X-metal Vendor?

Just got back from Gary's via the Power Tour Stop in Springfield...3000 hot rods in one place...pics tomorrow.

My advice (not worth much) to Gary was: stick to the knitting.

He is not a debater, he is not a bragger, he is not here to bond with us truck nuts, he is a business man that many of us consider a friend, so Roy told him: Continue to make great things for our trucks, continue to do outstanding work on our trucks and spend your time in R&D, hand making and hand assembling those shinny problem solvers he has been developing for us for a couple of years. Answer technical questions on the forum, stay out of the drama...ignore shots at him...because he will never satisfy everyone...

Let me explain from my "in his shop" perspective. This is small business that is very low margin and very labor intensive, if he had cost accounting he would stop making the things we love, because he never even gets close to recovering even his R&D expense...there are only two people in his shop that do everything for us, Marty and Gary. Every new thing he does for us is designed, constructed, tested on his truck, then made available to us. Every part is assembled for you when you order it by Gary...no one else...Marty does most of the wrench work (very well and very fast if you ask me).

Every phone call is handled by either Gary or Marty...understand that every time you speak with Marty on the phone someone's truck is not being worked on...every minute you spend speaking to Gary or Gary spends on this site, is that many fewer parts put together, and shipped, to say nothing of R&D.

So work with the man. He feels that the back logs have been cleared. He explained a month ago what happened with Larry's wife...his priorities were in the right place, and many of you got put off, but you would have done the same thing if you were faced with the problems that he explained.

He has several killer things in development...remember everything you order from Gary that he has developed, is made by him, assembled by him, shipped by him. Some times he has to do demand forecasting on a very small universe of buyers. Some of you will understand the complexity of that issue...the shifter has multiple parts almost all of which are made in-house. Some times he can't get to the water jet to make two or three parts to fill a couple of orders, because it is running throttle bodies or valve covers...

Sean Roe stopped contributing to this forum...we have chased others off...please understand that Boomer needs to focus on his business (we benefit from that) and not get involved with us drama queens.

Gary will socialize at Outback, from his spinning chair, or at that MOPAR nationals...but I hope he just focuses on technical input here, spending time doing things for us in his shop, and with his wonderful family.

Remember, every minute you spend on BS with him hurts one of your brothers here. Gary will not give you short shrift...he will speak with you until you are ready to hang up...but you are killing him in the process...

I love his white truck!

This is all testable on your mid-term exam...

Class dismissed.
 
Sounds like a personal problem to me Mike...why don't you deal with it on a personal level?

I think you have had enough gaffs for this week.
 
Prof said:
Sounds like a personal problem to me Mike...why don't you deal with it on a personal level?

I think you have had enough gaffs for this week.
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Not a personal problem....not my parts.....

you conveyed a fact that isn't accurate....and if you are concerned about the number of gaffs perhaps you should have reconsidered your post as you had to know it would come with a retort...

Again I am not concerned if the truth makes me unpopular. What concerns me is that others may fall victim...

Respectfully
Mike
 
All my performance parts with exception of the JMB hard radiator pipes, oil catch can, and thermostat housing, everything else I have has come from Gary... something to the tune of $14k or so... I have had no issues with anything that I would consider not normal, and anything that had happened he took care of the problem.

Yes, I admit the man is hard to get ahold of sometimes.. but I was vigilant in doing so.. eventually got my answer that I needed, or the direction that I should go.

I still am, and will continue to be a customer of his.
 
Consumers do have a certain responsibility in business transactions but like I said before, I know people that are not on VTCOA that have sent money and not received parts. Delivering for some doesn't cut it. I don't know the guy but I know people that aren't getting great service.

I said it before that it's great that his loyal customers are coming to his aid but what about the customers that have money missing? Let's call a spade a spade.

THE MAN NEEDS TO COME AND EXPLAIN HIMSELF.
 
Prof said:
Sounds like a personal problem to me Mike...why don't you deal with it on a personal level?

