Community Support, AA Customer Service Black Hole Options

[AMac]

I never do this. I never take the time to complete online customer surveys, provide feedback, complain, write to share my experience with others. Last week I had an exchange with Auto Atlanta I feel compelled to share. No one in the 914 community should have to experience what I have over the past month. Of course it was my fault...
The story is simple. I placed an order. Shipment (envelope) arrived with an incorrect item. It was my fault. Zero follow through from AA.
Details: I placed an order over the phone. Four decals, final items in the completion of a 1975 2.0l restoration to original specs. I provided the part numbers I had pulled from the AA web site. I wasn't 100% sure where two of the decals should be placed and was assured by the gentleman on the phone (first name starting with an A) that a diagram/description of the locations would be included with the order.
My credit card number was provided and was promised a detailed invoice copy would be sent to me by email prior to shipping from AA.
A few days passed. No email, no copy of an invoice. I called and requested a copy and was told it had been sent. I had no issue with that, email can get lost (it was not in my junk folder) and requested AA send again. A few days passed and nothing. I made a second request and was told I must be having email trouble. A few days later the envelope arrived. Enclosed were four decals, no invoice copy, no instructions/guide or basic notes as promised at time of order about the correct locations for the decals.. Three of the four decals were correct, the fourth was the engine decal for a 1976 model - not the part number I had ordered.
The next day I called AA and spoke to the gentleman who had taken the original order. I explained the situation, incorrect decal, no instructions, still no invoice and was told, "I don't know these cars, I only know 911's. I asked the owner about it and he told me that was the correct decal". Keep in mind I am still patient, polite, looking for a solution - not a big deal, easy to solve - the shipment was an envelope! I restated that we had the original decal from the 2.0l motor - worn, ripped - and it was very different from the yellow decal sent to me. I was told, "I will get the owner" and was put on hold.
"Hello, what is it", I heard. "Hello", I said, "my name is..." and I proceeded to tell him the events of the past 10 days - no invoice, incorrect decal etc. essentially repeating myself. "Are you George" I asked. "Yes" was the reply. "That's the correct decal you have, Ill send you a picture. I insisted it was not. "When was your car manufactured?" he asked. "August 74" I said. "Oh, you have an early 75, that has a different decal and we don't have those. If you want I can send one to the print shop, it will cost you $200 for the mold and then you can have one". I said, 'that would be nice but out of my budget. Was there something else we could do?" George said, "well we have the 1.8l decals, I could send you one of those". I said, "that would be great, it is the original look I want and the 1.8 is same size, location, colors on engine so close enough. Thank you that would be great". "Ok", he said, "Ill get one out to you".
"Thank you" I said, and added, "would you please check again and be sure to send me a copy of the original invoice as I still do not have a copy of what I spent but I can see the charge on my online credit card statement." "Yes" he said, "Ill check on that.."
That was a week ago.
Days passed and no email, no invoice, no follow up. On Friday last week, the 15th, I received an email from AA. It was notice of a shipment that required payment before it would be released. That was odd I thought, I didn't place an order for anything other than the decals three weeks back. I also thought it was odd that I was receiving email from AA after being told many times that the original invoice had been sent to me multiple times and it must be an issue on my end - I have yet to receive a copy of the invoice.
I read the email asking for money, confused I called AA and spoke with the gentleman this all started with. I explained the email I had received that morning and asked if it was connected to the request for the invoice from the original order. "No", I was told. "The email is asking for your credit card so we can ship you the decal you asked for."
I said, "the decal I asked for, do you mean the replacement for the one that was sent in error in the original envelope?" "Yes" was the response". I said, "but I spoke to George about this last week, he told me the decal sent on the original order was incorrect for the car and he would send me one that would look closer to the original in appearance, the 1.8 decal." "Yes, thats right", he said, "but you have to pay for it. But if you send us back the one we sent you we will credit your credit card." I said, "all this for a $12 decal that AA shipped in error? I still don't have an invoice, I did not receive the promised notes about correct positioning, multiple calls and email, a promise from George that he would send me a replacement and now you want to charge my credit card before you will put the correct decal in an envelope and mail it?"
He said, "yes, if you want the decal you will have to send us the one you have". I said, "I have no issue doing that but it feels like this is my fault, you are now delaying the completion of this project and have not followed through on simple requests I have made politely multiple times. Would you consider this responsible customer service?" He said, "if you want it that's what has to happen?"
I said, "Before I called you a month ago I hesitated, I had heard about the AA reputation among the 914 community, the less than stellar service record, the many people who I read about saying they would never deal with you. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, that things are not always that way and they just had one of those bad experiences. Well, now I know. I have learned the hard way that your reputation is in fact reality. I have worked on 914's for twenty plus years. In that time I have used companies like Pelican Parts and 914Rubber. Those companies go out of their way to solve customer challenges, they respond honestly, in a timely fashion always with the attitude that the customer comes first. This has not been my experience with you. I am sorry I ever made the call to your office. This has been an awful unfortunate experience for me."
There was an email exchange, I was told "we went out of our way to send you pictures of where the decals were placed on the engine" - which was true but that was when George was figuring out what should have been sent as the correct decal. But I guess it was my fault all along.
I wish them the best.
Andrew