[YoKev]

So my wife bought me a Boss intake for my birthday from Late Model Restoration Supply back in April+/-, and I got around to installing it in the first part of June. I downloaded their directions off the web, and proceeded with the install. After noticing a couple of things in their pics that didn't match what was on my '12, I called them up for help. I get dude on the phone and explain my problem(s), and ask for assistance. Instead of helping me out, he asks for my account number. I explained to him that my wife bought it as a birthday surprise for me, so he asks the address of where it was shipped to. I have no idea what my wife's work address is(she shipped it there so I wouldn't discover it before my B-day), and she was in Vegas for meetings so I wasn't gonna interrupt her for this seemingly minor problem. Didn't matter to Late Model Resto, as they weren't gonna give me any help until/unless I provided proof that I was a paying customer. At that point, I was seriously considering remounting all the stock stuff, and sending the intake back to them with a note telling them to shove it up their collective asse$$!
I decided to call someone else, and since I had a catalog from American Muscle here, I called them. Got ahold of someone on the phone, and guess what..? He DIDN'T ask for 'proof' that I was a paying customer, he simply put me on hold and went to look for someone that had installed the intake on a '12 before. Since it was (IIRC) after 7pm their time, the techs had gone home. But instead of using that as an excuse to get me off the line, he did some research and sent me multiple links to other instructions that might help me out, and told me if I was unable to solve the problem(s) that night, to call back in the am and he would get someone for me.
As we all know, we have MULTIPLE vendors to choose from. I still had several items I needed to purchase, and still do. Instead of simply buying from Late Model Resto like my wife did, since they completely blew me off and AM COMPLETELY took care of me, I called them the next day and spent a grand(which would've gone to LMR) with AM.
So in this instance, Late Model Resto LOST a customer because of their policy of needing proof of purchase before they help a customer, and American Muscle GAINED a customer because of their willingness to HELP a 'customer' that admittedly HADN'T even spent a dime with them YET.
I'm sure my patronage won't hurt LMR, and it won't pay the rent for AM.. But it's several thousand dollars that are going into AM's bank account, INSTEAD OF LMR's.
Of course YMMV...