Back order Bob Drake strikes again!

[Barry-ct]

I received an email for a big "Sale" He was having online featuring "no shipping charges". So I figured I try him again. I ordered 3 dash knobs for my 1950 F-1. I then get another email stating I did not put a credit card number in the order. My order confirmation showed the last 4 digits of the card, so I know I did it right. Called back, gave the card again, told the parts would be released. Check back a week later and was told they would be shipped that day via FedEx ground. I just checked back with them and now they're back ordered ( surprise, surprise! ) and no ETA on when he will get them. The only reason I went with him was that the web site showed them in stock! So, I cancelled my order. How the heck can you have a sale and not have the stock? Heck of a way to run a railroad, as they say. This is not the first time, either, but it's my last time ordering from him! I will now order them from C&G like I should have in the first place. Live and learn.........

[V8COOPMAN]

Man, I'll bet they've "never had THAT problem before". DD

[39topless]

Same thing happened to me with a pair of running boards "On Sale". I'll go somewhere else.

[35fordtn]

Whew.. after a situation I had today. I will NEVER call to order there again.

[Barry-ct]

Before we go too far... I'm not knocking the products, that's for another thread. I have sat in the "Q" usually for 15 minutes to a 1/2 hour and I get the same person every time. Makes you think there's maybe one customer service rep? I was a Ford Parts man for years and if we handled our customers like they do, we would not have a job very long.
I know that's the end of my purchases from him. Too bad, some of what I need, the prices were good! Again, I'm not complaining about what he sells, but the lack of inventory and poor service.

[tamnalan]

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I bought one of his gas tanks on a similar sale a while back. The price was fantastic but I then had to wait 6 or 7 months to get the part. It eventually showed up. Dang... now I'm not sure I'm going to use it though.

His business model works fine for those of us who care more about price than speed. If my needed part was a MICAP item then I would not be happy. (MICAP is USAF slang for a mission-essential part.)

[tamnalan]

If I was Bob Drake for a day, then I might consider a two-tier pricing model... lower prices for those items with extended backorder time and a higher price for the items kept in stock.

The gas tanks would be a good example.

[Kube]

Oh yeah, I was promised during a phone call a few days ago by their rep an email showing all I had on order and back order. Of course that never materialized.
Finally, after much more communication, I'd got the list.
It is so ridiculous, it is actually humorous.
There are so many things on back order with "no date" and a number with "a couple of months" I began to laugh.
"A couple of months" to Drake is akin to "we've never heard that before".

[51504bat]

I ordered a tank and sending unit, front and rear shock kits, a steering wheel, and some misc. small stuff on Bob's 20% off and free shipping sale. Got everything right away but the steering wheel - not in stock. Don't know if they'll still honor the discount and free ship on the wheel or not. If not I'll just cancel but everything else was fine. Rear shock kit, tank and sending unit are already installed so I guess I'm ahead of the game.

[Straightpipes]

I called last week and was very satisfied with the service. As a matter of fact the sales person went out of his way to help me out. Said he was "the new guy". Maybe things are looking up for all who have complaints.
I wonder how many Bob Drake threads there have been??

[40cpe]

"The new guy" will be indoctrinated soon enough. This kind of service had been going on for 20+ years and the company has had time to mature and correct these issues. Whoever is running the company is evidently aware of and comfortable with the service provided. I would't hold my breath hoping for significant improvement.

I am appreciative of the products made by Drake and have many on/in my cars. I just find them in stock at another dealer or do without.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Have never had a problem with any of my Drake orders. Am I his only happy customer? What am I doing wrong to have never had a problem while I see some repeat FB members who continually have problems on seemingly every order they place.

[Lawrie]

Were would my 33 be without him,no new running boards that fitted like a glove,no new ignition points,no new radiator cap that looks like a jewel.
no new water pumps for the 99a engine.

Lawrie

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Straightpipes

I called last week and was very satisfied with the service. As a matter of fact the sales person went out of his way to help me out. Said he was "the new guy". Maybe things are looking up for all who have complaints.
I wonder how many Bob Drake threads there have been??

I am certain he not undergone the proper "training" as yet.

