Today I have lost all my respect for the Fiero Store.
Thay have copied my select arm rebuild kit to a tee and
now sell it. This is my invention. My creation. Then he
mentions they will copy more of my accessories if the
demand is there. I will not send anyone to the Fiero
Store in the future and I will surely mention my
feelings toward them whenever possible to all Fiero
owners.

Thanks,
Rodney Dickman
New web page! http://www.rodneydickman.com

----- Original Message -----
From: The Fiero Store <info@fierostore.com>
Subject: Re: Select arm rebuild kits

> Rodney:
>
> In the past, we have sent a lot of customers your way
for parts that we did
> not offer because you seem to have a very reputable
business. We noticed
> that sufficient demand existed for the select arm
rebuild kits to justify
> stocking them on a regular basis. Since you made it
quite clear that you did
> not want to supply us with any of your parts, we
decided to manufacture the
> rebuild kits ourselves to the best of our ability.
Let me assure you that no
> malice was intended toward you or your company. We
were simply doing our
> best to provide Fiero owners with the parts they
demanded.
>
> We will continue to suggest rodneydickman.com to our
customers who are
> looking for parts that we do not carry because your
company continues to
> receive high praise within the Fiero community.
However, if we feel that
> enough demand exists to justify carrying another
part(s) that you sell, we
> will not hesistate to do so. We are in business to
provide our customers
> with the high quality parts that they demand
regardless of who else may be
> offering the same product.
>
> I hope that you will understand our position and will
remember that both of
> our organizations are doing what we feel is best for
Fiero owners around the
> world.
>
> Sincerely,
> Smitty
> The Fiero Store
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Rodney Dickman <rodney1@execpc.com>
> To: <info@fierostore.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 12:05 AM
> Subject: Select arm rebuild kits
>
>
> > You're welcome for copying my select arm rebuild
kits
> > to the tee and then selling them for less.

> > Rodney Dickman

Thats really crappy of them. They should not have done something like that without asking first. But hey....they cant even get order correct half the time.

------------------

James Essar
AOL IM Name: FieroMaster88
Not your ordinary 88 coupe!

I'm with you Rodney, that was a low blow.

It bothers me to hear that Rodney. I would hope that the retailers serving the Fiero community would have a little more class than that. It might make you feel better knowing that you and The Fiero Shop in Toronto are the only Fiero places I can trust anymore.
So I will not order from the Fiero Store anymore as well as West Coast Fiero they suck as well.
Thanks for all your hard work providing us Fiero guys with quality merchandise with exceptional customer service.
Vince

That's a load of Crap. Those overpriced idiots! Sorry Rodney. I stopped reccomending them a long time ago. Don't let it get you though, you're service is way better that there's. Take your headlight rebuilt kits..Totally Awesome. do you have patents on any of your products? Is it possible to do that? Then you could possibly persue legal action.

------------------
Jeff
AOL IM : Only2xsess

Visit My Website

Rodney-

I'm sorry to hear that the Fiero Store has gone so low... they disappoint me highly- and I hope they read this to see/hear the diappointement of the community they THINK they're serving (or WERE). Best of luck- I'll always look to you first for my Fiero needs!

-Rob Bartlett

Rodney--You've always done right by me. I don't think that's very ethical of the Fiero Store. I'll buy from you whenever possible.

man, sorry to hear about that that really sucks they should at least send you some of the profit from those. Best of luck Randy

Do you have a patent on that? If you do you could stop them from copying it. You should get royalties or something for each one sold by them.

Really what are they thinking, sure business is business, but what they have done shows ZERO class and I probably wont shop there unless absolutely necessary.

Rodney, thanks for the GREAT service and don't let those bums get you down

WOW! I can't believe that they did that! And then to admit it in a letter and then go on to say that they won't even hesitate to do it again. What gall!

I guess there is no copywrite on them that you can enforce Rodney?
In this day and age, I don't understand how this can be allowed to happen. Especially with a copy of the letter they sent/e-mailed to you admitting to it. Or would fighting it in court cost more than it is worth?

PFF members: I get alot more from Rodney than I do from the Fiero Store. I would be willing to join in a boycott of the Fiero Store until they either do one of the following-
A: Stop selling the copied part(s)
B: Pay Rodney an agreed on royalty for using his idea/inventions.

I can remember when I first got into Fieros, and the Fiero store was just starting to discontinue some items. They kinda distinguished some of my growing Fiero enthusiasm with their attitude even back then. I then found Rodney who was offering many unique and needed items. I think I owe Rodney a lot for showing me early on that the Fiero was a special and unique automobile. For that I say thanks.

If we as a Fiero community allow this to happen to Rodney today, it may be seen as an open door for the Fiero Store and others to do the same tommorrow to him or to anyone else. Do we want to let that happen?
There are what, like over 2000 members on this forum alone? So we have a big voice that we can use to our advantage if we can band together. Even if a quarter of the members on here got behind this, that would be a big wake up call for the Fiero Store and others that this type of "stealing" is just not acceptable.