I think you have had enough gaffs for this week.
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Well said Prof. :congrats: Most of the posts lately have been bashing others for one reason or another. It's the .......

Nowwhat said:
the home you have built....
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Looks to me like that there are bunch of grown men here that have nothing better to do than post on INTERWEB drama boards.

If it wasn't so, this thread would have been locked about 30 posts ago.

Nowwhat said:
I hope everyone appreciates what Jack and Patrick do for this forum.
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• Lately it seems I have caught a lot of flack from my brothers here on the forum, and I owe my side of situation, as best as I can explain it
• Nowwhat you have black anodized door handles from me that have faded from the California sun, a year later.
• This is the first I have heard about this problem, as you have never called me or pm’d me about it.
• I will gladly have them reanodized, and or custom painted to alleviate that condition. I did talk to you about the noise in the door handles, and we recommended putting in a small piece of tubing under the handle for it to rest upon, since the rubber button wasn’t staying put
• . Also, last week was the first time we discussed that your front springs were too soft, as you know, the new ones are on the way. I asked you to remove your negative posts about my throttle body, not because I was trying to ‘BUY†you, but because you have NEVER tried an X-Metal throttle body, therefore you have no basis for evaluating ours. And everyone who we have sent one too, Begood, Stinker, Doneo, and others have called giving me rave reviews about it. I know it works, I spent 2 years doing the R&D on our design and it is not like the one you have from RSI. So are these 3 problems enough to warrant you bashing me at all costs, with out ever giving me an opportunity to speak to you and try to help?
• 1fast400-you say I lied and posted a dyno sheet. How ever you want to twist it, I didn’t dyno the run on the truck in question, another independent shop dyno’d it, and the owner JRGND has a video of it? Yet I lied and posted a fraudlent run, not true, a search would reveal that. Get your facts straight. You haven’t contributed anything positive to this forum in any technical form.
• If this forum allows turds like you, who lie and manipulate people for no other reason than self gratification for an ego maniac, then I am better off with out this forum. Btw, thanks for always bashing the Paxton supercharger and pimping your Roe, only to wind up with your truck at underground with your Roe sold and now I hear your looking at getting a Paxton?
• I love this forum and most of the people on it. I was recently accused of not calling a customer back, who had tried to reach me several times via phone and computer. I knew about this and chose not to do any future business with this person as he was a constant pain in the ass, and a liar.
• You never get to hear the entire story because as a Vendor you are expected to take the higher road, and not always say what you really want to as “the customer is always right†yes in some cases that’s 99% true, but I have a fault of not kissing ass, and that comes at a price in business-but I am aint changing, I say it like I mean it. Yes I do deal with hundreds of potential X-Metal customers a week, so if I cant make 1% totally happy, I am truly sorry, and all I can do is give it 100%.
• If you just look at the law of percentages, just by the shear volume of people I talk and send out parts to---about 5-10,000 year, yep, I am not going to make anyone happy.-if all I did was rebox something and sit around for 4-5 order phone calls, then my customer satisfaction rate would certainly be better, just by doing the math.
• X-Metal is NOT a Jegs, or a Summit, or any type of business that I just rebox an item and I send it to you. Everything I make is handcrafted, and it is something I wont make a lot of (camaro or mustang parts), as the SRT Ram is not even made anymore, and was made in small quanities, but I love them, and will continue to make cool one of kind-cant get no where else-parts for it. Does that take a while, yes sometimes I will have some extras sitting around I can ship the same day-like calvue mirrors, sometimes I have to wait until I get enough orders in to meet the minimum requirments to order materials to make something. If it was sparkplugs, I could just order a few and ship them to you. To make a shifter or throttle body, it costs me $3000 up front, to buy the materials to make them. Then 2 weeks of machining time.
• I cant just whip that kind of money and time out for 1 shifter here and there.
• Yes, I am very hard to reach sometimes, that is undeniable. With expertise and handcraftsmanship, comes a lack of time-I cant be 2 places at once. X-metal is one of 2 business I run.
• X-Metal isn’t what pays the bills here
• -so I work 80-90 hours a week to fufill X-Metal services, yet still make enough money at my day-to-day job to be able to survive. I have a main man-Marty here who helps me do installs and run the CNC’s. we cant be everything to everyone. Guys, this is the GOD’s Honest truth: I get 20-100 phone calls a day, a lot of them are for advice on products I didn’t even sell to the guy calling me! I have gotten and get phone calls on Christmas, New years, and Thanksgiving, and I returned 2 on Memorial day. I get phone calls from people who wont talk to Marty, and the question I get when I get to the phone is: “whats the best way to get to your shop, or “ I just need a price on Headers, but I wanted to hear it from youâ€
• If I answered every phone call I would never be able to run the cnc’s, do R&D, do the dyno tuning, etc, you get the picture. Sometimes when people call, I am doing finance paperwork on a bike someone just bought or helping another sales person or customer here at the store. This month I have been battling chargebacks on Visa cards for over $12,000 from 3 crooked X-Metal customers who would rather steal and lie, than pay their bills. So yes, I fill a small niche in the Viper world, it’s a small niche, that’s why I have to do other things to survive. I wish X-metal was my only responsiblilty, but its not, I am a father, a husband, a Marine, and I have to provide payroll to 15 other families who rely on me to keep them in a job. If you want a Gibson header which sucks, it can ship today, try to order a B&B header and its 4-6 weeks for them to make it.
• I would like to remain a Vendor here and a member, as I love this truck, the owners and this forum, unfornatley with the internet I have found that you are only as good as the last post someone made about you.