[Kube]

[QUOTE=JM 35 Sedan;1000879]Have never had a problem with any of my Drake orders. Am I his only happy customer?
Um yes John, you are...

[barnfind]

Never had a problem but I mostly order sales items.

[Ziffer]

Nice products and I have a standing order to just remove any items from my order that are on Back order. That has saved me a lot of hassle

[Brooks]

On his 20% sale and free shipping, I order a set of running boards for my "40 pickup a set of windrow reg. set of fender apron bolts and hood rubber bumper set. Got the running boards, lucky me, no other parts, no invoice or details. Sent email to ask when I would get my other parts, get email two days later saying out of stock ,don't know when they will have any. Same old story as always. He need to quit putting out sale flyer if he not got the parts in stock. My 2 cents worth.

[Planojc]

It's easy to have a sale on items that you don't have in stock.

[jake197000]

i dont know if they actually make anyting.but ive bought a fair amount and had decent service,but i think its common to take orders and then get them made.frustrating but were pretty lucky we can even get some of this stuff.albeit might not b a perfect match.

[JM 35 Sedan]

[QUOTE=Kube;1000904]

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

Have never had a problem with any of my Drake orders. Am I his only happy customer?
Um yes John, you are...

Kube, why do you keep ordering items from Bob Drake if you are always so unhappy with his service and parts?

[al pa.]

same with me on his sale priced closeout choke and throttle cables.He did later offer to give me the sale price(after the closeout,and no more available ?),some apparently became available,but after that experience,I wasn't sending him money for ANY reason.

[TagMan]

I ordered an item from Drake from a 10%, free shipping flyer on Dec. 2nd. The catch was, that the price & free shipping was only if the item was in stock. I received an order confirmation, so I assumed they actually had the part, but after 2-1/2 weeks and no parts, I called today and they told me the parts were on back order. Not only that, but the phone Rep told me there were 80 back orders for the part !

[bbrocksr]

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

Have never had a problem with any of my Drake orders. Am I his only happy customer? What am I doing wrong to have never had a problem while I see some repeat FB members who continually have problems on seemingly every order they place.

John, You're not the only one. I have never had a problem with a Drake order. On my last order, The 20% off and free shipping 1 day sale I couldn't finish my order due to a website error. I Emailed them and was told to call my order in and they would honor the sale price and shipping. The sales person was Peter Mostowa, Very polite and helpful.
Some of these guys can't wait for a chance to complain.
Bill

[Royal Ryser]

I guess I am the "other" lucky Bob Drake customer. I have ordered from him several times and never had a problem. The last order was for a set of running boards for my 36 sedan. They were discounted $100 and were shipped free. It took 6 days from order to delivery and they are excellent.
Sorry to not have had any problems.

[swoopNZ]

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I have bought quite a few items from Drake over the years and had them shipped down to New Zealand.
Mostly dealt with a customer service rep named Heather Travis.
Never a problem.
If it isn't in stock she tells me.

[dwick01]

I'm a Bob Drake fan. Have not had any problems with him. If it is on back-order, along with a great price, I can patiently wait.

[38 Ford Guy]

Back orders have been a problem for me from time to time too. The gas tanks last year took 6 months for to get. I have learned to plan ahead and ask what is back ordered and not. My last order was filled which I has not in a huge hurry for. As I look at his catalog and parts offering it amazes me with the number of cars he offer parts for that are rare. The potential to recover the investment on those parts has to be really low. Banks require a business to turn their inventory so many times a year so my bet is Bob Drake has a lot of money tied up in reproductions parts that are for Woodies, Cabriolets, etc. thus limiting his borrowing ability and inventory investment into the parts that turn fast. Also, my guess is certain parts that are outsourced would require minimum number of parts to be ordered, so Bob needs to get enough orders to justify the run. I'm betting a number of the reproduction parts he makes is for the love of the hobby not a good business decision. Without his business where would our hobby be? A large number of our cars would not be done and more cars parted out to finish cars. For that alone I support him. Enough of my rant if I offended anyone sorry.......

[Juergen]

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

Have never had a problem with any of my Drake orders. Am I his only happy customer? What am I doing wrong to have never had a problem while I see some repeat FB members who continually have problems on seemingly every order they place.

