AWE Tuning Blows

[DropTopChevy]

Not only do they blow european cars with turbo kits, but they also blow at customer service.

On May 19th I went to AWE tuning to order a Techtonics Tuning exhaust for my car. Paid the $700 up front and was told by Jon that it would be in by next week. No word from anyone at AWE at the end of the next week so I called that next Monday. Answer, it will be in by the end of the week. So I decide to call at the end of the week. Couple more days they said. Well I call the next week and was told that they had stopped making the exhaust at Techtonics but they would be starting it up again and the exhaust would be here next week. I got tired of calling so I sent e-mails. Followed by more delays and saying they had another customer with an Audi order the same exhaust and decided not to buy it so they accidentally canceled both orders BS. We'll I got tired of waiting almost 2 months for an exhaust that was promised in a week along with all of the stories I got. So I sent an e-mail to Mike saying I wanted my money back. Now I'm just waiting for my money.

This isn't my only gripe with AWE. Months ago I bought a Drive Train Stabilizer Bar for my car and I had to modify it to fit. Figured I would notify the guys at AWE and have them take a look at it. The only response I got was it should fit my car perfectly and they didn't want to look at it.

I'm sure some of you get great service at AWE and don't get me wrong its a beautiful place, but my personal experience has sucked and ended with them.

[deb38]

I have had great success with AWE. But I also heard another complaint recently. Not that it is an excuse, but my guess is they are backed up with **** for WaterFest.

[thefullmonty]

ive done all my ECU work with them and they were quick and easy, main reason i chose them was they carry GIAC tuning chips

[KingOfDelco]

Manufacturers who fab metal often do have to wait for materials, you can't fault the vendor for that.. True some of the other excuses sound shady...

Also, LOTS of "bolt-on" parts sometimes require modding to fit... also not AWE's fault.

That said, you should be able to get your money back ASAP if you have not received the parts you paid for.

[Kerplunk105]

I'm sure he realizes its not AWE's fault for the manufacturer not sending the part in. However, the way they dealt with the issue was very unprofessional and horrible customer service. They took forever to respond to emails-if they did at all.

[LilRedVDub]

WOW! I have never had a problem with AWE. That sucks! I hope everything works out for ya. They are probley backed up with waterfest comming up tho.I'm not making an excuse cause they could have handled it better but that could be a reason.

[Kerplunk105]

WOW! I have never had a problem with AWE. That sucks! I hope everything works out for ya. They are probley backed up with waterfest comming up tho.I'm not making an excuse cause they could have handled it better but that could be a reason.

The part was ordered in May..its been over 2 months. Cant be that backed up :roll:

[DropTopChevy]

Mike nor Jon said nothing about being backed up? It was always other excuses.

[WKderF]

have you tried Autospeed in NJ? they are a TST vendor and are very knowledgeable on audis & VWs. They are located right next to the Echelon Mall in NJ.

[redline]

Manufacturers who fab metal often do have to wait for materials, you can't fault the vendor for that.. True some of the other excuses sound shady...

Also, LOTS of "bolt-on" parts sometimes require modding to fit... also not AWE's fault.

That said, you should be able to get your money back ASAP if you have not received the parts you paid for.

I don't agree with your second statement, most quality parts fit like a glove and with a name like AWE they should have looked at it or sent him a new one. Rep is everything in this game.

[LilRedVDub]

The part was ordered in May..its been over 2 months. Cant be that backed up :roll:

It depends. I ordered euro molding from tmtuning and it took a month to get here from Germany. It all depends on the manufacture. When I order parts from blackforestindustries they are here in 2 days. Like I said in my prior post, I'm not making an excuse for them i'm just giving my point of view. Waterfest is the biggest vw show on the east coast. You never know. I don't agree with their customer service at all tho.

[redline]

This stuff happens and it has to be accepted, but it is how the vendor deals with it that makes the difference between good customer service and the thread stated above! I think the OP handled it pretty well, if I bought a part with confidence through a big company I would of marched in their and threw it on the counter. These big shops/vendors need to know that we keep them in business and keeping us happy should be their first priority not selling more parts or bringing in more money, the first will bring you that!

