BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums banner

Disreputable business practice - Fast Attack Motorsports

41K views 193 replies 50 participants last post by  Bmw-m5-2005 
#1 · (Edited)
I highly urge that anyone considering making a purchase with @jcolley at Fast Attack Motorsports, whether it's for S85/S65 parts or the FAMS tune, not purchase anything from him.. at least not until he can prove he's got his **** together.

I placed an order with him mid-December for S85 rod bearings, ARP rod bolts, oil pump chain tensioner, and rod bearing parts swap kit. He's never answered his phone... ever.. and it seems it now just goes straight to voicemail. The only instances of communication I've received from Jim were: an email he answered the same day of purchase and a PM he happened to answer about 4 weeks ago, stating my order would shipping the following week. Other than that, no answer to the multiple emails I've sent looking for an update both before and after that PM, and no answers form his phone.

All I can say is WTF. I didn't expect this type of behavior from someone so highly regarded on this forum. There is ZERO excuse for it. I don't care if your grandma died.. there's no excuse for it. These aren't low dollar items you wouldn't care about if you happened to get screwed. If you have personal issues and you can't fulfill your duties as a business owner, someone else should be there to do it, but the very least amount of courtesy would be to put out a statement that you're having issues.

As a business owner, there is absolutely no excuse for refusing to communicate. If you want to destroy your reputation and your business, the best way to do that would be to take your customers' money, not be able to fulfill their order, and then refuse to communicate with them about it. Nothing will piss off a customer more than lack of communication.

I'm your customer @jcolley. I'm not some f'ing bank you took a $1000 loan from. Reach out to me so we can sort this out, please.

Screenshots below. And yes, I've posted this discussion in a couple parts of this forum because I want it to be seen.



935148


935149


935150


935151
 
See less See more
4
#2 · (Edited)
I highly urge that anyone considering making a purchase with @jcolley at Fast Attack Motorsports, whether it's for S85/S65 parts or the FAMS tune, not purchase anything from him.. at least not until he can prove he's got his **** together.

I placed an order with him mid-December for S85 rod bearings, ARP rod bolts, oil pump chain tensioner, and rod bearing parts swap kit. He's never answered his phone... ever.. and it seems it now just goes straight to voicemail. The only instances of communication I've received from Jim were: an email he answered the same day of purchase and a PM he happened to answer about 4 weeks ago, stating my order would be shipping the following week. Other than that, no answer to the multiple emails I've sent looking for an update both before and after that PM, and no answers form his phone.

All I can say is WTF. I didn't expect this type of behavior from someone so highly regarded on this forum. There is ZERO excuse for it. I don't care if your grandma died.. there's no excuse for it. These aren't low dollar items you wouldn't care about if you happened to get screwed. If you have personal issues and you can't fulfill your duties as a business owner, someone else should be there to do it, but the very least amount of courtesy would be to put out a statement that you're having issues.

As a business owner, there is absolutely no excuse for refusing to communicate. If you want to destroy your reputation and your business, the best way to do that would be to take your customers' money, not be able to fulfill their order, and then refuse to communicate with them about it. Nothing will piss off a customer more than lack of communication.

I'm your customer @jcolley. I'm not some f'ing bank you took a $1000 loan from. Reach out to me so we can sort this out, please.

Screenshots below. And yes, I've posted this discussion in a couple parts of this forum because I want it to be seen.

View attachment 935147

View attachment 935148

View attachment 935149

View attachment 935150

View attachment 935151
 
#167 ·
I’ll tell you I’m scared as hell now too. There is no customer service for that company and I’m starting to regret going in that direction idc how good of a tune it might be. I waited a whole week for a cable lmao and sent in my original ecu data for a stock car and I need to wait for a custom tune? For a stock car? No one has reached out to me even though I have emailed. I should’ve just went with evolve or someone that has customer service. All I get are generic responses such as nak91 said day of purchase and that’s it. None after. Phone doesn’t get picked up. Idk what I got myself into I should’ve listened to this review.
 
#3 ·
That doesn't look good at face value. Hopefully there are some sort of extenuating circumstances explaining it and that everything gets worked out.
 
