Outstanding Customer Support

[mikel]

I have a story to tell you about a vendor and his amazing customer service. I recently purchased a clutch from a SouthBend reseller. During my conversations with the people at SouthBend Clutch (SBC) before the purchase I asked them at least a million questions which they answered patiently and accurately each and every time.



The clutch install went well, I got the flywheel turned and was careful to torque everything correctly, not hang the transmission on the clutch disk, etc. but on my first drive to my disappointment I had bad clutch chatter. I called SBC and spoke to Peter who told me that the clutch I bought (ConO) shouldn’t chatter at all, but that it might just need a few miles to seat in and keep driving it for a week or so. Well, a week came and went but the clutch kept chattering so I talked to Peter again and his comment was that the transmission needed to come out again and I needed to see what went wrong. Peter sent me a replacement clutch and told me to call him when I got everything pulled apart.



When I got to the clutch and talked to Peter again everything *looked* fine. There were no broken springs on the disk, no low fingers on the pressure plate, nothing to indicate why I was having a chatter problem. Peter then said that I needed to check the flywheel and make sure it was turned correctly last time, so I got out my dial indicator and came up with excessive runout on my newly turned flywheel. Wonderful... The person I took it to last time had not mounted it properly in the machine before he turned it, effectively turning it out-of-parallel between the clutch mounting surface and the flange that mounts to the crankshaft.



I pulled the flywheel off the truck and took it to a different place to have it turned again in hopes of getting it straight enough that I wouldn't have to replace it. Fortunately after almost an hour of grinding on the thing it was much better, and almost running true again.



In putting the truck back together I used the replacement clutch and again was careful not to damage anything during the install. On my first drive the clutch chattered just a bit, but after driving less than 200 miles the chatter was gone.



Once I got the truck all back together and running right I gave Peter a call so we could get square on the 2nd clutch he sent me. I told him what the final outcome was and that I used the 2nd clutch on my reinstall and needed to pay him for whatever needed paying as well as getting shipping instructions for the return of the 1st clutch. His comment was that I didn't owe him anything for the 2nd clutch, he wouldn't take anything to help cover any of his costs, and he didn't even want me to ship the 1st clutch back to him. He didn't care that his product was not in any way at fault, all he asked me was "Are you happy with the clutch?"



"Happy" doesn't even begin to cover it! The clutch gets smoother and smoother as the miles add on. I now have about 400 or 500 miles on it and it really is as smooth as stock.



Great products and off-the-chart customer service, SouthBend is tops in my book, and I'd recommend them to ANYONE needing a clutch in the range of what they offer.



Thanks Peter and SouthBend!



Mike

 

[mgoncalves]

That's awesome



Now, what are you going to do with the first clutch?







Matt

 

[gitchesum]

I can't begin to tell you about the customer support I got from Peter at SBC recently.

I can't wait for the 13" FE to go in the Beast.

In the words of my hero Al Bundy

"Let's Rock!"

 

[Rip Rook]

WOW !

:--) does it get any better than that ?

 

[Bill Lins]

Originally posted by gitchesum

I can't wait for the 13" FE to go in the Beast.

Sooo, when's this happening? Holler if you need/want help.



"My name's Bundy- I'm a cop" Yeah, RIGHT!

 

[Mad Bomber]

What more could be said

Rip, What more could be said about GREAT customer service. WOW great job peter @ SB.



P. S. I love my con OFE



Thanx Eric

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Happy ending!

This is one of those somewhat rare occasions, when I regret being stick challenged



Glad to hear it all ended up okay for you. One crucial part of the story is still missing however..... I presume you returned to where ever you got the flywheel turned (the first time) and spoke to them rather severely? Was this a one-off oversight on their part, or do they have a track record of dropping the ball like this?

 

[mikel]

Re: Happy ending!

Originally posted by JohnMcIntyre

One crucial part of the story is still missing however..... I presume you returned to where ever you got the flywheel turned (the first time) and spoke to them rather severely? Was this a one-off oversight on their part, or do they have a track record of dropping the ball like this?

