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Refunds should be his number 1 priority, he has your money, there is no excuse.....
Its a shame for you as the product is superb, my set of refurbed GT2 Sicoms have performed flawlessly. I kept my original discs and didn't return them to get my deposit back and after hearing about your problems I'm glad I did it seems like they don't like parting with money !
Its a shame for you as the product is superb, my set of refurbed GT2 Sicoms have performed flawlessly. I kept my original discs and didn't return them to get my deposit back and after hearing about your problems I'm glad I did it seems like they don't like parting with money !
I have heard good things about SICOM and know of people very pleased with the results of dealing with them. Yours seems to be an isolated example about which you are making a lot of noise. I have no connection with them but get the feeling there is more to this than meets the eye...
It would be good to get a full explanation from both sides.
It would be good to get a full explanation from both sides.
I too have heard good things, thus me using them.
I'm quite sure the product is good, but customer refunds certainly aren't their area of expertise it would seem.
I think I've been fairly patient, over 6 months for a 3 grand refund, that's a lot of money to most people.
After exhausting all but legal routes, I feel I need to vent. I welcome any reply from anyone at SICOM.
If this causes any issues for the UK distributor, I'll remove the posts as he's been as helpful as he can be and I don't want it to have a negative impact for his business.
I'm quite sure the product is good, but customer refunds certainly aren't their area of expertise it would seem.
I think I've been fairly patient, over 6 months for a 3 grand refund, that's a lot of money to most people.
After exhausting all but legal routes, I feel I need to vent. I welcome any reply from anyone at SICOM.
If this causes any issues for the UK distributor, I'll remove the posts as he's been as helpful as he can be and I don't want it to have a negative impact for his business.
Edited by Spoof on Sunday 19th June 20:46
Edited by Spoof on Sunday 19th June 20:46
Is there a way to not take risk on vendors like these and get the monies back? If the transaction is via credit card perhaps the card company can seek recourse? For private buyers, me thinks PayPal is another route. Just never pay via wire transfer or you are on your own if the seller is fraudulent
Hi guys,
I have just noticed this thread again and thought I ought to reply.
I no longer work for SICOM, some things happened which led me to parting ways with them. I gave notice to them and tried to tie up a few loose ends with customers who were left hanging before leaving. This was May time.
Incidents such as the above become common place with them, and I don't think Wolfgang was fully in charge any more. Wolfgang himself ran the company very well but I think accountants and other people (who didn't give a s
t about customer service, and just stretched the finances to the end) had too much say-so in the end.
Their work became quite busy and SICOM in Slovenia (where all carbon production and refurbishment took place) couldn't keep up with the demand. Their autoclaves kept breaking down, things were not labelled properly, customers got the wrong items (996 GT2 discs with wrong bells attached etc) and too much F1 and
LeMans work meant that the refurbishment side of things took a massive back step and the MD's in Slovenia never prioritised it enough once the F1 cheques started coming through.
All of this led to me looking like an idiot, driving to various locations in the UK or being on the phone trying to reassure customers that their items would be delivered on time etc and Slovenia kept messing Wolfgang around etc. In the end, more to do with the aggravation I walked away. I had done my part which was to build up their profile and perhaps did it too well in that their orders increased massively globally. On SICOM's side in Slovenia they just never invested in the infastructure and it led to where it is today.
Such a massive shame, their products were excellent and OEM equivalent and I truly believe this company could have been a giant killer potentially but it was run by idiots who messed things up and sullied the good name of the brand that took years to build up.
I have just noticed this thread again and thought I ought to reply.
I no longer work for SICOM, some things happened which led me to parting ways with them. I gave notice to them and tried to tie up a few loose ends with customers who were left hanging before leaving. This was May time.
Incidents such as the above become common place with them, and I don't think Wolfgang was fully in charge any more. Wolfgang himself ran the company very well but I think accountants and other people (who didn't give a s
t about customer service, and just stretched the finances to the end) had too much say-so in the end.Their work became quite busy and SICOM in Slovenia (where all carbon production and refurbishment took place) couldn't keep up with the demand. Their autoclaves kept breaking down, things were not labelled properly, customers got the wrong items (996 GT2 discs with wrong bells attached etc) and too much F1 and
LeMans work meant that the refurbishment side of things took a massive back step and the MD's in Slovenia never prioritised it enough once the F1 cheques started coming through.