You are not the only one. I have not had a problem before and not this time either. I ordered over a dozen items on the 20% off-free shipping date and got them all within the week.

Looking at his business growth, he must be doing something right.

[Dak Rat]

As I look at the four cars I have restored using parts from Bob Drake, I would never have been able to finish any of them with out those parts. Are there back orders sometimes--sure--I just plan around that and move on. Is Bob Drake Inc. perfect--nope--but I value the ability to get these parts when they are available.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by 38 Ford Guy

Back orders have been a problem for me from time to time too. The gas tanks last year took 6 months for to get. I have learned to plan ahead and ask what is back ordered and not. My last order was filled which I has not in a huge hurry for. As I look at his catalog and parts offering it amazes me with the number of cars he offer parts for that are rare. The potential to recover the investment on those parts has to be really low. Banks require a business to turn their inventory so many times a year so my bet is Bob Drake has a lot of money tied up in reproductions parts that are for Woodies, Cabriolets, etc. thus limiting his borrowing ability and inventory investment into the parts that turn fast. Also, my guess is certain parts that are outsourced would require minimum number of parts to be ordered, so Bob needs to get enough orders to justify the run. I'm betting a number of the reproduction parts he makes is for the love of the hobby not a good business decision. Without his business where would our hobby be? A large number of our cars would not be done and more cars parted out to finish cars. For that alone I support him. Enough of my rant if I offended anyone sorry.......

I believe you are right on the money with your opinion and I agree 100%. Working for a large manufacturing company myself for many years, I know we did not want to keep huge quantities of inventory in stock, especially when it came to the large and expensive product. I believe Bob Drake establishes his production run numbers on some items based on known ordered quantities, hoping that he can fill the pipe line as quick as possible.

[Barry-ct]

Again, My complaint is not about quality of his parts. It's the constant back order on so many parts. If you take orders, then have the part made, that is not a good business model. It only gets people mad! If that's the way you want to operate, that is your decision. He should list the item as back ordered on his web site and instruct customer service people to say it's on back ordered. It's called being honest with your customer.
I tried to order the knobs from C&G and they emailed me back within a 1/2 hour and stated that they were back ordered and cancelled my order as I instructed. That is a better way to do business and keeps customers in the loop. No one can keep everything on the shelf, but Drake's back order list must be very long. I appreciate what he's done for the hobby as much as the next guy.......

[Kube]

[QUOTE=JM 35 Sedan;1000975]

Originally Posted by Kube

Kube, why do you keep ordering items from Bob Drake if you are always so unhappy with his service and parts?

On occasion he is the ONLY "game in town". And, as I have often stated, some of his stuff is actually pretty nice.

[hotrodA]

I ordered about $1800 worth of parts during December to take advantage of the 20% and free shipping.
The on-line item description showed either "in or out of stock", so there was no guess work, and only ONE item out about 100 showed up back ordered.
No disappointments, except for a few out of stock pieces that I could have used, but can wait for another sale.
Received order confirmation, shipping notices, FedEx tracking numbers, and delivery within a week!
I was VERY pleasantly surprised at the professional process, very un-Drake like.

[funrunr]

I truly appreciate the quality the Drake and Carpenter offer, I did try to take advantage of a few items during the cyber Monday sale and received a call 1½ weeks later stating some parts were not in stock and my floors could not be shipped free. This was not the end of my shopping days with him as I value his quality far more than his pricing.

[Barry-ct]

You're lucky, my item showed in stock, that's why I ordered them. I did get a order confirmation, but nothing after that. If I didn't make inquiries, they'd would still be on order. I talked to Cole on the three occasions and he was very professional, but he never told me of the back order until I asked.

[Pete/Ct.]

I've never had a problem with Drakes, in fact he shipped backstocked items free. Pete/Ct.