#4 ·
You know, I would hope so myself.. because I've seen enough evidence that Jim has done good work for many people on this forum. Unfortunately, even extenuating circumstances can't really explain the fact that by the time I got the last response from him, the order was already kind of bordering on being tardy for items that are supposedly in stock. I gave him a break and didn't even bother to send him a message between Dec. 25 and Jan. 5 because no one is around to get any kind of business done during that time period and I'm not going to complain.

What's particularly frustrating for me at the moment is that I have my house for sale and just signed a contract with a realtor. If I happen to close on my house any time soon, I'll likely need to be out within a week. The problem with that is that I've had my car half apart on a lift sitting in my garage for the past two months. If I don't have these parts before the house is sold, I'm going to have flatbed my M5 to a local shop and not only pay for the service, but pay again for the parts I've already purchased from Jim.

I'm also closing in on the 60 day limit for filing a claim for the credit card. Honestly, I just want my parts and I'd prefer to avoid all this, but I'm very close to having no choice.
 
#9 ·
I've also purchased a bearing set (order #838) on August 15, 2019. I was informed bearing set was backordered 3 weeks I was told at the time of order. Comms ceased around the beginning of September. e-mails, IM's and even a paypal dispute claim was filed without any type of response.

Ultimately that's how I managed a refund on Oct 14. Ordered elsewhere and had em within a week, bearings, bolts and all.

While I wouldn't call it outright fraud per se (a purchase contract is entered into between two parties), it leaves a lot to be desired. My only guess would be that the guy is busy, far busier than any human ought to be and that becomes that. I never badmouthed the guy or brought it out into the public arena until now as I think his contribution to this board and community is extreme and I am thankful every search I conduct where I learn something.

With all due respect to him, just wanted to add that
 
  • Like
Reactions: My5beast
#10 ·
@T304 I understand where you're coming from.. and it's also the reason why I've waited this long to post anything about it. You're not the only one who's experienced this either. I've gotten multiple pm's from guys on this forum and some have been far worse examples than either yours or mine. Being busy is one thing, but not communicating that is entirely different.

As a business owner, I know what it's like to be tight on expenses and when customers are breathing down your neck wondering where their product is and you haven't even placed the order for the raw materials because you can't afford it or you're waiting on payment from someone else... It's very stressful.. And your first inclination is not to communicate or answer the phone to avoid the wrath of the customer. The only thing worse than the wrath of your customer, however, is sending them into rage by taking their money and cutting off communication. You can't fix your reputation once that's happened.

I've had enough people pm me about similar issues that I believe that's probably the case here. But how would I know if it's not communicated?

Jim can still be a good guy and not be a responsible business owner. I have former business associates that are great people.. and I really enjoy their company on a personal level.. but they have no business running a company. It's better to tap out and maintain your reputation.. Regroup and live to fight another day. It's better than losing your reputation and not being able to do business later on when you work through your issues.
 
#14 ·
damn, i'm sorry to hear this. i hope you guys find a resolution. over the years @jcolley has had an impeccable reputation and offered a ton of info to the board.

hopefully things work out quickly from here...
This is why I didn't hesitate to order from him. I also had some relatively engaging conversation with him before placing my order. There's a difference between being a bad guy and a bad business owner and I don't equate the two.. I have nothing bad to say about him personally. So, I'm not sure exactly what is going on. I know that a good handful of people have been in the same position as me and have either been refunded or filed a claim through their bank. Unfortunately, I've decided to file a claim today because I can't risk letting it go outside of the 60 day window within the purchase date.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for sharing. 30 days is along time to wait for parts, and anything more than that is even worse. I ordered my BE bearings and bolts from ECS 1.5 years ago. It said clearly that they were back ordered and there were plenty of updates along the way. I got busy with other stuff and then ordered a bunch of other stuff that needed to be done anyways like alternator, starter, water pump, thermostat. Sad to hear but there are definitely a variety of places to get any of these items from, especially if you need to get the car back together.
 
#16 ·
Yeah, I actually went with the ACL bearings because apparently BE is having issues and the ACL bearings are supposedly BE spec and much cheaper. The only thing that was apparently holding my order up 4 weeks ago, when I was last in contact with Jim, was the ARP rod bolts and he said those would ship middle of the following week. A month later, no dice.
 
