OzVMX Forum
Clubroom => General Discussion => Topic started by: LWC82PE on September 01, 2008, 09:38:17 pm
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i am trying to contact www.vintageiron.com no success yet. i have tried
[email protected] - bounced back/invalid address i tryed to contact through ebay
[email protected] - no reply after a week
are these correct up to date address?
any one else had difficulty contacting them? i bought stuff from them before but that was 2 or 3 years ago
is it because they are moving? they still have current ebay listings so must still have computer access
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I bought some stuff from him a month ago, it arrived in about 3 weeks.
He seems to be still around, if you can't email him, I'd try giving him a call.
Cheers,
Mark
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Be very careful.
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Been trying to contact vintage iron for about two weeks, no responce.
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firko sounds like elmer fudd ;D
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Same thing a year or so ago with email.
Called him and placed the order. Arrived in a couple of weeks.
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You're right Rusty, he looks like him too.
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so im not the only one having difficulties then. i really need something off them. will have to try again or get a USA friend to help.
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Waiting for a set of oval number plates, that money has been taken for, I had purchased a few sets before and was very happy with product, (Not so much the postage costs!!) No response to emailed queries but then it has only been 4 years.................................... >:( Tim754 aka Tim Derrick
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Be carefull purchasing the trick exhausts - photos on website show many segments to create smooth bends but when you get the pipe it has 3 or 4 lobster bends which looks nowhere like the photo. When you ask about it you get some bullshite answer about the one in the phot being a prototype etc, :'(
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I emailed them last night to check on the progress of an order I had with them and there was a reply waiting when I checked emails early this morning. The email address I used and recieved the reply from was: [email protected]
I get the impression from some posts on the forum that Rick Doughty is on some people's shit-list. Was wondering what the reasons were. I have ordered stuff on about five occasions and have had good service. One time they sent me yellow instead of white YZ plastics, but the problem was dealt with and have had some delays while they were obviously waiting on stock their end. Have even called into Vintage Iron twice on trips to the US and both times Rick has given us free T-shirts and six-packs of beer (Moto Brew) even though we didn't buy anything at the time. Can't complain about that. He also organised for us to go to the Primm Collection in Vegas. Greg Primm also Dished out free beer and T-shirts when we left. ;D ;D
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Red Alert you must be a hot lookin blonde with a big rack!! None of us got that kind of treatment.
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There are more disatisfied than happy Vintage Iron customers these days. The number of non recieved orders, wrong items sent and lack of customer service complaints are growing daily. Mention the name Rick Doughty in USA vintage circles and you usually get a scowl, a headshake and then a twenty minute discourse on what a wanker he is.
Rick used to be a good friend of mine but is no longer on my Xmas card list. It's a complicated situation as to why our friendship broke down and I won't discuss it here but it's a shame he's the way he is. He has a genuine love of old bikes, is a great restorer and has done a lot of good for vintage racing in the early days. Sadly his business and people skills have slipped to rock bottom and are in need of a bit of a makeover. As I said earlier...."be vewwy vewwy careful"
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I have bought various bikes from Vintage Iron - no problems, however every spares order is fully charged for without a full order been sent. This freaks me out I pay duties and transport costs twice therein my stress. Vintage Iron products are top class however the after sales service is could improve significantly. Directly as a consequence of his indifference I have spread my spend elsewhere to include AMS Racing and Vintage suzuki.
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Wouldnt it be fair to get Ricks story as well ? I dont know the man , but usually there is two sides to every story. Surely if he runs a business , any paying order is welcome . ???
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thats what you would think YSS but i just dont know? to be honest i find this very sad. it becomming all too common now. i do not know why soooooooo many USA companies have brilliant website, and parts and promise everything. but then some people get burned by them and some get excellent service with no complaints.
i dont really have anything bad to say about them, i would just like my simple email answered or even a email saying. 'sorry we are busy will get back to you next week' as i said before i bought some parts from them a few years back with no problems but then a year or so later i bought a air filter off them and its was totally wrong. i did ask what happened, got not reply so i just thought stuff it its just an air filter and forgot about it.
so i havent got anything bad to say at the moment
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Rick did eventually send e-mail regarding order i placed, he did apologise for not responding earlier and promised item would be sent within a week.
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Rick D sent me some pics of his trick RD. if he came down on the postage I'd be tempted to buy a bit of his gear.
