----- Original Message -----

From: Lancair

To: lml

Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 4:31 PM

Subject: [LML] Takin' it to the streets

Sorry about the intrusion fellow Lancarians but I sure could use your help. 

 

 

The situation is a continuation of the saga from over a year ago when I ordered and did not receive my engine.  Some readers insisted that I divulge the company's name.  Many read my description and wrote me saying that they knew who it was and offered condolences and suggestions of legal remedies.  One Lancair flyer was rather irate that I would try to destroy a company's good name and business, and he mentioned the offending company by name even though I had never printed it.  From the handling of the issues it was obvious even to the supporter who the culprit was.  I did finally get my engine, 5 months late and a month after I had wired the balance to their bank because the engine was "crated and on the dock to ship".  (A fellow builder placed his order after me and his engine arrived 8 months late, so this is not unusual).

 

 

The engine had supposedly been run on a dyno to break it in, but after installation on the aircraft from day 1 it ran extremely low oil pressure.  Their suggested "fixes" did not work and it took the eye and insight of Mark Mahnke to discover that the rebuilder had assembled the engine with a bent oil pressure relief valve.  When that was replaced the engine brought in more reasonable oil pressure numbers. 

 

 

I have the engine and it seems to run OK now - so why am I bitching?  They owe me money! 

 

 

When the engine was being built I asked them to install a bracket I shipped them for an air conditioning compressor.  Without authorization they decided that they could make a better bracket and proceeded to drill out mounting holes and fabricate their own Rube Goldberg attachment.  When they demanded payment in full before they would ship my engine, and I objected, they agreed to refund the $600 if I were to return the bracket.  We got the engine and found that their solution was absolutely not usable.  We fixed the damage they caused and installed the original bracket, which did fit.  We then packed up their bracket and returned it.  We informed them that it was enroute and that we were expecting our refund.  No response. 

 

 

No response a month later.  No response to calls and e-mails to their salesman until one day he answered his phone (VERY unusual) and said that the owner would have to handle the refund.  After several tries I caught the GM and he said sure he'd have the check sent out.  That was September.  Since then no response to my calls and e-mails. 

 

 

I am a single lone voice and they already have my money, so "stonewall" seems to be their mode of operation.  Before I hire an attorney (other customers told me that this had been their way to evoke a response) perhaps a few calls/letters/e-mails from the builders' network would help. 

 

 

By the way:  I sent them an e-mail on 8 November asking for resolution before I took this matter public.  Guess what?  No response! 

 

 

Here are the details for your correspondence, should you be inclined to assist me:

 

Stuart Featherstone
Performance Engines Sales
1935 McKinley Ave. Suite C
LaVerne  CA  91750

sales@PerformanceEngines.com

800.816.1485, access code 00

also 661.871.7124

 

 

Ron Monson

Performance Engines, GM

909-593-5008  x-5 for Ron or x-0 for Kathleen (sec'y)

 

 

Thanks in advance guys!

 

Robert M. Simon

ES-P N301ES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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