U7191 TCM Updates this year?

[HarmFamily]

So, I just got off the phone with Tech support. I'm not happy. Not at all.

I spoke with Gary, who was a nice guy and gave me what info he had, which is as follows:

I explained that many of us own U7191s and purchased these on the promise (over a year old now) that TCM support would "be forthcoming soon". So I took the plunge and bought a DiabloSport instead of an HP or a Superchips tuner based on feedback from others.

So far, everytime anyone asks, we're told "it's being worked on", "it's in development", and more recently, "it's almost done", "coming very soon", etc...

Gary says: "Well, we just hired a GM guy who's currently cracking the code. It's going to be at least a few months out."

My response: "uhhhh...what?! We've been told that development has been ongoing for this feature, and that it was almost done. Now you're telling me that you've been working on this feature for over a year, and you just now realized you couldn't do it, so you hired someone to do it, and they're currently in the process of figuring out the code? That sounds like development is just getting underway, not almost done, not near completion, not working on it while the Hemi product was being released, but just now getting underway."

Gary says: "well, this stuff doesn't happen overnight." I indicated of course it doesn't, but it also doesn't take 18 months before you figure out you CAN'T do it and hire someone to do it, all the while DS is telling us it's almost done and that it "should be here soon". All the while those of us who purchased this product on the PROMISE by DiabloSport that the feature is on it's way and "under development", "being worked on", etc, watched as DiabloSport created and developed NEW products to get to market (the Hemi line comes to mind), while continually telling it's CURRENT, PAID customers that the feature they were promised is "close", "underway", and "on it's way".

This isn't good business no matter how one slices it with regard to maintaining a customer base.

At this point I'm very sorry I purchased this device and much of what's been said by DiabloSport out here about this comes into serious question. I'm very patient to a fault, but when I feel as if I've been handed a line, time after time, me and the many others here who have already bought the item and asked the very same question have been told the same thing repeatedly, yet it sounds to me like DS hasn't really done much of antyhing over the course of that same 18 months. There is just no way it took that long to figure out DS internally couldn't figure out the GM TCM code and just recentlhy hired someone to "crack it", and have all the promises and feedback that we've received out here remain true.

This sort of sideways logic tends to snowball into larger issues, and ones that customers can readily acknowledge as problematic.

As I said, I'm not happy in the least. I get it, R&D takes time. What I don't get or appreciate is the apparent lack of resolution on the part of DiabloSport to both live up to it's rhetoric as well as support customers who have already paid their money based on what, at the moment, seem like a lot of promises that DiabloSport knew all along were nowhere near completion.

How about some feedback from management out here on this issue? This affects dozens (if not 100's) of current, paid, customers. Why the disconnect? Why the constant "almost here" rhetoric when you all MUST have been aware that not only could you NOT "crack" the GM TCM code yourselves, but that you'd recently hired a "GM guy" who's JUST NOW attempting to "crack the GM TCM code".

Who's correct here, DiabloSport management, your dialup support, or your forum support? Regardless, I'm very frustrated and upset, and very much feel like I've been taken advantage of by an aggressive marketing department who seem to have no problem saying what we want to hear, whether or not it's accurate, and despite what DS KNOWS the situation is behind their doors.

Any reponse from DS would be appreciated at this time, in this forum.

Sincerely,
One Pissed Off Customer

[mikel]

OK guys, here is the deal.
We at no point decided that we could not crack the code.
It was simply a matter of having the manpower and resources available to get it done.
We do have a new engineer here, that formerly worked at GM, and his first job assignment was to get our GM TCM support up and running.

I sent an email to our owners this morning and was told that the TCM support is actively being pursued and should be ready for Beta testing in 30-60 days.
At no point have I or anyone else here attempted to mislead you, as we can only tell you what we are told will happen.
I do agree that maybe there has been some communications issues internally as evidenced by the fact that you guys have heard the same thing for a year now, but all I can do is assure you that the new owners of the company are committed to making all of you happy customers.

FWIW, this tool was released under our previous ownership and the new owners put TCM updates right at the top of their to-do list after taking over the company, based in large part on my input from you guys here and on the GTO and Corvette forums.

At this point all I can do is ask for your patience and hope you will wait on the TCM support, and allow us to assist you in any way until then.

Thanks

[HarmFamily]

Thanks for the response Mike.

Assuring us that new management is committed to making us happy customers is fantastic news, and as with anything new, some time should be granted to see if indeed that is the case. Time will certainly tell, and I'm certainly willing to remain patient for the next few months to see if that tree bears fruit. Sounds like the new owners understand the following:

Happy customers are repeat customers.
Happy customers are satisifed with their purchases
Happy customers often tell others about their positive experiences, thereby generating MORE happy customers.

For clarification, i don't necessarily believe that DS as a whole was attempting to deceive anyone intentionally or nefariously. The communication breakdown there on this particular issue was rampant, including this morning's discussion with Gary (who seems like a nice guy who also was just sharing what he knew) on the phone (and should receive no backlash for his providing data that he thought was relevant, as he was also just stating what he knew)

Thanks again for passing along the info Mike. Appreciated.

