Jim from Viper?

[cranberry521]

Has anyone heard from Jim @ viper lately? I ordered parts from him more than 2 weeks ago, he said I would get them in 1 week. I called after 2 weeks and his voicemail is full.

[saltare inverts]

I have had same problem. I ordered parts two weeks ago. Waiting also. He did say he is real busy.

[jonyb]

Sounds familiar.... He either needs to hire help or quit selling parts. Seems to be a lot of frustrated customers lately.

[Fman]

Has anyone heard from Jim @ viper lately? I ordered parts from him more than 2 weeks ago, he said I would get them in 1 week. I called after 2 weeks and his voicemail is full.

Both orders I placed took a month, he said he is overloaded at his shop with work and a few people on injuries. Try email and keep calling him, he will eventually get back to you.

[jclose8]

Heh... I ordered Supra graphics at least a month ago and still haven't got them. The good news is, he is REALLY nice when I call!

He claims they have now been shipped, but he thought they were shipped a long time ago too..... we'll see. I know I'll get them eventually...

[jonyb]

Heh... I ordered Supra graphics at least a month ago and still haven't got them. The good news is, he is REALLY nice when I call!

He claims they have now been shipped, but he thought they were shipped a long time ago too..... we'll see. I know I'll get them eventually...

So being a really nice guy makes it okay that he has your money AND the graphics you ordered? I'm not trying to start a battle or make anybody mad, yes, I've met him also and I won't disagree, but he needs to step it up. Taking money and telling you it's shipped when it hasn't is not very ethical. I keep seeing those comments about him being sooooo nice, but one of my last customers had to jump through hoops to get a couple yards of OEM carpet, and delayed him from getting his boat back in a timely manner.

[KY Steve]

Heh... I ordered Supra graphics at least a month ago and still haven't got them. The good news is, he is REALLY nice when I call!

He claims they have now been shipped, but he thought they were shipped a long time ago too..... we'll see. I know I'll get them eventually...

I talked to him Thursday afternoon, he probably picked up my graphics with yours from SC.

[KY Steve]

New graphics and guide pole covers came in today from Jim. :)

[jaywidhalm]

I must say I have had a similar frustrating experience as well. Ordered guide pole covers and they never came. When I finally got a hold of him he said they were still sitting in the box waiting to be shipped, but he thought he had already sent them. After about a month I finally received them. I appreciate that he is so resourcefull, but I agree that customer service and timeliness is key. You should not have to follow up on your order 3 or 4 times to get the product you ordered. I hope everything is going ok for him though, and that there is not some bigger issue going on.

[KG's Supra24]

So being a really nice guy makes it okay that he has your money AND the graphics you ordered?

I am glad jonyb brought this up. I have no personal experience with him but have read both on here and over on Moomba about how nice and knowledgable he is. However I've seen mulitple threads on this topic of waiting. I understand if you are having the boat rebuilt but other than that? Guidepole covers and decals? Go talk to your local decal shop, im sure you will get the same price if not cheaper. If not, PM and ill give you a great shop that will work with you via email, give you proofs and mail them within days, if not, at least be up front with you.

I think the same could be said for wakemakers from my experience ... sell the same product at the same price but everyone here seems to be all about them.

Not trying to tear anyone down, just trying to figure out what the bandwagons are all about.

[sybrmike]

Believe me, I'm not rushing to Jim's defense here - it took a month of phone tag to finalize a small parts list and order. Granted each time we spoke, he was very pleasant and happy to discuss various details of my project, but I grew frustrated with the days turning into weeks (fortunately, I'm behind schedule & the parts weren't holding me up). However I did receive the parts less than a week after he said they shipped out. I was missing a part (coulda been the UPS monkeys based on the packaging), but again received the replacement with no hassles a few days after finally speaking with Jim.

My $.02 - Jim seems like a really nice guy, full of knowledge of these old boats, and a valuable resource of some hard to find parts. Obviously, he does have some issues with timely shipping & sounds like he may not be adequately staffed for seasonal overload. So I guess my suggestion is to appreciate what Jim and Viper Customs offers this community but patronize which ever vendor you're comfortable doing business with...

[Mani]

What's the problem with Wakemakers? I just ordered 3 ballast bags and a tsunami pump from them and they shipped the same day that I ordered them. Tracking number and all were sent to my email.

[KG's Supra24]

I completely understand whn it comes to old parts and restoration. But for simple parts such as guidepoles and decals I wasn't sure why everyone keeps going with them when they have known backorder issues. I'm sure the advice is great though, once again not knockin him.

As for wakemakers, it is just the other company that came to mind that gets endless plugs on here and several people have had problems. No issue, though. It sounds like they are caught up! Again, not knockig them as I'm grateful for the great advice from Jason. They just instantly popped into my head for the same issue.

[sybrmike]

Yeah, that's what I was tryin to say, KG. I've got an old boat & can use help from someone like Jim, Donnie, etc. that know old boats & may be able to source old parts. Happy to throw some $ their way - when it makes sense.

If I had a new boat, I'd be makin friends with folks that talk EFI, OBD, CAT, and have computer chips in their inventory. No blind loyalty, but support those that help you when you can/should - Walmart doesn't carry everything...

[Fman]

I am glad jonyb brought this up. I have no personal experience with him but have read both on here and over on Moomba about how nice and knowledgable he is. However I've seen mulitple threads on this topic of waiting. I understand if you are having the boat rebuilt but other than that? Guidepole covers and decals? Go talk to your local decal shop, im sure you will get the same price if not cheaper. If not, PM and ill give you a great shop that will work with you via email, give you proofs and mail them within days, if not, at least be up front with you.

