Ok, Mr. scion sponsors riddle me this and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Since you seem to be knowlegable about Firmware, because Firmware did not have answers when I spoke to them and are now working on damage control to rebut my statements. Thes problems should have been done months ago and not now.

You telling I don't understand when:
1. Firmware calls me on my cell several times + tells me my products are shipping and I don't get them.
2. Asked Firmware to tell me the truth about my product, so I dont get upset. Which they never did.
2. Firmware tells me that my parts are made + just waiting for carbon fiber. So I ask them to send me them without the carbon fiber and don't get the fiberglass parts for several weeks.
3. Never return the money due to me for 1 1/2 months. Only after I curse /threaten them to follow up + get me my money and my invoice. (Which I am still waiting for an invoice).
4 Promise me a check in 3 days and to send overnite and never receive it.
5. Firmware calls me tell me they did not have the money and they will send it in 2 days via overnight mail. Yeh, I finally got it this week , but it was sent 2 days mail.

What was the excuses for lying to me for 4 months. NONE! Unexcepatable as I was asking them to be up front with me all the long. A person can only take so much BS and I won't not wish this nightmare on another customer. This has nothing to do with patience. It's called honesty + integrity + 100% Customer service.

Note:
Firmware only has time to quickly PM people + them to tell them to stop saying negative things and not answer there regular/potental customer ASAP. If you have a problem with your product, delivery or due a refund don't hold your breath.

 

With this all said, I think it is clear that from this point forward, you would have to be a total moron to give this comapny a single dime. Not at least until all the people who have been suckered into waiting 5mos or more receive their items. Once there is a mold made (which is supposed to already exist?!?!?), splashing a fiberglass door panel off the mold is the easy part. They should be able to pull several sets a day in FG off just one mold (well, 4 molds, one for each door).

Someone is lying and I don't think it's the customers this go'round.

What I would suggest to anyone who is just desperate to throw away their money with this company, put the funds in ESCROW. They will be notified the money is there and waiting for them, BUT they can not touch it until you say they have fulfilled their end of the bargain.

Just like in home repairs and most everything else - only a fool pays up front for something that doesn't even exist yet. If they can't afford to provide the upfront capitol to produce the parts, they shouldn't even be in business. That's not how it works in the real corporate world.

 

It seems like the only time FWW picks up their phone only when sponsored buyers call. What about the customers? Are they screening calls. I have read through some of the group buy thread and what a mess. Someone needs to link the Group Buy thread to this one so. Everyone that has ordered can chime in with their 2 cents.

Only sponsored people are supporting FWW. HMMMMM

I have personally never purchased anything from them but they sure do look nice. However it sounds like fitment is terrible.

 

for the recod, only cmec and i are sponsored by FWW on the east coast. and we are stickin up for them NOT BECAUSE WE ARE SPONSORED, but because we know the truth behind everything, as does DONSCION who is not sponsored by FWW (to my knowledge). so to say somethin like that is rediculous.

if only you all knew what is really happening here. so many of you are quick to jump on the band wagon with Jimxb w.o knowing both sides of the story.

 

i mean i have to stick up for firmware...nor am i sponsored nor am i a groupie supporting the company just for the fun of it...i have recieved great service from Josue. I mean yes i did have a preorder and yeah sometimes i did not recieve a response the second i sent a pm or call, but he called me back and responded to all my questions. You dont go places accusing people or name calling thats for sure but i mean i know unexpected situations can arrise and could set things back and he has stated these things. The carbon fiber shortage/having some quality control problems/ things arent fitting right. Thats more reasons for the delays. I am happy enough to wait i want to support his company even with all you nay sayers. I dont feel as if i threw away my money i mean he pulled through for me with the gauge cluster it looks great i know i had it in my hands and it just happened the clips were a cm/inch off i mean its possible. He is now taking that back to the drawing board and making a new mold to get this problem fixed i mean what else do you want him to do ? Sell something that wont fit and get even more complaints from people who dont even have the parts yet???? now how does that make sense... well it doesnt make sense to me...

i doubt he is avoiding customers. Sponsors or no sponsors we are all customers and i mean yeah i send him a pm once in a while to check in with my order but im not going to dog him and expect the greatest customer service.. I treat him with respect and i do get that respect back with a response in a timely manner.