K

[1qwiktb]

OK guys, here is the deal.
We at no point decided that we could not crack the code.
It was simply a matter of having the manpower and resources available to get it done.
We do have a new engineer here, that formerly worked at GM, and his first job assignment was to get our GM TCM support up and running.

I sent an email to our owners this morning and was told that the TCM support is actively being pursued and should be ready for Beta testing in 30-60 days.
At no point have I or anyone else here attempted to mislead you, as we can only tell you what we are told will happen.
I do agree that maybe there has been some communications issues internally as evidenced by the fact that you guys have heard the same thing for a year now, but all I can do is assure you that the new owners of the company are committed to making all of you happy customers.

FWIW, this tool was released under our previous ownership and the new owners put TCM updates right at the top of their to-do list after taking over the company, based in large part on my input from you guys here and on the GTO and Corvette forums.

At this point all I can do is ask for your patience and hope you will wait on the TCM support, and allow us to assist you in any way until then.

Thanks

Beta testing in 30-60 days is not acceptable after being told for nearly a year and a half that the TCM support is almost done. It's not just the fact that it's not done, it's the fact that we have all been lied to this entire time. I bought your product only becuase I was told that TCM support would be comming in the next couple of months. That was over a year ago. I would hate to have to take legal action, but I either want a complete refund for my programmer or I will be pursuing a class action lawsuit against Diablosport for false advertising.

[Chi06SRGTO]

OK guys, here is the deal.
We at no point decided that we could not crack the code.
It was simply a matter of having the manpower and resources available to get it done.
We do have a new engineer here, that formerly worked at GM, and his first job assignment was to get our GM TCM support up and running.

I sent an email to our owners this morning and was told that the TCM support is actively being pursued and should be ready for Beta testing in 30-60 days.
At no point have I or anyone else here attempted to mislead you, as we can only tell you what we are told will happen.
I do agree that maybe there has been some communications issues internally as evidenced by the fact that you guys have heard the same thing for a year now, but all I can do is assure you that the new owners of the company are committed to making all of you happy customers.

FWIW, this tool was released under our previous ownership and the new owners put TCM updates right at the top of their to-do list after taking over the company, based in large part on my input from you guys here and on the GTO and Corvette forums.

At this point all I can do is ask for your patience and hope you will wait on the TCM support, and allow us to assist you in any way until then.

Thanks

Beta testing in 30-60 days is not acceptable after being told for nearly a year that the TCM support is almost done. It's not just the fact that it's not done, it's the fact that we have all been lied to this entire time. I bought your product only becuase I was told that TCM support would be comming in the next couple of months. That was over a year ago. I would hate to have to take legal action, but I either want a complete refund for my programmer or I will be pursuing a class action lawsuit against Diablosport for false advertising.

I went with the predator over the other options because TCM support was promised in the next couple months. Well, I've owned mine now for 4 months...and I'm pretty disappointed in this most recent update. I should have bought HPT or Superchips... 30-60 days for BETA testing? So we're looking at 4+ months still, for TCM support? ... wow It's obvious their priorities are all focused on selling MORE devices, not keeping their current customers happy.

[1qwiktb]

Do you have a response to any of this Diablosport? Or are you going to just pretend it never happened?

[06SS]

At no point have I or anyone else here attempted to mislead you, as we can only tell you what we are told will happen.

While it may be true that Mike is only repeating what he is told, somebody at the company, somewhere in the chain of command made the decision to have the customers told that TCM was coming soon. That particular person DID know it was untrue. Now, I don't know about your other folks, but in my opinion being told something that is known to be false is a deliberate lie. Does it make a bit of difference if the person telling it knew it to be a lie? No, simply a lie by proxy from the company.

Nobody here is mad at you Mike, but at your company's actions. Something you might want to think about. If they are lying to the people who pay the bills, obstensively giving up future business to get quick cash now (and you can imagine how many people will buy in the future after this experience, or how many of their friends will, or the people who read the various sites where your customers all hang out and compare notes, etc.), how does that bode for your continued employment in the future and how much you can trust what your employer promises you?

Had there been an honest apprasial of how long it might take (if ever) to get TCM, then sure, there might have been some lost business, but this fiasco is going to cost a lot more in the long run. Time for the company to man up and be honest, open, and to take some responsibility for their words and (lack of) actions. Telling us that 'maybe' there was some internal miscommunication is a slap in the face. An apology would go a long way towards restoring your company's reputation, but we won't see that, will we? Might be actionable and all.

Perhaps I am wrong and there will be TCM in the near future, but I am not going to hold my breath.

Bottom line for me (and I suspect a great many others) is that we will probably buy again in the future if accurate information is given out and the product is out at or near the estimated time. Other than that, you better step up your advertising budget to snare new customers as your old ones are going to move on to a company that wants repeat business.

