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Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | 59 SportSub - 2021-02-13 11:11 AM It took 23 months (Dec. 2018-Nov. 2020) for the door panels for my '56 Hudson Hornet 2 dr. Back in March 2020 I ordered door panels for my '59 Desoto 4 dr hardtop. Lets see how long it takes this time... I have heard they do great work, but that is a truly frightening turn-around time! Did you have to pester them? | ||
59 SportSub |
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Member Posts: 32 Location: Whitewater, Ca | At first I contacted them every 3-4 months and they would reply "we're checking into it". I then had so much going on I forgot about them. All of a sudden in late Oct. 2020 I got a notice on my card of a charge from SMS, and an email from UPS. 5 days later they showed up. That said, they look amazing! | ||
NicksGarage |
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Expert Posts: 1223 Location: Ramona, CA | 59 SportSub - 2021-02-19 7:38 AM At first I contacted them every 3-4 months and they would reply "we're checking into it". I then had so much going on I forgot about them. All of a sudden in late Oct. 2020 I got a notice on my card of a charge from SMS, and an email from UPS. 5 days later they showed up. That said, they look amazing! I'm surprised they didn't charge your card right away. They charged mine while I was on the phone ordering. | ||
59 SportSub |
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Member Posts: 32 Location: Whitewater, Ca | They took a deposit when I ordered. About 40%. I'm just surprised you got to talk to an actual person! | ||
Myke |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1110 Location: Tulare Ca | Does anyone know whT the wait time approx. is for seat material only? No door panels or covers? | ||
NicksGarage |
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Expert Posts: 1223 Location: Ramona, CA | Myke - 2021-02-23 1:39 PM Does anyone know whT the wait time approx. is for seat material only? No door panels or covers? If you're ordering stock material that they just have to cut and roll up, it takes anywhere from a week to a month. Anything custom, you're going to be waiting a long time. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | ...a long, long time.
I'm going to have to call. Sitting around waiting for it to show up is probably not going to work out very well. | ||
local2Ed |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 580 | The current issue of Hemmings Classic car has a story about SMS but I haven't read it yet. | ||
Myke |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1110 Location: Tulare Ca | NicksGarage - 2021-02-23 1:47 PM Myke - 2021-02-23 1:39 PM Does anyone know whT the wait time approx. is for seat material only? No door panels or covers? If you're ordering stock material that they just have to cut and roll up, it takes anywhere from a week to a month. Anything custom, you're going to be waiting a long time. They *promised* they had it in, in rolls. But im pretty sure ive heard that one before | ||
Charlie8575 |
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Regular Posts: 75 | I called this past week to get an idea of what the upholstery would run for my car. About $3800 shipped. Certainly not the same price for a Chevy! Then again, I won't pass myself at every show, either. Seat covers- I send the old ones for patterns, about 8-10 month turnaround (!) Door panels- 4-6 month turnaround. I don't recall if they wanted the old ones or not. Carpet and headliner are about three weeks. Now I have to find a trim shop around here that can/will actually do it, unless I can find out how. Charlie Larkin | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | They no longer take calls for order status. You have to send an email. I sent an email stating they had estimated my order would be sent to me in December. Kim sent an response quickly. In her response, she said they were waiting to see if I was going to send stainless trim to them to install or if I would install it myself. There is no stainless trim on the 58 Coronet door panels. She said it will be ready at the end of April. I'm not going to hold my breath. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | After ordering a year ago, here's where I rate my chances of getting the door panels: April 0% May 3% December 10% 2022 50% And that's only if I pester them every day! | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Last estimate was September. Uh, I'm losing hope now.
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NicksGarage |
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Expert Posts: 1223 Location: Ramona, CA | Lancer Mike - 2021-11-05 7:54 PM Last estimate was September. Uh, I'm losing hope now.
