Does anybody know wassup at Staton Sales Division?

bamabikeguy

Active Member
Local time
12:15 PM
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
1,894
Location
Alabama Holly Pond
Over in the Staton-Inc Reviews, where the rule is:

2. Discussion is not allowed. You are prohibited from discussing other people's posts here.

3. Do not post questions. Since there is no discussion, posting of questions is not allowed.

4. You are only allowed one post per thread. Your post will be limited to your objective review of the vendor. If there is vendor missing from the list, please send me a PM and I will start a new thread for them.

My ONE "review" was in the form of a question, that's why I'm posting this in Rack Mount (i didn't vote in the poll, you can imagine what my vote would be):

I dunno about that shipping, I have a trike dismantled in my shop, sent the check 1/15/09, confirmed it was cashed, and can't get any kind of response to when the h*** it's going to ship.

e mailed him last Thursday and this Monday, no response.

Maybe some of you guys have more pull, but I wanted this trike done and on the road in January. Now its just sitting there in my way.

Anybody know wassup????

to which duivendyk replied:

e-mail does not work well with David Staton,you have to call,that tends to get results,at least in my case.

So, now in addition to unanswered e-mails about shipping info, I waited until business hours (9:30 a.m.) to call, and left a message on a machine.

Result? Zip, nada, nothing. Is anybody home?????

Does anybody have inside info? At least during the Great GEBE Backorder of 2008, I knew some of the circumstances, could give my customers a time frame. And since I've gotten 3 Robin Subarus (35cc) in a row from up in Michigan, I don't know of any engine shortage.

This is a "hobby" business for most folks here, and when somebody documents an install, with pictures, tips and tricks, it is to help others, which I was going to do in the new TRIKE section.

I've bought from Staton before, know there are no instructions with kits, just two photographs. "Your kit should look like THIS when finished".

From my Oct. 2007 thread:

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showpost.php?p=81164&postcount=20

Putting a Staton 35cc 4 cycle engine on a Worksman PAV3 is pretty straight-forward.

When I unpacked the box, there was no instruction sheet, rather there were two crisp black and white photos, side and rearview, of what the kit looks like when complete.

Now that the kits are up and running, I can fully understand why instructions are unnecessary, and trying to think of "how to present this install" in a thread, I realize how hard it would be to "step by step" walk a person through the process.

So, all I can do is present some hints and tips, and maybe some folks will ask a key question that I skip over in this overview.

Transactions for hobbyists are "cash on the barrelhead", the customer pays me a substantial down payment, I forward the money to the supplier, then "trust" the unit will ship in a reasonable time frame. And in that Staton Review section, I read "4 DAYS", assumed that to be true.

Unanswered requests for shipping info is stretching the concept of trust, with me anyway. I waited for 2 weeks to pass before trying to contact Staton for updates, but this SILENCE is starting to really **** me off.

Irritated, by the lack of customer service, NO RESPONSE TO MY SIMPLE REQUEST FOR SHIPPING INFO, would be the best description of my mood.
 
Staton currently has 8 items listed on ebay with a string of positive feedback right up till yesterday. My guess is the bay is where he prioritizes.

I've had some issues with Dave in the past on slow customer service with direct sales on special orders but which were always resolved and I always felt he was an honest guy.

From your description of the transaction, it sounds like you'll need to escalate and make clear your concerns in the phone messages you leave.

FWIW, in the past I've had luck talking to Dave around noon, CST. When I've connected with someone, it's been him answering the phone........my guess is it's a small staff he's running.
 
Thanks Happy,

The positive feed back up till yesterday is re-assuring, in these times of tight credit and business closings, at least I know he is still in operation.

Staton currently has 8 items listed on ebay with a string of positive feedback right up till yesterday. My guess is the bay is where he prioritizes.

I've had some issues with Dave in the past on slow customer service with direct sales on special orders but which were always resolved and I always felt he was an honest guy.

From your description of the transaction, it sounds like you'll need to escalate and make clear your concerns in the phone messages you leave.

FWIW, in the past I've had luck talking to Dave around noon, CST. When I've connected with someone, it's been him answering the phone........my guess is it's a small staff he's running.

My last e mail would have been so simple to click on and reply to, a matter of 10-15 seconds to say "sending out Friday" or "will arrive next Tues":

From:
"Paul Crabtree" <bama_bikeguy@yahoo.com>
To:
"Dave Staton" <sales@staton-inc.com>

Dave,

On the motored bike forums they talk about 4 day shipping, but this order was placed on Jan. 15. I had hoped to have this trike picked up by the customer already.

Is the kit going to ship this week?

Paul

Part of the necessity of this forum is to help those e-Bayers who can't figure out a tweak or don't know about the important Break-In procedures.

It would seem Dave would know how the forum is MORE important than e-Bay AFTER he sold the kit, where he could maintain his small staff, because we voluntarily are solving his complaints, sharing specific tips and tricks.

A bike built via the forum is going to run better than some individual on his own, because of all the other tire/wheel/etc. advise.

