Cooper's vintage parts - anybody order anything lately?

[Jim Beard]

I have been trying to get my order in at cooper's for 3 weeks now and they don't seem to want my business. My order is close to $1000 and I have called 3 times and talked to them but they never call me back. I don't get it. I thought they were in the business of selling parts. Anybody know whats going on over there?

[Bill Balkie 24172]

Jim ,
I ordered some parts  3 weeks ago , They took 11 days to ship it, only because i called them and asked them if they shipped my items , wrong address , name wrong , and to make matters worse they shipped me somebody elses parts . I shipped them back to them UPS ground from New Jersey , they received them on the 10th of august ( UPS Confrimation Recieved by Cooper)  Tuesday . I called them today  friday the 13th and they told me they   are not sure if the package arrived yet .   I told them they recieved it Tuesday . ..... they said they would check it out ..... they were suppose to call me right back .     I am still waiting for the call .....     Bill

[R Schroeder]

I dont know whats wrong with vendors. I ordered from 3 different vendors for items and had a hassel all 3 times. Going through the 3rd one right now. They promise you super service until they got your money, then they treat you like a bucket of dung when you call to find out whats going on. I hope some of them read these postings.
Roy

[35-709]

Don't know what might be going on at Coopers, someone mentioned a few weeks ago that they were going through a move.  I have always had excellent service from them.
Geoff N.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Some years ago, I could get parts from them; however, it was a hard fight. I reordered parts later, and, despicte fax, phone calls, e-mails, never got a part. To be honest, I was not debited either.
More recently, a gentleman from this club tried to help me with bolts. He never got a call back nor the parts.
It's a pity because their choice of parts is good. The only way to get parts is to go to the store. Not quite easy from Europe...

Roger

[Jim Beard]

From what I gather the first time I called Vince took my order and only works on friday so my order got put somewhere only vince knows about. I called back a week later and talked to a woman who said she would find my order and call me back. The 3rd call was 3 weeks after my initial order and I got the woman again and she said she found my order and was going to put me into the computer and she read back my initial order. She told me Bob Cooper is there on saturdays so I am going to call today and talk to him and find out what the deal is. Vince and the woman were very nice on the phone all the times I called and seemed genuinely interested in helping me but there must be a problem with this expansion causing a lack of communication and organization.

[Otto Skorzeny]

It sounds like the problem is that they have no system or procedures for taking orders. Things are done or not done however each individual who answers the phone feels like doing it.

As for emails, same thing. They don't have a system for responding or any procedures for taking orders. Everyone there is making things up as they go along.

Things probably worked when Bob was the only one taking orders so it didn't matter if there was a standard procedure. When more than one person does the same job they have to do it according to a standard organized method or it won't work.

[Fred Zwicker #23106]

I always had good luck with Cooper's when I was restoring my 1939 LaSalle in 2007 & 2008 - never a problem.  While they were not known for fast shipping, when I needed something in a hurry, they came through for me.  Talking to the owner (Bob Cooper) is best if you can do so.  Cooper's must have a huge inventory, and possibly moving  and sorting all of this is more than they can handle.  Hopefully things will improve.  

Sometimes an order can actually get lost or misplaced, especially during a move. Phone calls do not always work in this case, although one phone call should be made initially.  When you call, the seller's employee will probably make a scratch-pad note and look for awhile, but if the original order cannot be found, you are back to where you were in the first place.

In this case, you normally will have better luck in "starting all over".  Sending a polite letter (repeating the order in a legible format) usually seems to work out best, keeping everything business-like and very friendly and not emotional or nasty.  Address the letter to the owner of the company (if available) and neatly print the entire order one more time.  Mention it is OK to ship a partial order.  Make a copy of this and if no answer, send again, marking letter "2nd Request", adding a short note in the margin.

List your complete name and address, phone number(s) and fax number(s), best time to call, email address, etc.), as sometimes this information can get lost in the shuffle, especially during a move to another location.  You will want to list your billing address and ship-to address.  Enclosing a self-addressed-stamped envelope is sometimes helpful and worth the small cost of one stamp.

*Note - Always pay by credit card, as if the order is not shipped, at least you can get the charge removed fairly easily.  Credit card companies are "cardholder friendly" and will usually issue credit quickly in the case of non-receipt.  Keep good notes of the order dates and follow-up calls as well.

Fred

[Terry Wenger]

I have ordered from Cooper numerous times before and never had a problem. I ordered a couple sets of manifold gaskets over three weeks ago and received nothing. I called back after three weeks and they found the order but it didn't get placed. They said that they would send the order. Something must be amiss!

Terry Wenger

[Fred Pennington 25635]

This has been going on for awhile. I placed a sizable order in December 09 , Followed up in January 10 they had no record of the order
Re- order and when I did not receive in February I call and canceled, I really did not need to cancel the had no record of the order.
I placed the order in January with Bob Cooper

I need some items they carrie but I am more than apprehensive

Fred

[Art Gardner]

I bought stuff from them over the last few years and was always happy with the price, quality and service.  Lately, they are having real problems.  I had to cancel an order for some parts when they failed to ship after about 2 months.  I gave them another try and am running into more delays.  They are definitely having trouble filling orders, for whatever reason....