[Fred A]

Took a shot at Bob's Cyber Monday. A bit of a wrestling match with the online which kept deleting my promo code. Time ran short and was not able to check availability on the scores of items desired. Out of over $2500 wishful total, only $800+ was in stock. I already knew that a few hundred bucks worth was already gone and never to return such as the frame braces for the '40. Had it all been available, my total could have been over $3000. Luckily Macs had a free shipping day also where I hope to have picked up a few more items, and finally finished off my long suffering gift certificate ballance with Macs. Never again on the gift certificates! Never certain until the parts reach my shop. I have done so much business with these guys that there are few surprises left. Luckily the '40s that are my current projects are well served by reproduction parts. That keeps the swapmeet prices down for original parts too. Count on me to keep doing business with all of them as it serves my needs. Good Luck: Fred A

[gz]

I have bought lots of stuff from Bob Drake over the last three or four decades. Never once had a problem. I have met Bob more than a few times at various shows and swap meets. He is real car guy and also a serious collector of all things Ford. I think if he were to bleed, Ford Blue would come running out of his veins! What would we do if we didn't have vendors like Drake supplying us with parts?

[cmbrucew]

I remember the days when the order desk person would physically check that the item was on the shelf. Yes they had computers then and they knew what the parts were, not just a number. The best service was our Cat, and Napa dealers.
Bruce

[TonyM]

This ain't the 1970s--no one has "inventory" anymore.
Too much money sitting there tied up.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by TonyM

This ain't the 1970s--no one has "inventory" anymore.
Too much money sitting there tied up.

"Advertising" is just that....it's the conveyance of an immaginary, perceived concept between two folks.....the customer (convincee) with the $$$ in his pocket, and the seller (convincer) that wants to "convince" those $$$ over to his own pocket.

That smilin' guy standing there next to all those empty boxes would tend to convince any "believers"....that the ADVERTISED "inventory" is sitting there on a shelf just waiting to be expeditiously packed and shipped-out to happy customers. That single, strategically-placed red bow further suggests that all of the perfectly-fitting inventory will be on your doorstep before you take the tree down. Merry Christmas! DD

[Kube]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

"Advertising" is just that....it's the conveyance of an immaginary, perceived concept between two folks.....the customer (convincee) with the $$$ in his pocket, and the seller (convincer) that wants to "convince" those $$$ over to his own pocket.

That smilin' guy standing there next to all those empty boxes would tend to convince any "believers"....that the ADVERTISED "inventory" is sitting there on a shelf just waiting to be expeditiously packed and shipped-out to happy customers. That single, strategically-placed red bow further suggests that all of the perfectly-fitting inventory will be on your doorstep before you take the tree down. Merry Christmas! DD

Funny (and true) as heck!

For the record, I have never claimed Bob is all bad. His business practices and ethics, well, yes, both are quite lacking.

I still get a chuckle every time someone suggests ol' Bob is making all of these parts out of his love for old Fords. Really? The reality is the love for the old (and new) Benjamin's.

[uncle buck]

This problem also is a side effect of offshore manufacturing. By manufacturing overseas you factor in the need to fill shipping containers for cost effective shipping and the wait at the customs off ice in port upon arrival. Last year I had a tool box supplier that had a container delayed for almost 3 months as it sat at the port for clearance by US Customs.

[TonyM]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

"Advertising" is just that....it's the conveyance of an immaginary, perceived concept between two folks.....the customer (convincee) with the $$$ in his pocket, and the seller (convincer) that wants to "convince" those $$$ over to his own pocket.

That smilin' guy standing there next to all those empty boxes would tend to convince any "believers"....that the ADVERTISED "inventory" is sitting there on a shelf just waiting to be expeditiously packed and shipped-out to happy customers. That single, strategically-placed red bow further suggests that all of the perfectly-fitting inventory will be on your doorstep before you take the tree down. Merry Christmas! DD

Point taken Coopman.
Never had a problem with Bob Drake's.

[stangblue]

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As far as getting parts for old Fords. I always had good luck with Bob Drakes parts. At least they fit not like some other jobbers I dealt with. His customer service always called me back. My hat is off to the people that supply the correct Old Ford parts. They support our hobby and in turn we support them. I would hate to rely on Ebay for everthing.