(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo249/vmxwoody/RickDx2.jpg?t=1220527360)
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We have used Rick at Vintage iron on five occasions and had five good results.
Number six is on its way ,
Example:
Requested for a quotation on Expansion chamber Monday evening , received quotation Tuesday morning with notification that the expansion chamber was in stock.
Paid for item Tuesday evening , confirmation of shipment Wednesday morning.
This has been same for the previous orders.
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You must be a good , sincere ,paying customer , perhaps thats why you get good old fashioned service ;)
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ok i just sent a VERY polite (not that i wasnt very polite last time) email asking for a price on some parts he says hes got but are not listed in the shop yet where i can just click add to cart, and how much for airmail shipping and how to pay for them. nothing too difficult to do. i hope i get a reply this time
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The ad below is in the current Orange County Craiglist. That may explain his poor phone returns.
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/829274356.html (http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/829274356.html)
VINTAGE IRON moving Saturday Sept. 6th 8am-1pm
Big discounts and virtually everything in the store!
Parts, bikes, memorabilia, fixtures and more.
22605 La Palma Av. #519 Yorba Linda Ca. 92887
I've also heard that his bikes in the Primm Collection in Las Vegas are also on the market.
http://www.primmmxcollection.com/ (http://www.primmmxcollection.com/)
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yeah i still got no response.
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Update
My last order was short shipped, items invoiced and charged but not delivered. It freaks me out. I phoned RICK, he was full of excuses and blamed everybody else. I returned from the USA tonight and by in large the feelings are that Vintage Iron has immenent financial problems. I have left another message for Rick to phone me. Todate and notwithstanding my spend, he has not returned my calls.
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I firmly believe in the big wheel theory... life is like a really big wheel, dump crap on it and it eventually comes round to you again, I recon they are probably reaping some of the crap they have deposited...
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I saw both Rick from Vintage Iron and Tony from Vintage Suzuki this weekend at the AHRMA Glen Helen National.
Rick is walking towards me and I say, "Hey thanks for sending my that vintage Yamaha jersey so quickly!" He just nods his head and says, "Oh, ya." Everytime I see him he has the same look on his face, it's not happy or sad just kinda blank. That's just his personality.
I'm sitting on the starting line for my moto and Tony yells out, "Are you Jay?" I say, "Yes" and he comes over and introduces himself. He say, "Thanks for all the business!" and I say, "Thank you for supplying all the stuff, shipping out so quickly and having good communication!"
Two totally different people, but I have received all the products I ordered from both of them. I did have to wait two months for some fork springs from Rick once.
I hope everything works out for you. How was Rick when you talked to him on the phone?
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T Red
It is always interesting to hear how service levels differ by the same organisation. Earlier today Rick received an email from a friend of mine, who incidentally was referred by me to Rick by me, his first experience with Rick was to get short shipped on a set of spokes. My mate was charged for them and and then seemingly had excessive postage charges charged to him. Almost all the South Africans who have dealt with Vintage iron lamment the fact that goods charged for are not sent. The sentiment to Vintage Iron has turned very negative with most South africans directing their spend to where they perceive the service standards to be better and are likely to receive a full shipment of paid for goods.
It pisses me off because his products are good and his knowledge is good. However I vote with my feet and was referred to AMS Racing -David Boysun. AMS service is first class and they have a friendly disposition. Your vote of approval for Tony Boswell will act as the catalyst for me to try Vintage Suzuki for my Suzuki needs.
Good luck
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There's a good interview with Rick Doughty on http://www.mccookracing.com/interviews/rickDoughty.htm (http://www.mccookracing.com/interviews/rickDoughty.htm). It gives a pretty good insight into his work within the AHRMA system but leaves out a lot of detail about the business itself.
There's also a good piece on CD6 by Firko and a review of Klub Kevlar. There's even a photo of Magoo and his lowered road racing CR500!
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Mr. Doughty has been fair with my dealings so far. I noticed an interview with him on McCook's site: www.McCookRacing.com . He even has some NOS Saipan bits.
Cheers,
Nigel
Farlowe Racing LTD
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After a few hassles i received parts ordered 6 weeks ago, high quality stuff with an apology from Rick.
Back in favour.
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I need to clarify what I meant in my prevoius statements here. I was trying to point out that you may not always get the touchy-feely sort of feeling when dealing with Rick, but he has always been helpful to me and I do get my products.
I do feel for the folks who have not revceived their purchases, for whatever reasons. As for me my experience has always been positive.