All of this led to me looking like an idiot, driving to various locations in the UK or being on the phone trying to reassure customers that their items would be delivered on time etc and Slovenia kept messing Wolfgang around etc. In the end, more to do with the aggravation I walked away. I had done my part which was to build up their profile and perhaps did it too well in that their orders increased massively globally. On SICOM's side in Slovenia they just never invested in the infastructure and it led to where it is today.
Such a massive shame, their products were excellent and OEM equivalent and I truly believe this company could have been a giant killer potentially but it was run by idiots who messed things up and sullied the good name of the brand that took years to build up.
Edited by Schermerhorn on Saturday 2nd July 15:08
Spoof said:
I guess that's me out of pocket then.
I shouldn't think so, Chris.Keep pressing Wolfgang about it.
It's not always him who answers emails - it could probably be some div in the office who is "nicht sprechen English" - hence why you are not seeing any responses.
Get on the phone SICOM in Munich first and then Wolfgang. I shouldn't say it, but pretend to be an interested customer so you get their full attention and then raise your issues. Say you are going to be in Munich soon and was wondering if you could catch up and sort this mess out. Don't be rude, be polite and firm and they will respond to that.
Me leaving has already seen a slump in their sales projections which is what I told them would happen if they don't have a proper invested-in PR department.
Fl0pp3r said:
Well that's disappointing. 
I am more disappointed, Philip. If they got their sh*t in order, none of this would have happened. I saw it coming, even on my 30th birthday I was getting aggro from them and from irate customers who were promised a deadline only to have had it missed by weeks. I did my best to get things jam-free and placate as many people as I could but in the end, SICOM didn't capitulate and tough choices had to be made.
Spoof said:
Thanks, I'll give that a go next week.
Out of interest, is it some specific technology/patent they own that enables them to do this, or just specific machinery.
Is there annything to stop a UK factory being setup, specifically for refurb work? I'll happily invest
The top layer that SICOM use is patented I believe (the ratio of carbon and silcon carbide mixture is a unique formula) which gives the finish an OEM (or even better than OEM) finish and durability.Out of interest, is it some specific technology/patent they own that enables them to do this, or just specific machinery.
Is there annything to stop a UK factory being setup, specifically for refurb work? I'll happily invest
The rest of the process is not difficult.
Regular ceramic discs have up to 15 layers of carbon:silicon whereas the refurbishment is 1-4 layers (depending on much is needed to get the matching OEM dimensions matched). We are literally talking millimeteres here though.
At first, discs are X-ray examined to see if they can be refurbished. If they can, the top destroyed layer is removed by a special machine and the new layer is added; pressure cooked in the autoclave, laser tested, reheated, more material is added and then the top layer is applied. It's a massively long process as the baking has to draw out the oxygen in the air pockets and there can be no internal cracks or imperfections. It's also worth pointing out that discs with cracks in them 99% of the time cannot be salvaged and refurbished.
The investment is in the correct autoclaves, getting the formula right, having trusted suppliers, using the correct laser technology etc etc etc. Then there is the issue of marketing and getting people to have faith in the product (SICOM did as their product was superior in many ways to even OEM) and parting with their money, covering any losses, having back up discs from broken cars etc to refurbish.
The end result is stunning, just getting SICOM to re-invest their time, effort and money is another!
Edited by Schermerhorn on Saturday 2nd July 16:27
Schermerhorn said:
I am more disappointed, Philip. If they got their sh*t in order, none of this would have happened. I saw it coming, even on my 30th birthday I was getting aggro from them and from irate customers who were promised a deadline only to have had it missed by weeks.
I did my best to get things jam-free and placate as many people as I could but in the end, SICOM didn't capitulate and tough choices had to be made.
Understandable mate, and fair play to you for trying to fight the fires, and for coming on here post-Sicom-exit.I did my best to get things jam-free and placate as many people as I could but in the end, SICOM didn't capitulate and tough choices had to be made.
Still might give them a go one day as its highly unlikely I'd be in a rush to get them back, but would be nice to have confidence they weren't going to renege/lose my discs/go bankrupt! (Latter being unlikely with all that F1/Ferrari work they've got).
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