Steve

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http://www.kelleyfamilyfieros.homestead.com/index.html

Guess who will get a call on monday. thats just not right. ive used the fiero store many times because of how fast and reliable they are. after hearing this i hope no one else on this forum uses them. i also hope that by doing this only hurts their business. just my $.02

------------------
JOEJOE Aol:SSFiero

88FORMULA
SSFiero@Aol.com

"Kids in the backseat cause accidents, accidents in the backseat caused me!!"

[This message has been edited by KissMySSFiero (edited 09-28-2001).]

I will call them on monday as well, if we flood their lines telling them how discusted they are, they will have no choice but to stop making them. Or we will just take up their phone line for weeks? for months?? for YEARS? thats right
i'll start charging my phone battery now!

I've never dealt with the Fiero Store, though I'm not surprised by this, everyone copies everyone else.. this was an original creation though, unlike the Mustang decklid scoops and short shifters.. but many fiero businesses sell those now.. just food for thought.

anyway, I'm not even sure what a select arm rebuild kit is (dumb question..?) but if I ever need one, I'll buy from Rodney.

added at 1am: They should have tried to buy the design, ripping off an original design isn't cool. I'm not too inclined to do business with them any time soon, if I needed to.

------------------
steve@fieroproject.com
http://www.fieroproject.com

[This message has been edited by DaRkLoRD (edited 09-29-2001).]

[This message has been edited by DaRkLoRD (edited 09-29-2001).]

Rodney,

What a crock! The Fiero Store cannot even come up with anything original. The stuff is almost certainly not of the same quality as yours. Even if I would end up spending more for your parts, I would rather put on a higher quality part the first time than to have to end up replacimg it again later and doing twice the work. I don't know if you have any patents on some of these things, but it looks like it may be time to consult a lawyer.

29

[This message has been edited by fieroparts.com (edited 10-13-2001).]

Also did you know...

The Fiero Stores 88 upper ball joints are not GM and they come off some other brand of car. They will be having a sale (in kit form) on 84-88
inner and outer tie rods, and the are made over sea in China, cheap crap!

I've only received perfect service and then some from Rodney. When I needed headlight bushings for my '88, Rodney made a special trip for me to the p/o the same day, and shipped them express to me. They were in the mail before I even got the check written(I think this was pre-c/c time for Rodney). Rodney shipped them out on the faith that I would follow through with the funds(which I did).

Everything else I have bought from Rodney has been great, and I've always gotten great service.

I have also received excellent service from FieroStore every time. There are very few items(if any anymore) that are limited only to FS.

I, too, have gotten fantastic service from Rodney and will not hesitate to use him in the future. Up to this point I've had no complaints with the Fiero Store either. They have always given me good service. However, I have just e-mailed them to let them know that I will probably only use them in the future as a last resort. Rest assured that if Rodney has a part and the Fiero Store has the same part, I'll be ordering mine from Rodney!

------------------
Rod Schneider, Woodstock, Ga. 84 SE, 330,000 miles and counting, 88 GT, not nearly as many miles :)

Email them and see if they respond and what they say. I'm sure we would all be interested in hearing what their responce is. There email address: info@fierostore.com

The folks at the Fiero Store must be aware of the fact that the entire Fiero enthusiast universe is very small in comparison to, say Corvettes and, from what I've been able to gather, it's a particularly closeknit group of owners. Therefore, it wouldn't take a bit of negative news very long to circulate among interested parties. There aren't enough of the cars being maintained to that degree for any supplier or manufacturer to alienate potential customers and not feel the effect.

A stupid business move on their part....and rather tacky, actually. Will that one kit improve their bottom line so significantly that it's worth the bad taste their actions left?

I doubt it.

Well, I'm torn. I've had good luck with both Rodney and the Fiero Store - I've recommended both to people. There are also some items you both stock (sail panel Pontiac crests, for one) - so there is some competition there.

To me, the Fiero Store has always been the place for parts that are hard to find, but somewhat available. Rodney, on the other hand, specializes in parts that aren't available anymore, so he comes up with a solution.

Carrying Rodney's products would be fine, but I'm sure the markup would make them cost prohibitive when we can get them directly from Rodney. But copying one of Rodney's designs on parts that are no longer available is just cheap.

In smittys letter he kept mentioning how it benefits the entire fiero community, well this is the fiero community and when everyone in this community sees this, well lets say the fiero store shot themselves in the foot.

I have bought many things from the Fiero Store. The one thing I've noticed is that if you buy original GM products or Brand name items, Their service is excellent. When they started "making" their own version of something I have found the quality to be poor. Example is the bored throttle body. The quality of the product is very poor. I tried it and soon after sold it on Ebay. I have even heard their vented rotor brake kit has problems.
As for Rodney's items, They are always top notch. I would buy from Rodney first before the Fiero Store even before hearing this. (by the way, Rodney, I received my order Wednesday!, Thanks!!)
As someone who has purchased many Items over the past 5 years from them, I am going to Email them and let them know that in a small community of Fiero Owners it would be wise not to do things that give them bad press.

I think I'll also enclose a link to this page so they can see the negative response this is generating.
The Fiero Store does have some items that are difficult to obtain, but to copy someone else's items and then say they are going to copy other items they deem popular is

I would still check with a good lawyer as to the legal issues involved. Since the brass bushings aren't "stock" they are in effect duplicating your design. Actually in the Email the state they "copied your design"

------------------

Got Emblems?