[laryh]

I used the free shipping offer twice this month. One of those was the 20% cyber Monday sale. I did well. I got everything I ordered with free shipping and a good price. Also got the Drake Calendar and catalog free. Bod did not make money on my orders they were not that big. I am sure the shipping costs amounted to more than Drake made in profit. I will continue to buy from Bob and from the other early Ford vendors that I have bought from. I have always said early parts vendors are on our side trying hard to please every customer. That in itself is difficult.

[Straightpipes]

I have three early Fords. I think one of these is made up entirely of parts from China. If they would just make the entire car over there I could save a pile of money and only make one order.
I did just recieve my Chinese running boards and am very pleased. I can sleep well knowing that the little 8 year old Chinese girl made a couple of Renminbi.

[Barry-ct]

I'm glad for those who got their orders without a problem. It would be better if the ratio of parts received to parts back ordered would increase. I finally found my knobs thru Dennis Carpenter. I paid more, but they're in stock. I originally did not buy them there because I was being cheap!

[Kube]

Originally Posted by laryh

I used the free shipping offer twice this month. One of those was the 20% cyber Monday sale. I did well. I got everything I ordered with free shipping and a good price. Also got the Drake Calendar and catalog free. Bod did not make money on my orders they were not that big. I am sure the shipping costs amounted to more than Drake made in profit. I will continue to buy from Bob and from the other early Ford vendors that I have bought from. I have always said early parts vendors are on our side trying hard to please every customer. That in itself is difficult.

Don't kid yourself in to thinking he did not profit. He should profit even during a sale.
Typical mark up to the retail end is 100%. When selling things made in China that number is most often skewed much higher.
When places like Walmart put those big screen tvs on sale for $100, rest assured there is still profit there. Most folks simply do not realize the markup on retail goods.
Furniture is in the 300 - 500% range. Clothing? Typically 200 - 300%.

[rockfla]

Not necessarily defending "Bob" but.......As a industrial fastener distributor it would be wonderful to know exactly what my customer needs in the exact quantity and the exact moment he needs it! AND......that my supplier knows exactly what I need exactly when I need it in the Quantity I need it in!!!! That would be perfect!!!!! And to think that Bob Drake sells "World Wide" and tries to meet "Worldwide Demand"!!!!

[Doug-F1]

I was a distributor of equipment and parts myself and that is so true Rockfla. If you had three in stock the customer needed five, or if you had square they needed round ones. Just the same it's a pain in the butt.

[expavr]

Originally Posted by rockfla

Not necessarily defending "Bob" but.......As a industrial fastener distributor it would be wonderful to know exactly what my customer needs in the exact quantity and the exact moment he needs it! AND......that my supplier knows exactly what I need exactly when I need it in the Quantity I need it in!!!! That would be perfect!!!!! And to think that Bob Drake sells "World Wide" and tries to meet "Worldwide Demand"!!!!

I agree and would add how many customers intend to buy the product I offer at my "sale" price? Even Best Buy and the large retailers get that wrong.....

[Barry-ct]

No one can anticipate what the demand is on a product. But with inventory control, it will show a trend in sales of an item. you can order based on that trend. Maybe he has to order a minimum of an item, but that is part of retailing. They all sell wholesale between each other and that can break up the minimum.
I last worked for a small Ford dealer that did 2 million annually in parts sales. I was in charge of ordering what we needed. I would run a suggested order off the computer and adjust it as these programs tend to over order. I had to check the shelf on everything it wanted to order and see what was there and check the trend on the sales. Ford's back order ratio to available parts was very low. We could order small amounts as our facing depot was nearby and we had daily deliveries at 5 AM.
I realize BD does not have that kind of back up we had from Ford. But if you're going to have a sale to boost your sales, you need to have stock to fill orders. He can't have everything all the time, but reading here, there are items he continually has on Back order. Gas tanks come to mind. That's where trend analysis would help. If you have the sales of an item, order a higher amount. I think he waits until he reaches a minimum amount he needs to order, then orders. If that's the way he does it, call the item, "special order item". Then it's not a back order. I know he can't label all the items that way, just maybe the bulky things like gas tanks, for instance.
No one knows his business plan but Bob. It just seems there is a high amount of back orders vs in stock items.
Boy, I opened a can of worms on this subject. I only posted to vent my frustration on the item labeled as in stock and it wasn't. I am grateful he is there to have stuff made for us to help get our projects done. Time to put the thread to bed!

