Don't Buy Banks!!!!!!

[tobaccogrower]

don't get me wrong,

i love my banks powerpack. three weeks ago i broke my output shaft in my transmission. my aftermarket warantee company(API) won't cover the damage because my dealer told them i had the banks kit on it. when i bought the banks, they ASSURED me that in no way would their product void any warantee. well, i called banks to talk to them about it and no one wants to talk! called back and left a message and still no help! that shows us that their costomer service is S#%T! i find it funny that when i was interisted in buying their products their salesman couldn't get me on the phone fast enough. !!!!!!... . james... .

 

[jstyer]

Banks

I have to agree with you that Bank's customer service SUCKS BIG TIME!Their product is great so it's a crying shame that they can't back their product up with even reasonable customer service. Here are two E-mail addresses of Banks people to contact. I know that Peter posts on the TDR quite frequently and I wonder how he can read the comments about Banks and not get them to correct this situation. I have requested information from them for the past 6 months with no reply.



-- email address removed --



-- email address removed --



Good luck

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Its the same reason i have never used Banks even prior to my Ram on friends trucks. They have no clue what customer service is, i cant tell you how many times i called them, left messages and never got phone calls back. Personally, i fell they dont stand behind anything they make, all they care about is selling it to you, once you have it, your on your own. Even a local dealer/installer for them i knew in DE said they are a nightmre to work with.

 

[jstyer]

Banks Follow-up

I didn't purchase my Banks "stuff" from Banks directly, but through a dealer who also informed me, after receiving my components, that he was through with Banks as well and my order was his last order. It's a shame because their product is great.

 

[MikeR]

Uhhh,just looking at your signature,you have a little more going than just a Banks kit. It sucks that Banks won't stand behind thier product,but are you suprised you broke an output shaft with all that power? Too bad your dealer narked you off to the extended warranty company. Is it too late to get a partial refund from your warranty since it's no good to you anymore.



-Mike

 

[DAWG-1]

Hey RamHead3437, I see in you sig you have twin flexalite fans. How do you like there performance?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I totally agree with the fella above - WHY single out *BANKS* to gripe at when you have:





DTT 91%TC and VB,K&N 8080,Banks Powerpack,DD stage 2 injectors,Van Aaken CPC,Powershot 2000 propane,Flex-a-lite twin 14" eletric fans, new lift pump(44,000mi),JRE 4"exhaust...



Dis you complain to DTT, K&N, DD, Van Aaken or Powershot - or ANY of the OTHER performance add-on companies you clearly list in your sig? WHY place ALL the blame and flame on BANKS



TRUE, Banks SHOULD go to bat for customers using their stuff - but if YOU were Banks, and were aware of all the OTHER stuff installed on a customer's truck, would YOU want to take ALL the heat for a failure yourself?

 

[tobaccogrower]

guys:

all i wanted from banks is to talk to them about their warantee.

i'm not blaming banks for the broken shaft! i know with all the power i have somthing is going to give somtime! the only visible mod is the banks high ram, which is what dodge saw and told the warantee company about. all i ask from banks is a call back. they can't do that for me so i want to warn future banks product consumers about what they can expect after the sale... . james.

 

[jstyer]

Banks Customer Service

Peter T. Posted the following on 1-18-01 :

If I were faced with this problem, the first thing that I would do is ask the dealer for written documentation that says that the warranty is void and explains why. Most dealers that will deny a warranty claim such as this one are basing their decision on statements from bulletins or notices from DaimlerChrysler or Cummins that indicate that some aftermarket products MAY be the cause of damage to a vehicle component. These types of statements are often misread or misinterpreted to indicate that warranty should be denied due to the mere presence of an aftermarket product. To date, I have never seen any documentation from a dealer, from DaimlerChrysler or from Cummins that specifically states that warranty can be denied if an aftermarket product is present. The reason that these documents do not exist is because statements to that effect would not be legal based on the Magnuson-Moss act and your warranty as stated in the Owner’s Manual.



Unfortuantely, that does not change the fact that your dealer still made the statement that your warranty was denied. Once you have written information from the dealer, the next step to take is probably arbitration. The down side to this is that it does not happen quickly. However, on a positive note, arbitration is an opportunity for facts to be presented, and there are some built in protections for the consumer in the process. We have supported customers with various forms of documentation to be used in arbitration. Information about arbitration is in your Owners Manual.



The real issue comes down to causal analysis. Someone must conclusively determine that the aftermarket product was the cause of failure before warranty can (legally) be denied, and if warranty is denied simply because the aftermarket product is present, then causal analysis has not been done.



Peter Treydte

Director of Technical Communications

Banks Power

This was at the following thread:

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9860

This addresses Banks' position on warranty denial for aftermarket products.

John Styer

 

[Dkevdog]

Maybe it's because the Banks Campus is only 30 miles away, but I have never had a problem with Banks' customer service. They have always been good about returning phone calls, and even taking care of a couple of little problems I had after their installation. I however, have always bugged my salesman- and he has always seen to it that the question or concern was dealt with. Salesmen make a commission on every product they sell, so in my opinion it is their job to take care of you after the sale. I'm sorry to hear about the lack of service others seem to be getting, and will be sure to let my salesman know of the dissatisfaction.



