I Gave up on Coastaletech today... BAD Service..

Just read the entire thread in one go -- very amusing reading (though not so amusing for the folks who have had some shockingly bad customer service).

It reminds me of the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld all those years ago, except in this case, if you displease the CoastalTech guys, it's "No LockPick for you!"

 

wiiawiwb: Well since I didn't find the forum until AFTER I'd made the purchase...

The really sick thing is that I'm not seeing the refund on my card yet. Usually the "unbilled activity" updates daily, so if they did in fact issue the credit it should have shown up by now.

*Sigh*

 

Maybe I got lucky. I ordered an Ultimate Lockpick in December. It shipped the day after I ordered it. It has worked great. I even got a reply when I sent an email asking a couple of questions that weren't in the manual (that there was in fact no way to supress the "hint" popup on the video).

 

CoastalETech lied to me. They wrote last Sunday (in a rather terse and rude way) that they'd refund me for the part that they forgot to include in my shipment. This of course only after they'd ignored three previous emails once they discovered that I had a problem with my order. They finally responded when I told them that I was going to contact my credit card company and the BBB if they didn't stop ignoring my emails. They responded about 30 minutes later saying that they were refunding my $45 and weren't going to ship me anything else. Fine, whatever. Only problem was they didn't actually credit my card! I waited several days and finally had to start a dispute with my credit card issuer. I think I will file a report with the Better Business Bureau after all. Oh, in case anyone is wondering, as I was, you can dispute part of a charge (as opposed to the entire amount).

It's a real shame that no one else is making a similar product. Their product seems to work, if you can get it.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!

lol

-Tom

 

Mainly because they have unique items.

It's been interesting seeing all the posts like this. My story with them was that I ordered their auto-lock and NAV kit (pre-order there) back in April '05. I got the auto-lock in September '05 and the NAV kit in January '06. I contacted them in July '05 and they were surprised that the auto-lock hadn't shipped yet and they would check on it. After that there was no answer UNTIL I posted my problem on one of the Yahoo groups. Then I got a response (posted via the group) that they had tried to contact me about the backorder, but my spam filter was too high. The auto-lock arrived a week or so later.

In February '06 I ordered the EV mod and it arrived a week later. Go figure. It's been said before, if it's in stock generally it's out quick, but not a word if it's back ordered.

Back in March '05, before I even had a Prius, there was an announcement on the Yahoo site that Coastal's site was down (which it was for a few days). I made a comment that I had once dealt with a company (that made replicas of Sci-Fi props) that took your money before they shipped (not when it shipped) and stalled with excuses until it was too late for you to go to your credit card company. I also said I would reluctant to order until they started shipping. Boy was I blasted!! One accused me of trying to destroy a Mom and Pop store. Another said that I didn't realize, since I was a newbie, that if the Prius Community was a real community, Coastal Dave would be mayor. I even got an angry reply from Coastal Dave himself.

Like I said in the beginning, it's interesting to see posts like this. On the Yahoo site you didn't say anything bad about Coastal Tech (at least at the time).

 

As I have said elsewhere, when I installed my camera lock pick, which was promptly mailed to me, the doors started to lock immediately. The auto door lock module is sensitive to other modifications.

They are still out of backup cameras, so I got a Boyo for half the Coastaletech price. When I emailed them for suggestions about alternate cameras, I got no reply.

I did my own research on the web. It helped to find a posted installation manual, since most internet sellers really know nothing about what they are selling.

 

Very true. I cut the BT speed sensor wire and installed a push-on/push-off button. If the button is in the OFF position, the doors will lock when I power off. If it's in the ON position the auto lock works as it should.

 

what a shame. A company with decent products and they cannot be reccomended because of spotty service.

I would have purchased from them for both my new Prii's too. Auto door locks definitely. maybe other items.

I hope the owner gets a new wife to handle support or a partner to do that!