Where's the customer service?
 

While replacing my diff on 8/13, I found my cpe diff mount bushing to be shredded pretty badly:

Pic 1 || Pic 2 || Pic 3

So I call up CPE and talk to Dave. I immediately get denied a cross ship on a replacement mount. So, after being told it would be fixed and shipped back to me (at the latest) by 8/20, and that I would have it for this weekend, I sent it out 8/14. Dave told me they would do their best to get it finished and shipped back to me well before then, and that statement was echoed by Kelly who confirmed I could send it back for warranty work.

The package was accepted Monday 8/18 according to tracking. So I hear nothing 8/20, and nothing 8/21, so I call them today (8/22) and Kelly tells me it wasn't finished until yesterday...a day later than it was supposed to be finished. On top of that, it hadn't even been shipped out yet. Now we're two days behind what was promised as "worst case".

So I inquire if they'll expedite the shipping. Not unless I pay for it. You guys want me to pick up your slack? I flat out asked them if they would cover the extra shipping cost because THEY were behind schedule and the answer was a definite "no", not unless I paid the cost beyond what they would pay for ground shipping. Quote your policy all you want - you guys screwed up - why should I be penalized for that?

So, for a piece of equipment that is touted as this:

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psyjsru5le.jpg

I'm really disappointed. To top that all off, you guys want to tell me that the replacement bushings, which are the exact same as the originals, "won't break this time" is ludicrous. The bushings barely lasted 18 months and just over a season of autocrossing. It probably started to tear well before that, considering how badly it was shredded. So am I supposed to pull this thing out annually, semi-annually, more often to check its condition? Sure seems like it doesn't hold up like you guys explicitly state it will.

@www.cp-e.com;

I would like to know what they say to this post. Customer service goes a very long way tho.

It's sad to see this especially from cp-e. I have that same mount and I thought I wouldn't have to worry about this mount but it looks like I need to worry. Looks like my weekend is going to consist of checking my mount since I have 45+ drag passes and 2 seasons of autocross.

Typical bullshit customer service from cp-e.

i'd bet a VIP membership that they denied you a cross-ship because they didn't have the part in stock, good ole CP-E

Should have waited to send it to them for warranty. JBR said they will have diff mounts available in 2 weeks.


Please note: this is wishful thinking on my part.



Back on subject, this makes me worry about my diff mount and how the rest of us will get treated if/when it happens to us.

JBR doesn't want to make parts for a speed 6.

Fixed it for you.

Those bushings look like the same rubber used in their xFlex RMM for the 6...

Might be worth taking a look to see how it's holding up while I'm under the car this weekend

im guessing it is, after getting home and finally actually being able to see the pictures the wear look identical to what my RMM looked like. Unfortunately i bought the car with the mount so there wasnt much I could do as far as warranty. also as you can see in the pictures I actually installed shims to take up the slack for the worn out rubber.

I loled

Maybe Teddy can get you a diff mount.....oh wait

Hey @phate; are you running an upgraded front diff mount along with the CP-E? Were you clanking around and suspected the mount, or did you happen across it while doing something else?

Overpromise and underdeliver. That's the mission statement of 90% of companies out there today. They should have originally told you 8/28 or 8/30 and then delivered early if possible. I don't get that about companies anymore. Everyone wants their shit fixed immediately but many can't do it. Instead, set a realistic expectation and deliver on that and if you fall short, that's your fault and double time it/suck it up to meet your promise (including eating expedited shipping).

Yes, I have the Turbine Tech front diff mount and it looks fine. I was replacing the entire differential due to a bad coupling. I just happened upon the torn bushing. We never launch the car without loading the drivetrain a bit (we don't dump the clutch, in other words), so it's probably never jerked enough for me to tell.

Typical cpe ... it's such a shame how bad their customer service is. It seems they think their parts should never fail and thus should never have to warranty a thing or something.

Was there ever an option for them to send you bushing to install yourself?

I asked and they wouldn't do it.

They way they secure their busing is ridiculous.

It's sad, but they stopped caring about Mazda a long time ago. Probably about 4 years now when Lou and I believe it was Josh left. This was when they cp-e left MSF.org because of problems and then came back a year later. Many of the new guys probably know nothing of this.

They will probably discontinue this part so that they don't have to warranty it. The lifetime warranty only lasts as long as they manufacturer the part.

