Rumor has it: ECS owns Pelican now

[catron1]

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1001184-pelican-parts.html

[catron1]

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1001184-pelican-parts.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1001213-pelican-parts-ecs-tuning-heres-what-you-should-know.html


Hi all,

Some of you may know me already from e-mails, Coffee & Cars or just when you visited Pelican Parts. I thought this would be good time to introduce myself to the entire community. I have been with Pelican for almost 5 years where Wayne and I put together a team to carry on Pelican with the same spirit and enthusiasm Wayne and Tom brought to the business when they founded it over 20 years ago. That same team is here today, along with all the employees of Pelican Parts that have made us who we are over the past 20 years. We have been and continue to be a passionate group of automotive enthusiasts. We are committed to providing content, community and parts for the do-it-yourselfer.

Some years ago, Wayne decided he wanted to spend more time with his family and side projects (books, cars, doing what he loves...) and started working towards a day when Pelican could manage without him. That day came in September, 2017 when Pelican Parts was added to Bertram’s portfolio alongside ECS Tuning and Turner Motorsports. Shortly after the sale I think Wayne said it well, “The reality is that after 20+ years of sweat, writing five books, and numerous skinned knuckles, I have been transitioning my roles in order to spend more time with my family. This is a process that has been going on over the past five years, and I don't expect any significant changes to Pelican or the great community that we have all built here.”

Since the purchase of the company we have maintained who we are and have always been at Pelican Parts with support from ECS’s new CEO Imran Jooma who joined them late last year. Pelican has an excellent group of employees who care deeply about the company and our customer. The sale of the company has not created any change of employment for any of the Pelican employees. Wayne continues to support the business with his attendance at Coffee and Cars events and most recently represented Pelican in an episode of Wheeler Dealers on the Velocity channel. All of the team members at Pelican are dedicated to serving our customers and continue to strive to meet the needs of the auto enthusiast and that will never change. We appreciate your ongoing support of our community.


Bryan Handlen
CEO of Pelican Parts

[somdcroc]

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1001184-pelican-parts.html
Coincidentally I am now allowed back on their forums. A couple of years ago I made an announcement for an FSR Fall DE in the Track Forum as well as in the 944 forum (we were hosting the 944 Fest that year). Pelican banned me "for life" from their forums because they said I was spamming the system (with only two posts they never answered my emails as to why the severe punishment). I had purchased parts from them in the past but stopped after this. Perhaps I will use them again. I noticed I can view forum again.

Scott

[JmuRiz]

I saw that on the vwvortex car lounge forum.
Not good news, the overseeing company has trashed the reputation of the old RCS and Turner morotsports.

Time to find a new supplier?

Some mentioned theirs vehicle information was already sold by pelican to a third party and have been contacted by ‘buyers’ for a car not for sale.

[catron1]

I saw that on the vwvortex car lounge forum.
Not good news, the overseeing company has trashed the reputation of the old RCS and Turner morotsports.

Time to find a new supplier?

Some mentioned theirs vehicle information was already sold by pelican to a third party and have been contacted by ‘buyers’ for a car not for sale.

Vertex, Sierra Madre, Stoddard, Suncoast Porsche, Einmalig, Autohaus AZ..."ANYBODY HAVE A WORLDPAC ACCOUNT?????" Last resort - Automotion for me at least

[catron1]

Coincidentally I am now allowed back on their forums. A couple of years ago I made an announcement for an FSR Fall DE in the Track Forum as well as in the 944 forum (we were hosting the 944 Fest that year). Pelican banned me "for life" from their forums because they said I was spamming the system (with only two posts they never answered my emails as to why the severe punishment). I had purchased parts from them in the past but stopped after this. Perhaps I will use them again. I noticed I can view forum again.

Scott

I got banned from Rennlist "for life" for listing a friend that is a "30+ year" Porsche mechanic that was looking for side work after he had stopped working at Curry's when Matt owned it. I did everything I thought on the up and up but they had a different view. Anyways I contacted the moderator and he said nope sorry you are banned----Like susie from Curb...

