Good afternoon, I just wanted to share my recent experience with SoCal Teardrops. Bottom line - officially deemed fraud and I got my money back, but be careful with the company.
I owned a 2016 SCT and Gabe was great to work with. He stood by everything. But my family has recently grown, so I ordered another SCT that is bigger. And even though I'm now living in the Midwest, driving 1,500 miles each way seemed worth it to get the quality SCT product that I had known.
I went through the ordering process, it all went smooth, and I was notified of the finished trailer. 4 weeks later upon my arrival to pick it up, the trailer was clearly inferior to the original product:
1. Frames are no longer powdercoated - they now use rattle cans. There was already exposed metal and rust.
2. Add-ons that were supposed to be welded to the frame are now screwed to the frame (not even bolted).
3. When I showed up, the crew couldn't even get the hatch to shut. They tried to bluff me a couple times that it was latched, but they never did get it.
4. And several other quality issues - If these things are in plain sight, what other surprises would there be? Keep in mind, it had been 4 weeks since they told me it was complete.
When asked about all these issues, the staff on hand directed me to the owner. Coincidentally, the owner was out of state and not available. They eventually got him on the phone where he promised a lot of things and made excuses for others (e.g. the EPA no longer allows powdercoating in CA, or that bolts are stronger than welds). Among the promises, he said he would personally deliver a repaired product to me 1,500 miles away. But none of it was in writing even though I requested it.
After this conversation while still at the shop, the workers spilled a few things to me: First, they are deliberately cutting corners to save money and are not telling the customer/not updating the website or spec sheets. Second, they have already laid off about half of their staff because the business is failing. Third, it was no secret in the shop that they lied to me that the trailer was complete in order to make payroll.
I left without the trailer and drove 1,500 miles back. Obviously upset, my family convinced me to still get the trailer and fix it myself if needed.
I then tried to get everything in writing that was promised, and the company went silent for a bit. I finally got the owner on his cell by calling from a different number. He told me that he would not hand over the trailer in any condition even though I paid for it, much less repair it and deliver it. So, I pulled the plug and filed the fraud case through the credit card. SCT didn't even respond to the credit card company's inquiry.
I grew up about a mile from SCT and wanted to continue supporting my hometown business. But that business has clearly been run into the ground when they resort to fraud like this. My advice - avoid SCT at all costs or pay with a credit card so you'll have some protection.
- Ham
I owned a 2016 SCT and Gabe was great to work with. He stood by everything. But my family has recently grown, so I ordered another SCT that is bigger. And even though I'm now living in the Midwest, driving 1,500 miles each way seemed worth it to get the quality SCT product that I had known.
I went through the ordering process, it all went smooth, and I was notified of the finished trailer. 4 weeks later upon my arrival to pick it up, the trailer was clearly inferior to the original product:
1. Frames are no longer powdercoated - they now use rattle cans. There was already exposed metal and rust.
2. Add-ons that were supposed to be welded to the frame are now screwed to the frame (not even bolted).
3. When I showed up, the crew couldn't even get the hatch to shut. They tried to bluff me a couple times that it was latched, but they never did get it.
4. And several other quality issues - If these things are in plain sight, what other surprises would there be? Keep in mind, it had been 4 weeks since they told me it was complete.
When asked about all these issues, the staff on hand directed me to the owner. Coincidentally, the owner was out of state and not available. They eventually got him on the phone where he promised a lot of things and made excuses for others (e.g. the EPA no longer allows powdercoating in CA, or that bolts are stronger than welds). Among the promises, he said he would personally deliver a repaired product to me 1,500 miles away. But none of it was in writing even though I requested it.
After this conversation while still at the shop, the workers spilled a few things to me: First, they are deliberately cutting corners to save money and are not telling the customer/not updating the website or spec sheets. Second, they have already laid off about half of their staff because the business is failing. Third, it was no secret in the shop that they lied to me that the trailer was complete in order to make payroll.
I left without the trailer and drove 1,500 miles back. Obviously upset, my family convinced me to still get the trailer and fix it myself if needed.
I then tried to get everything in writing that was promised, and the company went silent for a bit. I finally got the owner on his cell by calling from a different number. He told me that he would not hand over the trailer in any condition even though I paid for it, much less repair it and deliver it. So, I pulled the plug and filed the fraud case through the credit card. SCT didn't even respond to the credit card company's inquiry.
I grew up about a mile from SCT and wanted to continue supporting my hometown business. But that business has clearly been run into the ground when they resort to fraud like this. My advice - avoid SCT at all costs or pay with a credit card so you'll have some protection.
- Ham
