Bus Depot

Post by **Sluggo** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 11:34 am

They don't respond to e-mails anymore! I'm getting missing parts, damaged parts and wrong parts. When I email them I get no response. When I call they say they'll take care of the problems and never get back to me or take care of the problems. I've spent a few thousand dollars with them and I'm just goona have to find other sources. Low prices can't compensate for lack of customer service. I PM'd Ron through the Samba. Well see if I get a response. What's going on here?

static · Post by **static** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 11:47 am

You will get a response shortly, I'm betting.

Velokid1 · Post by **Velokid1** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 12:04 pm

I'm in full agreement and by my estimation we are outnumbered by like 1-to-49. Everyone seems to like Bus Depot but I've had bad service from them on a few different occasions in the past couple of years.

They always seem really friendly but just don't get things done.

Post by **Sluggo** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 12:56 pm

I just got a PM from Ron. He said he would get on it on Monday and that the guy handling my Kick Panel problem was out sick. He also added that they were having spam filter problems and probably didn't get my e-mails. But Rick confirmed reciept of at least the first 3 when I called. Who knows. I'll post an update on Monday.

LiveonJG · Post by **LiveonJG** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 1:03 pm

I guess I'm in that 49, not the 1 catagory. I've not had problems with them other than parts being unavailable when I need them. Can't really get too worked up about that. Only once have I had to call and that was resolved quickly. Sorry to hear you've had trouble Randy. Hope it works out.
-John

Mr Blotto · Post by **Mr Blotto** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:55 pm

I have never had any problems with them (besides never knowing if something is in stock) - probably have ordered around $400 from them in the last year.

However, it seems to me that Ron should invest some $$ and completely revamp his website, part search engine, and order tracking system - it would make life for him and his customers at lot better.

daves_ale · Post by **daves_ale** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:05 pm

I agree. I usually call first to see if they have what I need. I do that with whomever I'm dealing with now. Besides, it's just plain NICE to talk to a human.

Post by **Sluggo** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:42 pm

daves_ale wrote:I agree. I usually call first to see if they have what I need. I do that with whomever I'm dealing with now. Besides, it's just plain NICE to talk to a human.

I've called to verify stock before. I'm told they have it and then when I get the package the part isn't there and the invoice says backordered. This happened both times I called to verify parts.

I also had a woman call from there (about a week after my order) to tell me my card wouldn't go through. I told her I'd been using it all day with no problems. She had me call my bank. I called the bank and they said there was no problem and that Bus Depot had not attempted a charge. I called BD and she said it wouldn't go through. Went back & forth between the bank and BD several times. Finally someone else at BD answered the phone and noticed she had put the # in incorrectly. A few hours extra work on my part because someone can't check her screen for errors.

They never contacted me about a single backorder until my last order even though I had requested it everytime. You wait 2 weeks for a part and then it doesn't arrive so you have to order it somewhere else and wait some more. If they just said it in the first place I could have taken care of it then.

I ordered a vent screen from them and it was backordered. No notice. When it didn't arrive I cancelled it. 7 months later a vent screen arrives in the mail and they billed my card for it. They credited the $ + return shipping, but still.

Not getting back to me when I'd spoken to them personally and not responding to e-mails was just the topper.

I've spent a year and a half trying to support the little guy and fellow lover of Busses but It's just not worth the hassle. I ordered this stuff on 9/3/06. E-mailed them about the damaged Kick Panel on 9/16/06 (the day I received them). Called them on 9/29. And here it is November 5th and it still hasn't been resolved. I sent pics of the panel (looks like it was hit with a box cutter). Just send me a new right panel and keep the customer happy. How hard is that? Are they trying to track down the offending box knife and bring it to justice? And the oil plug washers are way too big. They are only $.29 each but I should still at least get a response.

mattg · Post by **mattg** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 7:20 am

This summer I ordered a muffler extractor for my bus. I told the girl who took the order to ship it preferred because I needed it quickly. Well after about 8-9 business days I call and a different person tells me it should go out any day now - I then say I paid extra for preferred shipping, should this make a difference - which she replies yes It should of gone out last week. It then ships but UPS loses the package , cant find the tracking number, so then bus depot sends me a new one...a few days later the orginal one shows up and the next day a second one is here as well. I then was asked by Bus Depot to send the extra extractor back - I had to pay the shipping, after which they reimbursed me. I thought it was weird that they wouldn't send me a call tag to send it back and that I had to pay the initial shipping. I just dont have to much faith in customer service these days because people just keep on screwing things up.

DurocShark · Post by **DurocShark** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:25 am

I love the efforts Ron makes to get good stuff. I love the prices.

I hate the wait. I hate the lack of notification when something is backordered.

I ordered parts for my Volvo from FCP Groton and got it 2 days after placing the order without paying any extra.

I'd be willing to accept a 5% increase in prices from Bus Depot to get faster service. I bet most of us would as well.

