2007_Shelby_GT Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 I've seen two posts in the Shout Box, but was hoping for a more personal introductory post towards all of us on the TS forum - did I miss it? What do you say, Akos? What's going on at SPP? What's the status of past, current, and or future projects? What's been killed off and what's still alive? (I'm still hoping for the redesigned SGT brake ducts!) Inquiring minds want to know! Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali_KR Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'm not sure spending time on/in forums is part of his job description. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertlane Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'm not sure spending time on/in forums is part of his job description. I was a big advocate of breaking TS/SPP into three pieces as I believe that they cannot be operated together as one group as their missions are drastically different. To have TS and SPP operate as one unit is a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ageishecker Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'm not sure spending time on/in forums is part of his job description. Maybe not but it was nice when someone from SA participated. Who is overseenig TS now? Half the people in the big announcement last winter are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbsFaris Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Your regional directors are still here! We have meetings with Shelby management every other week. If there is something you want to know, we can carry any questions forward and get answers! ...and I'll just add if you want Ford information, Robert is our best resource to ask those questions to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 This is an enthusiast forum. I would expect that future participation from SAI will be more along the lines of press releases and announcement than actual interaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Maybe it's not part of SAI management's job description to participate in TS, but I sure enjoyed Jer Gervasi's interaction and enthusiasm to try to answer all things Shelby. I guess time will tell what will happen to SAI but they need to remember it's the enthusiast that keeps their doors open and we like to feel like we are involved in their growth and success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbsFaris Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 ****I'm not speaking for Shelby American policy**** While I feel strongly like you, and even made the point when asked, -one of the best attributes of Team Shelby was when we had multiple staff members not just monitoring the forum, or answering questions, but being a fellow enthusiast that enjoyed the company of us all, and added just an extra connection and friendship with the brand we all love. (Those were my words in a nutshell) That said. SA is a corporate business. While there is a small percentage of upside to staff involvement, from the top, its got a lot of downside. 1. Sometimes we all say the wrong thing on a forum. I've done it, I can't count how many times. 2. We are human. This means we have to wear a corporate hat, hold onto massive passion and emotion for our favorite past time, and hope those two things don't conflict. When they do, it spells the end of one, the other, or both. 3. While having employees be responsible for getting things done for us, and "putting their name on it" or "owning an issue" or "seeing it through to resolution" are all trademarks of quality customer service, there becomes a level of discomfort when an employee is seen as indispensable. I have MANY such employees, but the reality is, they may quit, drop dead, or move to Alaska any given moment. I have to know that my business will carry on no matter what one piece is absent. This is compounded when that piece is in the forefront of the operation. I would guess that SA would almost discourage having employees continue to get that involved if they have to endure the Bud backlash, or Jer, or Robert and Sharon, or etc...etc...etc...all great people, but let's face it- a real PR nightmare. To be careful not to restart a sensitive topic that has been beat to death, let me just say this. We ALL know Shelby has to address one major issue that has plagued them since the first day of Team Shelby- Customer Service. We have had a couple go to people that seemed to help get issues resolved, and get mad to see them gone, but the real problem is that there are issues in the first place. If their house is in order, then you don't need that guy that has to come here and deal with the problems in the open. THAT is the strategy and plan Shelby is trying to put in place. Get service on the level it should be, and a forum that can be here for us to enjoy. Not a forum that needs to be the back door to customer service. That said, the forum is always monitored for content, and if you have any technical or forum related problems, hit up any moderator, regional director, and we will pass any urgent issue on to the right person, or get you an answer. Your regional directors are not paid employees, but enthusiasts. This means we care about the same things you care about, and if I can be so bold- I believe we are the ones that should be helping be points of contact for anyone that needs help. My PM box is always open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 That said. I love that term. That said, I have worked for some of the largest computer peripheral manufacturers and all of our company policies, reinforced every year with a required signature class to be absolutely positive we knew, was that there was no participation in any social media that could even be closely construed as even coming close to an individual representing the company or company policy. It was made very clear to us that (1) such communcations came in the form of official press releases and the content was approved as part of that process and (2) anyone who made any appearance of representing the company was going to be called on the carpet. If it were my company, that would be the policy. Or anyone making a claim or statement would be required to adhere to the policy: Do not make any commitment you cannot personally deliver Failure to do so is cause for termination. Technical contributions excepted. For example, SAI folks (notably Bud) put out a whole bunch of "how to" tips. Those are great and ought to be encouraged. I will observe, perhaps that it is a coincidence, is that not a single employee who participated here regularly is a current employee. That is why I expect corporate participation will be minimal from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 WOW, I have been thinking the same thing (coincidence) when the announcement of Jer was first released. Are the two items related or not! " I will observe, perhaps that it is a coincidence, is that not a single employee who participated here regularly is a current employee". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygator Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Popcorn with all this reading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperNC Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Popcorn with all this reading? Scoot over.... the speculators are at it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygator Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Scoot over.... the speculators are at it again. Always room... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperNC Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Always room... Is it too early for beer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08KR525 Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I don't know that any products were promised in a specific time frame but as with anything being developed it always takes more time than expected. As long as I know that SPP has something I want being developed or manufactured I have literally waited a year and longer to make the purchase from them. That is one of the reasons I hate that Jer is gone. At least he tried to keep people informed on new stuff coming in and was open to offering parts that the Shelby enthusiast wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpodner Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 My last words on all this mess. I don't care if SAI,SPP, eieio participates in the forum or not. I will say that the only reason I spent any of my money with SPP on hard parts, other than swag, is because it was announced and discussed here by a previous employee. The only reason I maintained a TS membership is because I anticipated something new would be announced and discussed here and I could use my discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akos (AJ) Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I've seen two posts in the Shout Box, but was hoping for a more personal introductory post towards all of us on the TS forum - did I miss it? What do you say, Akos? What's going on at SPP? What's the status of past, current, and or future projects? What's been killed off and what's still alive? (I'm still hoping for the redesigned SGT brake ducts!) Inquiring minds want to know! Sam Sam (and all other TS members with inquiring minds), As you can imagine, since I came back to Shelby, my priority has been to get my bearings back and to work with the team to fix the most pressing issues. Posting on the forum right now can't be my #1 priority, while the team has some systemic issues to solve within SPP. In the upcoming weeks and months, you will see some drastic improvements in the online store, the Vegas call center and retail store, at the authorized mod shops and in warranty. We have a great team in place with Wendy, Tim, Chas and Bill (back for more punishment ) on the retail side, Bryan running the warranty center, and Keith helping our wholesale retail partners. We have some wonderful ladies running the retail store up front: Kelley, Dolly and our latest addition Kathleen. Lou will be back soon to handle the reception and information desk. And let's not forget about Norm and Dante (another new addition to the team) running the warehouse and shipping. Each of them are here to make your experience with SPP the best possible. As of next week, Shelby's Ebay store is going to be revved up with Tom (new guy #3) at the helm. Look for one-of items, collectibles and take-offs there. We will also have a new Outlet section of our online store for items that are being retired or discontinued. More on that in the upcoming days/weeks. As far as new products, all I can say is that in the near future we will roll out a number of new items for the existing Shelby models. Every single part will be well designed and engineered and will make your Shelby's "faster, lighter and better looking" (Carroll's words, not mine). I'm also very aware of the wish list for certain parts to be developed or re-introduced, including your famous brake ducts (guess who was doing the development work on those ). All I can say is that every part we will offer going forward, will have to make business not just emotional sense. We are also working very hard on developing our 2015 lineup. And since we are in an extremely competitive market, I hope you forgive me for not saying anything more about that for the time being. Anybody that has worked with me at Shelby in the past knows that I don't shy away from posting on this forum. And there are no orders from above not to post. If you do a search, you can probably find and read my long posts about the SGT's development and a few other topics. But at the end of the day, I have limited time to get things done and I rather spend that time doing my job the best way possible, rather than talking about it. I wish all the dads out there a happy Father's Day, and now I'm back to my #1 job: being a dad to a 4 year old... Yours truly, AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuickSilverShelby Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Right on AJ! Shelby's moving in the right direction if I do say so myself. QSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 AJ, I think if you've had a look at the last few months of traffic you might see that one persistent complaint, and something Jer said he was trying to get under control, was shipping costs. Maybe someone can try to rack some of the war stories down. This is sort of "unfinished business" that would be a good thing to follow up on. Great to see you here! Cheers, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali_KR Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Sam (and all other TS members with inquiring minds), As you can imagine, since I came back to Shelby, my priority has been to get my bearings back and to work with the team to fix the most pressing issues. Posting on the forum right now can't be my #1 priority, while the team has some systemic issues to solve within SPP. In the upcoming weeks and months, you will see some drastic improvements in the online store, the Vegas call center and retail store, at the authorized mod shops and in warranty. We have a great team in place with Wendy, Tim, Chas and Bill (back for more punishment ) on the retail side, Bryan running the warranty center, and Keith helping our wholesale retail partners. We have some wonderful ladies running the retail store up front: Kelley, Dolly and our latest addition Kathleen. Lou will be back soon to handle the reception and information desk. And let's not forget about Norm and Dante (another new addition to the team) running the warehouse and shipping. Each of them are here to make your experience with SPP the best possible. As of next week, Shelby's Ebay store is going to be revved up with Tom (new guy #3) at the helm. Look for one-of items, collectibles and take-offs there. We will also have a new Outlet section of our online store for items that are being retired or discontinued. More on that in the upcoming days/weeks. As far as new products, all I can say is that in the near future we will roll out a number of new items for the existing Shelby models. Every single part will be well designed and engineered and will make your Shelby's "faster, lighter and better looking" (Carroll's words, not mine). I'm also very aware of the wish list for certain parts to be developed or re-introduced, including your famous brake ducts (guess who was doing the development work on those ). All I can say is that every part we will offer going forward, will have to make business not just emotional sense. We are also working very hard on developing our 2015 lineup. And since we are in an extremely competitive market, I hope you forgive me for not saying anything more about that for the time being. Anybody that has worked with me at Shelby in the past knows that I don't shy away from posting on this forum. And there are no orders from above not to post. If you do a search, you can probably find and read my long posts about the SGT's development and a few other topics. But at the end of the day, I have limited time to get things done and I rather spend that time doing my job the best way possible, rather than talking about it. I wish all the dads out there a happy Father's Day, and now I'm back to my #1 job: being a dad to a 4 year old... Yours truly, AJ right on, sounds like a plan Now if we can get the negative Nancys to pipe down...and focus on all the good, and not sweat the little stuff.... Enjoy your cars, you're driving a Shelby! And as Gary P. would say, smile dammit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpodner Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Not a "negative Nancy" I just like communications with the people I spend money with. I get an email box full of communications from other vendors I purchase from, most I consider spam but then again something will catch my eye. I don't really care who is running sales as long as they keep me/us informed what's coming down the pipe. And I drive mine like I stole it, that's why I like to get the bestest for the mostest....more gas money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygator Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Is it too early for beer? It's 12 o'clock somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007_Shelby_GT Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 AJ - Exactly what I was looking for, THANKS! I'm certain you are very busy getting settled in, but a brief note like that says a whole bunch! Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoChris Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Nice update and as the old saying goes, 'actions speak louder than words.' Looking forward to all that is mentioned in the update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helge Ruchelski Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Thanks for that AJ! I think that is the reply, and response we are all looking for. Happy fathers Day to all!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard m.switzer Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 very well said AJ , , thanks ,, looking to chat more with you soon ,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_GT350 Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 AJ, I think if you've had a look at the last few months of traffic you might see that one persistent complaint, and something Jer said he was trying to get under control, was shipping costs. Maybe someone can try to rack some of the war stories down. This is sort of "unfinished business" that would be a good thing to follow up on. Great to see you here! Cheers, Tony I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy but, something to consider is not only Shipping costs but all costs. I have spoken to some others who feel the same way as me, in that if it cost less we'd buy more.... There is a lot of stuff I see that I would love to have but Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelbyKR664 Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hey AJ, Thanks for chiming in. This is exactly what I like to here. As a dedicated Shelby enthusiast, I appreciate your insight and thoughts and really look forward to the development of the topics you mentioned. On a side note, I took my boys out for a ride yesterday in my KR and realized how important they are and how my Shelby makes everyone happy. It is all good. I look forward to the possibility of meeting you. My family is vacationing in LV the first week of July. We will definitely stop by. Take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 very well said AJ , , thanks ,, looking to chat more with you soon ,, Akos_signing.jpg Is that my GT-H Return of a Legend book getting signed by AJ? Sure looks like it. I will have to find my photo Cali KR took when AJ signed my book. That said, thanks AJ for the update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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