where I had to do a return/exchange. The Bratton employee who helped me was not exactly Mr. Sunshine, but he did rectify the situation. I believe I paid all shipping, but they ate the part I'm sure. I remembered that it is a living for them, but only a hobby for me.

[Mitch//pa]

everyone has a name and i always make sure to write down who i was talking to when resolving any problems.. if i feel that a situation is not being properly handled i would of asked to talk to someone else, and hopefully then this thread would not have been needed. the reman part in question was most likely redone by an outside vendor and the defect likely missed by brattons.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I'm trying to figure out what the part was?

[mach0415]

I hate to say this, but the back and forth offensiveness/defensiveness is prolly not helping the matter any.

Because humans are involved, and with that human error(s), every company has had a ding or two against it. The big picture here is that markets decide the fate of a company. I am reasonably sure that if any of these companies were rotten to the core, then we would only be reading about them in the archives. However, I also understand not wanting to do business again with a company that "messes up" on the first time, even if they would offer to make good on a defect. BUT then again, I also give others the benefit of the doubt with a second chance.

I am of the "buy local" mindset as the first choice, but if the local guy's service is horrible, or they do not have what others have, then the choice is obvious - get it from someone else. I lived near MAC's, so we drove to Lockport, NY to get parts. I live in NC now, but still use MAC's. I have heard lots of good things and some bad things. They made good on a misorder I experienced once, but that was preceded by lots of good stuff. No biggie. Others have probably cut them off from ever doing business with them again over a similar incident. To each his own.

[brum1]

I always like to bring these types of issues to the "person in charge", if the business gets the feedback and rectifys the issue they will be around for a while.

[Clem Clement]

I'm in the local Model A (GWC) club with Walt. I have been to his home many times and he to mine ontrain day. Walt is a fine guy and a first class business man. Send the parts back and call Walt as well. Walt will always do you right. Walt is constantly working with his suppliers to improve parts and find better ones. It is a tough business out there.
Clem

[peters180a/170b]

the part that you say is faulty might not have been rebuild by him and by another vendor.[like the steering box i had a problem with] AS for the gas cap ...you said it's a REPRO -case closed! I had at Hershey 12 restored original gas and radiator caps in all price range from $90.00 to $125.00 for gas caps. ALL restored by Doug Bruce and he sells them on ebay under modelasue [his mate]Driver to Fine point and in between...YOU can't beat ORIGINAL...and his work.

[RockHillWill]

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I ahve been doing business with Walt for more than 8 years and have never had a single problem that I can recall. Quite the contrary. I mad a mistake on an earlier fine point restoration and I needed new glass cut and correct logo installed. I called and unable to determine who was responsible for the error, it made no difference to them.

I believe it was Jeff that stayed after work, recut the glass, installed correct logo/date and hand delivered it to the UPS place and I had it in two days. I buy everything that I can from Brattons for my own rebuilding efforts, as this type of service is common for me to expect from them.

I am under the impression that Walt does not do all the actuall restoration/rebuilding work in his shop, but has local folks that are usually more experienced do that for the most part. I would imagine that on occassion one of his suppliers may have a helper that did not follow thry with all that he was instructed to do, and in this case you may have received the rare rebuild that was not up to Walts standard.

[Fred K-OR]

Wow this post could go on for days. Seems like most things have been said about the subject!

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Bull. It doesn't make any difference how many hundreds of times Walt was next to God in his personal dealings. If one of his employees treated a customer that rudely, he should have been called out. If Walt doesn't like it then he should hunt down the jerk who is working for him and get him fired. His business depends on it. He has to depend on his people.

P.S. doesn't need to feel guilty about sharing his feeling with friends. I'm behind you, P.S.

[Model A Man]

I dont say no more Brattons for me, but it is the last resort for me. several years ago I ordered some parts and heavy box showed up They had shipped a brake drum and hub by mistake instead of the parts I ordered. I called them and they payed to have it shipped back and reinbursed my credit card, but not the original shipping charge of around $35.00 for the wrong part they shipped. So I will still use them but only if the other major part suppliers dont have what I need.

[Flathead]

I have done a lot of business with Bratton's, don't think I have spoken to Walt but always get good service and quick shipping. I am very happy with them. It isn't easy to be nice all the time to everybody, even when you know you should. I would send it back with a note of explanation, and let them make it right. I bet they do.