[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 09-28-2001).]

Got my first Fiero about 5 months ago. Guess who I'll be buying parts from!
We Wisconsinites got to stick together!

Well I just cancled a $687 order from them.

I support you completly.

------------------

Maybe I need to change my web site to: Innovative products soon to be copied by The Fiero Store.

I agree... I sell brake upgrades for 350 COMPLETE front AND rear!! Theirs is SCARY expensive! WTF?? Well i dunno!!?

------------------
"Raced That, Wrecked Better"

~In Memory Of Jesse Cesek~ 1980-2000
AIM: Fieromaster
1985 GT ~ Purple, Black and Yellow Interior(Fastback Converted)
1997 Mitsu Eclipse GSX ~ Maroon w/ Hella Balls!(GSX = AWD, Turbo) DOA on 12/10/2000

Rodney: you have my word that i will never buy anything from them, that was a terrible thing for them to do and i think it shows everyone what kind of business they run. on a side note, thanks for the speedy delivery on the headlight actuator rebuild kit!

I have typed out a "form letter" to send to the Fiero Store. You can modify it to suit your personal feelings if you'd like. Just Highlight the letter and right click to copy it. Open your email to a new email and paste it in. If you wish you can sign your name or leave it blank.

See letter here:
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/010602.html

I have bought from the Fiero Store in the Past without any problems, but then I found this forum and have net people who sell the same stuff at a better quality and cheaper than they do. I have never bought anything from rodney, but have plans to in the near future. I know I will get what I expect from Rodney and also get a good price on it.
The Fiero Store is out to make money, not to help the fiero community like they claim.

Rodney-- I'm not sure, but maybe you have a reason for a lawsuit here? Might be worth checking into.

... It's all been said above. I believe we all deeply appreciate your products and professionalism, you're the best!!!

That's a real shame, Rodney. And if I were in your shoes, I'd be super-pi$$ed too.

I can't say I'll never buy from the Fiero Store again - gotta keep the Fiero running, after all. But I can say they will be my third choice, behind Rodney (#1) and AutoZone (#2).

Rodney;

That just plain "sucks"! I think the only thing I ever got from them was a T-shirt, but I will have a hard time justifying ever ordering anything else from them. If they want to stock the parts YOU came up with and make, why don't they get them from you? That's just waaaay below the belt. Do you think Smitty's message was some kind of request for permission???? Guess not since they already did it! Just consider me part of the boycott! Hard to have a good one after this. Just tell yourself imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! No??? don't blame you...that just plain sucks!

That is just !!!

I hear you Rodney - anyone notice that they came out with their air intake systems just as I had designed and and began to market the West Coast Fiero Cold Air Intake?

------------------
Technician, West Coast Fiero
www.cwestco.com
310-305-4111

I have had good luck with them before, but that's just classless. Rodney is a real great guy and knows his buisness and his customers. I bought his short shifter becuase it came with a steel ring, leather boot, and didnt require a freakin' core charge. No more Fiero Store for me, I'm calling tomorrow, and expressing my disgust.

I think we all should say, at the end of our speel when we call, "and I don't think that I am the only one you'll hear from about this"

well looks to me like thefierostore is going to be lossing quite a bit of buisness I have never delt with Rodney but from what I hear he is a great guy and from now on I will be going to Rodney for things rather than the fiero store I just wanted to let you all know that

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AIM: Fierobaby87
http://angelfire.com/sports/sfiero

Wow! Rodney has T-shirts that don't look like they came from the 80's. I'll have to put an order in. It is pretty shitty of them ...and considering their customer base isn't the largest in the world you would think that they wouldn't want to piss the moderate band of followers off.

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quote Originally posted by Rodney: Today I have lost all my respect for the Fiero Store. Thay have copied my select arm rebuild kit to a tee and now sell it. This is my invention. My creation. [snip] > Rodney: > > In the past, we have sent a lot of customers your way > for parts that we did not offer because you seem to > have a very reputable business. We noticed that > sufficient demand existed for the select arm rebuild > kits to justify stocking them on a regular basis. > Since you made it quite clear that you did not want > to supply us with any of your parts, we decided to > manufacture the rebuild kits ourselves to the best of > our ability. Let me assure you that no malice was > intended toward you or your company. We were simply > doing our best to provide Fiero owners with the parts > they demanded.

All right, I hate to be the one seemingly dissenting voice here, but the above begs a question from me.

Why not cooperate with them and give them the parts they asked for?

Don't get me wrong, I, like all the others here, am dissappointed with their behavoir, it is definately not right, but why not cooperate with them, for the sake of the community.

Just wondering...

------------------
Ed Dana
88 Coupe.

Rodney,

Any new innovative ideas that you may have in the future, you should definitely go ahead and apply for a US Patent. It may be too late for you to apply for a patent for the particular part at issue. Once you sell a product to the general public, you have one year to get it patented for protection.

Your subwoofer speaker works great,
KV

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88 GT, 5-spd
87 SE 4-cyl, 5-spd