The only reason CPe would try to deliver on warranty now would be to 'shutup' the forum at this point.

I have dealt with CPe on warranty stuff as well, and honestly their warranty is just words thats about it. Theres no backing on it.

CPe has had this constant theme about warranty, and we keep hearing the same thing "there are changes, so give us time", "we are understaffed", "the computer we use doesnt work anymore (LOL standback)", "give us a chance"....and it always ends up in the same thing with warranty... Sad to say...

Best way to deal with this type of thing is dont give them your money...

There is no excuse for this and we are VERY sorry this happened. You were promised a date and we should have delivered. PM sent

Just a thought...rather than making amends (which is a start anyway and you guys did it for me too with my CAI bushing, so thanks) on here each time someone complains, how about just doing right in the first place? $10-20 here and there for faster shipping, or little replacement pieces, or whatnot go a long way. It's what gets people to come back and buy $1000's of dollars worth of parts in the long run and creates a positive image of your company. Word of mouth in this industry is key!

why do you guys never deliver on any promises until after you get blasted on the internet? I thought that you replaced the idiots in customer service sometime ago.

This is not good to hear. I have bought over $1,000 worth of CP-E products in the last 3 months and if this is how they handle warranty and loyal customers I'm not buying anything else.

We promise you that this is just one of those instances that slipped throught he cracks. If you search our section the complaints about our customer service are few compared to a few years ago. We have an amazing team right now and we are doing our best to try to prevent these thypes of things from happening, but lets face it, even the best companies with the best customer service has a few slip ups. Not everyone will be happy either. That being said, we always strive to provide the best service we can and when we do have our slip ups we will own up to it and try to rectify it as best we can.
We appologize this situation came up and are trying to work with @phate; to rectify this.

...

Did I read that correctly?

If you're going to correct, at least make sure that your correction is correct.

I've only heard that you were talking to the owners of CPE about the situation. It sounded like you were going to follow up on that, so I've just been waiting to hear back. Do you need any info from me, in the meantime?

The poor service is only one aspect of this. What about the quality of the part? I have this mount as well. I don't drive slow or careful. I want to make sure this lasts as I don't want to pull it out for a replacement.

@jbmazda6; didn't you just buy this mount?

Why can't someone be the hero MSF deserves!?

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Derp, lulz

The part failing is one thing (which shouldn't have happened.) But the shit customer service (until MSF intervention) is the nail in the coffin for me. Its like getting kicked in the teeth while your down (CPE kicking you after taking your car down with their bad part - correct me if im wrong)

I dont plan on buying this mount based on this experience but we will see how it evolves or devolves. Thanks for the heads up @phate; Good luck and I hope this gets resolved in the right way.

Mount is finally back:

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ps2932d493.jpg

They put in 75a bushings, it seems.


To come full circle, I suppose, CPE asked what it would take to restore my faith in them. In many less words, I just want to see them helping people and creating realistic expectations. Stop over selling, and deliver on what is promised. Will that happen? I hope so because CPE makes some nice products (for the most part).

I'll be putting the mount in Friday night, even though I should be traveling north. I'll drive up Saturday morning and we'll have the car out two days this weekend. There's a chance of rain, so we may not be able to launch the car as hard as normal. We have 10 events left with our club including this weekend, and a few other optional events with other clubs. CPE did offer to let me test some new bushings and re-powder coat my mount, but those won't be happening until after the season. That will probably be a good point to inspect the new bushings, anyway.

I may be looking for a new diff mount at that point. Something I can service, myself, would suffice. Having to send things back and forth to get bushings replaced is a bit silly, and has obviously wasted a lot of my time.

^ This looks like you simply press out the bolt sleeve, replace the urethane, and press the bolt sleeve back in so it should be a straightforward DIY process, no?

CPE won't supply replacement bushings because of whatever magical processes they use. Replacing their bushing with a flange type bushing is probably out because the ring that holds the bushing is really wide. I think a flange type bushing that fits in their mount would be too wide to fit in the subframe receivers. That's just a guess, but having something that uses OTS bushings from Energy Suspension or the like would allow me to have inexpensive, easily sourced bushings waiting on my own shelf.

How about motor mounts, can they send you replacement urethane? I can't see it on their webpage under "spare parts."

Same sort of bushings, I believe. The AWR mounts in my car sure look like a good choice right now hahaha.