My Bernbaum Rant

[1940Mopar]

Tom,

Since you've had such great success with AB maybe you can order my parts for me. Just Kidding..... wouldn't want to give him any of my hard earned money. But it is good to know that someone can get some service from him.

[Don Coatney]

. Friendly, life's too short to fight, F. Frank

Frank;

You really said a mouthful there!

Intimidation is what I do, just by walking down the street.

Omari;

All this time I thought I was the master of intimidation:D I must admit I was not intimidated by you when I saw you walking down the street:D You are in danger of discriminating against the small guys here:D You might want to retain Lou Earl our inhouse counsil. He can and will advise you on a good direction to go with your project car...

The Bible tells us to go to our brother and try to settle our differences with him.

Tom;

This is hardly the place for you to post this but as you did I must ask, is this trane of thought a one way street?

[Captain Neon]

I too do not see any thing wrong with notifying people of a troublesome business. Once you have tried to rectify a problem with the business or individual directly and they blow you off, and then when you try to get an intermediary and there is still no resolution, then they are fair game for public criticism. The person or business taken to task may not like being exposed, but it is warranted and it is the right thing to do. Think of it as standing in the middle of the road waving one's arms and yelling to warn fellow travelers that the bridge is out. I think it wrong to not warn people of potential problems and other's bad experiences.

[David Maxwell]

Just the same, if there are good things to be said, they should definitely be heard as well. I don't want to lead any lynching mobs, just sharing my experience is all.

I too do not see any thing wrong with notifying people of a troublesome business. Once you have tried to rectify a problem with the business or individual directly and they blow you off, and then when you try to get an intermediary and there is still no resolution, then they are fair game for public criticism. The person or business taken to task may not like being exposed, but it is warranted and it is the right thing to do. Think of it as standing in the middle of the road waving one's arms and yelling to warn fellow travelers that the bridge is out. I think it wrong to not warn people of potential problems and other's bad experiences.

[Guest rockabillybassman]

I think we should CLOSE this thread before religion becomes a wedge to split us. Religion and politics have NO PLACE ON ANY FORUM, unless it be a forum specifically for those subjects.

Apart from that, we've said all that needs to be said about AB, and I'm sure we will all deal with it in our own way.

[wallytoo]

i've never dealt with bernbaum's, so i have no opinion on him. however, i have had many transactions with robert's, and i've been happy. i've placed at least a half-dozen orders with them, dating back to the late 1980's. i don't want to jinx myself, but the order has always been correct, including the recent four or five orders over the last 5 months. plus, the shipping is lightning fast, by regular ups ground. it helps that i live in central nh, so usually if i call one day, the parts are in my driveway the next afternoon. no complaints.

[Normspeed]

Wally, maybe he treats local customes better. California is too far a trip for me to stop in and bop him on the schnozz...Just kidding!

It always amazes me how the members of this forum can carry on a discussion like this with so little animosity, even when hot button issues like religion are interjected. Just another reason this is the best forum on the web.

[wallytoo]

Wally, maybe he treats local customes better.

could be, norm, could be. really, though, as long as they (robert's) continue to treat me right, they'll have a customer.

religion? what's that?

wally

[Young Ed]

There are a few parts on my cars from Andy and my Dads convert has lots and lots of stuff from him. He sent us the wrong springs for dads 40 pickup and we got the return shipping credited to us against the next order. Had a few minor messups with Roberts too but they also got resolved.

[daddyo23]

After reading all this, maybe I'll flip a coin on who to order my weatherstripping and window channels from. I heard about some company in the Twin Cities but I can't recall the name. Maybe we'll try Roberts, but, my local guru uses AB with no problems. Maybe it just depends on which side of the bed everybody got up on that day:confused:

Wayne P.

[Young Ed]

Wayne without a doubt shell out the cash for rubber from lynn steele. Of all the parts we used from andy on dads convert the rubber stuff is still sitting on the shelf.

[Normspeed]

I've heard recommendations for Ply-Do but haven't bought from them. Kanter in NJ is another large supplier.

The links section on this forum has some good leads. If you haven't tried it, go to the top of the home page and click on the link for return to p15-d24.com. On the next page click on links and scroll down for a bunch of specialty suppliers.

[daddyo23]

Thanks Ed and Normspeed. That's probably what I'll do. I followed the link and looked around abit. Kinda hard to follow the logic they use to list things.

Wayne P.

[RALPHDEI]

I love this conversation because I love bashing this no good rotten SOB, he's a crook in plain english, and I challange him to defend himself, but he has nothing hanging between his legs so he won't.

[John Mulders]

and maybe Andy also reads these threads and remembers your name when you call !

John

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have never dealt with AB, nor Roberts. I have dealt with a couple other suppliers with good results and bad results. I cannot explain why one goes well and not the other. Because of that I will not call name on the forum. I only hope that some of the suppliers check out these forums..a happy customer is a repeat customer...as children we quickly associate pain with the word hot and draw away when we later hear the word. It is to their advantage to see that deals are quick and efficient..customer is happy for word of mouth in this old car buiness is by far the better advertisement for the little effort one "should" put in to seeing deals are done correct. I bought a project car and it came with about 3500.00 worth of NIB parts...the majority had AB's invoice...and there were other fantastic items from other dealers that have beeen discussed here. I have never in my life had a problem paying for goods and services when the goods and service were delivered as agreed. But like most folks, the hair on my back stands up should I smell a rat or get slighted in any manner after the seller takes my money. That is why I like the junkyards and swap meets..Ihave the item in my hand and see its worth immediately..negotiate a price and leave happy.

