I guess there must be something about Mary.

 

What, customer service don't apply to graphics nowadays? If "Mary" pays twice, she should have FOUR bonnet stripes.

(Sorry for my "customer is right" attitude)

 

Mary is being very respectful of what went on. I mean geesh, she could be really nasty and be very mean, but she isn't.
This forum isn't a place to trash other people, it is a place to discuss MINIs, she is just asking for assistance. If we just started trashing the vendor, then it would be a very unproductive discussion.
I have a feeling that Mary has gotten some good advice from fellow MINI friends...If you are so concerned with who the vendor is, why not PM her and ask so you can consider it in your future purchases, if necessary.
I applaud Mary's restraint. I know how she has fought with this specific vendor, and I know how frusterating this is for her. This is no joke, nor is anyone laughing.

 

I was not or am not disparaging anyone with my above entry.

I am being dead on serious-

1. Who is "Mary"? According to the post at the start of this thread, Mary is a ficticious name. A friend of xcaligali's. If everyone here knows her than thats all good. I Don't! So, How do I pm her?
2. As for being critical of a vendor by name, it happens everyday in these forums; Dealers, Service Departments, Out of Town Vendors, etc.... If we are going to "protect" names, then I think we should do it evenly accross the board, No exceptions. I'm not looking to trash anyone... I just hope that I can avoid the frustration and expense she has been through. It would suck if I hired this vendor, had a problem and some said to me "Gee, My friend "Mary" had the same problem recently."
3. I have a lot of empathy for "Mary" and I hope she finds an acceptable and convenient solution. I don't think she should pay anything.
4. If those of you who know all the players and have knowledge of all these incidents would take a step back and look at these postings from the point of view of a newcomer to DCMM, NAM or even just this thread, then you may understand where my post was coming from. This are PUBLIC forums where new people come looking for advice, wisdom and the ability to learn from the knowledge and experiences of other MINI owners. From this perspective, until someone answered my question (for which I am grateful, BTW) I was getting nothing out of this thread.
5. Seriously, Thank you all for your help and advice!

 

I appreciate everyones advice and I hope the vendor in question sees it our way. I apologize for all of the secrecy but the last thing I want to do is speak poorly of someone before they have a chance to make things right.

Thank you to those who provided alternate installers. I will definitely contact them about installing the bonnet stripe.

Lastly, I would also like to thank the Academy ... oh wait, this isn't the Oscars. My bad!

Seriously though, thank you for showing me how great it is to be a member of DCMM.

I hope to see all of you soon!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Asya

 

Maybe some matching boot stripes to go with the bonnet stripes I dont think "Mary" should have to pay for anything. And the vendor should resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Word gets around quickly in NAM, and no vendor wants a bad reputation.

I agree that names do not need to be said. Most of us know who the vendor/installer is anyways.
If anyone really wants to know, I also suggest PMing the originator of this thread.

 

I have a simular situation. I had a clear bra installed (for a second time) it cost me $1000 for labor and parts. It looked alright there, but it wasn't long before I realized that it was coming up around the edges, and there's dirt under the bra. It looks like crap. Unfortunately, I bought the parts someplace else. It was expensive stuff. They will reinstall it again, but I have to buy the bra again. To heck with that. He already ruined one bra. Why bother again? Luckily, the guy who did the original bra install (for $425) is going to do it again in the Spring when it warms up. This goes to show that you don't always get what you pay for, and there are some people out there that will find ways to weasel around doing what's right. I guess that's just life. Go figure.

 

We are all assuming it is the vinyl that is defective. From what I learned while installing my own stripes, you won't be able to get rid of the bubble or wrinkle if the vinyl was stretched during the install.

 

Is the material these are made of similar to a clear bra?

 

Let me start by coming forward. As a vendor I work really hard to keep all of my costomers happy but you can't please everyone.

So Feedback as a new member of DCMM welcome. Understand that Aysa was protecting my name (which I'm very thankfull of)for 2 major reasons.