Art G

[Whit Otis, 1188]

Like many, I had great service from Coopers in the past.  Haven't ordered anything recently, though.  IMO there is no excuse for poor service and follow up, even if they are moving their business.  I moved my industrial distributoship from one side of town to the other and we never lost an order and our customers would not have known we were moving had we not told them.... by the way, this was a warehouse with over 50,000 sku's and 135,000 sq ft building (that's about 3 acres under roof).  At any point in time, we knew what was at the old facility, what was at the new facility adn what was in transit and what box it was located in.  It can be done with lots of planning.....oh, I didn't mention that, in addition, we also move a complete rebuild center including the machine shop and never lost an order.... this was 5 lathes, a horizontal boring mill, surface grinder, etc.,etc. 

Hope they get it sorted out, they always did a good job in the past.
Whit

[ghelseth]

I bought some weatherstrips and gaskets from them a few months ago. Service was very good, even though they were in the midst of a move. I was even given advice to order a few items directly from Steele to save time. One thing to remember is that Coopers sells Steele products for the same price as Steele but with free shipping. They were very knowledgeable on my 41 Coupe. Hope they are equally helpful on my 50 Conv.

[Herman Sesser]

Today, 8/18/10. I just left Cooper's new store.  His new address is 1543 Truman St, San Fernando, CA 91340 Tel # 818 361-7878. The new store is finally taking shape and they have sorted out their boxes of parts, no little task.  He had to make the move from his previous store with short notice from his previous landlord.  Needless to say parts were just thrown into boxes and the move started.  He is very sorry for all the mixups that took place but he was under a lot of pressure to locate another store and make the mpve.  He knows there is no excuse for not filling orders promptly but he simply could not locate the boxes that "your" part ordered was in.  He wants all his customers old and new to know that he is almost on track to giving the service everyone wants and deserves. Give Bob, Vinnie, Alex and Sarah a call as they are eager and ready to help with that hard to find part.  This is an unsolicited reply but I have found, over the last 8 years, that Bob is truly a gentleman and really dedicated to the hobby and this is what we need, an honest and reasonable individual who will always give you a fair price and not rape you for the part.

Herman clc#19416

[Jim Beard]

My order from Cooper's is on the way today. I talked with Sarah and she is very helpful in getting the process completed. She works monday through friday. I first put my order in around the beginning of august and tried for 3 weeks to get it filled but never had any luck. I got busy over september and never pursued getting the order in. I called Sarah on a monday and she pulled my order of about 40 items from the stock and shipped most of it on thursday. It seems they have things under control now and if anybody else is having problems, persistance seems to be the key. I will post another update when the first shipment of parts come in.

[Roger Zimmermann]

I'm wondering if they will now read e-mails and respond to them, plus ship abroad! The last 2 years were a dead end with this company and it was before the move.

Roger

[Jim Beard]

Roger, I would spend the money on a phone call after you send a typed up copy of what you need via fax or email. Sarah said she is the only one who processes credit card paymens and seems to be the one who gets stuff done over there.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Jim, I did that 2 years ago, two or three times. People were very nice at the phone with a lot of promises; never got the parts!

Roger

[jaxops]

You have to get Mr. Cooper on the line.  If you get the young girl on the phone, forget it.  I have always had excellent service from them, but you should be persistent.  They don't do well with emails and faxes.  Good luck.

[Joe G 12138]

         Here's my update (10-19-10) on Coopers. Noticing a some of the items were listed as Back order on their website, I figured I'd call, see what was or wasn't availible, and just order the stuff that was in stock. The number on the website said the number was changed to 818 361 7878. I tried 10 times over 8 hours, and all I got was a voicemail to leave a message. I figured if I can't talk to a human with that many tries when I want to BUY something, what kind of luck will I have if there's a problem? I've dealt with Cooper's many times in the past, the last time about 3 years ago, and had great service (except for the ignorant young girl someone mentioned). Something has changed.
         Next call was to OPGI. I did have a question though. Their catalog boasts that their upper radiator hose "features a label that features the GM number as well as manufacturing code numbers....". But they list one part number for 1954 thru 1960 for 331, 365, and 390 engines. Question: What IS the GM part number?  My master parts book lists 7 different numbers in that year range. I don't want to pay a premium price for the wrong number on the part (judging type stuff) or worse yet get a walmart crinkle hose. Answer: We can't tell you. We have none here to look at.
         I got a similar reply last summer on other parts. They list a center cap for '54 wire wheels. My question: will it fit the 52-54 wire wheel style hubcaps? Same reply, Don't know. Can't measure, don't have any. If you order, we'll order. I also asked about '65 Caddy quarter panel sheetmetal parts listed. None stocked, but someone else has a backorder. How long till backorders filled? I dunno. They talk smart and put out a nice catalog, but the don't seem to OWN anything.
      Late in the day, I called USA parts supply. Never dealt with them before. I got a human on the phone. He instantly checked stock, and even questioned why I was ordering more hose clamps than he remembered were on a "55.
All items were in stock and shipped the same day.