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Best crossover steering kit/parts?

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I ordered some bushings and center pins from ORD. I didn't really need to order the center pins from him I could have got them local but I decided I was already paying shipping so another few ounces wouldn't hurt and a few more $ in his pocket. It took 7-10 days longer for my order to get here then I had expected and been told. They said the order would go out the next day. It didn't go out till at least a week later. Turns out he was out of center pins and was waiting on them to come in. That didn't bother me, but it would have been nice to know why my order was not here. I eventually called them up to find out WTF was going on and they told me. I have made a few other orders from them with no problems too though, and I plan to make another order here in a few weeks or so.

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sounds like the exact same issue Tim had with them. IMO, that's just bad customer service. if it were a one time thing, hey accidents happen, but you two arent the first i've heard it from. i've heard it from a couple of local club members too, in very similar situations. i do plan on doing business with ORD in the future, however, it probably wont be for parts that i need, right away.
 
Sky -vs- ORD is going to become a regular argument. It is a given, like BFG vs Goodyear. I have seen both items and heard a lot of stories. Sky is a toy base group that handed some GM drawings over to the CNC guy. ORD is a GM based shop that has gotten a big name for itself by mouth alone (and a little 1" add in petersons). I think there is a little mis info going on about orders and time. I had the same crap from poison spyder. Half of the parts were on back order. It happens. The retailer may not figure it out till a day goes by that the supplier is out. Either a select few wait extra days, or we all wait cause the retailer has to call everybody that might be affected by any supplier. Try that crap at home depot next time they are out of something, see where it gets you. Stephen is getting a happy call in the morining from me.
 
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Are you the only one, or are there others who haven't posted their bad experiences?

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Judging by the comments I heard from a fellow member in the CK5 chat the other night, I know I'm not the only one, just the only one with any balls to say anything.

Before I get any more hate PMs (already recieved one) I'll just say that I didn't think that comment was going to be popular, but I felt it necessary that I finally bring that out in the open. We can't just sit here and continue to throw money in the pot and get nothing in return. I can tell you that I sure as hell didn't appreciate being told that there, "Has never been a CK5 discount" through ORD nor did I appreciate the other crap that went on with the rest of my order nor what I had to go though to complete it.

The only other vendor I've ever dealt with that left something to be desired would be Summit Racing. I have always ordered from Jeg's or an alternate place after the experience I had a few years ago with a set of wheels I ordered that took over a month after I paid additional for drop shipping and was told I'd see them in 5 days. I was never even refunded the drop shipping charge after waiting nearly 6 weeks so I decided to never do business again.

Those vendors that have more than gone out of their way for me get a big /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif from me and I order again, even if their prices aren't necessarily the lowest. Those that don't, I discontinue my business with.
 
I have also chated with scott @ rockstomper. I ordered a couple of d-ring mounts and then somehow we got onto how he gets the parts milled, and that lead to an aerospace engineering discussion and after about 90mins of talking he said he had to leave the shop to go eat dinner. I am sure somebody was all pissed off for an hour cause he wasn't doing call backs. If it bothers you so much about ship dates and times, call that company back and check up. If an error was made or you are not satisfied they should be more than happy to help. I am not directing this at anyone or any shop, just giving out my .02 /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

I fear the way of the customer is coming to a sad close. Those few companies that do take care of good customers are being sued into fear by bad customers.
 
I have bought quite a bit of stuff from ORD. Never had any problems with them........................ /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 
I've spent at least a few thousand $ with ORD and I've had to wait a long time for most of my parts, and that really bugs me. BUT, I deal with that because I know the ORD crew is not being malicious. They innovate, and Stephen seems to be a helluva nice guy, so he gets the benefit of the doubt with me.

Andy
 
I think a common problem for many shops is their rate of expansion. Lots of the companies we deal with here on CK5 start out as either a side business, hobby, or a split off from some other company. The owner sees a demand for a product and tries to fill it. They also try to innovate to generate more business. At first money is tight as orders start to roll in. Then, business can accelerate past the ability of the shop to deliver the product fast. When the shop was small, and business slow, customer service is easy because there is time to shoot the bull on the phone, make custom items, and be friendly. When you get behind the curve on orders, something has to suffer.

A short story. I know a guy who has a motorcycle shop that works exclusively on Harleys and custom bikes. The guy is really friendly and would almost always drop what he was doing to talk to a customer, or even just anybody who would drop by. He had a fridge with beer and soda in it and a pinball machine in his shop. I used to go buy and jawjack all the time. One day I came by and the doors were closed. I could hear people inside. I made phone calls but nobody answered, just the machine. I finally made contact with him and found the story to be as described above. He was so backlogged on work because he spent too much time being customer friendly at the cost of his work time. He finally had to close his doors and just work for the first 6 hrs. of his day before he would even take a call or talk to anybody in person.