Whatever... I feel your pain...:vomit:

[ruffyz]

Pelican got weird for me a few years ago. I've been using FCPEuro and tasca for parts these days. Sometimes paragon for hard to get stuff. Will still rock auto for some things too. Each has their pluses and minuses.

[Jazzbass]

Pelican got weird for me a few years ago. I've been using FCPEuro and tasca for parts these days. Sometimes paragon for hard to get stuff. Will still rock auto for some things too. Each has their pluses and minuses.
Ditto. Haven't ordered from Pelican in a long time.

[cmartin]

I still throw them a bone once in a while, I like their tech articles and diagrams. Lots of competition though, cant say they have anything you cant get somewhere else (usually cheaper). I do like the forums, if only to veg I still read a bunch a learn something there.

[ruffyz]

Pelican got weird for me a few years ago. I've been using FCPEuro and tasca for parts these days. Sometimes paragon for hard to get stuff. Will still rock auto for some things too. Each has their pluses and minuses.

Whoops, tasca doesn't do Porsche. Is that Sunset or Suncoast that will do Porsche branded stuff for a little less than list? For that matter sometimes a local dealer will get you parts without adding to the retail list price.

[GT3]

Suncoast for cheaperish stuff for newer Pcars

[zygomatic]

Ditto. Haven't ordered from Pelican in a long time.

You're not missing much. My last order from them was incomplete. When I contacted them about the missing items, they sent me the wrong part (which happened to be a duplicate of another part I ordered). When I contacted them about the mistake, they said they could overnight me the correct part. That was very optimistic: when I called back the next day for a tracking number, they said my call was too late for next day shipping, and their supplier was out of the part anyway.

At that point I just gave up.

[ducatithunder]

Yea, I’m not surprised. I use the forum a lot but have not ordered anything in a very long time. I’ve gotten way better prices from RM Euro for the same parts and better shipping. Last transmission I rebuilt the parts from RM vs Pelican for same supplier was a $700-800 savings with RM. Add in the rewards points and there are a lot more savings. RM covers BMW/mini, porsche, and most European manufacturers so the point tend to add up.

[Rob in VA]

Lots of drama over on the fb group page 'why i hate ecs tuning.'

[onboost]

Yep!

__________________________________________________ __________________

"synth19 has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Pelican bought by Bertram Capital? - in the 993 Forum forum of Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums.

This thread is located at:
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1078378&goto=newpost

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
I saw this posted on FB:

Daniel Curtis (https://www.facebook.com/dcurtis603?hc_ref=ARSMXTJniToducbMX2HhlRbrjssb6Uvx 9JBjTiYBo6ytusuiuc0v-NC2f_spOEh9nq0&fref=nf)‎ _to_ Why I Hate ECS Tuning (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1969390720044815/permalink/2050020475315172/)
June 30 at 11:01 PM (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1969390720044815/permalink/2050020475315172/)

"Why I hate ECS Tuning."

This is my "messed up" ECS story. told through my singular lens. The opinions expressed here are just that, but are true to how ECS came into my life and made me hate their company. Settle in. This ain't short.

3 years ago today, July 1, 2015, ECS "acquired" Turner Motorsport incorporated, the company I had toiled to help Will Turner build up for 8.5 years. They promised the former owner, a guy I shared a small office with for over 5 years, all sorts of amazing synergies and upsides. We'd share the best of both companies to form a super-knowledgeable, cutting edge source of auto parts with unmatched experience and customer service.

Those were all lies.

When I arrived at Turner in 2007, they were a small niche / boutique operation that sold a couple million in parts per year, fueled by a handful of true enthusiasts. I had left a solid job at another respected BMW parts outfit for the chance to work for an exciting up-and-coming BMW Tuner that already had a reputation for racing and no-BS parts.

When the ECS management team landed at Turner for the first time after the buyout, I was of course guarded. My optimism quickly turned to disgust. My impression of them was smarmy. Ruthless. Greedy. And in some cases, completely inept. Most notably the the two former owners, who's opinion I held as low as one could imagine. They had sold controlling rights to their company only a year before, and were now "Co-CEOs" of the private equity owned entity, an asset of Betram Capital Investments.