1
Because this is a national forum and there are hundreds of people on here it only takes one cruel comment on here to take a vendor down. Most of the vendors on here are just small businesses trying their best to make it in a nitch market.
Sometimes there is nothing a vendor can do to satisfy the customer's needs and it really hurts us when we have to go on the forum to protect our selves from slander.

2
Asya had also mentioned in her first post and again in another post that the issue between the vender and Mary was not fully resolved yet.

Asya,

Thank you for keeping names out of it until it is resolved.

I don't however understand why you need to bring this public. Our emails were few and far between to begin with and this could have been completely resolved without ever going public with it.

However that is beside the point. I'm going to take care of you because that is what I do
Understand that doing these install events just barely covered my cost of going out there. And it was you guys that wanted me back. I was glad to go out there again and had a great time to, but it make me second guess that when I come across threads like this.

When there are issues (and there will always be some) I do my best fix the problem. Somtimes it takes a little more on your part to get what you want. Sqeeky wheel gets the oil. And sometime it just takes a little patience on your part.


So let it be known publicly If you have a problem please contact me I will work it out with you. I'm only a little guy in this world of MINIs and do my best.

Asya,

Please PM me so we can work out the rest of the details.

 

Props to you, Mike.... you have a good reputation and it will surely stay that way.

 

+1

 

This I don't understand. When I bought some clearbra, its guaranteed FOR LIFE. Anything wrong, installer fixes it. You have no warranty?

hmm. Seems that I remember someone else having the same kind of issues

 

Wooo..Wooo..hold up...But the vendor took care of the situation just like they did in this situation. So the reputation of the vendor is still good in my book

 

Agreed. There are many ways to look at things. One way is to look at customer service. Another is to look at the track record (and I'm not implying anything by that ... its no different than looking up Consumer Reports).

 

It's those Cotton Pickin Checkmate stripes For some reason checkmate stripes and DC install parties don't mix

 

Its the DC weather!!!

 

While I agree with Mike that it was pretty well implied who the vendor was (for those of us who benefit from Mike's install in October), I think that "Mary" was perfectly within her rights to post in this forum. I don't know the extent of the information exchange, but my feeling is that she wanted to make sure she picked the right battle.

One quick note on the BBB. It gets you NOTHING. It puts a smear on the company for those who bother to do a check. And even then, it's like a fingerprint on clean glass smear. It really doesn't mean anything to anybody and the vendor isn't obligated in any way, shape or form, to resolve the BBB dispute.

 

When I first got my '06 back in Nov. '05, my Bonnet stripe, possibly one of the first batch out of the plant started peeling along the leading edge. MoS replaced it. The new stripe was OEM and Zebra Stripes did the install, it still looks great one year later.

 

FYI Stripes and other accessories (with the exception of MINI Nav.) are done by the local dealership who, most of the times, contracts out.
No stripes are customized in Oxford.


MD STREGA2
MD MINI GP

 

Plenty of good installers here in Virginia...if thats all you need is installation work. These are 3M certified folks as well so they can be trusted. PM me for more info but I only trust the best.

 

This is the "U" Shaped stripe, MoS said it came from the factory?

 

Customized, no... but the "official" stripes ARE done at the factory. The 2006 model introduced a new "official" stripe - the U-shaped one that Alan has. His was one of the first MINIs to have it, and it seems they had some initial production issues with quality control.Yep.

 

I stand corrected... I forgot about his factory stripes.. and I dare not to argue with Mister OEM

MD STREGA2
MD MINI GP

 

The only major issue with the factory "U" stripe is they only made it in 1 color. Silver. And it was only for the Checkmate package Minis. As far as I know they have stopped production on any Checkmate products so now it is all aftermarket.

That is where I come in. If you wanted the U stripes in a different color than silver it had to be custom. And just like OEM bonnet stripes there is no such thing as OEM boot stripes either.

So AC saves the day again