Threaten them with a BBB complaint. They shipped the balance of my order after I did that. The portion they hadn't shipped was embossed vinyl. | ||
57plymouth |
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Expert Posts: 3577 Location: Blythewood, SC | File a complaint in small claims court. Most companies don't care about BBB since it's just another membership organization. It has no teeth. The courts do. SMS, Mopar Mel, and George Laurie have the worst reputations in the business, but people keep giving them money. I don't understand. | ||
NicksGarage |
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Expert Posts: 1223 Location: Ramona, CA | 57plymouth - 2021-11-07 4:36 AM File a complaint in small claims court. Most companies don't care about BBB since it's just another membership organization. It has no teeth. The courts do. SMS, Mopar Mel, and George Laurie have the worst reputations in the business, but people keep giving them money. I don't understand. SMS has a monopoly on a lot of it, sometimes you have to hold your nose and hope for the best. The other two I wouldn't give a dime to. | ||
hemidenis |
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Expert Posts: 3887 Location: Northen Virginia | They tried that stunt on me once, waited a week and file a complaint with my CC, the owner called me furious... calling me names and stuff, assuring that the pkg was sent and bla bla bla... All BS he never sent anything, got my money back from the CC.. If you order a door panel or something like that, I will suggest you next time to send the money to me instead, at least your money will go to a good cause and helping a FL fellow member to pay his bills. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | The monopoly bit is frustrating. I wish some Chinese company would reverse-engineer SMS's loom and door panel patterns to fire up a small factory using child labor, whipping these things out in two weeks at one quarter the price. SMS would be out of business in about four seconds. Even more frustrating: I think SMS has a decent turn-around with raw materials. I would have rather just ordered the raw materials to have a local shop make the panels. My panels are just flat panels - so the wait time for them to put the material on a flat panel seems extra crazy. The dimensional panels would be a lot more difficult for a local shop to recreate. :bleh: :bleh:
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NicksGarage |
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Expert Posts: 1223 Location: Ramona, CA | Lancer Mike - 2021-11-09 10:12 PM The monopoly bit is frustrating. I wish some Chinese company would reverse-engineer SMS's loom and door panel patterns to fire up a small factory using child labor, whipping these things out in two weeks at one quarter the price. SMS would be out of business in about four seconds. Even more frustrating: I think SMS has a decent turn-around with raw materials. I would have rather just ordered the raw materials to have a local shop make the panels. My panels are just flat panels - so the wait time for them to put the material on a flat panel seems extra crazy. The dimensional panels would be a lot more difficult for a local shop to recreate. :bleh: :bleh:
Their business model seems to be to take your money first. Then ship part of your order (stock material) and then delay delay delay. That way you have hope you're going to get the rest and make it harder for you to cancel as you already have cut material. Of course they may truly have a labor shortage but they should tell people up front a realistic timeframe and not charge your card until they are ready to send. I understand that for custom work they could expect a deposit so that they don't get stuck. The worst part is the constant lying. They told me numerous times it was going to be "two more weeks" or worse when they told me that they were currently working on my material and it would be shipped the next day, which of course was another lie. They will also prioritize some customers over another for the same material. This was the one and only time I'd bought materials from them and yes, I understood what I was going to go through. My friends from Australia actually arranged to go to SMS while they were here and pick up their materials and door panels they had ordered. For that, they actually got them done before they arrived. Unfortunately they made convertible rear panels instead of hardtop ones. But they did make the correct ones and send them in a timely fashion. | ||
hemidenis |
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Expert Posts: 3887 Location: Northen Virginia | I think you guys should explore the idea of having a fiberglass shop molding the door panels, from the originals or some parts cars. Fiberglass it is so malleable and can be modified so easy. Plus it will never warp after the first rubber sealing failure....Then any decent upholstery shop can do the rest... Best of all, once you have one mold, you can make thousand of replicas... | ||
Myke |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1110 Location: Tulare Ca | Lancer Mike - 2021-11-09 10:12 PM The monopoly bit is frustrating. I wish some Chinese company would reverse-engineer SMS's loom and door panel patterns to fire up a small factory using child labor, whipping these things out in two weeks at one quarter the price. SMS would be out of business in about four seconds. Even more frustrating: I think SMS has a decent turn-around with raw materials. I would have rather just ordered the raw materials to have a local shop make the panels. My panels are just flat panels - so the wait time for them to put the material on a flat panel seems extra crazy. The dimensional panels would be a lot more difficult for a local shop to recreate. :bleh: :bleh:
Definitely on the raw materials. Got the 8 yards of material for my 58 Savoy in about 3 weeks. | ||
Myke |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1110 Location: Tulare Ca | Lancer Mike - 2021-11-09 10:12 PM The monopoly bit is frustrating. I wish some Chinese company would reverse-engineer SMS's loom and door panel patterns to fire up a small factory using child labor, whipping these things out in two weeks at one quarter the price. SMS would be out of business in about four seconds. Even more frustrating: I think SMS has a decent turn-around with raw materials. I would have rather just ordered the raw materials to have a local shop make the panels. My panels are just flat panels - so the wait time for them to put the material on a flat panel seems extra crazy. The dimensional panels would be a lot more difficult for a local shop to recreate. :bleh: :bleh:
Definitely on the raw materials. Got the 8 yards of material for my 58 Savoy in about 3 weeks. | ||
LAGTONE420 |
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Member Posts: 26 | SMS did my 1958 fury door panel and they fall apart right away, it is best to just buy the material from them and have somebody else built it... | ||
DonFromTexas |
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Regular Posts: 98 | I did materials from them for two cars, came fairly fast and great quality and price. This last car I just ordered the materials for the door panels and having my upholstery guy do them. I ordered two identical headliners and have been waiting well over a year for them. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Two years since I paid and no door panels yet! If I had to write a review, it would be: darn them SMS bas***ds to hell. | ||
