Tanya and I are very disappointed with our business dealings with Eggenfellner Aircraft (EAAINC). We got the run around and seemingly blatant lies about the status of our order for many months from Jan Eggenfellner and his staff. He requested and received full payment for our order when there is no way he could have expected to ship it on time. In a telephone conversation that I had with Jan on 1/18/06 he said that the package that he sold me was not as complete as he thought it was and that he just got the engine mount back from powder coating in November. Note that this is after he had been holding full payment for six months and been less than forth coming about the order status. Jan stated that he understood that he was treating my order unfairly, but that he was making a business decision to delay my order so he could work on H-6 package orders. He even commented that a number of those engine packages hadn’t been paid for yet. I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He gave additional assurances and promises of delivery. After more than eight months of EAAINC holding full payment and clearly demonstrating a lack of interest in delivering our order, I requested a full refund. Our payment was promptly returned with a note stating “We are sorry we were unable to deliver your order as promised.”
The factual history of our dealings follow:
5/17/05 scard->eaainc Re: your call about a 2.5L available
Jan,
Thank you very much for giving me a call last night to offer a 2.5 SC package that you have for almost immediate delivery. As tempting as your offer is, after reviewing my 9A project status and timeline, it would be best if I stuck with a June ‘06 delivery provided you are still confident in that date. I will be just starting fuselage construction in a little more than a month and will be looking forward to hanging a 2.5 package in about twelve months.
(please let me know you got this message so I know you aren’t waiting on my decision)
Thanks,
Joseph Scott Card
5/22/05 eaainc->scard Re: your call about a 2.5L available
Very good :) I am just not 100% on the June batch due to the many H-6 orders arriving.
Jan
5/22/05 scard->eaainc Re: your call about a 2.5L available
Jan,
Thanks for the heads up. If you still have that 2.5 engine that you called me about, I’ll take it now due to your uncertainty for June. I appreciate your candid comments. Assuming it is still available: Will it be your most current package (pumps, filters, Gen II reduction unit, etc)? Can you tell me what model year the engine is and if it is used or new? Is there anything additional that should be done knowing that it won’t be hung for about a year? I assume that the propeller can be held until I’m closer to being ready for it? Does this engine use a single or dual mufflers (order form only shows dual)? I would like to make a small order adjustment deleting the flow rate transducer for the BMA EFIS and adding your pre-setup EIS 4000.
Let me know.
Cheers,
JSC
5/22/05 eaainc->scard Re: your call about a 2.5L available
Yes, it has all the latest stuff on it and is all up to date other than the reduction drive that we will replace with generation II in July before shipping it. It has the single exhaust.
5/22/05 scard->eaainc Re: your call about a 2.5L available
Great. Sign me up. …When will you need payment?
5/22/05 eaainc->scard
Please send the payment in a week or two so the engine is yours. I will tag it such now.
Thank you for the order :)
Jan
6/1/05 scard->eaainc 2.5L order payment
Jan,
I am preparing to send you a check in the amount of $22,621 for payment of the 2.5L SC package that we discussed. Please review the attached revised order form to confirm content and dollar values. I have highlighted the changes from the form that I sent you with my deposit. Summarized as:
- This engine package will be ready July ‘05 instead of a future batch.
- I would like to purchase the propeller at a future date. As such I would like to pay for it at that time.
- I would like to add your pre-configured (device and sensors) EIS 4000 with fuel flow functionality.
- You confirmed that this engine package uses a single muffler, hence the muffler cost is half that listed.
- I am no longer planning on using a BMA EFIS and do not need the fuel flow transducer.
With your confirmation of the accuracy of this revised order form and the total of $22,621 I’ll get a check to you for that amount.
Thanks,
Joseph S. Card
[No Reply]
6/5/05 scard->eaainc
Jan,
Did you get my original message? … I’m ready to get these funds to you, I just want to be sure you agree with the total.
6/5/05 eaainc->scard
Everything is looking good :) Ready to go.
Jan
6/5/05 scard->eaainc
The check will be on its way this week.
Cheers,
JSC
6/5/05 eaainc->scard
Thank you :)
Jan
6/11/05 scard->eaainc
Jan,
Have you moved your operation? The tracking on the large check that I
sent you states that recipient business has moved and no answer when
they attempted to call. If your address has changed you should probably
update your order form and let the rest of us (your customers and
potential customers) know.
Joseph S. Card
6/11/05 eaainc->scard
The phone # is the same as before - 386 566 2616
We are between places (Just moved 10 minutes down the road) but you are right, time to change it on the web and order form :)
Thank you
Jan
8/10/05 scard->eaainc
Jan,
As the promised July delivery of my engine package has come and gone, I would like to inquire as to the status of my order.
Thanks,
Joseph Scott Card
[No Response]
8/17/05 scard->eaainc
Jan,
As the promised July delivery of my engine package has come and gone, and I haven’t heard from you, I would like to inquire as to the status of my order. Since you have had full payment for some time now, I would much appreciate some comments about how you are proceeding and a revised expected ship date.