Like I said, maybe somebody who has more pull with Dave, (than I have) would somehow get that idea, Staton's "co-operation" with the forum might be a better idea than having folks rant.

I don't want to escalate, but as you folks can tell, Dave would NOT want me to post my review on his precious e-Bay....

Or would he?

Backorders are understandable, not giving a forum member a simple 20 second e-mail reply as to shipping info is NOT a good business practice.

Experienced forum members don't need coddling and handholding and somebody to call them back quick if a bolt is stripped.

But we do deserve an answer, after 10 days of requesting, a ship date.
 
hate to hear this
reminds me of times in the past when contact with Dave seemed next to impossible for me

he comes through in the end
question being -- when does the end come

great product -- can't understand why he can't hire a school boy or girl
to answer phones after school for 2 or 3 hours
posted with his site information -- best if calling between 3 to 5 pm
hope that someone is close enough to Dave at Station
so as to help out with these very frustrating matters

ride that thing
 
Exactly the point, how many folks have read on the forum since 2006?

hate to hear this
reminds me of times in the past when contact with Dave seemed next to impossible for me

he comes through in the end
question being -- when does the end come

great product -- can't understand why he can't hire a school boy or girl
to answer phones after school for 2 or 3 hours
posted with his site information -- best if calling between 3 to 5 pm
hope that someone is close enough to Dave at Station
so as to help out with these very frustrating matters

Thousands, I would guess. His staff can stay small, but the forum grows every day.

I d*** well know more than 5 of those Worksman PAV's were done last year, based on my 2 customers passing on the knowledge to their friends.

Once the build is understood, the know-how gets passed along the line, which means ZERO hassle for Dave in the after-market.

He can't have the same "no hassle" experience from e-Bay, even though the price of the kit is the same.

The new season approaches, and this whole "turnover" of cash/engines is going to be critical in a month or two, and it may be best to get this "customer service" issue cleared up before the spring rush.
 
Wow,

Sounds like he likes E-Bay for sure and is one of those guys who pull an Ostrich when they have no good news and just ignore you. Maybe you need to call around to other "reliable" vendors, get some "real" quotes that include a shipping schedule and ask for a refund. Sounds to me like he is not even starting to build your kit even tho he has had your money for weeks.
 
Not wow

Wow,

Sounds like he likes E-Bay for sure and is one of those guys who pull an Ostrich when they have no good news and just ignore you. Maybe you need to call around to other "reliable" vendors, get some "real" quotes that include a shipping schedule and ask for a refund. Sounds to me like he is not even starting to build your kit even tho he has had your money for weeks.

I made the observation above about Staton's eBay business solely for the purpose of assuaging the OPs concern for his order IE: that the company is in business and functioning with current feedback.

It's uncalled for you to suggest anyone is an ostrich, is ignoring anyone, is not "reliable", doesn't offer "real" quotes or is "not even starting to build" anyone's kit when you have no idea about knowing any of those particulars and are commenting from pure conjecture and not personal experience.

Your post does nothing to help the Op find resolution, smacks of agenda, and the fact you've chosen to advertise in your sig line makes that abundantly clear.
 
Last edited:
Besides, I need a sprocket/chain for the trike, friction won't work....

But I finally got hold of Dave yesterday afternoon, right about when the tornado alerts were going off and his electricity was down....

He said he'd ship it (or mail me a tracking number), I guess I'll call the customer and give a weather excuse.

But that kit better ship ASAP.
 
Your post does nothing to help the Op find resolution, smacks of agenda, and the fact you've chosen to advertise in your sig line makes that abundantly clear.

Well, HV since I don't sell anything here my sig line is what it is.

Sometimes Real life effects comments here. I am attempting to finish a new product launch and I am stuck waiting on a vendor to supply me with parts and I have no other options. So when I hear about someone else dealing with the same issues it struck a cord with me. I disagree with almost all of Augidog's comments below except for I wish DE had some representation here as well and this is all me, not them. I base my comments on other systems on comments posted here by users of the systems when folks want comparisons.

At any rate if I have been offensive here please accept this as an apology.
 
Last edited:
EDIT in reply to above edit: just as you comment based on what you see on the board, so do others...and the now-edited comments were based on what i & (apparently) others had seen. a while back MBc evolved to consensus that we're only going to talk about what we DO know, and bad-mouthing (or wrongly guessing about) a company or drive-style (without direct experience) isn't the same as telling us what's so good about the one you prefer....

i consider DE & Staton "america-friendly" companies & therefore allies in the revolution. i believe DE would do well to arrange for some official representation here, maybe spring for sponsorship to attain "sticky" status for a support topic, etc...at the very least, get "vendor status" for someone they trust to represent 'em.

sorry for the OT stuff, bama'...

i think ebay is setup for the UN-educated MB'er, tho we can do pretty well there once we know what we're looking at...i see many instances of higher pricing than what's available thru direct site-sales...the newb, in his excitement, clicks "buy it now"...and so it goes.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top