[Bill Cal.]

I have purchased parts from Brattons for over 20 years and they are "top notch" in every way.

[WTSHNN]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I'm trying to figure out what the part was?

I also would like to know what the offending part was...

-Tim

[gz]

Brattons and Snyders are my "go to" for Model A parts. Never had a problem with either of them. Sacramento Vintage Ford puts out a great catalog but they don't stock any of those items. They bill your credit card and then tell you it's out of stock and they take forever to ship the items or issue a refund. I have visited their really great storefront, but I would not consider Sacramento a reliable parts supplier-more of a T shirt and nic-nak vendor.

[Richard/Ca]

The only thing that I have brought at Sacramento Vintage that I really liked was a horn and light harness.Oh! and their catalog which I got free.Nice place but won't buy there unless I really have to.

[Craig Lewis]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Lurker

Bull. It doesn't make any difference how many hundreds of times Walt was next to God in his personal dealings. If one of his employees treated a customer that rudely, he should have been called out. If Walt doesn't like it then he should hunt down the jerk who is working for him and get him fired. His business depends on it. He has to depend on his people.

P.O. doesn't need to feel guilty about sharing his feeling with friends. I'm behind you, P.O.

um......remember there's 2 sides to every story.

In my opinion the original post reads like a harsh attack on one of the most reputable vendors in our hobby.
I'm not speculating what was or wasn't said, we weren't there, but Bratton's is fondly respected by every Model A person I know and I think hundreds of people who read this post would agree,
Brattons deserves more dignity than to be trashed in a fit of rage by a fella who doesn't like a return clerk's way of saying "yes we'll take it back"
Did he call them today?...on a holiday? were they even open?
Who knows what kinda crappy Christmas the clerk had? Maybe he's had no end of returns with this crappy "mystery part" and is fed up with the rebuilder & Christmas & family & working on a holiday for minimum wage selling rebuilt parts to blokes who've done the math and can't see how a rebuilt unit can be on their doorstep for cheaper than it costs to rebuild it themselves, except maybe now they know.
I've had excellent service from Bratton's and even got a followup phone call once before backordered parts were shipped giving me the option of cancelling (I'm on the direct opposite side of North America from them)
Let's hope this thread doesn't get deleted before they get a chance to stand up & dust themselves off and make things right.

[CountrySquire55]

My experience with Bratton's has always been top-notch. They are my local supplier and I am fortunate enough to be able to go to their shop in person to buy my parts. If I have a question, someone there is always willing to talk to me and answer it. They also have always, except one time, had the parts that I needed in stock. For the one time they did not have the part in stock, they made a special effort to get it to me quickly from the supplier since they knew that was the last part keeping my Model A from getting back on the road. In my opinion, they have always met or exceeded my needs and expectations and I am happy to continue doing business with them.

[Mikeinnj]

Originally Posted by Model A Man

I dont say no more Brattons for me, but it is the last resort for me. several years ago I ordered some parts and heavy box showed up They had shipped a brake drum and hub by mistake instead of the parts I ordered. I called them and they payed to have it shipped back and reinbursed my credit card, but not the original shipping charge of around $35.00 for the wrong part they shipped. So I will still use them but only if the other major part suppliers dont have what I need.

In reply to Model A Man's comment : It really is YOUR fault for not bringing the wrong shipping charge to their attention. How can they be faulted if they were unaware of the mistake.? ......i.e...If someone is standing on your foot and they are unaware of it, it's up to you to let them know, so you can gain relief. So too in this case. Communication skills are everything in doing business.

[P.S.]

Thanks to 700RPM for educating me on how to change the thread title, it is done. The edited title more accurately expresses the intent of the original post.

[Garage Dog]

Its why this counrty is the way it is no one cares.

[al's28/33]

Buyer beware............ALWAYS.......and sometimes it is best to sleep on a decision before pulling the trigger and shooting your toes off.

I consider all the buying I have done thru ebay or from parts suppliers or other vendors around the world that every so often there is going to be a hickup, a miss matched shipment, wrong item, damaged item, and yes even a disturbing conversation on the phone. We are all human and sometimes we all make mistakes. It's the chance we take. And it's called LIFE.