if someone is missing parts or an order from me, please call me and let me know, as to my knowledge, i have everything out to people, and Trooper, i am making your bumpsteer piece tonight after we close.
 
never have anything but good business dealings with gary, will buy more of his stuff as soon as i can afford it....lol:rock:
 
I knew Boom would not let me down :D :rock: :rock: :rock: Semper Fi Gary !
Now that you have responded I hope that there will be some order to all of this and people take the High ground and do as you instructed in your post. BTW for the record on Christmas I just called to wish you a Merry Christmas, not to bug ya :eek: :D :p Give Rachel a hug from me and Thanks for coming on and telling your side Gary :D
 
Great post Gary....I will most definately do business with you when I buy my next SRT-10.....whether it's a Ram or a Viper......:star:

Thanks for all of the hard work and returning my phone calls as YOUR time will allow.
 
slow91 said:
Great post Gary....I will most definately do business with you when I buy my next SRT-10.....whether it's a Ram or a Viper......:star:

Thanks for all of the hard work and returning my phone calls as YOUR time will allow.
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Nice sigline Esh :D :D
 
I know this has the potential to turn ugly rapidly.. All I ask is that we stay on topic. Gary and I have been in contact with each other through this and he has agreed to stick around and answer the tough questions..He will be back on tomorrow to respond as necessary, he's taking his son to speech class and will be tied up for the rest of the day. Although I myself have had good service from X Metal, my role here is to get some of this in the open for discussion and hopefully resolve some of these issues. I have received PM's from members pertaining to the staff censoring their comments if and when he responds, I assure you this will not happen. If you turn this into something that its not and you try to insight anger and discontent than yes we will step in.
 
Well said Shawn.

Since we are all adults, we should be able to communicate like adults. IMO

Bill.
 
Nice job Shawn... :rock:
Iltemprd said:
I know this has the potential to turn ugly rapidly.. All I ask is that we stay on topic. Gary and I have been in contact with each other through this and he has agreed to stick around and answer the tough questions..He will be back on tomorrow to respond as necessary, he's taking his son to speech class and will be tied up for the rest of the day. Although I myself have had good service from X Metal, my role here is to get some of this in the open for discussion and hopefully resolve some of these issues. I have received PM's from members pertaining to the staff censoring their comments if and when he responds, I assure you this will not happen. If you turn this into something that its not and you try to insight anger and discontent than yes we will step in.
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