Many of our numbers were better than theirs. Our customer satisfaction higher, returns lower, vendor relationships deeper, and our employee retention and advancement out of this world. We managed a better profit margin, taboot. (Who knew: When you have happy customers and employees, you can run a good business!) Seeing behind the scenes of Turner Motorsport and ECS Tuning, it was clear -- One was a company that earned its reputation, the other a Wild-West movie scene, pretending to know what they were doing, luring customers in with prices slightly lower than their peers, and growth that stemmed from mostly dumb luck, and past smart employees who had quit along the years. They had no clear vision besides growth-at-any-cost, to inflate their private equity owned LLC so they could dump it to another larger company in a few years and (hopefully) some key players would walk away millionaires.

It was official: Will Turner sold his company to the devil. A soulless machine that didn't care about the car community or its employees. It cared about one thing only: Profit.

They were insufferable, right out of the gate. I played along for a few months, as they made one foolish or unimaginable decision after another. As the Director of Operations, I had a bird's eye view of the deconstruction and dismemberment of a once great company.

I made several trips to ECS headquarters in Wadsworth, OH. What I saw was what I would describe as borderline inhumane treatment of employees. Unnecessary control tactics to ensure NO ONE at ECS had any "tribal knowledge" of their business. Because of this their employees had a demeanor like abused animals. Cameras over every desk. Unbelievably low pay. Tiny tiny cubicles. Unnecessary dress code from the 1940's. Isolated and key-code locked rooms for every department. I was one .of a select few who could freely walk through all of the departments, and see the inner workings of ECS and the people that worked hard behind locked doors.

And I really felt bad for them. I felt almost as bad for their customers. Their warehouse was a disorganized hive of slave-like labor, governed by fear and intimidation. Their shipments were POORLY packaged, their process riddled with opportunities for mistakes and human error, and the morale of their employees those the lowest I've ever seen.

As an IT and Ecommerce Manager, their system was one of the most poorly cobbled together hackjobs I'd ever seen as well. Their security and disaster recover was a joke. it's no wonder they had troubles with data breaches and massive credit card data hacking. (Google it!) This was 100% the worst working environment I'd ever seen. Run by delusional and inept management who truly believed they'd built the perfect machine. And now fueled by outside PE money and reckless abandon.

The Turner buy-out happened in July, and in December of 2015 they unveiled their new "plan" in a small conference room of ECS. It was the former owner, Mr. Turner, myself, the two "co-CEOs", and 3 or 4 members of senior management. I sat in the board room and watched Will Turner's jaw drop as they explained their master plan -- to consolidate the 50 employee Massachusetts based Turner Motorsport with Ohio. Their reasoning after months of research: "It would save $11k in shipping expense and 0.2 days of package transit time. "That's it???" I asked. At the time, Turner Motorsport alone (not including ECS) was spending some $30k a week in shipping. No one researched the advantages of combining the capabilities of both companies. I argued they needed to re-run their numbers for contrast before impulsively vaporizing Turner Motorsport. They had made up their mind and that was that.

So on December 15, I became aware that ECS wanted me to lay off the majority of my workforce. The best of the best, in a hot bed of Boston-area talent were about to be out a job around Christmas. A good portion of whom I had hired and trained, and all of which I worked along-side for years. Several employees pre-dated my years of service, including a few with 18-20 years of experience each. No offers of relocation. No concern or compassion. All business. Just to save a few bucks, and (as time would tell) to the chagrin of its customers.

The would also dissolve the in-house R&D and production, boasting their plans to send manufacturing to the same Chinese and Mexican companies ECS was already outsourcing to.

They'd keep the domain name and 800 number, and 4 sales reps to continue the perception that Turner Motorsport was an independent parts house. They also kept two customer service reps to handle all the shipping errors, damaged parts, wrong parts, and nightmare orders ECS had become so good at creating. They quietly dumpstered thousands of parts and sent millions of dollars worth of inventory (much of which they had no way of selling) to their Ohio warehouse. A once-great all-BMW parts house went from 50 employees to 6, remains to this very today.

