RSandy

iTrader: (1)

before i begin, i shall point out this is in no way sladerous, just purely my experiences over the past couple of months in trying to get my series 2 rs turbo dash and trim flocked

in mid december i contacted a company called suffolk flocking services. upon receiving a very competitive quote, and seeing examples of their work on their homepage, i decided to bite the bullet and embark on the drive down from birmingham to deliver. 6 hour round trip, couriers too busy and expensive in the festive period when it comes to large parcels.

the dash was dropped off in 2 pieces, along with the centre console, and upper and lower steering cowlings. the large section of dash was to be done in DARK GREY, with the rest done black, so a very subtle two tone effect was the desired result.

he was paid in full upfront for the work, and i was due to receive it no later than 24th december, which was nearly 2 weeks after i delivered it.

7 weeks later, i had dealt with the following excuses:

*ran out of grey flock
*he had the flu and cudnt work, FOR 2 WEEKS!!!

then, upon becoming very suspicious, i demanded the parts back. he agreed to do so, and informed me it was all dropped off at the couriers thursday morning, to be with me on the friday, and as such should stay home to receive it, which i did....

......no parcel turned up. i contacted him for the courier information. he gave me the WRONG COURIER COMPANY NAME AND WRONG PHONE NUMBER. i managed to track them down via a trial and error search on google.

i then asked them to track my parcel, at which point i discovered he gave me a FALSE TRACKING NUMBER.

i tried to contact him numerous times over the weekend demanding answers, and he simply did not answer the phone. i got friends to call him and see if he would answer, which he did, he was just ignoring me.

then on the tuesday i got a call from the courier company who were trying to keep me informed incase there was a mix up. the courier company told me he had just that second walked in and delivered the parcel, and it would be with me on the wednesday.

i contacted suffolk flocking to ask why he lied and wasted my time and made me take a day off work to wait for a parcel. he said it was given to the courier on the thursday, and they were the liars. this is bearing in mind the courier had supplied me with a booking in recepit stating 12.14pm, tuesday.

to save wasting more time off work, i went and picked up the parcel direct from the courier depot in my area, then tok it home to be opened

and here was the result....

...bearing in mind we clearly agreed on DARK GREY main dash, and black everything else...



as you can see, hell even stevie wonder could see, this isnt remotely close

and this is the finish....



and this is the very accurate glue application in all its glory...



even more gutting was the fact that i found a lot of small areas where there was not enough flock to hide the original plastic finish, and also areas where the flock had been flatted due to bein touched before it had chance to cure.

to say i was gutted would be an understatement!!!

i contacted suffolk flocking, and again the phone was left to ring. i ended up seeking legal advice, leaving numerous answerphone messages to suffolk flocking, and then finally got a call back

yet more excuses, yet more lies. apparently he is very happy with this sort of finish, he thinks the colour is a very dark grey, because thats what it says on the bag. the flattened areas of flock were to be expected, even tho no other flocked dash ive seen has ever had this problem.

in the end, with the threat of legal action, i managed to get a refund, although not covering my delivery fuel costs, nor my time wasted, but i was at the point of just wanting to give up and wipe my hands of the company

so, word of warning. anybody who wishes to have any flocking work done, please, read my story, look at the pictures, i do not need to explain how i feel towards the company, as that would be slanderous, but i believe the proof is all there.

THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN AND READ HERE BEFORE SENDING ANY PART OF YOUR PRIDE AND JOY DOWN TO SUFFOLK FLOCKING SERVICES!!!!

gus

iTrader: (1)

thats strange


as i have always received the a excellent service both product and speed in return from doug


hope normal service is resumed

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

yeah, i went to him on reccomendation from users on a few forums, and looking at examples of his work. i did as much research as i could really, and then had to go on good faith and trust he could deliver what he initially promised

i guess its clear to see he has only let himself down by taking on work, putting it to 1 side, and then rushing to finish when the consumer becomes aggravated

and this is also considering i was clear in that my dash was the guinea pig for a bunch of friends who also want the same work done, so suffice to say he advertised himself out of 6 more dashboards and trim accesories

gus

iTrader: (1)

i think he is away at the mo so unable to side his story

shame this has happened as his work is normally spot on

GaryEvo

i was planning to send my stuff of to these guys tomorrow..

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

i will gladly listen to doug give his version of events, but seeing as i have only listed the exact experience overall, backed up with images, an accurate timeframe, and several pieces of evidence including courier info and receipts, i think he may struggle to pick fault on my behalf

shame though. as yeah, i had heard great things

on the plus side, i have also heard great things about www.centralblastcleaning.co.uk

and upon visiting them, and at extra cost to me, the work has been rectified

so, based on my recommendation, and im sure that of twins as they inform me they did his dash n trim, id say CBC do flawless work

Chip

iTrader: (3)

TBH, given that you got given a full refund as soon as he was aware you werent happy, Im not really sure that its fair to slate Doug and call him a liar, the reason he couldnt work for 2 weeks was cause he was seriously Ill, which is hardly his fault, and the courier stuff I actually find it quite easy to believe was the fault of the courier as ive seen drivers do that before where things are picked up and not booked in properly and loiter around on the van for a couple of days, so I would want to be a lot more certain than you appear to be before I decided to trash someone's reputation and call them a liar.