#18 ·
Yeah, I don't have a digital torque wrench, but I'm not sure it would be a huge issue. I'll do a little research and if the consensus is that it's highly insisted upon using a digital, then I might see if a friend has one I can borrow or I'll maybe find a decent one on Amazon.

Did you replace the plastic oil pump chain tensioner while you were in there? I'm curious how many miles/km you had and what the condition looked like.
 
#20 ·
@pmalik I remember reading something Jim had posted back in September (I think?) about some big changes coming early 2020 regarding FAMS, but he didn't specify further what that actually meant. It would seem logical, though, that if you have a loyal customer base that respects you, you would keep them in the loop about anything that may affect them receiving their order... whether it's supplier issues or financial issues. At least then it would give guys the decision to bear with him and feel secure that they're respected as a customer. Some guys on here are willing to wait months for parts because it's maybe not a pressing issue. Even more likely, I'm sure guys here would be willing to pay for an FAMS tune in advance if for some reason it was supporting Jim while enabling him to release it quicker. Transparency is important when you're running a business.. Even when it's somewhat shameful. On the other end of the spectrum, ghosting your customers is the fastest way to a permanently bad reputation.
 
#27 ·
I agree with your point about transparency with your customers...it goes without saying really. I have a FAMS tune (it's excellent) and I also ordered the full BE rod bearing package (new oil squirters, all the neccessary hardware ect) from Jim. I had similar issues to what you and others have experienced, it was very frustrating but everything did eventually work out in the end (with substantial delays). Jim and a few other members on here are some of the few remaining people with the technical prowess, knowledge, and dedication to the s85 platform. I hope for everyone's sake that everything gets made right with your order. Hang in there.
 
#22 ·
This is an unfortunate issue. I have been one of the fortunate ones and got our items on time. But I also hope Jim is okay and nothing happened to him and his personal life. Hope to hear from him so these issues can be resolved.
 
#23 ·
I ran a one man band business and it can be difficult. Jim may not be the only person working a FAMS but he is the only one I have gotten reply's from. His level of knowledge and passion can not be substituted. I would not say communication has been easy or quick but it has taken place and I am thrilled with his tune. While there is no excuse for lack of communication but in this age it can be a flood that will never end. While I hope it works out in the end Jim is not responsible for your personal issues any more that you are responsible for his.
 
#28 ·
@specialized2010 @Alan Arnesen The issue with the email server is that, firstly, he should have at least one other reliable form of communication. If I leave a message on his phone, it should be returned within a reasonable time. And now, his phone no longer rings, but goes straight to voicemail. And honestly, if you're having that many issues with an email server, use a Gmail account temporarily ffs... It's not an excuse. As I mentioned before, I know the stress associated with running a lean business... especially when you're getting it off the ground. Supplier issues happen. Cash flow issues happen. Issues getting a line of credit with suppliers happen. All of these things and similar things happen and they're frustrating to both you and the customer and they cause delays. I'm empathetic in all those regards because I've been there. Not communicating those issues, however, isn't an option.
 
#29 ·
Don't really have a dog in this fight yet but hoping this all can get corrected some how. We do need reliable and trustworthy vendors we can go to which at times appear to be far and few in this category. Jim always seemed to be an avid aficionado and expert in his craft. Something is way off!
 
#31 ·
@Al59751 I honestly don't care. Charge has already disputed as well.

But, honestly, it's not too much drama.. that's bs. It's important. If even one person had posted on this forum that they had similar issues, then I likely would have played it safe and sourced parts from elsewhere since I'm not in the best position to be waiting months for parts. There are plenty of people on here that have had similar issues, but none of it was brought to light.

So, anyone in the future that may want to purchase from FAMS now has this as a resource to look upon and decide whether they would like to proceed with making a purchase.

With all that being said, I'll reiterate that my esteem of Jim as a person and with regard to his contributions on this forum are totally unrelated to my distaste for his business practices.

I don't really have anything else to say regarding this issue, so I guess everyone can rest in peace that the drama is over.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top