Has anybody been in contact with Luke (stereoinstaller1) recentley?

[barbierij]

It hard for me to have perspective on it, since I spot the differences right off.

She got the right box, its only the woofer centering, according to the owner of the car.

It's supposed to be on center, like this Sedan:

I cant believe I wasted my time reading this crap. I want an E30 box but I don't know if I can trust the guy who is saying he is closing his shop, and then saying he isn't closing. There are lots of inconsistencies in this nonsense thread, but are you saying the above pic is "on center"? looks off to me.

[rcsoundn1]

I've read this whole thread through a couple of times, and really wonder if Luke is exhibiting signs of ADHD and bipolar disorder. That would explain his ability to create the goodies he sells (during bursts of hyperfocus) interspersed with his spacing out with some customers. He also threatens to close his business just days before he posts threads about new products...classic bipolar. It probably didn't help either that his partner had depression as well. What Luke needs is a partner who is levelheaded who can handle the business and communication duties, leaving Luke to create on his own schedule.

None of this indicates either distinctly. To have a proper DX it requires much more. Just saying as a licensed professional in multiple states. People toss arround ADHD and Bipolar D/O dx way to easy. The majority of people I work with have neither, but some crappy hospital allong the way gave them the Dx to bill insurance.

[Bearmw]

There is a lot of micro aggression going on here. I'm going to my safe forum.

[2002tiiguy]

I cant believe I wasted my time reading this crap. I want an E30 box but I don't know if I can trust the guy who is saying he is closing his shop, and then saying he isn't closing. There are lots of inconsistencies in this nonsense thread, but are you saying the above pic is "on center"? looks off to me.

I just got mine, i am really picky about things and to be honest, im pretty fucking happy with the box, the hole that was cut to mount the sub into the box, could have been just a tad smaller IMO, but it fit great into the car, it doesnt take up a huge amount of room, it sounds great, it looks great, and it gave me a place to mount my amps. Just ask luke if he has a box for you in stock, if not, ask if he will make one.

And, People, SERIOUSLY, maybe Luke isn't the best business owner. He might be terrible for all I know, I don't deal with a lot of small businesses. The thing is, he builds a really nice product, which is built for your car and doesn't charge a whole lot of money for it. I do understand however, Luke could come off to some people as unfriendly, rude, or arrogant. I personally think its a misunderstanding. Before you start anything with him, please just talk to him yourself and give him a chance, and not just with him, this should happen no matter who you are considering buying a product from. (jeffreybacons is an exception)

[steady330]

I personally think its a misunderstanding. Before you start anything with him, please just talk to him yourself and give him a chance, and not just with him, this should happen no matter who you are considering buying a product from. (jeffreybacons is an exception)

I did genuinely do this. I emailed Luke twice with all of the proper questions one would expect. All was well. Until the box he sent was completely incorrect - it doesn't even look like the two e46 boxes Luke posted pics of. Luke agreed, gave reasons, said to pitch it, and the correct one would arrive shortly. Three months on, no box and communications from him ceased. I was forced to attempt refund with Paypal. Luke went sideways and demanded I ship his heavy box/rack back at MY expense. At that point, Luke was putting the screws to me via the Paypal rule, "The customer must ship product back."

Luke knows he was wrong to wait nearly four months and not produce the correct box. Luke also knows he told us to pitch the original incorrect box. Luke knows he quit communicating. Luke knows he is wrong for demanding I pay ~$100 dollars to ship the box he incorrectly sent.

This is a case where the business owner royally screwed the customer, and when the customer claims, "Foul!" - the customer (me) looks like she's off her rocker for all of the banter that goes along with crying foul...I know I look a bit crazed here, but GAS really did screw me out of $375 and I'm mad as hell (so I rant).

[LJ851]

I did genuinely do this. I emailed Luke twice with all of the proper questions one would expect. All was well. Until the box he sent was completely incorrect - it doesn't even look like the two e46 boxes Luke posted pics of. Luke agreed, gave reasons, said to pitch it, and the correct one would arrive shortly. Three months on, no box and communications from him ceased. I was forced to attempt refund with Paypal. Luke went sideways and demanded I ship his heavy box/rack back at MY expense. At that point, Luke was putting the screws to me via the Paypal rule, "The customer must ship product back."

Luke knows he was wrong to wait nearly four months and not produce the correct box. Luke also knows he told us to pitch the original incorrect box. Luke knows he quit communicating. Luke knows he is wrong for demanding I pay ~$100 dollars to ship the box he incorrectly sent.

This is a case where the business owner royally screwed the customer, and when the customer claims, "Foul!" - the customer (me) looks like she's off her rocker for all of the banter that goes along with crying foul...I know I look a bit crazed here, but GAS really did screw me out of $375 and I'm mad as hell (so I rant).

Did you really join r3v just to complain?