Strangely they didn't want me to go, though. They wanted my experience (Ecommerce, IT, SEO, Management, etc) however they could keep me. They tried cutting me in on their private equity parachute "pie in the sky" incentive plan that other ECS managers were on. I turned it down. The incentive plan's legal paperwork was a joke. A labyrinth with only 1 outcome that might pay out a modest bonus, mired with a hundred of ways ECS could cut me out and $0 at their discretion.

Pass.

Instead I made sure the laid off Turner employees got the best severances and treatment I could, and informed WIll Turner his ride with me as his right hand man was over. I quit on the 9th anniversary of my hire date, which was also the 5th year anniversary of launching a revamped Ecommerce platform that increased sales +40% overnight.

I still look back on that as an amazing job, with the most amazing people on the planet, that all came to a screeching halt because someone couldn't turn down a 7 figure payout (yes, 7 figure and decidedly not 8.) I often think how different my life and so many others would be had ECS not picked Turner as the first target of acquisition.

But they aren't done! ECS very quietly purchased Pelican Parts last fall. Good luck finding any press and PE newswire hoopla, like the Turner acquisition. They have kept this buy-out VERY quiet, as Bertram knows how bad ECS did with Turner "transition." Who will ECS buy next?

Do yourself a favor and get VERY picky about where you buy your German/Euro car parts. Starting asking: "Are you owned by ECS Tuning or Bertram Capital Investments?"

Read the ECS Glass Door, and know all the bad reports are 100% truth, while the glowing reviews are almost certainly planted by management to combat a dumpster fire that is their HR department.

I hope this clearly illustrates why I genuinely hate ECS Tuning.

-Dan Curtis
*************** "





P-

[BlackTalon]

I dunno. He sounds pretty conflicted about the whole thing...

[DaveInMD]

Speaking of being conflicted...

I hesitate to post this. It's a sample of one event in an otherwise great relationship with Pelican over the past 10 or more years. But, it was this week and it wasn't pretty.

Last Thursday morning I ordered 4 Sebro slotted rotors for the Cayman. The front two were toast and needed to be replaced and the other 2 are getting there. Sunday I thought I'd check on them to see when they would be here. The website showed them as "shipped via FedEx ground". But there was no tracking number. I sent an inquiry via their website on the tracking number.

At 9:01 PT Monday I got an email from a CS rep saying they were inquiring with the supplier and the status had changed to "in process". I sent a note back asking if they had actually shipped and that I needed them no later than Thursday. By noon I had heard nothing. I sent another note asking for status and started looking for another source on the East Coast. At 1:00 and still no answer, I ordered "overnight" from FCP Euro (1st time use) so I made their 2:00 deadline.

Then I sent this via both email and the "feedback" link on the website at 5:01 PT:

"Time is 5:01 your time. Order was: 15302xxxxx-xxx

Honestly, I've been a customer for a long time. I placed the order on 6/28. No shipping info. A reply this morning to an online query done over the weekend that simply said: It looks like we have already reached out to our supplier for further assistance and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. What does that even mean?

Order status is now "The following items are being assembled and processed". The shipping info is not there at all. No response since 9:01 your time to several requests. The links in your emails don't work: View Your request online: http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/PerlDesk/pdesk.cgi?do=track_call&id=..................

In my note this weekend I said not receiving this by Thursday would be too late for my need. I have now sourced the parts from someone else with overnight shipping. If your order shows up here I'll refuse delivery. If you don't refund the charge: Jun 28, 2018 / PELICAN PARTS LLC / PELICANPARTS.CA / Automobiles and Vehicles / ($xxx.xx) I'll dispute it and file a complaint with the credit card company about your business practices.

Sorry, but this is just not tolerable."

I got a call from a "Vice President" at about 9:00 local time. Lots of apologies and need for CS training and we'll make it up to you, etc. I reiterated nicely to not ship it and refund the charge.

Maybe one day I'll try again. Maybe not and FCP Euro has a new customer. The rotors were here Tuesday before noon and the price all in was about the same.

[VaSteve]

Haven't ordered from Pelican in a long time. Expensive and slow. I liked the catalog g however.