 

so lets say I did put my order for $1000+ for 4 doors and hatch piece when I bought my xB back in August... I would be ____ED if I still hadnt got my stuff!!!

Would you not be ____ed?

 

So, then as a partially sponsored person.
A. I got the partial truth from Firmware, as they were never up front with me
B. Partial customer service
C, Partial immediate attention to my messages
D. Got only 2 front doors partially shipped the 1st time,
C. Only got partial attention to my order when they shipped me the wrong 2 rear doors on the next shipment 2 weeks later.
E. Used partially some of my credit refund, to buy supplies/payroll and could not send me a refund due on the date as promised because they did not have the funds.
F. Partially forgot to send me an invoice that I had requested several times and still waiting.

 

so he took the 1000+ before he had the items made? or he said the items where ready and took the money and did not deliever? Josue called me up when my item was ready i then payed him and then i recieved it... and he has stated he does not like to take the money unless the product is ready to ship unless this is some other situation but that was my experience and it was good

 

all i know is this:

people advocating FWW = 4
people disapointed = at least 30.

i wont be buying from them. i'll make my own

 

I'm a customer as u guys are and i went through issues contacting josue before and still... i've only gotten to kno firmware more since i helped test fit products for him and tried to help them as much as i can in taking pictures and hopefully working on there site more. Mike went through a really rough time and in the tc thread josue did disclose the condition in the hospital that mike went through.. i was with josue while mike was away in surgery and its really tough trying to satisfy all of his customers alone. Josue doesn't take money unless you are goin to recieve your product.. i understand there has been misscommunication due to that Mike mainly handles the issues with the R&D part of the company but since Mike was out of the picture for a long while and still was in recovery, Josue had to juggle everything around. And yes they of course have molds.. look at all the pictures i've taken with there clusters those all had to be done in a mold.... i kno there needed to be more r&d that why they test fitted them on my car. I still stand with firmware.

I know josue is starting to get irrated about people bad mouthing them.. but he has kept his kool for this long.. and he does understand that he has kept u guys waiting but its been the issues with the CF shortage and with R&D since mike barely got back into the company, now they can get the ball rolling on production.

JIMXB can u post pics of ur doors pls because from what i kno the pics i took of the xb doors were yours.. they are the first production models and to me they looked great.. especially for the price u paid WOW.. i would of loved $300 cf doors lol..

Remember Firmware is the only company producing these parts and still no other company has steped up to try to accomplish what firmware has done.. I understand that the wait has been long and everyone even me has been having issues contacting them.. I started off as a customer and after meeting them and talking to them.. i understand what they've been going through and the issues with R&D.

I'm still trying to contact Josue about these issues but i fully understand how busy he is and how hard it is trying to get us what we want.. I'm just happy that firmware is still strong enough not to give up on us due to unhappy customers.. because after everything is normalized and the ball gets rolling.. we all will still be buying there parts.

 

OK well here is something worth writing, maybe if this post was written and people knew what ,when and why they would be more patient and understanding. BUT it still doesn't excuse the fact they promised a product that was still in development. When Mike fell ill everything should have been stopped an anouchment should have been made and then people should have had the option to back knowing that the time table was greatly extended, I mean how hard is that? Production time is not time for R&D, when you post a group buy that means you are ready to sell not that people are going to be test fitters and then work out the headaches later. Again while this post says more than anything any one defending them has says it still says you own a tC and are sponsored, which again seems to be the magic combination for sticking up for them.

 

^^ yeah i agree production time is not time for R&D. even though it wasnt something done on purpose...hopefully

 

All I have to say is, I was pulled over by them and offered a sponsorship. Card given to me and ask to call them. No one picks up the phone and no replys from my e:mails.