Given that Doug isnt around for 3 weeks now, as he is on holiday as stated on this thread, its very unfortunate timing for you to post accusations he cant even answer.

GaryEvo

so they have long lead times now then chip??

gus

iTrader: (1)

even after hearing this i would still use doug every time

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

refund was only given at the threat of legal action, up until then, i had to wait numnerous days for his unanswered phone to contact me. and yes, numerous friends called him and got answers to prove the phone was active

the courier called me the second the parcel was dropped off to the depot IN PERSON by him, and then booked in. i severely doubt they would call me if it was their own fuck up? and the fact he gave me a flase tracking number, that doesnt exactly fill me with confidence

i appreciate what your saying, but it isnt like im being slanderous, iv just laid down my story with all the facts

the facts are it took 7 times longer than it was supposed to, several lies were told, a lot of ignorance in answering and returning phone calls was apparent, and the finished product was sub standard by anybodys opinion. even disregarding any of the time and lie factors, the proof of the pudding is there to be seen!!!

and no, im not entirely happy and going to shout from the rooftops because a refund was given. as i lost time, a lot of cost in delivering, i had to force legal action for him to agree to pay more than a frankly offensive offer of 75 quid good will refund!!!!

and it cost me more to put right as it wasnt a simple start from fresh flock job for central blast cleaning. although they managed to get it done within a week, and got the colour correct

so, i stand by my right to share my story. freedom of speech prevails. i have done no name calling and such. he cant really have any qualms about it

mercury grey minter

I,m surprised you did,nt use CENTRAL BLAST CLEANING in the first place.
There one of the best companys at flocking and they are only 35 miles from BIRMINGHAM.I got all my powder coating done there.Top job.

At least youv,e got it sorted now.

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

only about 3 weeks gary - doug is a one man band

on dougs behalf id just like to say that he is one of the most genuine people you could meet imo

sorry you received a bad service, i cant comment on what happened as i obviously dont know.

but all the bits that doug has flocked for me, and a lot of other people i know have been 100% and i will still use him again in the future.

It's Czech Mate

Chip, despite the illness and the couriers look at the fooking dogwank job he's made of it. How can that be defended, its fucking awful

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

sadly, i was blissfully unaware that they provided the service down in banbury, otherwise obviously i would have gone there, purely based on the convinience factor.

its fairly clear to see how much faith i put into doug at sfs to get the job done, so i refuse to be made out to be the 1 at fault for simply sharing my story. on all acounts, i think ive been pretty damn polite about it all.

id much sooner this thread serve the purpose of making doug get his standards back to where im told they are usually, as opposed to people going elsewhere, but people deserve to know the truth. his friends in the industry trying to pass blame on to the consumer wont fill anybody with confidence

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

That is an awful job! - i wouldn't be happy if my dash came back looking like that

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

to please his apparent friends, heres a simple comparison purely based on the quality of work, disregarding any illness and courier issues

exhibit A, dashboard flocked by suffolk flocking, 7 weeks turnaround time:





exhibit B, dashbaord re-flocked by central blast cleaning, less than 1 week turnaround





2nd time around the colour is correct, the finish is consistent and of a high standard, and no glue marks/runs

Micky The Finn

central blast cleaning would be my only port of call for flocking,there workmanship is top class.

S1

That looks spot-on in the second set of pics, been meaning to get my FRST dash done, after seeing this i know where im going to take it!

gus

iTrader: (1)

wasnt commenting as a friend


only as a customer of numerous occations


cant knock centrals work at all thou - dash looks spot on

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

thats cool then dude, people can feel free to post their experiences, just as i have, its not a witch hunt. just it started to feel like i was being made out to be in the wrong by certain people who were very quick to jump to the defence despite the facts i laid out

f6cus

iTrader: (3)

i have recently sent my dash there hope it turns out ok

RAT8OY

I am sorry and suprised you have received a bad product and service.

I have used Doug many times and even for shitty tiny bits of work with no real prophet he has always provided me with a quality job and reasonable turnaround time.

He has always struck me as an honest helpful type of guy. I am not doubting what has been said, I just think there must be some mix up along the way. I am sure he will offer an explanation on his return.

I will be using him again I have to say.

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

i look forward to this explanation then.

because explaining away the illness and the ignorance and the lack of delivery is 1 thing,

but explaining away that god awful mess he made of my dash after i spent hours prepping and smoothing it, aswel as making a 'twins' spec gauge pod steering cowling, and then paid him with my hard earned cash, hell, that explanation will b downright impressive to say the fuckin least!!!

Redeye Jedi

That looks the bollocks!

Twins

iTrader: (18)

Central blasts work is tip top

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

yes mate, indeed

nikki told me to look at your car for a perfect example of the look i would end up with

just wish i had contacted you in the 1st place to ask where you had the work done, but i completely forgot.

nevermind, im sure im as chuffed as you are with their work

Alloy

I think there's a lot more at steak for Doug supplying customers that are involved a magazine that's at the forefront of Ford tuning if I'm honest!

