btw jim congrats on winning best interior thank firmware. u think u would have won it w/o them? with those door panels you set urself apart from EVERY XB THAT WAS TEHRE. also because of those panels u were able to put the subs in in. that again NO BODY ELSE HAD. so yea. congrats to you.

 

Congrats to you indeed Jim.. it looks like you won a laurel and hearty handshake....

 

But even if he did win the award because of the cf door panels, it's still not even worth it going through all of that.

 

You have no idea who that guy is or how many big time Scion rep were there.



Look at those sweet door panels!

 

i still don't know why you are trying to say the same thing. we already established that there product looks good. the problem is the service and how long it takes to from when you pay for the part, then the part goes through R&D without telling us, then taking months to receive parts. Again, parts looks great no doubt, but when you pay for something and are promised then FIRMWARE break promises, that is what he is mad about.

 

^ exactly!

Like I said it's awesome that they offer rare parts, but if it takes forever to get them, and then when you get them they aren't perfect, who cares?

also



it looks to me in this pic that the window button doesnt even fit in there.

 

looks like they just need to be popped in....

 

if you read his long post, you will understand that they simply dont "pop in" in any way, shape, or form. It took considerable effort to get these to work, which I would not consider a replacement door panel.

but as someone posted above, much of what this debate is about, concerns the bad customer service and the consistent lies to potential customers. just because you can get them on the phone whenever you call doesnt mean they answer for everybody. most people have caller ID and screen calls they dont want to answer. in this case, since I know you can get them on the phone, they prob were screening calls for upset customers, which only exacerbated the problem.

 

carlos, i never said thye answered every time i called. although i do talk to them frequently, im actually talkin to mike now.

 

Wow, talk about dying and coming back to a post-Armageddon era, before surgery Firmware was God, now we are the devil trying to get everyone’s money and run away. I will take the chance and be hated even more, but I think that if I don’t come out and say what is on my mind, I will explode, and due to my current health conditions, well lets just say that it isn’t very beneficial for me. So here we go: if Super Mods are allowing this shmuck to go and repeatedly repost his complaints in various threads, I would appreciate that I am allowed the same privilege. Some will criticize me for what I am about to post, but then again, what else can a man loose once you lost it all?

Exactly 1 year ago, October 2005, I was asked by a very good friend if he could use my Scion xB to do a install to represent his audio installation company, I have been into cars my entire life, so I jumped to the chance. One of my buddies at the time, got me a hook up with JBL, so I got the components, and they would do all of the labor. To add to the opportunity I was granted the chance to direct the project. I designed a roll cage, rear amp rack, rear window covers, and being such a audio and bass nut, I decided that a 15” sub would not be enough so I purchased 2 8” subs for the rear doors, and we decided to design what we now call our rear door audio style. Needless to say, we won, but not trophies, we won the love and attention of people, and I started getting requests for roll cages, amp racks, and I made an initial investment to make a dozen amp racks and a dozen roll cages.

When the doors where done, people wanted them, at this point, I was just a computer consultant, car nut, and proud father of a daughter, I did not know much about carbon fiber, but I loved my doors. I saw the opportunity to start a business of something I loved, custom car parts. So I went to a couple of companies, they turned me down to produce these doors, the reason? They did not believe that there would be a market for my dream product. Aeroworks then said yes, I took the orders, I was promised molds, and panels by end of November, I gave deposits, and then I was told that carbon fiber was scarce, and that it would be put on hold until Feb of 2006, then, in December I was told the product could not be produced because Aeroworks was going to start producing hot rod shells.

I gave the deposits I have received for the door panels back, and determined not the give up, I rented a small shop area, I hired 2 people that promised could do the door panels. May came around, we produced prototypes and they where looking good. So I decided at this point to post a group preorder buy for door panels. As you all now, it was a mini success, people wanted them, but one thing after another just kept going wrong, I kept destroying molds because they where not up to what I wanted them to be quality wise, I destroyed door panels left and right, but I knew we could get them right.

