Complaint Review: National Automotive Industrial Supply

If you are a shop owner or manager I am sure you have received this phone call at one point in your career, "Do you still have your brake lathe in the shop?" Then when you tell them you don't need anything for your machine they push it one more time before starting to pitch another product. 

If you haven't fallen victim to this scam yet, and you are reading this, than BEWARE! Everything on the phone sounds like a good deal. I mean gee...$80 dollars or so for an electrical repair center by 3M Company?! Unbelievable!! The reason why it's unbelievable is because its a lie. It is a package of cheap products purchased at a discount automotive store for a total of less than $30, than marked up four times and shipped out to you C.O.D.. Only to have you disappointed when you open the package. Then you are stuck with two options, keep the product and lose your money, or keep the product and put a stop payment on the check. It will still cost you whatever your bank charges to stop payment on a check.

And what about those tips for your brake lathe? Are they really the latest and greatest thing from the manufacturer? The easiest way out of this phone call is to simply hang up, but if you feel compelled to speak than ask them to fax you some documentation. Ask for something in writing...than hang up. Either way, you buy what you need from the parts store or a local vendor. Their prices are generally not that much higher than direct purchase from the manufacturer.

 But listen to one of these calls one day and pick those people apart, because none of them really know what they're talking about. Most have never even seen a brake lathe. One thing National sales people will say is, "poly-carbon alloy tip". First, there is no such thing as a poly carbon alloy tip. Look it up, Google, Bing, Yahoo...whatever search engine you use...there simply is NO SUCH THING. It sure sounds good though doesn't it? A poly-carbon alloy tip. National uses the same pitch for every brake lathe brand name. 90% of mechanics have an Ammco brake lathe, so they start out with, Hey, Joe, I'm calling about your Ammco brake lathe, do you still have that in the shop? If you say no, and state the name of another lathe than they will switch to that manufacturer and use the same pitch. Or if you say you don't have a break lathe they will switch to

Its cheap crap, definitely false advertising. From what I've heard on the phone most are aware of the scam and just hang up. Most will never buy anything again if they remember the name, but they wait a year before trying to call you back to sell you the same thing at a different price. They hope that you don't remember the name. It's an impulse buy, so if you have the impulse....buy smart. Look at it before you pay for it.