A Must Read For Futre Powerlyte Customers

[Shredder]

I believe that often times small companies have a small customer base where very few customer experiences or opinions can easily form the backbone of a companies reputation. Powerlyte is an excelent example of this. A hand full of die-hard users form a support group that draw in new customers, aiding those who need technical advice. The company started out with a great reputation for quality and customer service.

However I think Powerlyte has taken advantage of this support group and left essentially all the "minor" technical issues to be dealt with online via their forums or email. They did not plan to handle so many defective products, major repairs, and replacements in house, and as a result customer service suffers severely. And for this, there is no justification. By purchasing a warranted product, we pay for their service. If they fail to stand by their warranty claims, they are at fault.

So, the following is some quotes from Powerlyte customers who have experienced unsaticfactory service, that I've compiled into an informative thread from which individuals that might be considering purchasing a Powerlyte product can hopefully gain some knowledge to use as a sort of "consumers guide" to help make an informed decision before ordering that ISIS that everyone is raveing about :rolleyes:.

Most of these quotes are regarding issues with the Hybrid, however many of them reflect directly on Powerlyte's customer support and reliabilitly. I encourage all who may be concerened, chime in with your story!

Quotes From Powerlyte Owners


"...The body I got is good overall, but the annodizing is alittle defective on one side of the body. Before I bought this body I wish I would have done more research on Powerlyte and ther products." - mark1975,
"Hybid Parts And Service" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=5794)

"...anybody else out there had any problems with their feed neck snapping off? I was playing yesterday and on the way to the bunker (hadn't even gotten there yet) the thing shears clean off..." - Dayspring,
"Snapped Feed Neck" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=309856)

"...[Powerlyte says] its fixed i use it for 6 games and it breaks again. I send it in again and they replace the whole gun. I go to the field sunday and i go chrono the gun cant get above 245-250 fps...I'm wondering if anyone has had this problem." - pballjunkie145, "Problem" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=699898)

"...i´ve been trying to adjust speed on it, but I simply cannot get pass 260fps, no matter how I do adjust the velocity adjuster or the input pressure...and since I am seeing tremendous amounts of blowback on the feedtube..." - ninjanki, "Problems With Bolt Size" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=4077)

"...I can not get rid of the blowback with the Raceframe." - mark1975, "Hybid Parts And Service" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=5794)

"...THe bolt issue remains...causing severe blowback af the feedtube." - ninjanki, "Problems With Bolt Size" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=4077)

"...They forgot to send a replacement actuating rod arm...it was damaged the first time I tried to use that screw to lock the timming adjustment...""Problems With Bolt Size" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=4077)

"...Paul told me that "they have [the timing plate] but for some reason it never got sent". He told me it would be send out that day. 5 weeks later, no timing plate..." - Shredder, "Regarding Part Replacement Status" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=3938)

"I didn't Touch one adjustment on that gun. I lubed all parts. I totally dont trust paul. Last time i sent it in He pormised he would call when they where done with my gun. What happens the gun just shows up at my door step. There manual has hardly any information. I said straight up to them on the phone, I dont trust this gun, I wouldnt use it if you payed me to. Ive tryed multiple regs, and tanks on this gun." - pballjunkie145, "Problem" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=699898)

"...I have to send it back in to them. I have a tourney this sunday! - p8intballer777, "My Inserts Dont Fit!" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=599506)

"...I finally received a package with most of the parts I needed to fix my Hybrid... I am still having to talk to them about two remaining issues, one that should have been fixed but it wasnt, and another one that they seem to have forgoten about it. I do not believe that the guys at powerlyte do not want to solve the problems, but actually they need to get more organized, especially about their customer support contacts and response time... - ninjanki, "Problems With Bolt Size" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=4077)

"I just got my Scepter 5 Piece with the new engraving. Well they don't fit! It's a real tight fit and you can't slide them in." - p8intballer777, "My Hybrid" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595273)

"...I'm not some cocker newbie, I've been a cocker tech for almost 3 years. The LPR is not supplying any pressure to the ram even when it is completely cranked in as far as it would allow..." - Top Secret, "Hybrid Body Kit NOT Working" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595576)

"...i sent in mine 5 weeks ago and cant get them on the phone and they wont return my calls im kinda concerned about this...any one else have this problem?"