Back in May I received a phone call from our super star complainer Jim Maldonado, and usually I can tell you that I can judge people, and something told me that Jim would be a tough cookie to deal with, but I accepted the challenge and took his order. 1 hour and half later he decided that he wanted his door panels in silver carbon, I said no problem. Next day I received and I was on the phone with him for 40 minutes and then he decided that he wanted the door panels in regular black carbon. I don’t mind talking to customers. He asked me then about our program for sponsorships, and I gave him a 50% sponsorship.

Dozens of questions where asked regarding what speakers he should have received. I promised him that he would be the first one to receive a set of door panels. June came and went, and I was not done with his doors, I did send him a picture of the progress of his doors, and he was very pleased. We had problems with the rear molds getting warped. But we sent him the front door panels in carbon with the customizations he requested.

At this point, my health is going down hill, I am in and out of the hospital, Josh calls me and tells me that the front doors had arrived damaged due to shipping. So we asked more than once to Jim to send back the panels, he then said would have his shop paint them and to send the rear ones in fiberglass.

I was admitted in the hospital August 8th this year because a Tomography revealed 3 baseball size shadows in my intestine and my stomach, I was gaining weight at a rapid rate to the point I reached 408 pounds. A 2 hour surgery turned out to be a 6 and half hour surgery where they removed 15 ft of my intestine, and 1 1/3 of my stomach. I had a 10 week recovery.

Needless to say, I was in and out of hospitals, and to this date I am still not 100%. Before going to surgery I called Josh, and asked him to take care of things. Me having no partners or nobody being able to ask to fund financially at firmware, carbon was even harder to come by… and well Josh did what he could, we had a staff of 15 in the shop. And you what they say, when the cats away, the mice will play. Again, Josh did what he could, and tried to keep this boat afloat.

I am now revamping quality, and new molds where made, and I firmly believe that by 3rd week of November the production for the committed parts will be done and fulfilled.

Do I dare to ask you to believe in me? Not a chance. Do I dare to ask you to order parts? Not a chance. Do I worry for all the people that want to side with Jim Maldonado because after getting our products late or not, but received them, and being sponsored and winning the first show he showed his interior he decided to talk all this trash about my company? Not a chance. Time will show who we are. Have we made mistakes? Absolutely. Could we improve in our communication with our potential customers? Absolutely, and that is exactly what I intend to do.

So I wont promise you anything. And I do not intend for you to feel sorry for poor ol Mike… Just want to let you know what happened… and exposing Firmware flaws and what not.

Now, lets get to the bottom to why I think Jim has been doing what he has been doing:

Firmware did one thing wrong, and that was not to deliver his door panels on time. Jim called, harassed Josue, many times, and your little idol, called him an effin Mexican (now Jim, I know you don’t have the ***** to admit what you say) my pour Josue is Salvadorian… so go figure, he called him also a Mother Effer, and for a fact, I know Josue always tried to be as respectful as he could towards Jim, and Jim proceeded to say that his mom was worthless because she did not know how to raise him.

Jim installed his door panels, requested a invoice for double or triple the amount he paid so he could do an insurance claim and get money back. Jim went ahead and showed his xB, where he was supposed to be sponsored by us. The following Monday I received a couple of phone calls from people telling me what Jim was saying in the show, that we where a piece of “s” and that our product was a piece of “s”. Now I called Josue and asked him to call Jim and tell him he no longer was sponsored by us.

I was present when the phone call was made, and Jim answered all joyful, because what do you know, he had won first place in Best Interior. And when Josue told him he no longer was sponsored he tried to raise his voice at him, at this point I told Josue, not to allow that anymore, so yes, Josue raised his tone of voice and simply asked him not to mention anything of Firmware. And over denied that he had said anything negative about Firmware.

Now Jim left a couple of voice mails saying that he was going to run our company down, and that we did not know the power he had in the Scionlife forum.

Do I worry about all of this? Not really, I am fed up with Jim and his complaining.

