I am posting this up for my hunting buddy. I have sat shot gun through this series of events and watched this situation unfold for the past couple of months. I can not keep my mouth shut about this anymore. The good folks of MMT need to hear this story. I do want to go on the record and state that I am by no means being slanderous or bashing Sheldon Gecker. These are simply the course of events and how they unfolded.
We first heard about Gecker when they came on the MMT scene last summer. And it was just about the right time cuz we had been talking mods for his motor. So we spent some time researching their products and comparing them to others. Anyway my buddy places his first order from them in early October, so that the parts will be here and we can do the install during the split in our duck season. The first order was for:
• LEVEL 2 CARB
• AIR FILTR ADAPTER
• AIR FILTER
• BILLET INTAKE MANIFOLD
• LEVEL 2 HEADS
• EXHAUST
He get the parts so we embarked on the install. The heads looked ok there were some rough spots, however, the over all opinion was they were ok. They went on without a hiccup. Next was the intake, it did not look good. Not only did it not look good it was not drilled out correctly for the carb. As far as we could figure it was drilled and taped for a 35 horizontal. So we decided not to install it, and put the stock intake back on. Here are some pictures.
Next we installed the Exhaust. We held it up to the new heads and it was about all of ½” off. We spent the next two hours trying to work the pipe into position. Finally, after a lot of cussing and many trips to the bench vice we were able to get it close enough to get all the bolts in. We put the governor linkages back on and noticed another problem. The throttle linkages were not going to clear the muffler bracket so we call Sheldon up and he says hit it with the angle grinder, so we do. Here is a picture.
Next we moved on to the Level II Carb. It went on ok without any noticeable issues. So we go to fire it up, and the dam thing starts to race on us almost immediately. Seemed like it was getting to much air through the body and the butterflies would slowly open until it was topped out. Anyway we switch it out for the stock carb and it purrs like a kitten. After a couple of hours of back and forth with the carbs and adjusting the linkages we could not get it. We adjusted the governor and could get the Gecker carb to idle however we would loose the top end. So we were just chasing our tails. The next day we call up the small engine guy and local Briggs dealer and he comes out for a couple hours and does the same diagnostic that we had went through, so he tells us it has to be the carb. We call Sheldon and he is unable to diagnose the problem over the phone with us. We gave up at this point and install the stock carb for the last time.
My buddy boxes up the Intake, Level II Carb the core heads and ships them back to Gecker, and he tells Sheldon that he wants a refund for the carb and intake. Sheldon tells him that he will apply the credit to the Visa that he paid with. This was the second week in October.
So about the third week in October, my buddy orders up a set of pipes for a 23 horizontal for another one of our buddies. Well they didn’t fit. After talking with Sheldon it was determined that he had welded on the flanges for the 35 Horizontal, which will hit the valve covers on the 23. Gecker did not have any 23 pipes in inventory to re-ship, so the 23 pipes are packaged up and sent back, and again Sheldon says he will apply the credit card with the refund. Our other buddy orders up a set of BPS pipes and has them shipped next day air, cuz his stock pipe is shot, and he needs his rig on the water by the weekend.
Well my buddy gets his credit card statement and there are no credits from Gecker, so he calls down to see what is going on, Sheldon is busy in the shop so he leaves a message with Ryan to have Sheldon check on the credits and call him back. Waits two days, and no call so he calls again, Sheldon is on the phone and will call back. Two days later he receives the 23 horizontal pipes back in the mail. They are the same pipes he had returned 2 weeks earlier, however, it looks like someone took an die grinder to the flanges so they would not hit the valve covers. Pretty sketchy grind job. Anyway, my buddy calls Gecker ever day for week and gets excuse after excuse why Sheldon is too busy to come to the phone. So he writes Sheldon a scorching email, and Sheldon’s responds by claiming he has been email my buddy however, his emails were not going through and his phones have been down. That was on 12/8/09.
If I had to guess I would say my buddy has called or emailed Sheldon Gecker 30 times in the past 3 months, and has not heard back from him. Somewhere around the 1st of the year Sheldon hired Kimberly on as their new Office Manager. She is a very nice girl, however, you can tell that she has been instructed to play defense. Good thing about Kimberly is that she does pick up the phone every time!
Here are a few of the excuses that he has heard from Sheldon Gecker or Kimberly.
• Sheldon is on the phone, he will call you back
• I give Sheldon the message every time you call, I don’t know why he doesn’t call you back
• Kimberly, “Talking to me is just like talking to Sheldon, so you do not need to talk with him.”
• I will have to check with Sheldon
• The whole shop is sick and we are falling behind
• We are down a guy in the shop and Sheldon is working in the Shop today
• One of our shop guys is out cuz he has the Swine flu
• One of the shop guys had to drive to another State to pick up his kid who got a drunk driving
• Our phone system is acting up.
• I have a shop emergency
• My email are not going though
• We lost our tracking number
• USPS lost your 23 Horizontal pipes in the mail
• Our Credit card Machine is on the frits, we will send you a check in the mail
• The USPS must have lost the check in the mail
• We can’t do any more for you. Please don’t call here again.
In January we decide to do a little test. My buddy calls down asks for Sheldon, and leaves a message with his name and number. He hangs up the phone and I call down and Kimberly hands the phone to Sheldon and I talk with him for 20 mins about mods. During this conversation he tells me that they are slow in the shop and he can get me anything I want at my door in a week. So I express concern about some things I have heard and I name my buddy, he shuts down and says he has to go. He has a shop emergency.
Anyway to make a long story short, it is the middle of February and my buddy has not seen a dime of a refund from Sheldon Gecker. IT HAS BEEN 3 MONTHS!!!!
Billet Intake – $395
Level II Carb - $250
23 Horizontal Pipe - $325
- $970 Total Owed by Sheldon Gecker
I don’t know about you guys but $970 is a lot of money where we are from. Please help my buddy by encouraging Sheldon to refund his money.
BE WARNED!
Tommy
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