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I see we've got a new member. I think that this is about to get messy..... :-[ ::) :-[
or interesting ::)
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The new member apparantly tried to join the forum earlier but apparantly somone in his organisation dispatched the wrong application ::)
Then it got lost in the post ::)
And wouldn't you know it the cost of posting it doubled overnight ;D
But alls well now ;)
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I for one am very interested in seeing what our latest member may have to contribute...
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40246 Posts in 4284 Topics by 630 Members. Latest Member: Rick Doughty
Latest Post: "Re: vintage iron usa" ( Today at 10:21:44 AM )
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I am not really sure where to start shoveling here but I think a good place would be to introduce myself. I am Rick Doughty, owner of the "still very much in business", VINTAGE IRON. I use my real name for several reasons but not the least of which is that I take what I do for a living very seriously. It is how I feed my family. Secondly, I have enough spine not to require an alas to hide behind.
I will address whatever problem someone has with our company in this forum or privately provided that you use your real name as well.
What I will not do is endlessly defend myself or my business to those who can't step out of the shadows to throw rocks my direction.
Our company is far from perfect and from time to time we stub our toe or just flat screw up. In my way of thinking it is not whether a company is going to make mistakes but more importantly how the mistakes are rectified and handled. We do our level best to fix whatever is fixable when it needs fixing.
We were the first company to sell product in Australia and had a fairly successful distributor in Soft Earth that was run by Geoff Eldridge before his untimely death. In the past 15 years there has been many other start up businesses that specialize in one brand or another and the competition is good for business and good for consumers. Does the fact that there are now more vintage oriented business, diminish our accomplishments or past service? Not in my book. Fact is we are doing more business in 2008 than any previous year. Does that mean we are sitting back on a big pile of money? Not hardly. Look at the state of the US economy. We are cautiously optimistic about the future but plan for the worst, which is why we are downsizing the shop for the next three years.
As for my perceived arrogance while attending Australia's first vintage national back in '93 (I think) at Dargle, I would have to say that I was a guest of ADB but I spent my own money to come to the event and worked along side Geoff Eldridge to help that come together. Hell I remember sitting in his shop building the wood block trophies. To characterize the ADB pits as a tightly held compound occupied by elitists is absolute hog wash. Geoff was not like that at all and I certainly had nothing to do with the pit area. Remember I was a guest. My guess is that the person that had a problem with that situation was probably not a confident enough personality to walk up and say hello and it is easier to blame someone else than it is to admit your own shortcomings. Limp wristed handshake? Now there is something that I have never been accused of...
Lastly, I know that many read the things that Mark Firkin writes and probably enjoy his style. That is fine but a good writer does not an honest person make. My family and I opened our home to Mark while he was on holiday in California back in the 90's. I don't remember know if it was a full two weeks but as I recall it was. He used my shop to dismantle bikes he had purchased, ate our food and destroyed my sons bed from his excessive girth during his visit. All of that was forgivable and forgettable. Giving us a credit card that was no good for parts he took from our shop after sucking up our hospitality was a different story. Never making good on the debt to people that were supposed to be friends. That was more than I could forgive or forget.
For him to now warn others away from VINTAGE IRON is simply ridiculous and extremely unethical. One would have to ask themselves why he would go out of his way to do so if he didn't have his own agenda.
Again, I will address whatever problem someone has in this forum or privately provided you don't hide behind a silly CB handle.
I have been up for 16 hours moving and this was the last thing I wanted to do today but our name and the Australian market made it important enough.
Cheers,
Rick Doughty/VINTAGE IRON
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Good to hear from you rick and to hear your side of things as i havnt dealt with you i have
sat back a watched this thread but there is always two sides to the story.
welcome
Anthony Plumbridge
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Nice levelheaded response Rick 8). I hope it allays fears, concerns, etc etc.
I enjoyed your interview 8)
http://www.mccookracing.com/interviews/rickDoughty.htm
and identified with you from been an 'army brat' with the life of Tom Sawyer with mates on an army base and a Dad you could look up to, through to having an AT1 ::) complete with an electric starter ;D, as a first race bike and dealing with Commitees and power junkies with allien agendas ::) ;D.
Having investments I even agree with your observation on the economy and your startergies, I'm doing simlar. Good luck.
