My (BAD) adventure with my phoenix chip

[sofla david]

I've seen many, many good reviews of the PHP chips. That was one of the main reasons I decided to purchase the PHP chip over the other competitors' chips that are out there. I do understand that not every product works for everyone, and that not every customer will be satisfied. I do feel, however, that when you abandon a customer and don't respond to them when they are emailing you and calling you, you have failed in the worst way.

I'm posting this here so that the PHP staff will see it and hopefully try to correct the issue (refund). If this post gets ignored by the PHP staff the same way my emails and phone calls have been, then I guess I will also post it up in all of the other forums I frequent, as it will cement the fact that I have been abandoned and my money has been taken.

Below is a timeline of the events surrounding my purchase of a PHP Phoenix 6 position chip for my 1999 F350 7.3 PS. It was compiled by going through my emails and phone records, so it is based on facts and not memory or opinion.

1/9 – Placed order for Phoenix 6 position chip. My truck is 1 ’99 f350 with the NVK3 PCM. All required information was filled out on the website ordering screen. The chip was ordered with the following Tunes:

80 LT
65 MT
Stock
65 DD
80 DD
100 P

1/10 – Received an emailed invoice indicating an expected ship date of 1/13

1/17 – Received and installed chip in truck. I immediately noticed extremely hard shifts in all positions, and a torque converter lockup at 35 MPH that felt like the truck was being rear-ended. I sent an email to Corey explaining the problem.

1/18 – Corey replied to email and said she would forward to Cody.

1/21 – Cody replied and suggested some custom tuning may be in order. He suggested my transmission may be modified. I don’t think it is, but since I purchased the truck used, I cannot dispute that 100%. Cody suggested I mail him back the chip for some custom tuning to adjust the shift pressures.

1/23 (morning) – I removed the chip from the truck and realized how much smoother the transmission shifted with the chip removed, compared to even the stock setting with the chip installed. I decided to call PHP before shipping the chip so that we could discuss. Took a few calls to get through, but eventually Spoke to Bill who told me Cody wasn't working that day, but that the problem I was having was because I had an “early 99” superduty, and the chip had been programmed with a "late 99" base load. Bill asked me to send the chip to him and he would re-program it and send it back. Chip was sent to the Georgia office via priority mail with delivery confirmation. I sent an email to Cody explaining what Bill had told me, and that I had sent the chip to Bill per his instructions.

1/23 (evening) – Cody replied and stated that if my PCM was an NVK3, my truck was not an “early 99”. I double checked the PCM Code (NVK3) and the build date (05/99) on the truck and confirmed that the truck was NOT an early 99. I asked Cody what would happen if I ran the early 99 base load on my late 99 truck and he told me "I don't know. I've done late programming on an early truck and it worked ok until high RPM, but I've never done early programming on a late PCM". I voiced my concern and Cody said he would contact Bill and straighten it out.

1/26 – Per USPS Tracking, my chip arrived at the Georgia PHP office. I emailed Cody to confirm that he had spoken to Bill because I was concerned that Bill would just re-burn the chip with the Early 99 baseload as discussed, and send it back to me. I did not want to have to send it back a second time and loose more time. Meanwhile, I had been trying to get through to Bill on the number that always goes to the closed message. I finally got through to Bill and He told me he knew I did not have an early 99, but he was going to put a different base load on the chip that he was confident would make the shifts work as normal. Later that evening, I received an email reply from Cody simply saying “He’s got it covered”.

1/30 – I received an invoice from Corey for “reburn chip to VNAAAS3” for $0.00 with an expected ship date of 2/2

2/7 – The Chip had not arrived, and multiple attempts to call the PHP number always went to the closed message. I emailed Corey asking for a status.

2/8 – I did not get a reply to my email, but I did get an automated “PHP has sent you a package” email from Stamps.com with a USPS tracking number 9121969000940634249787 indicating a package was being shipped on 2/9.

2/14 – 2/20 I have been calling multiple times (10-20) daily at all hours, sent emails to Corey and Cody and I get no responses from anyone. The “closed” message comes on every time I call, if not, every so often, the phone will ring 10-20 times, and then go to a busy signal. After 12 days, the tracking number still shows “Billing information received”, but no sign of a package. They are in Georgia and I am in Florida, so it takes no more than two days for a package to arrive.

It has now been:

-42 days since I purchesed the chip
-26 days since my chip arrived back at PHP
-26 days since I have had any direct contact with an employee of PHP
-20 days since the "expected ship date"
-12 days since the tracking number was generated (and item supposedly shipped)


At this point, I have no interest in the chip. I want my $300 refunded to me. Since I cannot get ahold of anyone at PHP, it looks like I will have to go through the process of filing a claim through my credit card to accomplish this. I have been on this adventure for a month and a half now, $302 plus the shipping charges to send the chip back. All I have to show for it is a whole lot of frustration, unanswered emails, unanswered phone calls, and a hole in my dash.

Hopefully my situation is just an isolated case and others don't go through the same problems.

David

[88Racing]

Left a note for PHP ....

[sofla david]

`Corey,

I'll address some of the items in your post:

1) I did NOT provide you the wrong PCM code. My PCM is an NVK3, that is what I put on the Website form when I ordered it. That is what YOU printed on the original Invoice you sent me on 1/10, that is what was provided to Bill on our phone call on 1/23, and it is what was discussed in the emails with Cody on 1/23. At NO point have I ever given PHP a different PCM code. Your Accusation is incorrect and baseless.

2) If you believe that your phone calls are always answered, then I reccommend you pick up a phone and make some test calls because I have NOT been able to get through to anyone. I welcome anyone reading this to make test calls and see if they get through. The number I am dialing is the number at the top of your website (678-890-1110).

3) I did not send the switch back because Bill told me it wasn't necessary since the plan was just to reburn the chip and return it to me. If I had known this was going to end this way, I would have happily shipped it back with the chip. I have absolutely no use for the switch if there is no chip to use it with. I do understand the switch has a value (although I really doubt it is $25), but at this point, I am willing to take the $25 hit and get this resolved.

4) I have no interest in going to other forums and slandering your name. If that was the plan, I would have posted this in the other forums from the onset. I simply needed a response from PHP and was unable to get it any other way. As I wrote in my post, I acknowelege that many other customers are happy with their chips and with the service they received from you. I am ok with writing this off as an isolated incident and parting ways once I get my refund.

5) You address some items in your post, but I don't see the main issue being adressed. (Why is my chip still sitting at your shop 20 days after the date you were supposed to ship it?). honestly, since I'm getting a refund, I don't really care why anymore, but I just found it interesting that you didn't even acknowelege this fact in your post.

5) Hostility and false allegations are not a good way to respond to a customer that has already received poor customer service.

Thank you for your prompt attention to my post and for the refund. It is greatly appreciated.

[sofla david]

Thanks Corey.

I received the email showing the Credit amount. Just so we can make sure the correct expectations are set, what is the next step? From reading your website terms, it appears I will be receiving a check in the mail for the refund amount.

Please let me know what is a fair expectation of when I should see the check?

David

[sofla david]

The credit posted to my account this morning.

Thank you Corey.

This situation is now fully resolved.

[dietoremain]

Job well done Corey... Sorry you werent happy and good luck. PHP will always get my support.