Sad to hear this Husker! :rolleyes::rolleyes:
I see it all the time. Especially when you're not around to check up on them they take on too many jobs and/or blow off small jobs. I wish they would just be honest with the customer. I think with all the outsourcing to Mexico and China and 'fill in the blank'______ their is really a lack of good tool shops/machine shops/prototype shops. And alot of auto companies now don't even do prototypes. They go right from design to production. In Detroit, even just a few years ago, you couldn't cross the street without running into a good shop. Now their are very few. Try not to loose hope. Find someone locally that you can visit (build a relationship with) on occassion. GOOD LUCK!
I have someone local here that I think might be able to do it, but who knows how much, and if I get my prototype back from this other guy so I can start shopping around again.
Here was my last email exchange (start at the bottom of the string): Hello Jimmy. I wanted to check with you on the panel. Haven't seen anything this week. If this hasn't shipped yet, I would kindly ask that you simply return to me the prototype and taillights that I sent you so that I can move on. I REALLY need that stuff back. If you need me to pay for the postage I will gladly do so. Please advise. Thanks Jimmy. Collin --- On Fri, 9/12/08, jimmy wrote: From: jimmy Subject: Re: update? To: "Collin Date: Friday, September 12, 2008, 10:07 AM Me too, Collin. I am so sorry this has taken so long. We under estimated the complexity of this part. The mold is 7 pieces, and it is fairly complex to lay up. The good news is we are on the other side of the problems. Jimmy ------Original Message------ From: Collin To: jimmy Sent: Sep 12, 2008 10:52 AM Subject: Re: update? WOW. Now THAT makes my weekend! Thanks! Collin --- On Fri, 9/12/08, jimmy wrote: From: Subject: Re: update? To: "Collin Date: Friday, September 12, 2008, 9:48 AM Collin, I will send you a picture of the completed part, and we will ship this monday as I want it to cure out totally. Jimmy ------Original Message------ From: To: Sent: Sep 12, 2008 10:32 AM Subject: update? Jimmy, any update on the panel? Thanks.
I apologize for my previous miss-spellings. Prehaps it's too early in the morning for me. Collin, If what he says is true, from your last post, maybe you can simplify the design to make it easier to manufacture.
Sounds like he really is nearly done ... but it also sounds like you've heard this too many times before(?). Maybe he'll ship you something a week late? If so, it would save a ton of time, vs. starting over with a new manufacturer. You're call, of course. We're with you!
Sorry to hear Husker I wonder if the manufacturer just strung you along so that he had a job to fall back on, in case major jobs fell through or dried up. Of course, that means if he's doing good business, he never has time to get to your job. Hard to say, but I hope you still pursue it, as long as you pocketbook doesn't get too strained until you have a product to show and sell. Best of luck and thanks for the efforts!!!
safe to say he strung me along, since his email responses to me have suddenly fallen silent this week. Unfortunate.
Collin's vendor failed to produce the part, and as a recent post indicates the vendor has also failed to return the prototype. Kind of hard to post a picture of something he doesn't have.
Didn't Colin Powell try that same thing at the UN, just prior to the Iraq invasion? But seriously folks, I'm here all week. Anyone from out of town?
UPDATE: Got a call from a man named Mike who said my part is ready - it just needs painting and he will put it in a box this Wednesday (9/24) and ship to me. I said "What the heck is going on?" He said "You have no idea. The economy here (in Chicago) for this industry has gone in the toilet. 6 months ago I was supervising 8 people in the molds department, and now it's down to me. We've had to lay off everyone. I am the only molds guy left. To be honest, we have been doing a heavy RV modification and your project was behind his. I couldn't do anything on yours until his was gone. Now that it's gone, we've got this part produced and it has turned out really nice." He said that it turned out to be a 7-piece mold due to the tail light openings each being at slightly different angles, and said they went through a half dozen panels trying to eliminate wind drag. So...we shall wait and see! What do you guys think?
+1 Good things take time. Would have been easier on the guys at the shop if they called to say they were short on staff and would get to yours ASAP...... Fingers crossed for you brother.
Sounds very promissing indeed! (Also sounds like they are doing the best they can under very difficult circumstances). I hope you like it.
Get the prototype; pay a fair fee for R&D, and then go elsewhere for manufacturing. I'm still a buyer.