"I sent in my ebladed Hybrid about 3 weeks ago, and after their initial email confirming that that they had the marker, and should have it fixed within a week(that was 2 1/2 weeks ago), I have not heard anything from them. I have sent a few emails since then w/o reply...." - ntn, "Powerlyte Not Responding To Emails?" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=473378)

"I sent my gun in and i still havent got it back yet..." - Mr.Pimp6, "Powerlyte Not Responding To Emails?" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=473378)

"you have to keep calling them, or they just keep it (your Hybrid), at least thats what my experiance is with them, they had my gun for 2 months before they got sick of me calling them." - BeefBeata, "My Hybrid" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595273)

"I just called them today and they said no one was there to check up on where my gun is. So i would deffinatly say there short hannded..." - Mr.Pimp6, "Powerlyte Not Responding To Emails?" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=473378)

"...The issue is that I have received nothing. I´ve sent many e-mails asking about it, and I simply got no answer after the initial mails exchange." - ninjanki, "Problems With Bolt Size" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=4077)

"havent heard from pwoerlyte bout the isis for over a month now...wonderin if you guys are still alive and kickin..." - Mike2400, "You Guys Still Alive?" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=662641)

"...I'm honestly getting to the point where I want to get my money back..." - Top Secret, "Hybrid Body Kit NOT Working" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595576)

"...I'm out 500 dollars for an inoperable product, and I feel I've been hussled." - Shredder, "Hybrid Parts And Service" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=5794)

"...Powerlyte won't provide a refund or even customer service that is somewhat helpful. They refuse to cooperate with the customer and provide broken promises instead of quality customer service." - Dann

"...I'm with you on reporting them to the Better Business Bureau as well as various online Paintball communities and give them some bad feedback." - mark1975, "Hybrid Parts And Service" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=5794)

"I too have had nothing but trouble with my Powerlyte Hybrid. I spent $611.33 on a product with obvious manufacturing defects and instead of helping with the problems, they have only made things worse. I just recently sent it to Powerlyte for the second time and I have not heard anything in over a month and a half. They refuse to call or cooperate in any way possible. I discussed receiving a full refund but they will not do it. I would thank you greatly if you could report them to the Better Business Bureau so unhappy Powerlyte owners everywhere could receive their retribution for their terrible products and services." - Dann

"They refuse to cooperate with the customer and provide broken promises instead of quality customer service." - Dann

[Shredder]

My Dealings With Powerlyte

My Previous Posts
"Questions Regarding Hybrid Colors" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=3411)
"Regarding Replacement Part Status" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=3938)
"Regarding Part Replacement Pt. 2 (FON)" (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=4796)
"Regarding Part Replacement Pt. 2 (PBN)" (http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=623875)

A Quick Record Of The Situation

It started about 3 weeks before the email quoted below. . .I had placed my order with an online Powerlyte dealer.


From: Aaryn Kors - (This is me)
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 7:00 PM
To: info@powerlyte.com
Subject: Regarding order status

"About five weeks ago I was told by [the dealer I dealt with] that my order for a gloss blue Hybrid with 1-Piece barrel had gone through and was going to ship directly from you. According to Jason, their sales representative, the LPR housing on my gun was scratched some time during the assembly process and delayed the gun's shipment. More than fourteen days later the money for the gun has been drawn from my account but the gun has yet to arrive via UPS ground like we had agreed...

Thanks.

- Aaryn"

From: info@powerlyte.com
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 8:55 AM
To: aarynkors@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Regarding order status

"Aayn,

...We did have to have a new LPR body anodized for a blue Hybrid but the last time we talked to [the dealer]...they asked us not to send it because the funds had not cleared. If this is a mistake, you will need to have Top Choice let us know...We do have several Blue Hybrids in stock and can send you one as soon as we get the go ahead from [the dealer]...

Sorry for the problems your having.