[rockfla]

At Barry-CT

As I said, not necessarily defending Bob per se', just random thought and I would imagine, For "Bob" knowing how many 48-53 F1 pickups are being restored and how many of those people are gonna buy parts and exactly what parts or for that matter any year 32-48 etc etc restoration project that may or may not have been sitting for years before now? Has to be a daunting task. I just hope that there is enough "Bob's", who for WHATEVER reasons for doing so, keep doing it for us EFV8 guys........and don't get discouraged/or take the "constructive" criticisms and strive to improve.

[Barry-ct]

I understand what he goes thru, as I worked in a lot of dealerships and customers pissed off at us for not having what they wanted. They expected us to every part Ford ever made. We went thru trying to anticipate what would or wouldn't sell. So, don't think I am griping about him not having the knobs, It's more about my luck or lack of, the knobs were back ordered. I don't want to get anyone mad, but let's not over analyze this. Nobody knows the reasons why but Bob Drake.

[BlueSunoco]

Originally Posted by stangblue

As far as getting parts for old Fords. I always had good luck with Bob Drakes parts. At least they fit not like some other jobbers I dealt with. His customer service always called me back. My hat is off to the people that supply the correct Old Ford parts. They support our hobby and in turn we support them. I would hate to rely on Ebay for everthing.

I fully agree. Have used Bob Drake parts on our Mustang and they were very good quality parts. Parts were bought thru a Mustang parts house, not directly from Bob Drake's but I was very satisfied w/ the quality of the parts.

[1938 Coupe]

Bob Drake Reproductions Inc. makes a claim that 100% customer satisfaction is our goal. In my case it was the opposite experience.

I am in the process of restoring a 1938 Ford Coupe with the Road Runners car club in my local town. Over the passed few months I purchased many reproduction items including a front chrome bumper. When it arrived I carefully opened the box and removed the paper it was rapped in. I called them and was told that my original bumper guards will not work on their reproduction bumpers. I asked if I could return it for a refund and was given a authorization number. I returned it in their original shipping box and insured it for $350 with FedEx.

After it was returned to them another week went by without a word and then I received a phone call from the sales manager whose name was Pete.
I was told they found a scratch in the chrome and would be returning it to me without a refund. I questioned how the scratch got there because It wasn’t there when I shipped it back to them.
Was the package damaged when it arrived? Pete said he didn’t know but will return it to me for my inspection.

A few days latter I received the bumper back in a completely repackaged new box. Now if it had been damaged by FedEx during shipping I can’t even make a claim for the insurance.
I called again and Pete said he didn’t know why it was returned in a new box but there is nothing he can do. When I asked him what was I suppose to do now, his smart answer was “You Can Always Sell It On eBay”

This return was totally mishandled and I have never experience a company that treats their customers the way this transaction was handled!

It seems they have no interest in customer satisfaction. I had pending orders for the Road Runners Car Club so I canceled them and all future orders with Bob Drakes Reproductions.

[uncle buck]

Originally Posted by BlueSunoco

I fully agree. Have used Bob Drake parts on our Mustang and they were very good quality parts. Parts were bought thru a Mustang parts house, not directly from Bob Drake's but I was very satisfied w/ the quality of the parts.

Those would actually be from Scott Drake , Bob's younger brother. Scott got his start working for Bob many years ago and has built himself a First Class Wholesale only operation in Nevada and supplies parts to all the Mustang parts retailers.

[Steves46]

Originally Posted by 1938 Coupe

Bob Drake Reproductions Inc. makes a claim that 100% customer satisfaction is our goal. In my case it was the opposite experience.

I am in the process of restoring a 1938 Ford Coupe with the Road Runners car club in my local town. Over the passed few months I purchased many reproduction items including a front chrome bumper. When it arrived I carefully opened the box and removed the paper it was rapped in. I called them and was told that my original bumper guards will not work on their reproduction bumpers. I asked if I could return it for a refund and was given a authorization number. I returned it in their original shipping box and insured it for $350 with FedEx.

