Mac’s fiasco

[Brent Mize]

I usually don’t complain about vendors since I am one.
I recently ordered an item on Mac’s website. It showed as in stock on the website.
I immediately called to check status and was guaranteed that it was in stock.
I received the hardware only for the item. After multiple calls, I finally got an ra.
Then they said they did not want the hardware back. I thought ok, they made a mistake and will credit me.
Well, they did, half of what it should be. More phone calls and now they say they need the items back.
So another RA. I sincerely feel that I’ll never get the full amount back. It’s not the money. It’s just a poor way if doing business.
This used to be a reputable vendor but I think they grown way too big to give a flip.
The only reason I’m posting is to say “buyer beware”.
I have had good success with them in the past and I wish them well, but I’m done.
If you don’t agree that’s fine, but this is my experience (last) with them.
Brent

[Moxie26]

Brent .... During your phone call to Mac's , you spoke with one of the operators I'm sure. After not getting the return and money's straightened out , did you ask to speak with a supervisor or manager to get a confirmed answer?.... I see a lot of of Mac's items up for sale on eBay, to me it seems to be their preference for sales. I, like others, have scratched them off my list years ago.

[TheSaintDiscJockey]

Thankfully, our hobby is blessed with some great vendors.
Mac's is not on my list.

[ModelTWoods]

MAC'S used to be one of the great vendors. Then the McIntosh family had cash flow problems and wanted to be able to 'keep up' with Lang's, Snyder's, Bob's and Chaffin's as far as inventory goes. They were forced to sell out to Echler's and that was the demise of Mac's.

[John kuehn]

I think Macs has gotten to diversified by trying to be a supplier for Model T’s to just about every Ford car or truck to around the 90’s. And yes even with that they should have consistent good service.
The big reason the suppliers we use are successful is because they specialize in Model T’s and some do T’s and A’s. Macs use to be pretty good years ago and had some good catalogs.

But getting bigger didn’t do them any favors. The last thing I bought from them was an upholstery kit several years ago and it arrived promptly and was complete. I will say that .but haven’t bought anything else since. The T businesses that are T business’s work the best and we know who those are.

[TRDxB2]

MAC's is owned by Eckler's The one warehouse for all of Eckler's is in Florida - Unlike BirdHaven Eckler's is maintaining the old site they bought out as well. So take your pick... prices not always the same

[tdump]

I would beat what I needed out of a piece of rusty railroad iron with a .5 oz hammer before I ordered from them jokers.

[Tbird]

About 2 years ago Macs was liquidating a lot of Model T parts that other vendors carry/did carry. I went through all of their clearance deals and was able to get quite a few parts such as a fun projects two piece dash shield, some Vintique parts. The best deal I got was a set of front and rear fenders a lot cheaper than ordering them directly from Rootlieb. When I ordered everything I did it over the phone. I haven’t seen any of their sales like that since.

[sweet23]

Eclers was recently sold to Turn 5, a Philadelphia based e- commerce company. one of the assets, Cartouche interior kits has been sold off to another investment company. As this business gets further and further from the ideal it was formed on, I think the service will get worse and worse. I miss the old Mac's, they were good to deal with, it is a shame the company has gotten drug through the mud.

[VinTin23]

Macs is a disaster. It’s really a shame, Lang’s & Snyder’s are my primary for the T, but before Eklers, Macs was my primary vendor for my other cars. Now you can bank on involuntary back orders, inflated shipping, wrong, incomplete or missing orders. I’m surprised people still use them, this is a common thread across multiple forums within the hobby.

[Will_Vanderburg]

My first order from them was 25 years ago. I may have ordered once since then but not after they sold out.

I did however buy the remaining stock of parts from a T/A restoration shop. Lots of Mac’s parts in that. But didn’t get them direct.

[Reno Speedster]

I ordered some tires from them recently and had them shipped to a freight forwarder in Washington for shipment to Alaska. I sent Macs documentation from the Washington franchise tax board saying I didn’t have to pay Washington sales tax but Macs system insisted I had to pay. The supervisor at Macs agreed that I didn’t have to pay, but they could not override the system. So I ended up paying sales taxes i didn’t have to pay.

In fairness, the price they listed for the tires was significantly lower for the same tires at other vendors, which I think was an error on their part. So, the deal was still worth it. But I thought it was strange. B

[Steve Jelf]

Those who blame the sale to Ecklers for the fiasco are just lucky they didn't get burned before that. Mac's was notorious years before Ecklers entered the scene. I crossed them off my list back in snail mail days, thirty years ago.

[Charlie B in N.J.]