Powerlyte Sales and Service"

On March 10th, two weeks after the funds had cleared and 32 days after this email, Powerlyte said my gun shipped out. I didn't recieve my gun until May 7. Since when did an 8 pound UPS ground package take more than a month to get across half the U.S. to your door, without any tracking number or record? Powerlyte obviously didn't send my gun when they said they did.

First Impressions

First off, I need to say that Powerlyte never included a shipping invoice! How unproffesional can you get?

When the gun arrived I opened up the box and guess what? The LPR sent with my gun was still scratched! They had 6 weeks to re-anodize this part, yet it apears this was never done. Apon further inspection of the gun's reciever I noticed 3 more very small hair-scratches. Not a big deal. Than I look at the engraving. On one side, half the "Hybrid" logo apears to have been shaved off and is engraved much shallower than on the opposite side. A very obvious defect, but one Im able to live with after waiting so long. The top of the reciever is also milled unevenly. While one top edge is rounded and smooth, the other has a small lip or ridge. The "delrin" bolt looks and feels like a cheap knock-off of the real deal. The air inlet is blocky and unefficient. The front face is wedged instread of rounded, and there are rough ribs down the entire shaft of the bolt as if they forgot to hone it smooth. In addition, my blue Hybrid shipped with a chrome frame and a white bolt - neither of which are pictured on Powerlyte's or their dealer's websites.

Questions Regarding Hybrid Colors (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=3411)
Posted By: Shredder (Me using another alias) On Force Of Nature Forums.
May 16 2004, 07:54 AM

"Mattc,

The Hybrids pictured on your products page and various others websites have black bolts, and match anodized grip frames, but my Hybrid came with a white bolt and an even more unusual, and to be honest, unsightly chrome frame. . .almost as if my gun is just a body kit (which from all the photos I've seen come with a white bolt) with an Axis frame slapped on. Very disappointing, as I shelled out four hundred and seventy-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents, plus thirteen dollars shipping for a gun that I had hoped would at least have a matching trigger frame."

...Is there any way you guys could correct this mistake [and] have the frame re-anodized and have a different bolt shipped?...

Thanks.


Mattc emailed me shortly afterwards and said he'd look into it and get back to me. Never heard from him again. I spoke with Paul, the owner, that month on the phone multiple times. He said he'd call me when the replacement frame was ready. No calls, no parts, to this day. Nothing.

How It Shoots

I haven't fired a shot from this gun because the day I got it, the soft aluminum timing plate stripped out while I was removing it's set screw.

Regarding Part Replacement Status (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=3938)
Posted By: Me, On Force Of Nature Forums
Jul 5 2004, 08:39 AM

"In early may I sent you guys a Hybrid timing plate to be replaced. Two weeks, no timing plate. So I call, this time about an update on the trigger frame that you guys are supposed to be anodizing, and I ask about the timing plate. Paul told me that "they have [the timing plate] but for some reason it never got sent". He told me it would be send out that day. 5 weeks later, no timing plate."

Regarding Part Replacement Status (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=3938)
Posted By: Mattc
Jul 5 2004, 02:45 PM

"Shredder,

I will be looking into this problem and see what is going on and getting you an ANSWER ASAP.

I want to aplogize for the problems that you have encountered and there are no excuses.

Thanks,

Matt C."

I haven't heard from Matt C. or any other Powerlyte employee since that day, despite all the phone messeges, emails, and additional forum threads I have sent. Doesn't "ASAP" stand for "as soon as possible!?"

[Shredder]

Here's what he said:

"I too have had nothing but trouble with my Powerlyte Hybrid. I spent $611.33 on a product with obvious manufacturing defects and instead of helping with the problems, they have only made things worse. I just recently sent it to Powerlyte for the second time and I have not heard anything in over a month and a half. They refuse to call or cooperate in any way possible. I discussed receiving a full refund but they will not do it. I would thank you greatly if you could report them to the Better Business Bureau so unhappy Powerlyte owners everywhere could receive their retribution for their terrible products and services.