Oddly enough, Banks advertises on this site but doesn't seem to have any representation. Pretty strange if you ask me!



Kev

 

[Pete Peterson]

Kev, they used to have their head sales guy or the head of something from Banks on here but he hasn't shown up in several months. Maybe that old saying about the heat in the kitchen holds true... ... ... ..... Pete

 

[jstyer]

Banks Head Guy!

Pete: His name and tile are:

Peter Treydte

Director of Technical Communications

Banks Power

This is who I quoted earlier and your right, he hasn't said much on the TDR lately.

 

[Thomas]

Not since last March-post 58439.

 

[Sky]

I wouldnt touch Banks kits if it was the only mods in the world. I am a firm beleaver in Customer service and if they cant provid it then they are not going to see one dime from me or hopefully anybody I tell. Stick with people who care about your needs, not that just want to sell you stuff. This is of coarse all IMO!

 

[Dieselnerd]

You can beef up your transmission with better TC's and VB's and make sure all the clutch packs, bands and seals are good and it makes a good strong unit but... ... Once you get over that 350 HP mark and many of you have even more, that little old hollow output shaft breaks. You can't get a bigger one as far as I know and it must be hollow to allow fluid to flow through it. Last time I was in Dave Goerend's shop he showed me a pile of broken output shafts from various transmissions. He told me it was the next weakest link when you beef up everything else. Those shafts are actually pretty thin walled and it's easy to see why they can only take so much and then break.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"all i wanted from banks is to talk to them about their warantee.

i'm not blaming banks for the broken shaft!"





Yeah suuuure - but what you HAVEN'T explained, is WHY, with ALL those OTHER mods you have made, and performance mods added, you have apparently only singled out BANKS to complain about!



How about it, WHY haven't you contacted Van Aaken or powershot as well? Why attempt to unload the ENTIRE warranty issue upon Banks. IGNORING the other mods and manufacturers involved?



After all, the OTHER mods aren't invisible, and either were already noted or soon WOULD be... I'm NOT trying to be a jerk or wiseguy - but those OTHER mods ARE visible, and contribute to warranty denial as well, and if a user is gonna COMPLAIN, he'd better spread the blame EQUALLY, and not single out only ONE supplier - otherwise, it looks/smells like a "hatchet job" aimed at a company more for personal reasons than reasoned equality!



Fair's fair...

 

[WOWZY]

So what? It's about time Gale Banks knew what a knife in the back feels like. I wish I could help give it a big twist.



I feel sorry for the others that have had the fable security blanket snatched from their arms.



Geez!Talk about your over priced under powered products from Banks.

 

[Sky]

Know I do wonder why there isnt a Rep, here as a member?? Wouldnt you think this place would be a gold mine for business?? GEEE lets see 95% of all the talk on this board is performance and upgrades. Are they really that incompetent or are they afraid of something?? Dont make no sense to me.

 

[Dkevdog]

While I am sure to get shot down with this one, I again am happy with my Banks Product and the treatment I have received so far. It's rather obvious by the snide remarks of others that they feel quite different, but again- whatever makes you happy. There was a recent thread we all read regarding DTT vs. Goerend's stuff. Got out of hand and really proved nothing more than than opionions are different. So what. Bottom line is one must take into account all modifications- and then wonder what's gonna break. And we all know that like it or not, we risk our warranties every day by BOMBing. I ordered my DTT kit today because I know that even mildly (comparitively) bombed is gonna eventually trash and already crappy transmission.



Just remember that somebady has always had a bad experience with even the best (or worst) of companies.

Kev

 

[EMDDIESEL]

Good point Dkevdog. That was kind of what i was trying to say. I persoanally think there Customer service is horrible and there products are overpriced. I am not the only one who feels this way as i can see. As mentioned, my Banks dealer in DE even said he thinks the stuff is ovverrated. I am sure alot of you have had nothing but great expieriences with there products and customer service, and alot of us have not. This thread should just be about personal opinions of the company based on expieriences.

My views in here have nothing to do with dislikeling Banks because there stuff broke parts, We all should understand that if you have 10 different upgrades you cant blame one manufacturer.

My Dislike of Banks has to do with them NEVER returning phone calls, being left on hold for 20 minutes at a time, then getting transferred to someones voice mail. Or when you finally get a person on the phone, they have no clue about the products other then "I can have somebody call you back", which, NEVER happens. Seems to me all they spend there money on is Advertising with big adds in all the magazines but use none of the profit from there overpriced stuff to hire CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE. I have called DTT, DIS, TST, Advanced Diesel Technology and Jannetty and 99% of the time, i get my questions answered or my problems resolved right then and there. Otherwise i get a phone call back later that day. THAT is customer service. I have not even bought stuff from some of those places, i was just asking for advice and they were HAPPY to help, not bothered and wondering why you are not ordering something. Banks is the ONLY diesel parts company i have ever had bad service from. We dont even use there stuff on our trucks anymore. Everyone is entitled to there opinion in this thread, and this way others can read things in here and learn from our mistakes and bad expieriences.