[Andy.B]

I did genuinely do this. I emailed Luke twice with all of the proper questions one would expect. All was well. Until the box he sent was completely incorrect - it doesn't even look like the two e46 boxes Luke posted pics of. Luke agreed, gave reasons, said to pitch it, and the correct one would arrive shortly. Three months on, no box and communications from him ceased. I was forced to attempt refund with Paypal. Luke went sideways and demanded I ship his heavy box/rack back at MY expense. At that point, Luke was putting the screws to me via the Paypal rule, "The customer must ship product back."

Luke knows he was wrong to wait nearly four months and not produce the correct box. Luke also knows he told us to pitch the original incorrect box. Luke knows he quit communicating. Luke knows he is wrong for demanding I pay ~$100 dollars to ship the box he incorrectly sent.

This is a case where the business owner royally screwed the customer, and when the customer claims, "Foul!" - the customer (me) looks like she's off her rocker for all of the banter that goes along with crying foul...I know I look a bit crazed here, but GAS really did screw me out of $375 and I'm mad as hell (so I rant).

You keep saying the box you received is "completely" wrong, that Luke told you to throw it out, and that he promised to send you a new box without receiving the old product back.
You have yet to submit proof of any of these claims. Meanwhile, his other customers (myself included) have had nothing but positive experiences.
This has nothing to do with him ripping people off using the support of his fans. The facts are that he has plenty of happy customers, and you have submitted no proof of any of your claims.

[rcsoundn1]

You keep saying the box you received is "completely" wrong, that Luke told you to throw it out, and that he promised to send you a new box without receiving the old product back.
You have yet to submit proof of any of these claims. Meanwhile, his other customers (myself included) have had nothing but positive experiences.
This has nothing to do with him ripping people off using the support of his fans. The facts are that he has plenty of happy customers, and you have submitted no proof of any of your claims.

The last sentence is what we are looking for. She is not the only unsatisfied customer. Though none of them have shown prof

[barbierij]

All was well. Until the box he sent was completely incorrect - it doesn't even look like the two e46 boxes Luke posted pics of.

why cant you post pics of this?

[steady330]

One of the pics sent to Luke - upon which he agreed this was the incorrect box. Not only misaligned with the ski-pass, but also missing any forward protrusion area to seal in the sub to the back of the seats.

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

[rcsoundn1]

Yea that's off.

[StereoInstaller1]

Agreed, thats why I told her as soon as I had a car to model with, I'd be shipping her one at no charge.

[Andy.B]

Ok, so it isn't perfectly centered. It looks to me like it is still perfectly usable. Bump that until Luke gets you the correct box, which he has told you he will do once he has a car to model, and he is publicly stating he will do once he has a car to model.
OR, send it back on your dime and get a refund if you're not happy with his timeline.

It sounds like Luke was going to have you throw it out once he got you the correct box. Instead, you wanted a refund.

Yes, it sucks you didn't get a perfect box the first time. I get that. But you have options. You just don't like any of them.

I recently had two different and unrelated parts fail within 18 months of installation. They both had warranties, but I had to eat shipping costs on both, plus the labor time. Guess what I did? I dealt with it. I didn't go on an internet tirade, threatening to sic my law enforcement family on someone because I felt slighted that a steering rack blew out a bushing, or a radiator cracked at a seam. You aren't dealing with Wal-Mart or Burger King, just a guy who is trying to make a product for fellow enthusiasts.

I'm sure you wouldn't launch a similar response to a big company either. It sounds like you're taking this personally, and feel like this is someone you can use your muscle to bully.

And stop insulting the people who have faith in Luke, and understand what the nature of their transactions with him are. We know he doesn't have an R&D team, lawyers, insurance, etc, so we don't expect him to conduct business like he does. I did have an issue with my order from Luke (which turned out to be no fault of his), but I stayed polite and patient, and it got sorted out easily. Luke worked with me through the process, and 3 years later I still have a product I love. I gave a fellow enthusiast the benefit of a doubt, and it worked out.
Don't paint Luke, me, or his other customers, as villains.

Edit: To be fair, I probably wouldn't be happy if I was in your shoes. I understand that it's frustrating that you didn't get the product you wanted, in the time-frame that you expected it. I do sympathize with you on that front. But the way you handled it has lost my support.

[steady330]

Edit: To be fair, I probably wouldn't be happy if I was in your shoes. I understand that it's frustrating that you didn't get the product you wanted, in the time-frame that you expected it. I do sympathize with you on that front. But the way you handled it has lost my support.

That's fair, and I'm sorry it got this far. But here's the rub: after 3 months, Luke quit communicating altogether (wouldn't respond to email or text) and the phone number he gave me went out of service.

So, I came to this thread (started by someone else), titled something like, "Has anyone heard from Luke?" Where else should I have come to find Luke? (I don't live anywhere close)

[2002tiiguy]

well, what's done is done, we cant fix that, do you think you can work with luke open mindedly and try to come to a final resolution? i dont know if there was or wasnt a better place to find luke to be honest, but lets try to sort this out