[deb38]

I will agree that when AWE doesn't have their parts in stock, they will tell you they will be there Monday, Tuesday, next week, yada yada yada. Back when I went to get e-codes from them, they said they were expecting a shipment to arrive on a Monday, so I told them to e-mail me. Considering I had no headlights, it was a bit of a priority for me...so when Wednesday came around I called and asked what was up. They said it would be there Friday. Needless to say I showed up at AWE and asked them what the hell the deal was, and Mike told me he had no idea when the headlights were coming in. Turns out, they didn't show up for about 3-4 months after I had originally inquired about them.

[Slow_EJ8]

I was up at the shop yesterday morning, Mike and Rich were both concerned of how back-ordered parts were becoming. With the economy in it's current state, companies aren't stocking extra units. I don't think people fully comprehend how small a company AWE truly is in term of floor space and staff, again not trying to find excuses for the delays, just defending the company and staff.

[Kerplunk105]

I was up at the shop yesterday morning, Mike and Rich were both concerned of how back-ordered parts were becoming. With the economy in it's current state, companies aren't stocking extra units. I don't think people fully comprehend how small a company AWE truly is in term of floor space and staff, again not trying to find excuses for the delays, just defending the company and staff.


I dont think a delay would have made that big of a difference if the customer service was better. They didnt even seem to care that the product was not in when it was expected to be in. They didnt answer emails at all sometimes. Because they are such a small company, they should be striving to have the highest possible quality of customer service to set them apart from larger companies that may be able to get parts in quicker.

[Tiny]

I was up at the shop yesterday morning, Mike and Rich were both concerned of how back-ordered parts were becoming. With the economy in it's current state, companies aren't stocking extra units. I don't think people fully comprehend how small a company AWE truly is in term of floor space and staff, again not trying to find excuses for the delays, just defending the company and staff.

My company did 8 billion in sales last year, and I still have problems.

It is all about customer service. When I ask a vendor when a part will be here I expect them to tell me the truth. If they say 3 months then it's 3 months, but once that 3 months comes and goes, my stuff better be here. That is the problem. Most vendors lie because they just plain don't have the right answer.

[Willdue]

Its a HIT or MISS with alot of VW tuning companies lately.

[dolphinS4]

Definitely not good CS.

I'm a "own up and admit you dropped the ball" type of guy.
All people screw up at some point but its how you handle the customer after the screw up is what sets excellent companies apart from the rest.

Surprising coming fro AWE.

[Drftpretty]

Just curious, why not do a magnaflow and custom job for $300 on that 30v? Im just asking because I was thinking about exhaust for my 2.8 as well :)

[DropTopChevy]

Just curious, why not do a magnaflow and custom job for $300 on that 30v? Im just asking because I was thinking about exhaust for my 2.8 as well :)

I wanted something that I knew would sound awesome. Thats what I'm planning on doing now.

[CleanNeon98]

Nick, sucks what happened, but it will never be perfect. Small business cant be 100% on top of everything that is going on, hell any business cant. Our little dealership often mails titles and things to people and our carriers lose them. Its not our fault, we did our work on time, someone else ****ed up. You really cant point the finger at anyone unless you fully understand how it all works, although a good business would have just refunded you the money right away and then waited till the parts got there and called you back.

Cant win em all I guess

[LilRedVDub]

I wanted something that I knew would sound awesome. Thats what I'm planning on doing now.

You should get a Borla. Thats whats on my GLI. A borla would sound badass on a 30v v6. I love mine on a 20v 1.8t. Just a suggestion :wink:

[4cefed4]

I have had nothing but good experiences with AWE, they took on some custom projects for me, and were great about replacing a Bailey DV that crapped out after 5 years of use. If I had the problem you did, first thing I would have done is call up Techtonics to verify the backorder, that way you know for sure they're not just pulling your leg.