And to all of you jumping on his bandwagon, I have not taken money from you, nor do I intend to do so until I have parts to ship. Now if you don’t want our products, you are not forced to do so! Don’t buy them.

I rather have customers that are content with their product than customers that are waiting to receive their product just to find a flaw and return it.

Firmware will make it or break it, because of our products . Not by some punk that believes he was done wrong.

I started this company to be innovative, to offer products that where not out there. So hatters, hate on… and for those who support us… welcome to the next level.

So you waited 8 months… good things are worth waiting for.

Attentively

Michael I.

 

But what about the other people who's calls and messages go unanswered?

 

good luck with everything, and as i told you before im with firmware 200%.

 

Exactly jim is not my idol but he's not the only case. I only know of a few people that have products from you. why are there 30 pages of people complaining on the firmware thread?

jim is only one person. Yes we can both say that he handled it the wrong way because he did but i'm just curious about the other people that do not have their products.

additionally why was R&D being done when people were promised their parts. Fitting is not great (which i expect) and things have flaws (which i also expect) but why are people not being able to get a hold of FWW? why are people not being able to know the status of their orders? I have no beef with the company and i would love some of these products but i just am curious to why there are so many problems with something so simple as to keep track of orders.

I guess the biggest problem would seem to be time. Nobody working for FWW has the time to organize the orders and put them out first come first serve. People jumped on this idea, and its a great one, but i believe FWW became swamped. No hard feelings with the company and i. I am very hesitant to order because i do not want to wait 6 months. If i can be re-assured that the products will be here on time then i would order. otherwize i will pass.

*sorry for my rant and if i don't make sense*

 

And who wouldn't act like that after being treated like that for that long?

 

I dont think that you can say that all 30 pages are complaints....

and again... I am back... and I wont come here to promise the sky... the parts will be here when they are... and if people want them.. so be it...

 

again you are not answering the question... why does a customer have to wait 8 months for a product? it shouldn't even take that long at all. you are basically making excuses. ever comment i read, FIRMWARE still hasn't done anything to help customers. all i hear is excuses after excuses. if you can't produce a finished product, don't sell it. AGAIN, WE ARE NOT ANGRY ABOUT THE PRODUCT ITSELF. people are mad because, you guys offered something, made promises that were never taken care of. You guys took deposits, then went into R&D your products. NO ONE was never notified that the product was going to be R&D. you advertised a product and couldn't deliver, take people money and make them wait for months. you expect people to be patient? see, if you ask for a deposit and said that your products will be R&D, i think people wouldn't mine waiting, but you didn't.

 

honestly i think that is a poor way to run a business. you can't say well you ordered them but they'll come when they come. without deadlines people don't know when to expect their parts.

It seems as though the money that you got for the "pre-order" was used to fill existing orders. If not that is the way it seems

 

Things could have been handled different. Definetly... we are here with this situation.

I am not giving up... and parts where not delivered simply because the quality was not there... We dida pre-order... and we have gone way past the time we prmissed... I am not saying its not true...

I am in the position that I cant do anything but sleep and be on the computer... last week I was in the hospital for 48 hours... but I will try to make sure that Josue is answering questions to customers... and expect me to be more often around the forums.

R&D is not your fault... and if its taking us time... well it all depends what you consider that is invoved to produce a part... its not as easy as you might believe

 

in no way am I saying... screw the customer... it will be done when its done.. simply.. what good is it for me to tell you.... 2 weeks!
and then its not there...

like I said in mypost.... I firmly believe that by the 3rd week of Nov... everything should be fullfilled....
so now time is the one that will prove me right or wrong...

of course without customers Firmware will go no where

but in a sense I feel as we are being blamed for taking themoney and running... and that is so not the case.

 

i simpathize with you seeing that everything seem to have hit a ____ hole at the same time but at the same time its your duty as a eutrepunuer (sp?) to keep your customers informed.

I guess i will wait till the 3rd week in Nov to see if everything is back to normal. I wish you the best.