Hawk cars what a prat

[r0lex]

There i was talking to AK about there kit and i mentioned that I had a pilgrim sumo, just at that moment some big lard ass who I later found out was MR Hawk himself (well slap my thigh) burst out in fake laughter at my conversation about pilgim as if i was an idiot for buying one.
At this point I asked the bloke on the AK stand who it was, he said it is Hawk cars. So while MY Hawk himself (lets all bow down) was still there i said. "I am glad you came past as it saves me calling on your stall you prat" and then he went. I wonder why. It is a good job my daughter was with me as it definatly would have got a lot worse than that.

So Mr Hawkridge (I think thats his proper name) Next time you want to get some customers go and learn some selling lessons, because I love my pilgrim. And the fist selling lesson is ......people sell to people..

Having said that I would just like to say that the people at Pilgrim were boring. On the Dax stand they were very friendly, AK were brilliant and I would be tempted to spend my money with them.

On another stand they had a lotus 7 replica for kids at £1400 I said can my daughter sit in it to see if she will fit, because if she will fit I will by one. They said no????????????????

Just me whinging{-}

Paul

[dave jenkins]

Paul,
rise above it, it's a snobbery thing.
I had instances of it with the Caterham people when I had my Tiger.
Some people have there head so far up there own a#ses......
This sort of atitude is not very far thinking, I would suggest that anyone who has already built a kit car is a far better potential customer than a lot of the "tyre kickers" you get at the shows.
(I'm on my third).
I notice that the Hawk Technical section in this forumn has 0 topics and 0 question, so either it's a perfect kit to build or there are few of them out there.

[David Horsnell]

I got the same from the GD stand when I went to ask about their seats (which have headrest and look extremely smart).

The "attractive" women assured me they could help answer my questions.....until that is I asked them and then they passed me over to the boss man who seemed to take great delight in taking the pi*s out of anyone who has a Sumo.

I had narrowed GD down as my next build, but not now. Everyone seems to get on with the "AK" clan so they'll be getting my business next time.

Build a kit can be difficiult enough sometimes, without having to put up with indifference, arogance or offensive overtimes from the company your trying to deal with.

A message to all manufacturers, FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT, biulding a kit is a very personal business and we, the customers, want to be dealt with on a personal and professional basis, not in a condescending way from a Mr Know-it-all.

Grumblings over

David

[tonym]

my missus bought my chassis as a birthday present and every stand she went to at exeter 2002 practically ignored her except tony at pilgrim, he took the time to chat and explain in plain english what it was all about and she wrote a cheque there and then. every small business has customer service problems, but i've never had a problem with pilgrim that couldn't be sorted very quickly

Just my two-pennies worth:tu

[plod]

good good.

I went to see Hawk last year. He just couldn't talk about other manufacturers in any kind of sympathetic way. I like the sumo, the dax, the ak the gd... and once bitten kind of thing, you appreciate their relative differences.

What I dont realy like now is the original (forgive me for i have sinned) and I especially dont like that I have to pay 75k+ for a REPLICA when i could buy an original for less ( i think) and certainly a more recent mk IV or V for less.

I did think he was a little up his own a**e but then he might not have like me either. And he's a been eating a few too many pies..

Paul

[simon]

I'm afraid I have to agree.
I have a part completed BRA 289 that I'm trying to sell, I told several people to talk to Mr Hawkridge to confirm that he can supply any of the parts needed to complete the build. From what they have told me, the first thing he did was to laugh at them and then tell them that the car could not be put through the SVA and that they should buy one of his.
I've stopped telling prospective buyers to call him now, but several have still spoken to him and have confirmed that he's doing his best to stop them buying the car.
I've made no secret of the fact that the car was designed and part completed BEFORE SVA, and that any purchaser will have to be aware that there are things that will need to be sorted for it to pass, but there's nothing INHERENTLY WRONG with the car that will prevent it passing! the seat belt heights are ok, the edges all pass the radius test, the headlights are a little low (but I would thing that applies to most Cobras, even Hawk's 289) as far as I'm aware, almost everyone I've spoken to has had to wind their suspension up for SVA.
It also winds me up that he is the "technical consultant" (or similar) on one of the kit car mags, and as far as I can see, uses it almost exclusively to plug the products of Hawk cars! All the "technical solutions" he offers are using his own products!!!

