Greg Smith Equipment Sales Certified Nightmare Indianapolis, Indiana
DIRECT LIFTS Now certified? A Certified Nightmare so far!
I read postings on how good their automotive 4 post lifts were supposed to be, so I bought one recently (4 post pro pack 9 plus) and had hidden damage from shipping or other which gouged and scraped it all up (on the top of the main runway) and Greg Smith equipment has advised that when it leaves their store, its mine and not their responsibility (even tho I paid for them to ship it, they choose the shipping, and they havent answered the question of if they check the bottom of the 2500 package at their warehouse before it leaves), They first advised me for two weeks that they were filing a claim with the shipping company and waiting for a response, only to then tell me that it was my problem to file a claim. (shipping company advises they have no record of damage claim from Greg Smith Equip) There are stickers on the box to call immediately if you see damage, but if you cant see it unless you unpack it...............?? But I did call them immediately at the loading dock and advised it had some scratches i could see (not real bad where i COULD see) and advised there was a loose bolt that had fallen out of the packaging.........Greg Smith Equipment assured me to unpack it and if there was a problem to contact them! When I finally got it all unpacked and flipped the runway over it was scraped and gouged from one end to the other along with mild dents. So after two weeks of sending pictures, doing the foot work of getting prices for powder coating, or a suitable textured paint (like the tech recommended), and waiting for a response like I was told by Greg Smith Equip, I get an email from Greg Smith Equipment saying to call and file it myself and they give me the price of replacing the runner (I refused the touch up spray paint since it wouldnt hold up and you would need many, many cans) for me to try and get it from the shipping company.
I also find that the wheels have holes too small for the bolts and you have to spend hours re-drilling out the oblong holes, and the bolts have to be put in just right so as not to bind up the wheels. Then the control motor/unit can only be put on one end (not two like they say in their ad or manual) the safety release lever is hit by the ramp (if you choose the end with the ramps) and you have to cut/notch out the ramp to be able to use the safety lever to lower your car, and/or not risk the ramp weight moving it for you if you reverse the configuration. It also looks like it will have to be anchored, seems it is way too wobbly to feel safe by putting 6 or 7 thousand pds above my head. Especially by designers who cant get the bolts and holes right, or safety catch clearance, and seem to know about it but dont care!? Greg Smith equipment advises that the manufacturer is aware of the problems but havent fixed it yet, I wrote the manufacturer and they wouldnt reply!!! Why would you sell something you have to modify but not tell anyone or fix???? So after 2 weeks and now having to start over, I call again due to my being a bit irritated at this point, and get to speak with Greg Smith himself (which at first I thought was kind of an honor) who was rude and was irritated by me sending an email to his staff indicating that many of my friends looking to buy lifts were disappointed, concerned and wouldnt buy one unless all the issues were resolved on it (there was a group of us interested in buying). He stated that I was spreading rumors and he was not professional as he told me to call back and they would "hold my hand"as I filled out the claim forms if I couldnt do it? He also advised for me to just pack it up and ship it back(Let me just unbolt it all and find a big box and pay shipping again). I tried to explain how his rep had advised me she was filing the claim and taking care of it and had the emails to prove it, yet he had no response and only got more rude when I asked if he was concerned at all, that his staff would mislead the customer and leave them out on their own. I wont go into the rest of it, but it wasnt a professional response like I thought it would be and I had a tough time getting to say anything without being interrupted with an attitude response. I wasn't rude on the phone and I went back and re-read my emails I sent to see if I had sent something vulgar or out right rude threatening some sort of massive attack on his company but didnt find the issue, nor did others. More icing on the cake, is when I went to use the pro jack 4500, the jack wouldnt pump up, fortunately the tech at Greg Smith sent me a replacement (have yet to try it). But looks like a design flaw with the reservoir on the pump.
So now I have a 3600 dollar lift that I had to spend hours modifying to work, thats gouged and scraped with metal shavings that they want me to spray paint to fill the grooves and replace the now missing durable powder coat finish, file my own claim since its not their problem, admit there are issues that they knew about but havent told anyone, and apparently could care less once they sell it.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
JG
Fisherville,Kentucky,
USA
Acurate Complaint but resolved
#4Author of original report
Fri, May 25, 2012
Mr Smith altho in his response out right lied, and when he mentioned setlle it like professionals, makes one laugh considering the way I was treated,but thanks to sites like the rip off report, only then did Greg Smith Equipment decide to do more than offer me a shaker can of touch up paint. They did pay for the repair of the lift finally. And as far as the lift it has worked fine once I got the kinks out as mentioned before. I have no complaints on the product as a whole, just the manner in which i was treated, right down to the phone call i made when I was concerned about the damage when i went to pick it up, and even the forged signature of mine on the receipt stating it was not damaged.
