Just an update for those who have seen my past references to the body kit manufacturer Cervini. I have some of their products on my car, and have in the past given them high marks for quality.

Be advised that they seem to have lost their way regarding customer service.

I withdraw any endorsement I might have given them in the past, and suggest that anyone considering buying from them reconsider.

Class Design, Steeda, Roush and Salleen are my suggestions now.

Cervini seems to have outgrown their need for customers. Funny how that happens...

tripleblack

 

Whats the deal with that?

 

Yes, do tell.

 

Can't get them to respond to email (at all) or not park me on hold for hours on end. I've got a problem with getting paint to stick to the hood they sold me. Turns out the fiberglass is outgassing chemicals through the paint, requiring repainting. I'm going to do the re-paint myself, but this is a problem that I was just inquiring about - or at least trying to inquire about.

I'm also trying to get a lens replacement for a foglight they sold me - or even buy a new replacement - can't get a response.

You want to **** me off, ignore me after taking my money.

At this point, I wash my hands of 'em. Just wanted the record straight - anybody who's seen my posts about body kits and where to get parts has seen me say nice things about them - I'm taking it all back.

tripleblack

 

Hood might of been hot of the press with not enough time to cure. That really $ucks,do you have any pics of whats going on with your hood.

 

The hood came with instructions to park it for hours in a hot paint booth to cure it. It sat in my garage for 2 months before I installed it, and then I swapped labor with my next door business neighbor who operates a body shop that fixes all the State Farm claims here in Atlanta. We baked it for 4 hours in his booth before painting.

Paint was fine for 6 months, then spots appeared (look like fisheye, but different - pitted all the way down to the gel coat). Examined with a loupe, and you can see the primer, color coat and clear are all gone in the center, with slope leading away from epicenter. Classic blowout pattern. About 6 spots on the surface of the car (none on the inside, which we also painted).

I'll be able to fix it (I can paint a car, when I have to - I just might airbrush the dragon illustration I've been thinking of, as a matter of fact), I just wanted some input as to prep to prevent any re-eruption. Emailing Cervini is like casting messages into a black hole, even when you try to buy something from them (example of the foglight lens - caught a stone - need a replacement lens or light). Seems simple - except nobody home. Call on the phone and you get the "permanent ignore" treatment.

I've got the 'anti-fish-eye" stuff to mix with the paint, and I'll get back down to the gel coat and clean it good before re-painting. I suspect there was some solvent left between layers of fiberglass that eventually got hot enough to escape. Not really a major disastor, just annoying - but the lack of response when a customer contacts you is what got me mad.

Sorry, I have no patience for this sort of thing.

I'll get some close ups if I can as I do the project I intend to document the whole thing. Folks might be interested in the result.

tripleblack

 

So youve had multiple great experiences with them, and one bad one? And that makes them the worlds worst company? That seems kind of ludacris to me. Dealing with problems over email is obviously not acceptable. They have time to think of what to lie to you about. They put you on hold, you tell them no, you want this problem resolved now. They do that to you because you let them. One bad experience doesnt make a company bad. Everybody haveing problems with a company makes them a bad one.

 

2 out of 3. Bad track record in anyone's opinion.

Real problem isn't with the product (I can fix that, though it didn't have to happen if they'd done their job right), but the communications and customer service after the sale. Any company is only as good as their customer service. Otherwise, its just a self-service parts store, with an "all sales final" sign over the cash register.

Tell you what - think back. Ever walked into a store and had them ignore you? Be rude to you? Sell you something that breaks and then dis you when you need help with a replacement? How many times did this have to happen before you realized what was going on?

I really didn't want to get into the nuts and bolts of what's happening with my car - I can fix the hood, find alternative sources for fog lights, and go on with my life. The point was that I had made endorsements that needed updating.

Update complete.

tripleblack

 

You made some valid points here and bad PR goes a long way. But, I hope you've also done your final civic duty and wrote a letter of complaint to the company (used as many details, names as possible). Most companies are unaware that their sales/service staff suck and will take action once they learn this to make you happy. Another alternative is to contact your local media and see if they could help you investigate what's going on with them - you'll reach a lot more people then this forum by doing the full job, and you might even get some satisfaction.

I know it sucks a$$ and you'd like it to all be over - but don't get jaded by some bad people, when it's not a true representation of the company.

Shaker

 

Done and done. Let them know where I sourced the parts they were too busy to sell me, too.

I was also involved with helping a local utility company buy and customize a mustang to be used promotionally (might be more than one, if the concept proves out). I've recommended they make their purchase through CDC (Classic Design Concepts) - they actually answer their emails and respond to people wanting to spend money on their products.

Just to be clear, all I wanted was information about fixing my hood and some help replacing a broken foglight lens. No need to call in the Feds. But also no need to let stand some positive recommendations I'd made that no longer reflected my experience with the company.

To my mind, all the guys who frequent this forum are brothers (and sisters) in arms who are trying to do the best they can with their Mustangs. Some are youngsters just starting the journey, others are gray hairs like me who've fought the wars and been there, done that. But the forum is a place of information exchange - opinions, yes, but also a pursuit of truth.

Its important that I set the record straight. I bet most of the folks here would do the same for me.

tripleblack

 

You got that straight.

 

Solved, all is well, we dont need any bad press in forums for other companies. Lord knows its not worth it, and im not going to stand for it.

Customer service is a lot harder than most people think. Its more than just answering questions and making sure orders go out. Its like trying to organize chaos in a space the size of a milk jug. Takes a lot of energy and effort. Sometimes things go wrong and things slip through the cracks, but its nothing to say that the company is full of **** because of one instance. Chances are its something that was overlooked, or that the company is in an overhaul. Trust me, Ive had my mistakes posted up on forums before. Its not fun for me to see that it had to come to that, but in the end about 99.9% of companies will make the issue correct and get everything solved.

Thread closed.