Here is my story:

I ordered the marker thinking I would be receiving a quality piece of equipment that would last for years to come. The day came when I received the gun and didn't change the adjustments at all. I got my HPA tank filled, set my regulator to the appropriate pressure, and tried to shoot it with paint. Much to my dismay, the balls would come flying back into the hopper because of excessive blowback up the feedtube. Some balls would even break in my hopper because of the force of the blowback. I then thought, maybe it was that the paint was bad or too big for the barrel. I bought a new case of paint and made sure it fit the barrel perfectly. I tried the new paint and the results were the same. I got my tank filled again and decided it must be a problem with the timing. I proceeded to adjust the timeing rod and even though I am an expert at timing autocockers, I could not get rid of the blowback. No matter where I had the 3-way actuate, I would still get an extreme amount of blowback. I got the blowback to a minimum (which was still alot) and hoped that it would be alright to play with on Saturday.

Saturday came and I tried it with air and a full hopper. The problems started right away. The blowback would send balls flying up the feedtube, which would smash 2-3 balls inside the hopper and make a big mess all over. The bolt would chop balls and I would get erratic velocities along with terribly inaccurate shots even though I had an excellent paint-to-barrel match. I cleaned it out and decided I might as well try it in a game and see what happens. The game started and the same thing would happen. I walked off the field and cleaned it out one more time. I went out the second game and a new problem occurred. I was shooting and all of the sudden the trigger died. I would pull the trigger back and it would stay back. In order for me to fire the gun, I would have to pull the trigger forward with my fingers, then pull it back. Then it quit firing all together. I walked off, cleaned it, and put the gun away.

I emailed Powerlyte about the blowback problem and here is the reply I received:

From: info@powerlyte.com
To: "Dan"
Subject: RE: Set screw/ Bolt Question
Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 9:50 AM

Dan,

If you'll email us your address we will send you a replacement for free. We
can also send you a new bolt. The delrin can swell slightly in the heat so
you don't want the bolt to be too tight. However, you shouldn't have any
blow back when the gun is properly timed.

Thanks
Powerlyte Sales and Service

After waiting for over a month for this new bolt to arrive, I finally gave up and called them. They didn't even remember anything about sending a new bolt and just told me to send it back to the factory. I proceeded to send it back and after waiting another month and a half without hearing a word from them, I had to contact them. They told me my gun will be shipped out by the end of the week. I was shocked, Powerlyte had my gun for 6 weeks and they weren't even done fixing it. I received the marker back with no retribution for all of the shipping costs which Powerlyte had promised.

The next weekend I decided to go to the local field to see if Powerlyte actually fixed it. First and foremost, I did not change any of the adjustments on the marker since I received it back from Powerlyte and I was using a brand new case of paint that was a perfect match to the barrel. Now, I went to the field, aired it up, and it was shooting ok. The marker wasn't shooting that bad but it certainly wasn't shooting like a $600+ gun should. The 3-way was leaking a little bit and there was some blowback up the feedtube but overall, it wasn't so bad that I couldn't use it in a game. I played two games with it and then during the third game is when all Hell broke loose. I was sitting there shooting during a game when all of the sudden the balls would only fly 10 feet then drop strait to the ground. I continued to shoot and the velocity did not improve at all.

A couple of moments later, the trigger completely ceased to function at all. I would pull it back and it would stay back until I manually pulled the trigger back to its starting position. After that, the gun could barely recock itself so it would only fire about once every 3 pulls of the trigger. This lead to 2 or 3 balls getting shot at the same time and of course some of them broke inside my barrel. Then the gun ceased to fire at all. I walked off the field, cleaned the barrel, and proceeded to put it away. The marker did the exact same thing it did before I sent it in to get repaired. I was extremely shocked and disappointed. Powerlyte had my gun for 6 weeks and did absolutely nothing to actually repair it. I gave this company my hard-earned money and trusted them to provide excellent quality and service. This is how they repayed me.

I once again had to call Powerlyte. After two weeks of broken promises that somebody would call the next day, I finally demanded that I talk to someone that could help. I wanted a complete refund but for some reason that I do not know, they would not do it. This left me with no other choice but to send it back for their "repair" services.