I thought alot about going back over there and having a "talk" with them about all the extra work that their lack of attention to detail has caused me, but in the end it's just not worth it. I'll just refer anyone that asks me to the shop that I know is good and not personally buy from the other shop again. I don't know if they have a reputation for doing things like this or not, but for what it's worth an employee at the local auto parts store told me about them.

That's awesome



Now, what are you going to do with the first clutch?







Matt

The first clutch is going in my attic. I do not feel that it would be right for me to sell/give it away. I only paid for one clutch, but due to the awesome support of Peter and SBC I now have two, one of which is suspect. Peter allowed me to keep the first clutch either out of his goodwill or his not wanting to deal with it and I am not about to cut him out of a sale by selling/giving it away. Furthermore, even if I wanted to get rid of the first clutch, I do not have the expertise to determine if it is damaged or not and the last thing Peter needs is this clutch to cause someone some headaches down the line due to the possibility that it was damaged from the 2000 miles of chattering that it endured before I could get time to get the truck taken down again.





Mike

 

[RSnaith]

I'm going to throw on my cheerleader suit here for moment



This example of the service and support that South Bend delivers to its customers and dealer network is not a once in a blue moon kind of thing. Peter and all the guys/gals at South Bend have always went wayyyyy above and beyond what I would consider excellent customer service.



When we first started carrying South Bend clutches, Peter spent quite literally hours on the phone with me, explaining his clutch, the materials used in the manufacture and the process that they used to ensure that we had all the tools we needed to deliver service to the customer.



And on more than one occasion, Peter has replaced clutches that in my mind were likely not warranty items.



In my mind, South Bend Clutch is quite simply a company that others should be emulating in their day to day practices. They may not be cheapest clutch, but when you throw customer service into the equation, they quite simply are the best.



Congratulations, Peter.



Now if you could just build a Yugo clutch to handle 600 HP.

 

[bighammer]

Once again another tale of awesome SBC (not the phone co. ) customer service. Way to go Peter. Oo. Oo.

 

[drawson]

I have to add my words about Peter and South Bend... . He is been great to work with he has taken care of me and my truck. This is just the way he does business. He hasn't had anyone not have a good experiance with his product.

Peter always has the time to talk to you on the phone also, he even went out of his way on one sunday to call me and make sure I was back on the road.



And he has also spent the time to make his clutches better to try and stay a head of us HP junkies.





Thanks you Peter!!!!!!!!

 

[d90boy]

I just put a Con FE behind my 03 6 speed and I had to double check that I actually put the right one in! There is no chatter or grab whatsoever it feels like the stock clutch. You'd never know you had a clutch capable of 500+hp in there. Fantastic product, hope I never need the great customer service.

 

[Sled Puller]

Maybe, SBC has just made enough off of the Diesel heads that they can afford to keep babysitting the clutch crunchers.



SBC are good businessmen, no doubt about it.

 

[South Bend Clutch]

Thank You!



I really appreciate the kind words. Like I have always said, if you call me and talk to me like a human, I will go to bat for you. If you call me and give me an attitude, you are on your own.



Mike, thank you for talking to me about your problem in a calm and professional manner, this is what allowed us to figure out the problem and get it resolved.



Peter

 

[Paychk]

Peter



Where can I find some info on your Rally clutch? I've looked on the website and can't find it for a 92.



TIA

 

[South Bend Clutch]

Sorry, I have not put it in the website yet. Feel free to call me.



1-800-988-4345



Peter

 

[Paychk]

Thanks!

 

[Agades]

In a world where customer service is a rare and precious commodity, It is very refreshing when you meet ,order from or just call for info from someone like SBC and others I could mention.



I feel that these are the companies and suppliers that should and usually are frequented.



However there are a few companies/ suppliers who I have dealt with that could use a lesson on public relations. I will refrain from naming those because I am sure we've all been there



If you want a good product, go with service not just price



CUSTOMER SERVICE = REPEAT CUSTOMERS



We have some very good people on the TDR!



THANK U TO THOSE PEOPLE



Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[Texas Diesel]

SBC & Peter are top notch folks.



My first ConOFE was a reman that had weak damepner springs, Peter replaced the clutch and the labor to go in again.



Words cant describe their (SBC's) customer service!



Glad to hear it is still the same high quality!



Cummins and SBC = happy owners!!