This reminds me of a recent post regarding Sullivans Garage and Mike made it good for that customer. Be patient folks and don't make life more difficult than it needs to be.

[Model A Man]

Originally Posted by Mikeinnj

In reply to Model A Man's comment : It really is YOUR fault for not bringing the wrong shipping charge to their attention. How can they be faulted if they were unaware of the mistake.? ......i.e...If someone is standing on your foot and they are unaware of it, it's up to you to let them know, so you can gain relief. So too in this case. Communication skills are everything in doing business.

I did bring it to their attention, but got no where.

[Mitch]

Sometimes the world does not rotate about one's part.

[Russ/40]

I imagine the holiday rush may have been involved, or as one suggested, a number of people on hold. Whatever the reason, I'm sure it felt personal, as it would for most. After all we all want to feel special. I'm sorry for your experience, but I will testify like the others, Bratton's is a first class operation. I have always ordered on line from them, and they have almost always had what I wanted. If they didn't, they always phoned me and asked if they could ship what they had, and asked if I wanted to backorder or cancel the out of stock item. They have always been courteous and prompt. My experience has been that, even ordering from San Diego, Bratton's shipping has been more reasonable than Sacrament Vintage. Hope you give Brattons another chance.

[Jazzjr]

Originally Posted by Model A Man

I did bring it to their attention, but got no where.

I would have called them back a second time to obtain the shipping credit. If no credit refund after a week or so, you used a Credit Card, call them, They will get you a refund, its a rude way to get your money back but, if you owed it the merchant they wouldn't hesitate to re-bill You!!

[V4F]

i live close to vintage ford . great people but their back order system leaves alot to be desired . if you ordered food you would die before it got here .
but i do buy as much as i can from them if it is in stock . never bought from brattons , but only heard good . must be a snafuu ................

[lance leblanc]

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Ordered a water pump and hose kit from Vintage Ford once.
Needing it quickly I paid for two day delivery. (an extra $30).
I recieved the pump on time but the hose kit was back ordered. Not a problem, my hoses were fine, they were just ugly.
Six weeks later, S.V.F. was kind enough to call and ask if I still wanted the hose kit.
To which I responded, "Sure, Thanks for the call"

Two days later, I recieved my back-ordered hose kit with a $50 Invoice for rush shipping. (since the original order was ordered RUSH)

My phone call to S.V.F. was given the standard... We will credit you your shipping cost on your next order.

As if I will give them the chance.

[Chris in WNC]

Repro gas cap? bad idea.
radiator caps rust, so good originals are hard to find & pricey.
gas caps not so much- I got an EXCELLENT original at Oshkosh for $40.

FWIW.

also: Walt Bratton is MY first choice for over 20 years now.

[Terry, NJ]

I'm new to Mod. A s. I dealt with a few vendors. Brattons is about 2 1/2 hrs from me so I went down there to take a ride. They were as nice to me in person as they have always been on the phone. Another excellent dealer is Steve Becker at Bert's in Denver. Bert's even had a junk yard with only mod A s and many used parts and you get the privilidge of being able to explore a little. There's nothing I like better than exploring in a junkyard. If I were you, I'd reconsider.
Terry

[Mike V. Florida]

Botton line is that that no one or company is perfect, I'm sure if we wait long enough we will hear "horror" stories about every vendor that has A parts and a couple that don't.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by lance leblanc

... We will credit you your shipping cost on your next order...

I've heard that from more than one vendor, never had it happen though!

[tbirdtbird]

I can't say enough about the quality of the parts, the customer service, etc etc from Brattons over a 20 yr period with many many orders and untold hundreds of dollars spent on A parts for myself and my customers' As. Have talked to Walt many times since he is a wealth of info. He is one of the last good guys left. He would want to know about your incident.

We are all still curious about which part and even more curious why you wouldn't have mentioned it in the first place!

[BashawT]

Snyder's is great. Exchange parts that I've got have always been good. Great service too. Never had a bad experience with Snyder's so I've never tried anyone else.

[1936ford64]

I can relate to the comment about the electric chair. I to bought an electric chair. I bought the one made in China, to save money. The American model was much more money. When I recieved the electric chair I couldn't read the instructions, I never did get it to work. My friends said they would pay the extra money for the American one. In the end I am happy because I saved money.

