Hi...last week had an opportunity to call the Vintage office and ask about an ID plate for my car...(Thinking out of the box)
I am planning to participate in a rally in Mexico...I wanted to have all the numbers legible for the temporary import permit in to Mexico.
Here is the history...
I am 3rd owner of my yellow spyder and the first owner registered the car in Arizona. Well the Arizona Vehicle office assigned a number to the car, instead of using the "vin" number given by the manufacturer (ACI).
To make things a little complicated....I welded a Boxter roll bar to the chassis and too close to the Arizona aluminum sticker...the aluminum sticker ID flattened out and the numbers are somewhat not clear...
I brought this issue to my Texas vehicle registration office and ask to update the Arizona ID and replace it with the VIN of the ACI ...they went bananas. Texas said that it was an Arizona issue and Arizona said it is a Texas issue because the car in Texas! Good grief for the buro-crasy...
I have to Ask Arizona to provide a record of the registration and present this to the Texas office, etc etc.
Ok...so I wanted to just stamp on an ACI -now Vintage- the Arizona assigned numbers and the ACI reference production Number...for the paperwork for the customs in Mexico.
Sooo, I called Vintage and I got a litany of complaints about the business practices of ACI and that no help was available form his part.
I feel that we are always in a crossroad. In many aspects, some business practices see the customers as a nuisance and not as an asset.
As long as the money is in the bank, for some businessman it translate into earned money and no customer support is available...
It is important to all of us that regardless of the ownership, that the industry should encourage and support fellow members.
I see Vintage as a company that picked up the pieces of a company that failed and made something successful out of it and I congratulate the enterprising spirit of the new owner.
Nevertheless, under the denial that Vintage suffers...they are using the concept, molds and somehow a firm clientele and possible future customers developed by its predecessors and others in the kit industry.
If Vintage feels that ACI was a bad apple, Vintage with their attitude "of it is not my problem"; in time will become a bad apple too.
All I needed was an old stock plate to stamp the VIN numbers given by the manufacturer and the assigned state of Arizona numbers.
Am I the only one witnessing this type of treatment?
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