U.S. Gear Warantee (or lack thereof)

[mshelly]

Subject: Re: Gear Set Warrantee
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 12:34:22 -0600
From: "ext Donald Garfield"
To: "Mike Shelly"

Dear Sir: We are sorry you have had a problem with our gears, but as our
written warranty clearly states there is no" implied warranty of
merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose ." This is the
industry's standard warranty language because we have no control over the
use, type, age or condition of the vehicles the gears may be put into. In
you particuler installation, the case is at least 28 years old.

The gear set you used is the same we have supplied throughout the
aftermarket industry and to Chrysler with no returns for noise to date. As
there is only one other manufacturer of these gears that we know of, and the
industry generally recognizes our product as superior , in those resteration
applications where noise is a critical factor ,other than leaving all the
original parts in place, we are unable to give you any suggestions for an
alternate source.

Respectfully,

The US Gear Gang


1. There was no such disclaimer presented before the purchase or included with the
parts.

2. Of course there have been no returns for noise because they have a "no returns"
policy.

I won't boar you with any more of my frustration on this issue. Thanks for the space
and take heed.

[rumblefish360]

Sorry to hear that.
Did they brake or just make noise?

[mshelly]

Rumblefish,

They are noisy, but that's why I got a new housing, bearings, and gears in the first place.

This was an expensive lesson.

[wedge440]

I when through the same thing with a set of 4.30`s for a 742 case a few years back.
After 2 weeks use the pinion sheared half the teeth of the ring gear. I sent them back and they said I had too much horse power, but I was thinking how can they say that, they don`t even know what kind of car I have.

The motor was a 1977 360 (stock) with a used MP .484 cam and 1 5/8" headers.
If they can`t hold up to that, I don`t know what the`ll hold up to....

But wait! there`s more.
I bought the gears from hawken`s in richmond, in. after the 1st set gave out i took them back to hawken`s..They said they would send them back for me.I need another set of gears so I bought another set of US gears`s (after they assured me thet US gear would back my 1st set up) Two weeks later I get the 1st set back with a note saying the too much HP thing...
Pissed off I take the 2nd set out and what do I see, 2 teeth from the ring gear gone!

So I have 2 sets of gears that are good for nothing and at $175 a shot it hirts a poor boy like me...

I also tried to get don garfield`s(US gear rep) boss`s name but he would never give it to me...
I urge everyone NPT to buy anything made by US gear,strange or any of there sister company`s.

Sorry ,rant mode off.
Joe
Indianapolis,In.

[Canuck Dart]

Your situation really sucks, but it does not suprise me - Over the years, any mechanical performance part I have purchased came with a disclaimer like the one you describe. The manufacturers have no way of knowing that you are going to properly install the part and even if you do they can't guess at what level of abuse the part will see once installed. I have found that even if a warranty is offered, the onus is on you to prove that the above conditions are met. Damn near impossible to do - especially when we are buying our parts long distance rather that from the local speed shop or auto supply house.

This is not restricted to only the performance automotive industry however. I work in the stage lighting industry. The manufacturers who build the equipment I use on a day to day basis are fully aware that I am going to load the equipment into the back of a truck, bounce it all over the dam country over crappy highways, set it up and operated it under a wide variety of temperature & humidity conditions, put it outside where it stands a good chance of getting rained on and hook it up flakey power sources in some farmer's field at your local music festival.

Some of these manufacturers offer a warranty - some don't - but even if they do, you best be able to prove the equipment was being used within it's stated tolerance limits - and serviced regularily.

Just to put this into perspective - an average concert lighting system can be worth upwards of a quater million dollars - that's roughly 1/2 the value of the Sound system that is also being subjected to the same rigorous use.

Oops - I am getting WAY off topic (I love my job) my point is that what you experienced is not uncommon. But there is a fairly simple remedy in most cases.

I do not know where you purchased your gears, but I have found that it is almost always better to buy parts like this from my local speed shop. Sure you pay more because Jim's speedorama does not have the buying power of Summit or Jeg's, but these guys WANT your business, and will generally bend over backwards to see you get takin care of. Typically going to bat for you with their suppliers. They want you to come back.

-nuff said

[pishta]

If you can, buy your parts with your AMEX (American Express) card, then stick them with the no warranty BS. They have a SUPER customer satisfaction policy. You break it in 90 days, they buy it! This is called the buyer protection plan or something to that effect. Case in point. I bought a digital camera and my neighbors kid dropped it 2 days later breaking the display. The camera was a close out so I couldnt buy another one at that price. AMEX offered to either cover the cost of repair, or send them the camera and they would credit my card the full purchase price. I got it fixed and it didnt cost me a dime. Ill do all my poor/no warranty purchases on my AMEX card from now on!! You see, its not US Gears money until AMEX pays them. You get a bad deal, US Gear doesnt get their money.

[70Ted]

notice how many vendors do not take AMEX??

[pishta]

read..."if you can...". Alot of credit card vendors have a similiar program of buyer protection.

[Canuck Dart]

Actually the reason so few places accept AMEX has little to do with fear of warranties - it's because of the so called discount fees they charge. You may not be aware of it, but credit card companies make money not only from the interest they charge you, they also charge the retailer for accepting it. This is usually a percentage of each and every sale. Visa & Mastercard charge between 2 and 5% whereas Amaerican Express is 6 to 8 and even 10% dependant on volume & the bank servicing the credit cards. If you think about it, when a business runs an average profit margin of 20 to 25% these fees can bet a real "ouch" on the bottom line.

Where I work, we actually offer a 2 1/2% discount on purchases made with cash or certified cheque, cuz we would rather give the "discount" to our customers than the credit card companies. That said, we stand behind the products & services we supply, so we have little to fear from credit card warranties.