After it was returned to them another week went by without a word and then I received a phone call from the sales manager whose name was Pete.
I was told they found a scratch in the chrome and would be returning it to me without a refund. I questioned how the scratch got there because It wasn’t there when I shipped it back to them.
Was the package damaged when it arrived? Pete said he didn’t know but will return it to me for my inspection.

A few days latter I received the bumper back in a completely repackaged new box. Now if it had been damaged by FedEx during shipping I can’t even make a claim for the insurance.
I called again and Pete said he didn’t know why it was returned in a new box but there is nothing he can do. When I asked him what was I suppose to do now, his smart answer was “You Can Always Sell It On eBay”

This return was totally mishandled and I have never experience a company that treats their customers the way this transaction was handled!

It seems they have no interest in customer satisfaction. I had pending orders for the Road Runners Car Club so I canceled them and all future orders with Bob Drakes Reproductions.

I am sorry to read of your experience. Did you write to or speak with Bob directly about this?

[Bruce in southern OH]

Have met at Hershey, very personable fellow, have purchased running boards, lots of items over a number of years, no problems here.

[BlueSunoco]

Originally Posted by uncle buck

Those would actually be from Scott Drake , Bob's younger brother. Scott got his start working for Bob many years ago and has built himself a First Class Wholesale only operation in Nevada and supplies parts to all the Mustang parts retailers.

Sorry, you are absolutely correct they were SCOTT Drake parts not Bob Drake. I stand corrected. That project was three years ago, my memory of the name slipped

But, SCOTT Drake parts that we received were very good, fit like a glove. That seems to be more of what we see in early Mustang parts anyway as compared to the V-8 stuff...................

[Barry-ct]

To muddy the water some more, I get an email from BD informing me that they had the incorrect address on my account and to fix it. So I go in and lo and behold, there is my current address in the bill to and ship area. I called them and was told they were shipped to my old address of 10 years ago and returned to them. She listed my old address in her system and said they said I had it wrong in my on line account. Then she says I have 2 accounts. I never did find the first account. So they had 2 different orders with the same order number. How messed up is that? And as to the credit for the knobs that were shipped, she said it would be a while as they had a huge pile of returns to process. I completely understand it's a busy place and mistakes are made, but it seems I had a few mistakes made all along the way! Murphy's law and SNAFU all the way.

[1938 Coupe]

Maybe I should have talked with Bob directly. He may be interested in how his company is being managed by people that don't seem to care. I did lodge a complaint with the Oregon BBB and someone other than the csr responded with another excuse for why they had returned the bumper to me. I like the company and have nothing against Bob personally just how they treat good customers. I know Bob is manufacturing some of his own parts, but most can be found elsewhere for less. Mac's sells far more items and never seems to be out of stock when I order..... Just saying!

[johnh7]

You can add me to the unhappy list. I finally received a response today after several inquiries over a three month period. This is the response,

" Hello, The item 91A-7526 is on back order. We do not know when this part will come back in stock. We will contact you as soon as it comes in. Thank you."

The receipt I initially received showed shipping method Fedex, but no tracking number was sent. I am sure he will say the receipt just showed the shipping method they planned to use, but in my mind it was deliberately misleading. After seeing the other comments here, I will not purchase anything from him again.

Merry Xmas everyone!

[john greco]

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I agree , never will buy from him if I can help it , like his catalog deal years back , I bought a stainless gas tank for a 37 ford , china on it , would not fit , sent back , never again

[Barry-ct]

After reading many replies, more than I ever expected, there seems to be a detour into the quality issues with some of what he sells. I wasn't going in that direction. I do see a inconsistency in his service. Some get quick replies, some don't. Parts are shipped quick, some end up with delays. I can't answer why. It's too bad Bob hasn't read some of the replies, Maybe he could answer.
I ordered my knobs from Dennis Carpenter and received in 4 days. And they're USA made!

[white64]

Aw crap..., I was reading this thread when it started, seemed to be 50/50. So I figured well I'll take a chance and ordered a bunch of stuff for my basket-case '40 coupe a few minutes ago. Just as I hit the send button I noticed that over 50% of the stuff was on back-order... (its a faded checkbox) aw crap...