Shout out to AutohausAZ. Took the BMW for inspection. It flunked - needed rotors and pads up front, My fault for not checking it first. Anyhow, I called BavAuto and was on eternal hold. While I waited I reset my "account" with Autohaus, and ordered the parts at 12:55 yesterday. They were on my porch at 10:30 am. Wow.

[hoophead]

Haven't ordered from Pelican in a long time. Expensive and slow. I liked the catalog however. x2

Wow - I guess I've been lucky with ECS. I've ordered a ton of mostly Audi and some Porsche parts over the years and never had a problem, although lately I've been using Europa for the Audis. But I don't use the ECS "free" shipping because it might take over a week to show up from Ohio.

[onboost]

I dunno. He sounds pretty conflicted about the whole thing...

Ahhh yes, and it continues.. with a little acquisition talk direct from the Big Bird!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-t...ould-know.html

[DrFraserCrane]

I'll pile on with my aversion to ECS that keeps getting reinforced every so often I am lured back in.

Background: in 2007 I entered the VW scene with a Mk5 GLI and an 86 Scirocco. As best I can tell, this is about when ECS really started gaining traction in the VW scene, and I admit I was wowed by their catalog and their ease of use of same.

Fastforward to many orders later, and the shipping became the issue for me -- there was no sense of if parts were in stock, special order, backordered, coming in the same shipment, or anything else. I do recall that if they split your order, they dinged you for multiple shipping charges.

I gravitated away from ECS after they started handling parts for many, many more brands than just VAG products. I do admit, their catalog is still very impressive.

Most recently - I was unaware that Pelican and Turner were both owned by ECS now.

about 4 weeks ago I ordered a set of Turner wheel spacers, and I was met with that oh-so-familiar shipping timeframe disappointment. I ordered them 6 days before an event, and the spacers showed up the end of day of the event (after an autocross). Adding insult to injury, when I did finally get the spacers they ended up being approx. .15mm out of uniform around the spacers (spent the next event trying to diagnose a vibration before breaking out the digital caliper). When I requested a return and refund, and saw the Wadworth, Ohio address, it clicked, and I did some digging and found the ECS connection. In their defense they did not quibble over a refund for their error, but I was hugely disappointed to hear that Turner is owned by ECS and the product seems to have been hurt in the process. (I will note this is not the first set of ECS spacers that I have had that were out of uniform -- had I known Turner was part of ECS I would have stayed away)

Currently I am waiting on an order from Pelican that appears it will also arrive late for an event, and having the information in this thread, I am no longer surprised why.

Live and learn....and find another parts supplier.

[onboost]

I'll pile on with my aversion to ECS that keeps getting reinforced every so often I am lured back in.

Background: in 2007 I entered the VW scene with a Mk5 GLI and an 86 Scirocco. As best I can tell, this is about when ECS really started gaining traction in the VW scene, and I admit I was wowed by their catalog and their ease of use of same.

I gravitated away from ECS after they started handling parts for many, many more brands than just VAG products. I do admit, their catalog is still very impressive.

When I requested a return and refund, and saw the Wadworth, Ohio address, it clicked, and I did some digging and found the ECS connection.

Yes, thank you for that! I kept trying to remember ECS as not being into VW so much I had a friend with a Turbo'd VW Golf that was always raving about ECS..

So late last year, I was looking for some SS brake lines for the large BMW Brembo calipers and Turner didn't have them but ECS did.. simple enough so I ordered them.

Early this year, I needed the remainder of the SS brake line set, and went to Turner Motorsport... they didn't want to honor my usual discount, and having been a friend of Will's way back I asked for him and was told he wouldn't be available for several weeks... I needed the stuff asap and ordered anyway leaving a msg for him to give me a call which I'm sure he didn't get.. So it finally "clicked for me," like you, when the parts arrived and I "saw the Wadworth, Ohio address."

I was fully aware of the Pelican Purchase last year as I'm there waaay too much, and decided to check-out the purchaser. To my surprise they had both ECS and Turner in their portfolio... and of course now Pelican.

Haven't had to order anything from them in a while so have no input on changes either.. not that their order processing was ever that great, they were enthusiast and tried real hard, and of course have always offered an excellent forum. We shall see!