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There ya go. Rick has actually made the effort to put his position forward via this forum, which is not bad in my book. I can't comment on other people's dealings with Vintage Iron nor their experiences with the man himself, but from what I've seen he's played a big role in Vintage in the US. And I am impressed he'd go to the effort of responding here and in such a reasonable manner. Clearly he and Firko aren't fond of each other, so I can only ask that they both don't get involved in a slanging match over this.
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Great. With respect Graeme, I will respond and then return to the shed.
Rick and I were indeed good friends and I have positive good memories of my time at his house. I was in awe of his restoration abilities (and still am) and amazing knowledge and love of the sport and was eternally grateful for his kindness and hospitality (still am). I enjoyed his company and that of his lovely wife Karen and his boys. We parted as friends, but unfortunately six years later I was placed in a difficult position by Rick where I was the innocent man in the middle in a business dispute between two friends. On the one side, my dear friend Ray Ryan and VMX magazine and on the other side, my friend Rick Doughty. Being friends with both men put me in an extremely uncomfortable position and when I told Rick that I didn't want to be involved and was not interested in hearing either parties version of the dispute (I also told Ray the very same thing.)he became quite agitated and started acusing me of disloyalty. Ray on the other hand respected my wish to stay right out of it despite offering to give his version of the situation. To this day I have no inkling of what the dispute was about and still don't want to know. Mr Doughty however saw my action as taking sides against him and as they say "the shit then hit the fan".
Remember now that I'd stayed at the Doughty home in 1995 and this situation didn't arise until 1999 or perhaps 2000 (I'm a little shaky on the dates but let's say five years had intervened). During that five year period, not once was the situation of my card supposedly bouncing arise and not once was it mentioned that I'd trashed his sons bed. I would have thought that my "bouncing" card would have become apparent over the following five weeks I travelled in the USA.
Upon my return I sent Ricks lads a couple of books on Austalia and Rick and I continued our friendship by phone and later email as if nothing had occured.
He used my shop to dismantle bikes he had purchased
That didn't happen. Sure I used a small corner to store the packing case for the bare Metisse frame and WP shocksI bought from Vintage Iron and some other minor parts purchased from local Fresno shops. There was no dismantling. I also used his shop to weld up a cracked steering head on his Metisse, help dispatch orders after he fired the warehouse guy while I was there. I also used his shop to help Bill West his shop foreman to finish a Triumph for a customer and help prep Ricks Road racers for a meet in Las Vegas. I also helped him to transport his trucks and equipment from Bakersfield back to Fresno after his roofing business had ended. I was also the only person besides family there to offer support to an obviously upset Rick. He seems to have forgotten those details.
During my time in Fresno I also got to know a good cross section of local racers and it surprised me to find myself in the situation of having to continuously defend Rick to people and couldn't understand why he was so disliked by other bike people. I couldn't see why at the time but after he turned on me it all came into focus.
Now..Maybe I have been a little theatrical in a quest to make a point in my writings about Mr Doughty and he's perfectly within his rights to defend himself. I am however reflecting the many, many situations that have been brought to my attention over the years concerning items not recieved, even items for myself, purchased through a friend took months to arrive and it was not quite what I'd (He'd) ordered. Emails were repeatedly ignored and after two phonecalls at my friends expense (reimbursed by me) a conclusion was arrived at. None of this bitterness would ever happened however if Rick would have accepted my wish for neutrality and his unfairly expecting me to take sides. The shouting me down over the phone and bringing up a supposed credit card debt five years after the fact just added salt to the wounds. If we were really such good friends he would have respected that wish. He may also have forgotten that I didn't write for VMX at the time due to a conflict of interest so I had no bias either way. I just wanted to stay friends with both but he made that impossible. As far as my other points in regard to Mr Doughty, I won't go through each one individually because it only adds fuel to the fire. Let it just be said that I don't back away from any of them.
I'm out of this now. I've made my point and Rick his. If I was the only critic out there, there may be good reason to accuse me of being unreasonable but I'm only one voice in a sea of VI critics as a perusal of American VMX forums will attest to. It's a shame this situation has eventuated but I didn't start it. I genuinely liked, respected and defended Rick until he turned on me. That's the thing that hurts me the most.
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As my dear old mum always says...."If you don't have anything good to say about someone it's best you say nothing at all" as you could find yourself having a babble with your foot in your own mouth... ::)
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I think it's about time to end this one.
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You've got my vote. No more from me. Unloading all of this baggage has sucked the soul out of me.
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i guess i will just have to try again ???