[DaveB]

TO ROLEX:-
I bought my 289 replica 9 years ago (without knowing anything much about the various 289 kits available), and then tried to establish who the manufacturer was. I contacted BRA (then Sheridan Bowie) and Aurora (in Canada), and am still eagerly awaiting a reply from either of them. Hawk Cars (Gerry Hawkridge) replied to my fax within 30 minutes (at 21:00 on a Saturday evening), and from this, I could immediately see that I had bought a BRA. Despite that, Gerry has been extremely helpful to me from day one in supplying the few specific parts that I have required over the years. True, I have had to put up with a number of comments from Gerry (mostly suggesting that my BRA would make an excellent donor car for a Hawk), but I know that Gerry throws out such comments purely in jest (I think ?!?). Because he is such a vast source of knowledge and an imposing (read large and loud) character, people tend to have difficulty in distinguishing his flippant or joking comments from serious statements (especially if they haven't had the chance to get to know him better at a social event) - but this misunderstanding is as much their fault as Gerrys'.
YOU need to broaden your sense of humour, GERRY needs to go on a training course on how to handle difficult customers. If neither events happen, you will continue wasting your life whinging away in similar postings, and Gerry will continue successfully selling cars to those that want to buy the product simply because it is so good (and certainly never because Gerry is a good salesman!!) - and you'll both probably be happy going your separate ways.

TO SIMON:-
As for Gerry plugging his own products in one of the kit car magazines - if anyone else could write a better set of relevant technical tips on a regular basis (possibly even without mentioning a product that they could supply to do the job), why don't they do it? Almost all of the items mentioned in the technical articles are NOT the products of Hawk Cars, some are items that Gerry has sourced from his huge range of contacts, purchased in bulk at his own expense, and then offers for sale to his customers (this is also known as "providing a service"). If you choose to read the article, you are NOT legally committing yourself to purchasing the item mentioned from Gerry, you MAY source it from anywhere else (including Gerrys' sources and/or his competitors) or even build it yourself.

And if you read the same (or any other car) magazine, it will soon be apparent which journalist has just been given which demonstrator car for a long weekend / track day / endurance rally, and the resultant reports are always glowing. That is life - once one manufacturer is hammered, the others will be reluctant to provide their cars for "testing". Without either "biased" reports on the cars that have been tested, or such technical tips, the magazine will only be comprised of adverts, and will soon dry up and disappear.
This is why the Consumers' Association has become so popular since 1957 with their independant test reports in "Which?" magazine. However, since the C.A. haven't extended their reports to testing kit or classic cars, it is up to the individual reader to exercise their own judgement (and hopefully enjoy the article too).

Regards,

DaveB
www.289register.com

[r0lex]

To Daveb

1.(especially if they haven't had the chance to get to know him better at a social event)
1a Who would want to not me

2YOU need to broaden your sense of humour
2a.Dont think so, I think you are funny the way you think you can clear his name when the majority actually agree with me.

3.but this misunderstanding is as much their fault as Gerrys
3a.Not my fault I am the customer and wish to be treated as so

4.you will continue wasting your life whinging away in similar postings.
4a.I am entitled to make my point just as you are.

And I still say that the way he treated a person that was after spending good money on on a kit to build. Was disgusting. And this man does not deserve to be in buisness. As to your reply that you may send to this last comment,
no he has not got to many customers,
no he is not rich,
yes he does need new buisnes,

And i do not actually mind you stating your point that hawk cars have given you good service and i am glad for you. But i did not have a pop at you so dont have a pop at me.

Paul

[kev]

Since the Consumers Association don't test Kit Cars, and in general magazine tests aren't worth tuppence, then the only way to judge a manufacturer is by your own and other peoples experiences. If you read the posts here you will quickly find out which manufacturers are worth a fig and which aren't. Your experiences are just as valid as others, but the whole picture is developed by putting together the myriad of experiences and in this respect Mr Hawkridge doesn't fair as well as others.

Whinging is another more emotive word for complaining, I prefer to say that Rolex was complaining about Mr Hawkridges manner and comments.

Kev

[r0lex]

thank you kev

Paul