[62rebelP23]

off topic from Andy Bernbaum slightly, but topical nonetheless:

years ago when i was restoring British cars i apprenticed with a well known and experienced guy i met when i was looking for parts. on first meeting him i took him to be a complete a-hole, and it took some time to get used to his attitude. once i was working with him, he was a patient and thorough instructor, but he could be short with customers who wasted his time with what he considered foolish questions. i THINK he assumed the customer should know their car better, and looking back on it that may be the case.

to this day i TRY not to eliminate potential help by judging their attitude on the phone, but we're human and some folks are plain touchy all the time!

[David Maxwell]

No, the rudeness and poor service came first from Andy about a week before I joined this forum (over 8 years ago). Since then, each person that has relayed a horror story to me personally is not even online.

But hey, I will say this for Andy; When others just talked about supplying parts for old Plymouths, he actually did it. Rude or not, we would not be able to have this conversation were it not for the likes of him. I know what it's like to come up with something for the hobby and people are disgruntled because of the price you charge or the delays involved. They tend not to understand the difficulties and costs on your end. So maybe that's where his attitude comes from. Just the same, I think I've managed to maintain my civility. To help maintain my civility, I no longer deal with him. LOL!

and maybe Andy also reads these threads and remembers your name when you call !

John

[Norm's Coupe]

I've read just about every post in this thread, plus countless others in the past forum treads concerning the same things and suppliers. I'm sure some people have had good luck buying from those suppliers and others have had nightmares when they bought from them. No supplier is going to do everything right every time. If he's been in business long enough, I'm sure he's going to have some unhappy customers along the way.

That said, there is a way for each individual to check out a supplier without asking others opinions. Simply don't place a large order with a supplier the first few times around. Place several small orders first. If you get good service and quality merchandise on a small order, nine times out of ten, you'll get that same service and quality on the larger orders you place later. If you get bad service and quality, simply stop ordering from them.

In addition to the above, keep in mind everyone has a different view of what is good service and or quality of the items purchased. So..........what one feels is bad attitude, service and quality, another may think it's great or at least alright. That said, I threw out my AB catalog years ago and don't want another one, but that's me, not anyone else.

In short, if you don't like that supplier, there's lots more out there if you just look for them.

[RALPHDEI]

The old timers on this site remember me (RJD) ranting about AB 7-8 years ago because of the rubber he sold me that would not accomidate oe glass, I can deal with a faulty product but when a vendor refuses to admit there's a problem and will not make good the $350. and has an attitude to boot it pissed me off big time, and I will continue to knock him, his attitude, and products, until I'm taking a dirt nap at the VA cemetary. Hopefully some day he will confront me with my problem and act as a respectable vendor would. until then he will eternally be Andy BernBum

[Rodney Bullock]

I've heard recommendations for Ply-Do but haven't bought from them. Kanter in NJ is another large supplier.

The links section on this forum has some good leads. If you haven't tried it, go to the top of the home page and click on the link for return to p15-d24.com. On the next page click on links and scroll down for a bunch of specialty suppliers.

Believe it or not the best suppier for rubber and window channel is Restoration specialty....I have used them many times and they just dont cut to lenth they give you all you need.

[Rodney Bullock]

The old timers on this site remember me (RJD) ranting about AB 7-8 years ago because of the rubber he sold me that would not accomidate oe glass, I can deal with a faulty product but when a vendor refuses to admit there's a problem and will not make good the $350. and has an attitude to boot it pissed me off big time, and I will continue to knock him, his attitude, and products, until I'm taking a dirt nap at the VA cemetary. Hopefully some day he will confront me with my problem and act as a respectable vendor would. until then he will eternally be Andy BernBum

I remmber the bad batch of rubber that he got, It was 8-9 years ago. Now look at it. That was winshield rubber It did not quite fit right. We put it in hot soapy water and let it soak, I remember this well, we then installed the glass in it and then installed it in to the window frame. Sometimes you have to work with rubber to get it to work, AB did not make the mold that made the rubber. I also got some vent window rubber from AB, I could not get it to work right took it to a guy I knew he did almost the same thing soap it up and washed it, It seemed to expand it by the time it contracted it was installed and looking pretty good and still does, not passing judgement just a thought. I am not a pro at this, I have a few cars however there is a PROCEDURE, do all of us know it I don't know can we learn it YES! keep your head up!

[Norm's Coupe]

Rodney,

I also bought vent wing rubber and a gas filler tube grommet from AB back in the 90's. Had no problem installing either at the time like RJD did. However, the grommet I got from AB was not very good quality, both due to the mold used for it and the quality of the rubber itself. Had a small flat spot in the outside edge. Both pieces were hard rubber also and not easily worked with.

As mentioned, the vent window rubber did fit for me. However, it and the gas filler grommet are already starting to dry out. So much so that the gas filler grommet has cracks in it and the vent wing rubber has shrunk. Now, I could see that happening if the car sat in the sun a lot, but it doesn't.

On the other hand, I've ordered rubber parts from Steele Rubber and they are nice soft and pliable, and easy to work with. You don't need to soap them up to get them to fit properly. Because they are more pliable and soft when you get them, they also last longer from Steele Rubber.

So.......I can see where RJD and David Maxwell are coming from in their statements. In fact, I think David had ordered all his rubber from AB but never used it due to the quality when he received it. Think he re-ordered it from Steele afterwards and used that, or some other supplier. I know he was trying to sell all the other rubber from AB at one time.