Thanks,
Joseph Scott Card
8/17/05 eaainc->scard
Hi Joseph, I will find out what is left to do on your engine and let you know early next week. Need to see if we have everything here in stock.
Thank you
Jan
[No further information]
9/14/05 scard->eaainc
I’m still curious about the status of my engine package delivery which is now more than two months past the promised delivery of this past June. I sure wish that $20K+ had been in my bank instead of yours for the past two months.
Cheers,
J. Scott Card
9/14/05 eaainc (Angel)->scard
Jan says its going to be the better part of 4 weeks before the engine is completed. We did receive your purchase agreement back thank you. We are in the midst of H-6 production and he is working on your engine on the side. Don’t worry he is working on it everytime a part arrives. Thank you for your patience as we all know it is very important that the engine is built properly to ensure safety.
11/16/05 scard->eaainc
It has been two months since our last contact, 3.5 months past promised delivery, and about 5 months that EAAINC has had full payment so I must inquire as to the current estimate for delivery of my engine package.
[No Reply]
11/23/05 scard->eaainc
Jan,
What is the current status of my engine package? When do you expect to ship it? Please note that I would prefer the new muffler as opposed to the ordered Supertrap.
Thanks,
Scott
11/23/05 eaainc->scard
I am finally on it now. Just installed the reduction drive today. The engine will be a 4 cylinder, the way we built them before. Yes, the muffler will be the new style.
I will try to get it running and out next week
Jan
12/20/05 scard->eaainc
Jan,
How are you doing on that engine?
12/22/05 eaainc(Angel)->scard
Jan is working on it in as often as possible. W e are finishing up all standardized engines and then shipping yours and our upgrades. We are moving to a new hangar. And will be shipping your engine in the midst of that. We are not closing for the holidays so we can get everything done before the end of the year.
12/22/05 scard->eaainc
I see. Although not too happy that my order has received such low priority when I have an agreed delivery of July ‘05 and you have had full payment for the past six months. I’m assuming that you won’t be paying me interest on that $22K. On 11/23/05 Jan said “I will try to get it running and out next week”. Here we are yet another month later and “Jan is working on it in as often as possible. We are finishing up all standardized engines and then shipping yours…” This is totally not the way to do business.
1/18/05
I called Jan to talk about what the status of this order is and how we got here from a promised delivery date of six months ago. He said that he originally thought that the package that he sold me was sitting ready to go which did not turn out to be the case. Additionally, he is swamped with trying to get the December batch of H-6 engines done. I told him I can understand that, but that I don’t understand the business logic of not delivering orders in the order that they were received. He simply stated that he understood that I was not being treated fairly but that he was making a business decision to have to deal with one angry customer (me) of an older product (directly implying that the engine he was selling me was of lesser importance), than have a number of angry customers of his current product, the H-6 engine package. He said he couldn’t have shipped my engine much earlier because he just got the engine mount back from powder coat at the end of November. This is all well and good, but deciding to not let the customer know that there is no way their order will be shipped any where close to when it was promised is a very bad sign.
Nevertheless, he assured me that he was actively working on my engine when I called and that he would certainly have it completed and shipped by February 15th because they were moving locations again. We completed our conversation and he handed me off to Angel in the office who spent the next five minutes (with me on the phone) looking for my order form to confirm delivery details. She said she was having difficulty finding it because it was filed by first name…
2/13/06 scard->eaainc Re: Engine status
Jan,
When we last spoke on the phone on 1/18 you were certain you would
have my engine package complete and shipped by 2/15. You asked that I
sit tight for a couple more weeks. Are you still expecting to ship it
this week?
2/14/06 eaainc->scard Re: Engine status
No, still behind. Are now down to 5 H-6 engines left for shipment but have to move them to the new hangar today, then ship them next week. You are still two weeks out unfortunately.
Doing the best I know how but got in over my head this time.
3/2/06 scard->eaainc Re: Engine Status
Jan,
Another two weeks have passed. Where do we stand?
Thanks,
Scott
3/3/06 eaainc -> scard Re: Engine Status
Our shop has been shut down because of the confusion involved in moving to our new location. All production and shipping has been on hold for inventory. Next week business resumes as usual. We have 5 H-6 engines left to ship out (frrom the 05 line). Then your 4 will ship. We did not want to have to transport these engines to our new facility but it was unavoidable. We have hired more help to get us back on track.
3/8/06 scard->eaainc Refund and Cancel order
Jan,
I am requesting that you immediately refund the payment that I sent
you on 6/11/05 in the amount of $22,371 for one 4cyl engine package
for delivery in July of ‘05. I understand that you have had some
production issues and that this legacy line of products are no longer
a priority for you. As such, I believe it would be best for both you
and I to terminate my order with a full refund. You will surely be
happier cultivating a relationship with another customer when you are
ready to ship this package.
3/3/06 eaainc -> scard
Going out tomorrow.
Jan