I think the same could be said for wakemakers from my experience ... sell the same product at the same price but everyone here seems to be all about them.

Not trying to tear anyone down, just trying to figure out what the bandwagons are all about.

I think people really like Jim and they are trying to give him the business, but he is understaffed right now and getting more work than he can handle. Unfortunately this is causing a lot of headaches for this customers, hopefully he can get things dialed in. I really enjoy talking with him, and he is very knowledgeable about Supra boats because he did R&D for them for 10 years and they give him dealers access to all the parts which he sells for cheaper than most other dealerships. I saved $20 on my guidepole covers over what SC wanted for them.

[saltare inverts]

Yea he can save you ,money but is it really a save. Calculate everyday wondering if it will ship, worrying he has your hard earned money, having to call everyday many times a day because vm is full. That is alot of energy and time to save ten bucks. I like him but my business wouldnt last like that.

[Fman]

Yea he can save you ,money but is it really a save. Calculate everyday wondering if it will ship, worrying he has your hard earned money, having to call everyday many times a day because vm is full. That is alot of energy and time to save ten bucks. I like him but my business wouldnt last like that.

I agree, just making a point about his prices.... not that it justifies his shipping timeframes because I to think they are way to long.

[saltare inverts]

Well I shouldnt have ranted so long, just on edge because Im waiting. It is what it is and each person can decide to use Jim or not. I probably still will just have to be extra patient.

[Okie Boarder]

So far everything I've gotten from Jim has been in a timely manner. He is definitely a great resource to bounce things off of. I know he is busy and is hard to get in touch with a lot of times. I'm sure he's struggling with how to be properly staffed for the busy season, but not having to be overstaffed or lay off in the slow season.

Everybody runs their business the way that works for them and gives them the most support to the customer and the business. It may not make everyone happy, but in the long run it works out. I'd say if any business doesn't leave you satisfied with how they operate, take your business elsewhere. If it impacts that business enough, they may change their business model.

[chautauquasun]

I ran into the same problems....I wasnt going to bring it up but sounds like I wasnt the only one with these issues.

I ordered a new rubrail, steering helm, motor mounts and snap caps almost 2 months ago. I called Jim several times and he said he was waiting on the snap caps before he shipped the order. I had plenty of time so I didn't press the issue. We started to get close to finishing the boat and really needed the rubrail i called Jim 3 weeks ago and he told me it he was shipping the order that day...a week goes by and nothing. I call him again and he told me that he was still waiting on the parts...??? I finally did get the order last week but the snap caps were the wrong size and the rub rail insert was too short. The snap caps held up the whole order and ended up not being the right size. I could have ordered the helm and rubrail form skidim for the same price but thought I would try to spread the wealth to guys on the site here...in hindsight i should have ordered from skidim due to the ease at getting the orders, the payment options (AMEX) and ability to easily send the parts back.

Again, I think I echo everyone on here saying Jim is a nice guy....but I will have to go elsewhere for my next parts order. Sorry Jim. Hope he gets it sorted out there.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Spring is the single busiest time of season for Jim or any other boat shop. Your complaints are still valid, however. It would be nice if you were not charged until the items were shipped. After a couple months things should go back to normal.

[docdrs]

what parts have you been waiting for?.......this is your first post on this....it has been 10 months since July........ surprised this is the first we have heard anything?...I'm curious , and i would be pissed too

[chautauquasun]

I had posted in May about some of the order issues I had with Jim Jackson at Viper. So I also wanted to share with you the good too!

Jim came through for me on my last order and did an outstanding job. I had a bad rudder and actually broke the new steering cable I had ordered orginially. I called Jim and he answered right away and then helped me with my decision on buying a new rudder. He gave me his opinion and options and I decided buy a new rudder. I then told him that I needed the parts before the weekend. He said no problem. I got all of the parts I needed on time and was able to make the repairs that weekend.

Jim did a great job!

Thank you Jim!

Dan

[saltare inverts]

I have had numerous problems also. Too many to discuss. I am moving on, with no more recomendations towards that company.

[jonyb]

Wow, didn't think I'd see this coming....

Seems like a lot more people are speaking up about their boats like I have in the past as well.

[NeilMcg]

Yeah I don't want to bash anyone, but I've given up after 7 months. Not even a response. I think he's probably backlogged to death. I found there are others locally that do great work also.

[Rusty Griswold]

late to the party here. What is the exact name of the company we are talking about. All I have picked up on is Jim /Viper

[KY Steve]

Viper Customs, they customize and repair boats out of the old Skiers Choice plant. Jim used to work there now he owns viper customs.

[Rusty Griswold]

Steve, who did your work on your lighting electrical work Etc?

[KY Steve]

Steve, who did your work on your lighting electrical work Etc?

All my mods I did myself except for the new cover. I went to Viper back in April and met Jim and bought some parts from him.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Until/unless this is resolved I have removed the sticky for Viper as I could not recommend them to people if he is not reliable. However he is still the sole source for a lot of classic resto parts.

[Memmer99]

Add me to the list. I've been waiting a month for a damn prop shaft that Jim said he had in stock. I've left voicemails and emails but no response. When I did catch him on the phone he says it shipped but I never get a tracking number. I hate to say it but I think I may have to call my card company and have them reverse the charges and order from SKIDIM.

I've lost a whole month of summer because of this. I'm pissed!!! I need the prop shaft before Labor day weekend.

[saltare inverts]

I had him send me some items, waiting two months.When they came, were wrong items. He said send them back. I did and ,This is the short of the story but he owes me 420 dollars and wont give it to me. He is a crook. I plan on a nice face to face with him as I will be traveling through there when I move. I hope he has security.