They're not the only ones either. Bus-Boys has good days and bad days I think. Last year I ordered some stuff on the phone, and when it didn't arrive 2 weeks later I called up and the whole order was held back by one backordered part. They couldn't tell me when I called to place the order? But then I ordered the fuel pump recently and it came quick.

And so on and so on and so on.

Sometimes I'm willing to accept a lower quality part to get it NOW instead of a higher quality part a few weeks later.

Luckily my local Napa makes an effort to keep stuff in stock for my bus. They know me and always keep 3 fuel filters in stock, as well as a dozen or so oil filters (Napa Gold = Wix). I just wish I could get them to stock some better fuel line. . .

VWGirl · Post by **VWGirl** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:06 pm

this was hashed out for a few pages on TS already.... and they came to the same conclusion...

i had one deal with busdepot and it took about a dozen phone calls and going through all of the above scenarios to get my part.... however.... since my bus isnt a daily driver and i can generally wait on the parts that i cannot buy locally... i would definitely do business with them again... so long as you order 3-4 months ahead of time there should be no problems :)

Vdubtech · Post by **Vdubtech** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:58 pm

FYI--I pm'd Ron from Bus Depot over on TS and sent him a link to this thread so he will know he has unsatisfied customers out there that need some help that his customer service reps aren't providing. I always order my parts from Bus Depot, mostly because they're on the same coast that I am and I get the parts quickly just about everytime. I did have an issue one time in the past with an order and the person I got on the phone didn't know squat about the parts that were wrong, including telling me that Split Window Buses do not have stationary glass on the sides (rearmost windows) when I was trying to order new seals. She told me someone must have cut them in. Regardless, I was able to get a hold of Ron when I had a problem and he did his best to take care of me and I continue to order from him whenever I can't find parts locally. I know he did say over on TS that he has been having email problems with his ISP, Verizon. I dumped my Verizon for Roadrunner long ago and haven't looked back, but that's neither here nor there for the people who feel as though they are simply being ignored. Anyway, hopefully he will register on the IAC forums and resolve the issues people are having. Good luck all.

Post by **Sluggo** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:29 pm

Ron got things taken care of and had Rick call me and e-mail me. I'm getting a $25 dollar credit (also offered a replacement or refund) for the Kick Panel and they're trying to figure out what's up with the drain plug washers. My drain plug is 12mm for the washer ID. The ones they've been sending are 14.3mm ID. Do I have an odd engine or is this the wrong washer?

I respect the fact that once I got in touch with Ron it was taken care of. But they had my phone #, e-mail and street address. There's no reason not to be able to get ahold of me. I think they really need to crack the whip on customer service and shipping.

I know I'll order from them again. But I'll be exploring other sources first.

mattg · Post by **mattg** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:59 am

Rick was the person that took care of my situation and did it in a timely and prompt matter. I will order from them again - it just seems like they need a better organization system to keep up with their orders. The people on the phone always say how busy they are - maybe they should charge a little more for their products and add a little staff - just my 2 cents

Post by **Sluggo** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 11:38 am

So Bus Depot gave me $25 credit (cost of one Kick Panel before shipping). I got the POR15 starter kit and a Flywheel Lock. Which comes to $22.45. I said use the rest for shipping and I'll pay the difference. Rick says "Don't worry about it". He (Rick) couldn't find an Oil Drain Plug washer that was the correct size so he sent 2 Oil Sump Gasket Kits because the aluminum washer is close to the right size.

Well the package arrived Tuesday. The receipt says Credit for $22.45 applied and that my card was billed $4.95 for shipping. I checked my account and the card was billed. Not only did I get charged for the shipping but I got shorted on my credit. It's not a huge deal except that I got billed when I was told I wouldn't be and if my account had been drained (as it usually is just before payday) then I would have been charged an overdraft.

I e-mailed Ron and this was his response:

Ron at Bus Depot wrote:Randy,

I just talked to Rick. He said there must have been a misunderstanding because he mentioned that there was a shipping charge minimum of $4.95. He also said he sent you 2 oil strainer gasket sets absolutely free as a courtesy, so while you didn't mention it I assume you have received them too. Usually the credit applied cannot exceed the product purchase amount (because it causes a negative number) amount unless you override it, and Rick didn't know he could do that. That's why the credit applied was only $22.45 (the value of the parts, not including the two strainer kits he gave you for free). This leaves you a $2.55 credit. We could credit that back to your card or leave it on file for next time.

- Ron

I love how he refers to the strainer gasket kits as "free" and "courtesy" rather than a makeshift replacement I can try to use where it wasn't intended because the part they sell is incorrect. I have a dozen Copper Drain Plug Washers that don't fit and I get two Aluminum Sump Nut Washers that fit better as a replacement.

I told him to forget about the credit. I'm removing Bus Depot from my Bookmarks. I'd rather pay a little more for correct parts and decent customer service. Not to mention the slow shipping.

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Bus Depot

Bus Depot