They had by far the best catalog years back and I too had a bit of a fiasco way back involving coil point sets. That was the only time I ordered from them. Pre Eckler.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

MAC'S used to be one of the great vendors. Then the McIntosh family had cash flow problems and wanted to be able to 'keep up' with Lang's, Snyder's, Bob's and Chaffin's as far as inventory goes. They were forced to sell out to Echler's and that was the demise of Mac's.

Terry, the irony in that is it was Tommy Trailor's Specialized Auto Parts in Houston that the MacIntosh family purchased to go into business when Tommy got into financial trouble. Tommy got into financial trouble when he started playing with old aero stuff. I guess the apple does fall too far away from the old money tree!

Eclers was recently sold to Turn 5, a Philadelphia based e- commerce company. one of the assets, Cartouche interior kits has been sold off to another investment company. As this business gets further and further from the ideal it was formed on, I think the service will get worse and worse. I miss the old Mac's, they were good to deal with, it is a shame the company has gotten drug through the mud.

Darryl, the issue with the new investment company purchasing Cartouche is while they have patterns, they do not have the materials. Mike Francis has invested a great amount of his resources to have Model-A and T era-authentic fabrics reproduced, ...and without the correct fabrics I believe it will be extremely difficult for Cartouche to make a go of it -even trying to make Early V8 kits when no one is manufacturing correct materials.

[jiminbartow]

When a specialized business such as Mac’s, Lang’s and Snyder’s is first started, the founder starts it because he has an interest in the hobby to which he is trying to appeal to. The buyers can relate to him because of that interest. His bottom line reflects how successful he was at relating to his buyers and the trust they have in him. When he starts to get up in age and decides to sell the business, the potential buyers of the business have no interest in the hobby. All they see is the bottom line that was developed through a mutual trust and respect between the original founder and the customers. Without this trust, the bottom line suffers and new business owners can’t understand why so they sell the business and the business moves even further away from the original concept the founder started with. It is not Mac’s fault and I hate to see his good name damaged through no fault of his own. When he owned and ran it, it was great. It is beyond his control now and I’m sure he is troubled by what his once trusted business has become so, let’s not be unkind to Mac’s and let’s put the blame where it belongs. Jim Patrick

[Steve Jelf]

It is not Mac’s fault and I hate to see his good name damaged through no fault of his own. When he owned and ran it, it was great.

Jim, I assume you never got burned by the lousy customer service. That makes sense. If all customers did, the business would have folded early on. I'm sure those of us who experienced disappointment in dealing with Mac's were a minority. But where there's smoke there's fire, and there was enough smoke thirty years ago to persuade me that dealing with Lang's, Bob's, Chaffin's, etc. was a better choice.

[ModelTWoods]

When a specialized business such as Mac’s, Lang’s and Snyder’s is first started, the founder starts it because he has an interest in the hobby to which he is trying to appeal to. The buyers can relate to him because of that interest. His bottom line reflects how successful he was at relating to his buyers and the trust they have in him. When he starts to get up in age and decides to sell the business, the potential buyers of the business have no interest in the hobby. All they see is the bottom line that was developed through a mutual trust and respect between the original founder and the customers. Without this trust, the bottom line suffers and new business owners can’t understand why so they sell the business and the business moves even further away from the original concept the founder started with. It is not Mac’s fault and I hate to see his good name damaged through no fault of his own. When he owned and ran it, it was great. It is beyond his control now and I’m sure he is troubled by what his once trusted business has become so, let’s not be unkind to Mac’s and let’s put the blame where it belongs. Jim Patrick

Jim, Mac's was started by Doug MacIntosh, Sr. As i remember, when MacIntosh Sr. died, his son, Doug MacIntosh Jr. told over the business and, although this is speculation on my part, I think maybe he tried to grow the business too quickly. The incoming cash flow didn't match the expenses and he was forced to seek a partner or a buyer. A lot of what you said is true. In Tommy Traylor's case, he had no children to leave Specialized Auto Parts to. By the end, Trip Parr was dead from a tragic accident. Bill LeVrier and I had left to join the fire service. Dean Jones might have been the only one out of us that worked there to the end.

[jiminbartow]

I dealt with Mac’s in the early eighties after I was discharged from the Marines and never got burned. I assume that, at that time, I was dealing with the original founder, who had nothing to do with the way things turned out. I hate that he has passed away, but am glad he is not around to see what it has become and what is being said: www.macsautoparts.com/about/mac-bio. Jim Patrick

[Original Smith]

I wrote off Mac's many years ago. If you want T parts, the only family you want to deal with is Lang's.

