Difficulties with ARB dealer..

[PRTaco]

Not sure if this is the right forum...but here goes. Sorry for the long thread but I need to bounce this off of some people who have dealt with aftermarket shops before.

A couple months ago I contacted an ARB dealer in the southeast about getting a rear ARB locker for my 2001 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner (non-TRD and non-elocker). This store is in another state and is around 260 miles round trip from my house. I went to the store, gave them my information, and a deposit of a little less than half the entire amount. The guy at the desk did some typing on his computer after getting my vech info and said "ok, we'll call you when it arrives". I thought it was a little funny that he didn't check out the truck himself (I have come to find out this truck has couple different sized rear diffs) and just did it by his computer.

Part comes in and I arrange to have it put in. I get there early and the guy handling the case gets there same time as me and basically says "we'll take care of it" without even looking in my direction. No questions regarding switch placement on the dash or anything....I asked him point blank "do you need anything from me?". He replied with "nope, we got it". So I go hang out with a friend of mine that lives in this town. Around lunchtime I call back and ask them where they are placing the two switches. Ohhhhhh yeah....So I requested left of the drivers steering wheel if at all feasible. I get a call with the guy in a much better mood, actually calls me mr "prtaco" and is very polite over the phone. I ask him what's the problem? Seems they ordered the wrong rear diff kit and I'll have to come back as the part can't be delivered today.

I get there and hear the story. I ask for an invoice of what exactly was done and basically the guy refuses to give an invoice showing the day's work. His response..."We are working off the origional invoice and don't need to give a new one." What they did do was run the air compressor electrical hoses, mount the compressor, run the switches to the cab, and install the switches. That brings me to another issue: The ARB switches are located on the right hand side, next to the top air vents......FREAKIN SIDEWAYS. How dumb is that to have switches with horizontal writing mounted sideways? Not even that, they put them on the wrong side without calling me and also scratched up the dash putting them in the blank pocket that was previously located there. No mention of getting a discount for their screwup, nor really an apology for having to come back to another state for their work.

So I have to come back and they'll hang onto my parts at the store. I finally get another day off and call back. Seems that the guy I was working with has now been let go and I am dealing with a much nicer fellow. But he says that he usually breaks these vechicles in for an hour at the shop, but since I live about an hour and a half from home that the trip home can be my break-in period. I don't agree with this at all.....The shop needs to do their own work and not have me doing it for them. Mind you this travel is interstate speed the whole way back. If something goes wrong with my rear-end, I'm screwed and on the side of the road.

Am I way off base here or is this typical for repair shops and what would you guys opinion of all this?

It is extremely irritating in that they screwed up some part numbers without checking the truck itself to be sure, installed my switches wrong, scratched my dash, having to miss another day of work, and driving ~ 260 miles round trip once again for this work. And then they offer to get me out an hour early and have me do my own break-in to 'help me out' and get me home earlier. No apology ever and no mention of a discount on the some 2K that I've spent at this shop.

If this is normal, then I'll chalk this up to a learning experience. Its just in that my line of work, crap like this would never be tolerated or excuses made such as 'we ordered the wrong part' simply wouldn't fly. I'm a laid back guy and think I'm getting the shaft for not being a a**hole about all this.

And why is there an advertisement for the new Sierra at the top of the general forum? What's up with that?