[zzlegend]

???????????:confused :

[lookin-backtexas]

I have been buying from Bratton's for as long as they have been in business; I still own the first Model A I bought 40 years ago and Bratton's has always been my "go to vendor".

I've met Walt in person at Hershey several times, at the MAFCA/MARC International Convention in Toronto and at his home and place of business in Maryland (even though I live in Texas, I made a special effort when visiting my kids in Washington, D.C. to drive up to Bratton's to see their operation in person).

Walt is one of the finest people I know and I have always considered him a true gentleman. I would suggest that if you EVER have a problem of any kind, ask for Walt personally and he'd treat you right! As a small business owner, I am sure he would like to know if any of his employees didn't make you feel welcome or if you received less than the best customer service whether on the phone or through a mail order transaction.

You never know when someone had his toast burned that morning or his pet dog got run over before he got to work that day. Don't condemn a long-established business over a single phone call - call Walt and tell him what happened and he'll do his best to make you happy.

[spdway1]

Jan 8th? Is it circling the world a few times?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by spdway1

Jan 8th? Is it circling the world a few times?

But don't sweat it, Gregg & Buster T. said it is 444.77 MILLION miles from us, give or take a few blocks.
Was this event on the Mayan Calendar or on the Oreo??? (The Chocolate filled one.) Bill W.

[glenn in camino]

Brattons is my favorite vendor for repo parts. I've never been disapointed.

[tbirdtbird]

Well for a 4-page thread we sure want to know what the part was. We know it was the gruffness on the phone that upset you, that was made very very clear. But for all this, the part itself is double-top-CIA-secret? What gives with that, are you a mystery writer by your regular job?

[1st_model_a]

Wow - enough flames going back & forth singed my eyebrows reading this thread

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Imagine, all those flames caused by one rude crab hanging up the phone. Too bad we don't have his name. Who cares what the part was.

[Chris in WNC]

Originally Posted by 1st_model_a

Wow - enough flames going back & forth singed my eyebrows reading this thread

flames? this forum is reasonably tame compared to others I have seen........

[WTSHNN]

Not to get involved in the hostilities here, but if a supplier is selling a supposedly inferior product that any person on this board could potentially purchase and might not notice a flaw, how is knowing the particulars of that part NOT important?

Many companies use the same suppliers for parts they carry and it could be possible that other companies could be purchasing this same part from the same restorer for stocking their own shelves, in the name of educating the masses, shouldn't the part be known?

People routinely create threads on here detailing defective products they have purchased and why they are defective as a way of informing everyone in the hobby as a way of helping others out.
-Tim

[pooch]

Yeh, very strange, this part sounds like a thriller mystery.

One of the items in my order was a rebuilt item sold on exchange basis only. I sent my core, they sent the item. It's defective. Whoever "rebuilt" it forgot a couple of key things. One of the key items is so corroded, it is about ready to fall off, but they powdercoated right over it despite being clearly, visually, about 1/2 the size it should be due to severe corrosion underneath all that pretty black powdercoat. This never should have been sent out, even someone with little knowledge of the part would be able to spot this flaw immediately. Yet, Bratton's shipped it out this way.


What is so precious about not stating what the part is for the info of others who may want the same part ?

[tbirdtbird]

wow. if u interpret my posts as rude, then all the guy on the other end of the phone had to do was cough and u would be offended. LOL. Some people are just overly sensitive i guess. LOL

You posted hoping an army of people would jump on the band wagon that Bratton's was a bad place. That clearly did not happen, in fact, just the opposite. I'd suggest that you get over it and go off to another issue LOL

[P.S.]

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UPDATE: Got to the office earlier today and secretary gave me the following message from 12/28/2012 at 8:31 AM (PST)-

Walter from Bratton's called. Said he was very sorry for the problem. Sending out new parts today.

Excellent! This is very encouraging, and exactly what some of you guys who jumped in to defend Bratton's said would happen. Thank you again for resetting my opinion. Suspect I will be really glad to have chosen Bratton's as a mail order vendor for the Model A.

[pooch]

Lets see if Sullivan's garage comes through with his promise , as someone in this thread mentioned his name along with Brattons.