[NHUSA]

Many years ago I placed an order with Macs and never again…
They sent the wrong stuff, and it took multiple deliveries over a few weeks to get the whole order.

Getting the correct stuff was painful… they wanted me to pay for returning their mistakes and tried to make excuses.

[ModelTMark]

Unfortunately, Mac's has the cornerstone on upholstery kits have recently bought out the only other upholstery vender.

I buy exclusively from Snyder's who ships same day resulting in fast shipping. Mac's shipping is all through a central Echler warehouse that takes multiple days before anything actually ships.

[Steve Jelf]

Unfortunately, Mac's has the cornerstone on upholstery kits have recently bought out the only other upholstery vender.

https://www.classtiqueupholstery.com/index.php

I posted this link and screen shot to show that Cartouche/Mac's is not the only upholstery choice. I didn't mean to imply that Classtique has been bought by Mac's/Ecklers. It hasn't. It's still safe to buy your upholstery from Mike at Classtique.

[BLB27]

Did they buy out Classtique?

[Moxie26]

Model T Mark ..... Please verify your post... Thank you.

[Original Smith]

Being a former vendor myself, I wrote off Ecklers because they didn't pay their bills. Randall Anderson did the same.

[Distagon2]

I'm hoping he meant they bought Cartouche or whatever their name is.

[aDave]

Model T Mark:

Did you mean Cartouche?

https://www.macsautoparts.com › cartouche-classic-ford-upholstery
Cartouche Classic Ford Upholstery - Macs Auto Parts
CARTOUCHE™ brand upholstery, proudly offered to you by MAC's Antique Auto Parts, carries the world's largest selection of interior fabrics and colors for Antique Fords and Classic Fords in both authentic materials and non-authentic materials for the budget-minded enthusiast. Precisely hand crafted in the USA, Classic Ford Upholstery by Cartouche offers antique & vintage automobile interior

MAc's (Ecklers') bought Cartouche years ago.

[Will_Vanderburg]

Cartouche is done

[Upholstery Mike]

Hi Guy's,
Mike with Classtique Upholstery here. Mac's has not bought me out. I am still an independent company that has nothing to do with Mac's, Cartouche, or Ecklers. I'm the last upholsterer left that wants to do the kits for Model T's and Model A's. Classtique is very healthy and expanding to fill the void. Thanks.

Mike Francis
Classtique Upholstery
Www.classtiqueupholstery.com

[Moxie26]

Wow Mike, thanks for your post. It's a relief that we still have someone that knows what they're doing and gives quality workmanship.... And answers countless questions !.... I'm sure that there's many members that are well relieved. Thanks .

[Moxie26]

No fiasco for Mike at Classtique,.. he is strongly still in business to serve Model T and model A hobbyists

[Upholstery Mike]

That's right. I'm still in business. I'm not sure where people are getting their information, but Mac's didn't buy my company. Please inform the people spreading that false information that they are not correct.

Mike Francis
Classtique Upholstery

[ModelT46]

If you want it done right and fit right at a fair cost, Mike and his company are the one to contact.

[Original Smith]

I have a friend who put in a Mac's kit years ago, and he wasn't very happy with it. I believe they lied in their ads saying they had been making kits for over 20 years?

[jiminbartow]

Mike, you may want to consider starting a new thread entitled, “Classtique Upholstery was not bought out”…or something like that. Then explain in the content. That way, anyone who has not read this particular “Mac’s Fiasco” post will get the word. You may also want to announce it in an ad in the classified ads. Jim Patrick

[Steve Jelf]

I should have been more clear. Apparently Mark thought Cartouche/Mac's was the only upholstery game in town. I posted the Classtique link and screen shot to show otherwise. I didn't mean to imply that Classtique had been bought by Mac's. To the great satisfaction of everybody who knows the score on this subject, Classtique remains very much independent, with no connection to Mac's in any way. If I should need any more Model T upholstery, I will not hesitate to get it from Mike.

[Joe Reid]

The last thing I got from MAC’s was the vinyl top for a 1931 Model A closed cab, it was Car Touché and worked very well. I stopped at their store in Lockport, NY in 2016, just after the sale to Ecklers and things were not great. They did not have what I needed and weren’t very interested. Too big and diverse a company. I have heard they bought Danchuk in the Chevy world. Not good.

[Moxie26]

Steve you've proved the ultimate in human conscience and behavior, as to the point that we are not perfect. We do learn things everyday, even though we don't want to fess up to that. After reading that post the first time I was coming to the same conclusion that we lost another vendor.

[bnchief]

I recently recieved a complete uphostery kit from mike at classtique and it is out standing to say the least quality product great and honest guy to do business with.