It's a lot easier to get away with fucking someone over who's just a regular guy in the street compared to somebody like yourself, who has the power to publisize poor workmanship in a magazine and potentially ruin his living.

I know I'd certainly take extra special care in making sure everything was top quality for someone who's going to write about it in a top magazine which is surely going to make ears perk.

But I think the guy is more than entitled to share his experience and make other people choose wisely where they want to send their stuff.

RSandy

iTrader: (1)

couldnt have put that better myself mate, thanks for that

Martyn

I think this is a perfectly fair post, you have based it it on YOUR experience, and that alone.
Nice to see someone not coming on here with the usual name calling and slagging off, just kept to the facts.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Looks great second time around.

Thats the sort of finnish that Doug also normally gives, I personally know at least 10 people who have had a spot on job done by him, so that job they have done is exactly the sort of job Im amazed you didnt get the first time.

As you say, it can only be a case of him rushing to finnish it to a timescale rather than to a standard due to you (quite rightly with the unfortunate delay you suffered) hassling him to get it done, thats far from typical though, and at least he refunded you when he knew you were unhappy, and before you say about the thread of legal action, TBH thats what everyone always says and never goes through with over 100 quid or whatever normally so I really do doubt that he was scared into a refund, im sure it was more just a case of at that point he realised how genuinely unhappy you were.

Doug's a good friend of mine, so read my post as biased by all means, but the reality is I genuinely am only commenting on his work based on what I know is the usual standard of his work and not based on the fact "he's a mate", this should ring true to you yourself as well from the large number of independant recomendations you got to go and see him, so I hope you can see how atypical this service is from him, everyone makes mistakes at the end of the day, and he's given you a full refund and ended up personally out of pocket for materials etc as a result (again, quite rightly so, but im just pointing out he has ultimately done what he can to rectify it with a full refund, and im sure that he also would have been prepared to redo it if you choose to give him the chance to correct it)

gingeRS

i noticed alot of screen glare yesterday when i was driving my FRS around in the sunshine......i'm guessing this is the purpose of flocking??

would love to have my dash done, but would be concerened about dust as mines an everyday car, is this a problem, are they easy to clean?

Rod-Tarry

No respectable company would supply such crap work to a customer unless he thought he could get away with it. Sorry Chip you are completely wrong trying to defend this guy, their can be no excuse for such work. By almeans quote your experience but dont try to make it look as if RSandy is in the wrong, by typing a waffling essay.

CossieRich

iTrader: (1)

Nath

Thats bollocks!

If someone is prepared and willing to take a job on then no matter what, the end result shouldn't look like that ..and as for hassling him? I think RSandy was pretty patient considering the guy over shot the original deadline and wouldn't communicate back to him when it would be done.

Barring the fact he's a friend of yours, can you honestly say that you'd be happy with the whole deal? Now you can quote the fuck out of the above from breakfast till arseholes but you wouldn't be happy with it. He might have pushed good work out the door for you, but on this occasion he didn't. The only saving grace is, that he has refunded him!

Physio

In the second picture it looks awesome

In the first picture the dash looks truely flocked

Chip

iTrader: (3)

I wouldnt be happy with the standard of that dash the first round mate, no, I would be wanting to get a refund or have it redone for free.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

I wasnt saying he was in the wrong, I was just saying that the timing of the thread is unfortunate for Doug as he isnt around for 3 weeks to defend himself, so that gives everyone else carte blanche to slag him off for 3 weeks based on one side of a story.

For exmaple, I know that at one point Doug was using a courier through a friend of his's account as it got him better prices, so its perfectly possible that Doug gave the dash to this person, and then they didnt drop it down in time, so the first time the actual courier saw it was a couple of days later, im not saying that is the case, but I think that outright calling him a liar without Doug (who ultimately is the only person who knows the story of how the dash got from him to the customers) giving the facts is a bit unfair.

We've had loads of these threads where everything is very clearcut and definately the company is at fault, and the passionford Jury have already ruled for execution, then when the company in question come on and explain their side of the story, suddenly its a very different case.

I think its unfair to make too many judgements without knowing both sides, thats all Im saying.

Rab

ROFL!

AJ at his flocking best

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

i agree both sides of the story should be heard, but how can Doug defend the quality of the workmanship? - you cannot defend that at all

other people may have had a different experience with Doug, but RSandy's expereice is obviously not a good one

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Workmanship looks shocking to me, im sure Doug wont try and defend it TBH, he obviously just (uncharacteristically) just rushed it out the door, and didnt look at it well enough to notice that the glue hadnt settled to his usual high standards for some reason.

But of course without his side of the story we have no way of knowing.

For example (and im not saying it is the case) the customer says they prepped it, perhaps they left chemicals on it that caused that to happen or similar.

Without doug's side of the story too, its just a witch hunt really.

Although whatever the circumstances it shouldnt have left him looking like that of course, things certainly dont normally do so!