Should I give it a couple of weeks or is this just some sortah scam to get orders lined up first and after a number quota is reached...get the items manufactured, in stock, then sent out. That takes MONTHS!

I was pumped to get started, but for now I'm burning propane in my garage for no other reason then to keep the spray paint rattle cans from freezing.

[V8COOPMAN]

Back Order Bob didn't earn that moniker for no reason! DD

[1938 Coupe]

Good news!.....Free shipping has been extended for 9 more days! 9 more days to be disappointed that everything you want is on back order and the free shipping counts only on in stock items.....such a deal? Someone needs to explain the value of inventory control to them before they should offer free shipping or 20% off!!!!

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by 1938 Coupe

Good news!.....Free shipping has been extended for 9 more days! 9 more days to be disappointed that everything you want is on back order and the free shipping counts only on in stock items.....such a deal? Someone needs to explain the value of inventory control to them before they should offer free shipping or 20% off!!!!

I received a BD gift certificate for Christmas. Will place an order with free shipping in the next few days. Will report back if I am disapointed, but I doubt if I will be, have not been disapointed with anything I have ordered from BD in the last 25 years. Maybe I am the only customer who gets treated well

[RAF]

I have been ordering from Bob Drake for a number of years and have to say most times I am very satisfied with the parts and the speed of the delivery. When there is a backorder I try to buy it from other early Ford parts vendors but most times it is on backorder there also.

[Steves46]

Originally Posted by RAF

When there is a backorder I try to buy it from other early Ford parts vendors but most times it is on backorder there also.

Good point regarding dealers. I've had great luck finding Bob Drake parts at Joe's Antique Auto.

[shake-n-bake]

Have a friend who thought he'd order up a big list of stuff because of this "free shipping" offer. He told me the other day that about half of the order was out of stock and on "back order". I know of a couple of other suppliers who are pretty bad at not having the stock needed to offer a special sale or free shipping. It can be damned frustrating, to say the least.

[white64]

The misleading thing about the free shipping offer, as mentioned by others, is the fact that if its back ordered the free shipping doesn't apply to the back ordered items! So then one has to ask, are the items really backordered or are they trying to get out the free shipping deal in the first place? Especially if the item arrives a few weeks later?

If the items are backorderd it would be nice to know when they expect to have to item in stock when the order is placed, a month! 2 months! years! it's anyone's guess!

[TJ]

white64, I've received back order items and got the free shipping.

[Fred A]

Originally Posted by white64

The misleading thing about the free shipping offer, as mentioned by others, is the fact that if its back ordered the free shipping doesn't apply to the back ordered items! So then one has to ask, are the items really backordered or are they trying to get out the free shipping deal in the first place? Especially if the item arrives a few weeks later?

If the items are backorderd it would be nice to know when they expect to have to item in stock when the order is placed, a month! 2 months! years! it's anyone's guess!

I can sure see where White64 can get such ideas. On 20% plus shipping day, I went to work ordering all that was to be needed for another '40 project totaling more than $2500. Before amassing the order which was mainly small items, checked availability of the big items and found many were not in stock and were not included in the big order. Quite a bit of work went into making and placing. Still less than a third was in stock on a dollar basis. Went over to the often user unfriendly Macs to find some of the most critical pieces in stock at an equal to the -20%price and free shipping. Without the promotionals it may have taken me some time to find that some important items have disappeared from the market. Be assured that I will continue to buy from all and any vendor that has what I need. We need these guys to be out there. Just be smart and stay tuned. Good Luck: Fred A

[51504bat]

Just sent an email to Drake's today regarding a steering wheel that was out of stock when I placed a somewhat large order during the 20% off and free shipping promo. I asked if it would ship for free at the discounted price when it was back in stock and if not I requested that the order be cancelled. Waiting on a reply.

[Chris]

I called on Tuesday to place an order and about 1/3rd was backordered. It did not surprise me, I called on the (then) last day of the sale knowing that a lot of buisnesses try to run the inventory down by years end and will not restock until after the new year. Probably why the sale...depleat inventory. Most everything I needed can wait, I simply placed the order to take advange of the shipping anyways. Bob Drake is not perfect but without him and similar suppliers our hobby would be ina world of hurt