hergfest |
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Regular Posts: 93 | I'm two plus years on a set of door panels for my 1964 Dodge 330 copcar. Which reminds me I should email them again. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Yeah, no reply to my last email. I guess they are still not accepting calls either. Real gem of a business! | ||
Fireflite56 |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 341 Location: Wisconsin | I just finally the rest of my order from ~June 2020. Almost two years to get everything, but I will say that as per usual, I am very happy with the quality of what I (eventually) received. FYI, I have reached people on the phone, but I always dial "1" as if I am placing a new order. That is the only way to speak to someone live without leaving a message. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Well, I placed my order on March 27, 2020. They are no longer responding to my emails. I called my credit card (AmEx) to dispute the charge, but I'm way, way past any help they can give. I am going to send SMS a 30-day notice and demand letter with intent to file charges with the Canby, OR Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office. I'll probably copy the Canby Herald News and the Better Business Bureau to see if I can get these idiots to deliver or send me a full, present-value refund plus interest. These morons are jerks! | ||
PolaraPaul |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 335 Location: California/Wisconsin | SMS had 10 years ago at least a 2-3 year backlog. I can only imagine what it is after their sale a while ago. Two years seems a bit too early to get charges brought. I am amazed. Their communication and time frame is well publicized. Their quality is great and those of us who have received items have been generally quite satisfied. Edited by PolaraPaul 2022-05-10 8:48 AM | ||
NicksGarage |
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Expert Posts: 1223 Location: Ramona, CA | PolaraPaul - 2022-05-10 5:46 AM SMS had 10 years ago at least a 2-3 year backlog. I can only imagine what it is after their sale a while ago. Two years seems a bit too early to get charges brought. I am amazed. Their communication and time frame is well publicized. Their quality is great and those of us who have received items have been generally quite satisfied. Their major failing is the constant lying when you contact them for an update. I threatened them with a BBB complaint and they got the last piece of my order done. I wasn't getting door panels or anything like that. It was just embossed material. And I knew their reputation up front but what are you going to do when they are the only source? I even asked them about their reputation when I called to order and they said those issues were behind them. They lie so easily. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Yeah, I guess I really started to worry / get pissed when they stopped answering my emails. Especially since their answering system tells you to inquire by email. I sent them my most frightening letter and Doug called me back right away. He said call him back later this month and they will get it shipped out in June. I know, I know. I knew the reputation going in, but it all seems so random. At least one person here ordered after I did and recived their goods already. Others have had to wait three years. That ain't no way to run a railroad! | ||
rebel |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 309 Location: Western Colorado | Mike, Have you heard or seen anything from them yet? It took me over 3 years and a trip to Canby to finally get my stuff for the wagon. When I finally did get my door panels, I had to re-make them and add padding to the dimpled areas at the top of the panels. Unfortunately they have a monopoly on our market. Hope your stuff comes correct. Bob | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Nothing yet, Bob. I suspect if you order the full boat with seats, convertible top, door panels, carpets, floor mats, and fuzzy dice - you probably get better treatment. Lord only knows how they keep track of their orders. All that and what showed up on your doorstep was not good! Yikes.
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Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | I received a package today from SMS. 868 days after I ordered it! I haven't opened it yet, but I will post images. | ||
mikes2nd |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 5006 | thats f'ing absurd | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | sad but true: some waited longer than I did. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | Nothing is worth that wait, but the panels are very nice. The box was very well packed - lots of extra / reject vinyl for padding (too bad they didn't include the trimmings from the vinyl they used to make the panels! There are a few minor flaws in the mylar, not that I would ever return them. Not too big of a deal. Interestingly, there is a white or ivory vinyl stripe under the lower mylar, which I don't think I have ever seen on an original door panel, making these door panels tri-tone. It looks great, but I'm not convinced that is completely original in design. I'm just glad to finally have the dang things! (front reduced.jpg) (rear reduced.jpg) Attachments ---------------- front reduced.jpg (248KB - 108 downloads) rear reduced.jpg (221KB - 111 downloads) | ||
big m |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7807 Location: Williams California | Those came out good, Mike. I ordered just the fabric and vinyl for my '59 DeSoto convertible, as the panels and other items can be stitched up by my upholsterer. I've received two out of three rolls of material, the 3rd they said they have to add the pleats to, so I knew it would be a wait. I haven't touched the car in a year and a half anyways, so it's not really a bad deal. ---John | ||
hemidenis |
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Expert Posts: 3887 Location: Northen Virginia | amazing... John remember what happened when SMS said " we are going to make that fabric shortly".... | ||
56D500boy |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 9904 Location: Lower Mainland BC | . I happened to be on holiday on the Oregon coast (Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, etc) this past week and decided to go to the Evergreen Aviation museum that houses the Spruce Goose in McMinnville Oregon on the way home via Portland. That put me in striking distance of SMS Auto Fabrics in Canby Oregon. I contacted Doug late last week and while there were some communication issues (because I didn't want to pay roaming fees for my Canadian cell phone), I was able to just show up today and get 2.5 yds of the 541 fabric I need for my 56 Dodge Custom Royal. Doug and Brandon were great and I am a happy owner of new OE-look repro fabric for my 541 trim code seats. Now I *just* need find somebody local to sew it all up over the winter. Edited by 56D500boy 2022-09-20 12:23 AM | ||
big m |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7807 Location: Williams California | I received my roll of vinyl that I waited on them to add pleats to, and, alas, they used the wrong color vinyl. Guess I should have expected that. Now to get them to remedy the issue. Not sure if they answer e-mails, or if I have to drive up there to do it. ---John | ||
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