I think ORD, and the other shops we frequent, get in the same bind. They walk the walk, not just talk the talk, because they are into off roading too. It would be easy for them to spend hours chatting. But, they have a product to produce. They have to choose between talking, or working sometimes. Now, some would say, just hire more folks. That works when times are good, but then when there is a lull, somebody has to go. Who wants to work for a shop that hires and lays off routinely? Small business can be a bitch to run. I'm just glad there are enough of them out there to provide us with the stuff we are asking for. Look at 4WP which gets bashed here frequently. Do they do any custom orders? Do they call you to update the status of your order? They do what WalMart and others do. They offer the product at a cheaper price and if you don't like the way they deliver it, go elsewhere and pay more is their attitude. I agree that I will pay a little extra for a company that treats me well. But, that is the exception, rather than the rule. Most folks would rather just pay less and take their customer service lumps. I do this with some products. We have a company called Fry's Electronics here in Ca. They are the absolute worst at customer service. If you can find an english speaker, they have their head so far up their ass you can see their eyeballs peaking out at you when they open their mouths. I never go there unless I already know for sure what I am going to buy. I avoid their sales people like the plague otherwise I'd end up slapping them so hard by the time they stopped rolling their clothes would be out of style. But, they have a huge selection of computer and electronics stuff and their prices are usually the cheapest. It is rare to find a company that excels in speed, quality, and customer service. I also think that for every person who raves about any company, you can find a person who has had a bad experience. Nobody's perfect....
 
so ANYWAY, - lets not get away from the firey part of the discussion. I think somebody was about to say something about someones mama.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Well I just called Sky and they are great people to talk too. I am going to Order their kit just because of the price difference. $386 for Draglink, steering arm, stud kit, rockrod, and a steering arm spacer (just in case). I think that is a pretty good deal /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif I have only called ORD twice once was to order the steering brace (Top notch product there) and once with a question. When I called to ask a question I sort of got the run around on the phone I am not sure if she knew the answer or not. Either way I am going with Sky because of price, but I will deal probably with ORD again in the future. I agree with above comments they are a good company maybe they are just be overloaded for their size right now, and I also agree their should be a member discount for the amount of business they get from this board. Just MHO /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif
 
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don't care what results, I think it's about time that we cut through the bullshi* and tell the truth for a change.

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Okay..I have ordered my 4" shackle flip, Rear srpings, bushings, zero-rates, and frame brace from ORD and couldn't be more pleased. Hell I even called up Steve one day to as a questions concerning a stripped hole in my D60 knuckle...He talked w/ me for about 15 min and offered his suggestions. I will be ordering all my x-over stuff from ORD /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

I don't care if I could save some cash going elsewhere, Steve is an integral part of this community and he is running a business that supports what we love to do, and I will gladly support him and his company /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif

Plus I trust what he build! Hell he went to the same university as I am going to /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Chris
 
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don't care what results, I think it's about time that we cut through the bullshi* and tell the truth for a change.

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Okay..I have ordered my 4" shackle flip, Rear srpings, bushings, zero-rates, and frame brace from ORD and couldn't be more pleased. Hell I even called up Steve one day to as a questions concerning a stripped hole in my D60 knuckle...He talked w/ me for about 15 min and offered his suggestions. I will be ordering all my x-over stuff from ORD /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

I don't care if I could save some cash going elsewhere, Steve is an integral part of this community and he is running a business that supports what we love to do, and I will gladly support him and his company /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif

Plus I trust what he build! Hell he went to the same university as I am going to /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Chris

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What university are you going to?
 
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Hell I even called up Steve one day to as a questions concerning a stripped hole in my D60 knuckle...He talked w/ me for about 15 min and offered his suggestions. I will be ordering all my x-over stuff from ORD

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Maybe that's kinda why I feel like I couldn't get help when I called. I just feel the time that i had to call I didnt have very good service. Not saying I won't use ORD again they make good stuff I just feel I didnt get good service. And I believe that CK5 members should get a discount.
 
do you know how many ck5 members there are now that go to himand recomend him regardless of price gb/c of his solid repuation? it would be bad business to give that many people discounts, now. In my opinion, being a customer of ORD for several different products including their crossover kit...their stuff is over-priced but good quality.
 
ORD steering arms account for ackerman angles and allow for longer "end" life and better geometry. I own the ORD arm and bent draglink and I'm quite happy. Ive heard that WTO stuff is great and the customer service is great. Hydro assist...I'd go to them.
 
I have parts from, SKY, ORD, Rockstomper, and WTO. All 4 places are great to deal with. Back not that long ago 99% of us that were running crossover got our stuff from Rockstomper. I still run the same pitman arm, draglink, and tierod that I got from Rockstomper.
 
I have alot of ORD stuff, and will most likely order more, but they do sometimes drop the ball on service. When they sent me a wrong part once, They wanted me to pay the shipping to return it for the right one. The prices of the mixed parts were similar so I sold the wrong part and bought what I needed locally. Not a big deal, but makes you think /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
 
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