I have no idea who did that. But matter was resolved!
Jim999
Connecticut,United States of America
Consumer seems unreasonable
#4Consumer Comment
Tue, March 22, 2011
A few years ago I purchased two direct lifts from Greg Smith Equipment. The purchase was right when they were changing the design on the wide lift. After spending much time on the Greg Smith website I sort of figured out that the wrong lifts were being shipped to me. I got on the phone with Greg Smith Equip and they confirmed what I thought was true. The two lifts being shipped were too narrow. Greg Smith Equipment IMMEDIATELY INTERCEPTED THE TWO LIFTS IN SHIPPING AND SHIPPED OUT TWO OF THE CORRECT ONES. They even gave me a nice discount. This was service that is unheard of today. To this day I cannot believe the great customer service I have received from them. When you go to the Greg Smith website, EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION IS THERE. THE LIFTS ARE MADE IN CHINA. Try going to BendPaks website and figure out where they are made - guess what? You won't find it. Bendpaks are also made in China but they don't want you to know that. Bendpaks also have a lot of fit problems. Bottomline - Greg Smith Equipment gave me great service and I stand by them 100%. I think you are being very unreasonable. They offered to ship you an entire new rail. Don't bad mouth a company that is willing to give a full refund or ship out a whole new rail. That stuff just doesn't happen today.
Greg Smith Equipment Sales Inc.
Indianapolis,Indiana,
USA
This report is inaccurate
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, November 20, 2009
My name is Greg Smith and I am the owner of Greg Smith Equipment Sales.
Mr. Jeff Gaddie recently bought a Direct Lift ProPark 9 Plus from our company.
Mr. Gaddie has reported that there was freight damage to his lift and Greg Smith Equipment has made every effort to help Mr. Gaddie resolve this unfortunate situation. I spoke to Mr. Gaddie yesterday and he told me that unless we resolved this situation to his satisfaction, he would start "bad mouthing" our company and the Direct Lift product. He listed his numerous credentials as a contributing writer to many magazines and that his influence and expert knowledge in the "car field" would prevent us from selling many of our Direct Lift products. I offered to take the lift back and give him a full refund. We have sold over 50,000 four post Direct Lifts in the last 10 years to 49,999 satisfied customers.
The lift is certified.
The observations and comments made by Mr. Gaddie in his post are not correct. The power unit can be mounted on a column positioned at the left front or the right rear of the lift. I have never had a customer complain about the bolt holes for the wheels. You do not need to cut or notch any metal to assemble the Direct Lift ProPark 9 Plus. The lift does not need to be anchored. The lift is third party certified...enough said. There is a pictorial assembly guide on the Greg Smith web site. http://www.gslift.com/
Mr. Gaddie has posted other derogatory comments on related web sites.
As the owner of this company, I am disappointed that all of our efforts to resolve the freight damage to Mr. Gaddie's lift have not resulted in positive solution. Our company explains thoroughly on our web site about our freight policy. We are still working hard to resolve Mr. Gaddie's freight issues.
We have many emails that confirm how we tried to help Mr. Gaddie with the freight damage claim and also emails that contain Mr. Gaddies veiled threats that if this situation is not resolved, he will start the bad mouthing. When we offered to send Mr. Gaddie the factory paint (authentic ROTARY paint) to fix the scratches.....he told us that was not good enough and wanted us to pay $250 for special paint and $200 for his labor to "touch up" his lift. We then told Mr. Gaddie that we would ship him a new runway (freight prepaid). That proposed resolution was also not acceptable.
Greg Smith and his company have tried to resolve this freight damage issue in a professional manner. I have offered to give Mr. Gaddie a full refund if he was that dissatisfied with his purchase.
However, when Mr. Gaddie starts "blogging" about the shortcomings and faulty workmanship of the Direct Lift ProPark 9, he is inaccurate. Once again, the lift is third party certified. If any the members would like to discuss this issue with me, please free to call. At 60 years old, I still love working 60 hours per week.
Mr. Gaddie, please consider this an open letter to you, so that all the members can view how we respond to our customers issues. The ball is now in your court. What do you want us to do to resolve a situation that will certainly escalate unless we discuss this (openly).like professional gentlemen.and come to a mutually satisfactory resolution. Thanks for reading this. Greg