 

You still don't get it!

The partial reason this all started is that, they were never truthful to me from day one as being partially sponsor or 99% of the customers

I asked them to be up front with me + they failed. Causing me and others delays on projects for their cars during the height of show season and they were alway advised of this. They thought of no one but themselves, trying to get orders for products they never had complete.

Why was Firmware so decentful? What were they hiding or didn't want the public to know. I am a very understanding person and I know that everyone wanting to get the product would have understood and taken 2 steps back. Honesty is always the best policy and all they were doing was blowing smoke in everybodies face. Firmware created this monster problem.

Yeh, things might be getting slightly better now, but they jerked everybody for months and the damage is done. You cant' expect people to respect Firmware after you read all the negative blogs, which out number the positve from the past. The positive blogs are always from the same 5 people vs the 100's disgrunted people. The sad history is etched in stone in all off the Firmware topics. And you still say nobody should be upset???.

 

well don't matter if "mike" was is the hospital or not. they didn't notify any one delays or anything. just ignored the customers. They posted something and people PREORDERED and they said products should be out at THIS TIME. why should there be R&D when they state a product is going to be released already??? so they are going to send us 5-10 gauges hoping 1 fits correctly? why sell something if its not even working yet? they never told us anything about R&D. they didn't want to because they want money first.

 

^^^ Hes 100% right. This supplier didnt mention R&D becuase they were hoping to pull a rabbit out of a hat and have everything run smoothly. Thats why they took money prior to making the product. Thats why they didnt return phone calls, IMs, PMs, and Emails. They put all their eggs in one basket and the basket broke. Josue and Mike may have had the best intentions when they started, but apparently Mike became very ill.

IMO .... once this happened EVERY customer should have been made aware and given the option of a full refund OR have the option to wait and ride it out.

IMO ... These guys should have never been allowed to sollicate money for a product that hadnt even reached R&D. Sponsored sales are just that, sales on product already made and working ... not pipe dreams with a hope and a prayer.

BTW .... i know Jim personally, and hes a good guy in my book. Both him and his wife are quite pleasant to hang out with and help pass away a long car show day. I also know that he is truthful in what he says, and isnt one to spin tall tails just cause he can. Hes too old for that sh*t. LOL

 

From the looks of it firmware is crap.

So what they make fancy CF parts that nowone else does, it doesn't matter if nowone can ever get them. If you are going to hype up a high demand you better be able to supply.

Might as well be an ebay seller.For christ sakes the website doesnt even work.

The saddest part of this all is that this company had great potential to actually make buttloads of money.

I wouldnt count on that now, especially if everyone gets ahold of this thread.

And to think, I thought firmware was awesome from the fancy pictures. Turns out it's jsut another milk machine with empty promises.

 

TOPSHELFCUSTOMS. THEY WILL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT IN CARBON. Screw these armature losers with no knowledge in how to treat or keep a customer

 

Well acutally, it's "screw this amateur loser", apparently.
I said something about how "they" should keep track of their stuff and customers, and someone who supports Firmware made kinda a big deal out of it, saying that it's just one person. Like that makes it any better anyways.

 

Here is a recent post 10/23/06 from a potential customer, who has been PM-ing Firmware. They still have not change their bad habits, since my 10/16/06 public post complaint about their company as a partially sponsored customer. Do you think they care? I don't think so.

Good Luck! If you ever have a problem with your part/shipment or have a question for your install. As you see they still don't respond to customers. Making money to sell the few present parts that they have made, is more crucial to them than customer service + reputation. You can not hide all past complaints about Firmware from the many people on Scion life and note it is always the same 3 or 4 people always sticking up for Firmware. Firmware is running with it's tail between its legs and does not have a valid excuse nor can it be condoned for what they have done. Don't pick your poison?

10/23/03 posting:
No PM back? I just get ingnored? Stop worrying about pushing out more stuff to new customers, and look into getting the old customers their stuff first. 3.5 hours till I make that call. Still waiting...