Powerlyte received the gun on September 28, it is now October 12 and I have not heard anything from them. This is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of company keeps a customer's marker for over a month and doesn't provide them with any updates? The bottom-line is no matter what anyone does to the marker, it is always going to be defective and defective products require retribution from the company. Powerlyte won't provide a refund or even customer service that is somewhat helpful.

They refuse to cooperate with the customer and provide broken promises instead of quality customer service. I am going to have to call Powerlyte and see if they have even started "repairing" my gun and once again request a refund. They will deny my request and I will be stuck with a $611.32 piece of faulty equipment. The only choice I have is to sell it but unlike Powerlyte, I could not live with myself knowing that I sold someone a piece of junk. I would not wish this gun on my worst of enemies.

Something has to be done right now. I do not want anybody else going through the trouble that I and so many other Powerlyte users have gone through. Someone needs to force Powerlyte to provide better services and hopefully the Better Business Bureau can accomplish this task.

Thank you,
Dan"

[plushdragon]

If you used a credit card call them up and ask for a refund.there will be some paper work and you need to send the marker back with proff of del so you will get a refund.

[p8ntball-kid21]

Well thought out post. :tup:

[chris220]

and i was thinkin about gettin a race frame :eyes:

[Shredder]

Originally posted by plushdragon
If you used a credit card call them up and ask for a refund.there will be some paper work and you need to send the marker back with proff of del so you will get a refund.

Plushdragun,

Unfortunately, I purchased my Hybrid through an online Powerlyte dealer. The gun however shipped directly from Powerlyte themselves. I received no shipping invoice with my gun. They know they sent me the gun, I've hassled them enough about it, yet I still have no replacement parts or a working gun.

Powerlyte has posted a response to the issue but does not provide any explanation for the problems their customers have experienced and they do nothing more than brag about their thousands of previous customers who are "110%" Satisfied, eluding to the fact that the people quoted above were lying about their efforts to contact the company. In addition, they've deleted the complaint thread I had posted in their official forums (http://www.forceofnature.com/invision/index.php?showforum=67) before anyone could respond and take notice, very defensive for a company that's so confident with their reputation and quality of service! All in all, a very unprofessional response to a very civil complaint :|.

Original thread (updated)
http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=711057

Powerlyte's response thread (with my reply)

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=714947

Player's responses on Paintball Star

http://www.paintballstar.com/pn/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=245453#245453


Stay cool :).

[Shredder]

I'm incredibly happy to anounce that I've finally got a hold of Powerlyte over the phone!!!!

Acording to Paul, Powerlyte's owner, an email was sent to me about my replacement frame. But I never recieved this pergnant piece of information. The original agreement was that they were going to call me. But whatever, perhaps they wrote my email address incorrectly in my last descusion with Powerlyte months earlier :confused:? I dont see how this would matter though, as I have records of emails they have sent me using the correct adress. Whatever the cause is, isn't my concern. . .Arrangments have yet again been made to have a new grip frame and timing plate shipped. I pray that these parts make it out of the factory this time :rolleyes:.

While I did just speak with Powerlyte over the phone, it is the first contact ever with them in months of failed attempts. While if I do in fact recieve my parts, as I explained originally, I wont have any real cause to report the company to the Better Business Bureu. I will hold up my end of the agreement to send in my gun to be fixed, and whether or not they come through themselves remains to be seen.

In addition, I'd like to establish the fact that my posting this thread was in no way a means of creating chaos and concern in the hopes of getting Powerlyte's attention in order to resolve my own personal issue. As stated originally this thread is not here to destroy Powerlyte's reputation out of spite, for my personal enjoyment. I will stand by my claims that Powerlyte's customer service and support is seriously flawed for the time being regardless of whether or not my Hybrid becomes operational. The amount of time that I have waited for these parts cannot be ignored and is still the basis for my beef with this company. I am not the only customer who feels this way.

I'll keep the thread updated.

[f2f4]

Originally posted by Shredder
I'll keep the thread updated. Please do.
...I was considering getting one of their Scepter kits, too... :|

[RyanH]

I can't believe all that....:eek: They need to get their sh*t together