[HarmFamily]

Telling us that 'maybe' there was some internal miscommunication is a slap in the face.

After taking some time to re-digest this info, I absolutely agree with this poster. WTF Mike? There "may" have been some internal miscommunication? How come it always seems that companies who refuse to admit fault always have a "slight error" that is ALWAYS is in THEIR favor? How come the PAYING CUSTOMER is always expected to just suck it up?? There hasn't even been so much as an "We're sorry." from DS, they just send Mike out to the front lines again to disseminate more information. Just how much confidence should I place in that information? I'm sure Mike's a nice guy and all, but he pays his bills with profits generated by the purchase of DS products...

It was simply a matter of having the manpower and resources available to get it done.

In otherwords, DiabloSport management chose to keep their profit margin high at the expense of those who've paid for empty promises. Ah, simply a matter of 18 months of higher profits for DS as opposed to DS sucking it up and hiring the appropriate talent and body count so they could deliver what the promised to those of us who paid. Got it, thanks.

This promise of TCM support was, in my opinion (and I'm clearly not alone) a ploy to get the money in DS pockets first, and worry about whether or not the customer got what they paid for...not next, but full-on LAST after:

- development of other lines of product (Trinity, etc...)
- development of the Predator line to support Hemi, etc...
- updates to existing products than HAVEN'T had promises made for major support issues like the TCM

...clearly us U7191 purchasers come dead last after the above list. And why not? DS already has our money. I'll TELL you why not, because in this day and age, it won't take long at all to have dozens of dissatisfied and disillusioned customers who've been promised one thing and delivered quite another share their negative experience(s) with the masses. (they told two people, then those folks told two people, then those folks told two people, ad infinitum.)

18 months later and we're STILL being told it's just getting under way. Previous owners made money off my purchase. Where's my promised product? Where's the commitment from DS? Where's the public acknowledgement that DS is at fault here, regardless of the excuses, regardless of who currently or in the past owns the company?

Bottom line for me (and I suspect a great many others) is that we will probably buy again in the future if accurate information is given out and the product is out at or near the estimated time. Other than that, you better step up your advertising budget to snare new customers as your old ones are going to move on to a company that wants repeat business.

Yep. I see lots of new stuff on the horizon here at DS that I'd be interested in purchasing...Trinity, etc. However, in stark contrast to the poster above, based on my experience with what will be referred from here forward as The U7191 TCM Fiasco (18 months of "it's coming soon"), change of owners or not, I don't believe I'll continue to do business with DiabloSport, nor will I recommend it to any other potential customers (that is a LOT of people with LOTS of disposable $$$ to tune their vehicles, DS...take note). As a matter of fact, unless I see some real results shortly I'll be more than happy to publish my experience and the gathered facts for all to see. I would hate to see anyone else, espeically a friend or colleague, get bilked under the guise of "it's coming, guys" like I feel I and many others have been....

The whole thing smells bad from start to finish. Clearly this affects many who've entrusted DiabloSport to take care of their customers who paid for the device on promise of features FIRST and to HONOR THEIR PROMISES TO SAID CUSTOMER BASE. This nonsense is a day late and a dollar short with regard to the hiring of a GM guy, who just so happens to have come on board after over a year of montly, empty promises from DiabloSport.

To be quite frank, had it not been for the promise of TCM support by DiabloSport "in a few months, tops", as well as 06MonteSS and his immense contributions to supporting this device, I would have never purchased this device and instead spent the money on an HP product.

It's now not a matter of DS providing a method of returning for a full refund (a process ANY decent company would implement based on this fiasco), but making good on that promise and showing the customer base WHO'VE PAID FOR THIS BASED ON EMPTY PROMISES and making some serious progress, opening up beta testing, etc, etc. I already have personal time/effort invested far beyond what the device cost. My time is valuable. How about my happiness with the product DS? Is that valuable to you? How about my willingness to share this public relations nightmare with everyone I know? Is it valuable to DS to make an existing customer happy? How about the public perception regarding the integrity and honesty of DiabloSport as a company? Is that valuable?

Still pissed. After digesting Mike's response I'm more pissed than I was when I first responded to this thread.

Feel free to share this with the "new owners". I'll be polishing my review of the product and customer support experience for dissemination to many interested entities to do witih what they will.

[Chi06SRGTO]

Obviously they don't care, judging by their lack of response to this thread. lol

[mikel]

Guys, like I said, TCM support is coming.
We want ALL of our customers, old and new, to be repeat customers.
We do apologize to anyone who feels they were decieved, but please know that was never our intention.

We have always supported ALL of our Predators, no matter how old the model was.
We will continue to update these tools in the future as we have done in the past, in order to constantly make the product the best it can be.

Thanks
Mike

[dwarmenzerk]

so what did management say?

[evadllig]

Gentlemen,

I saw that a revision for U7191 was out so you are obviously working on this product.

But can I assume that we are still approx. 2 months + for getting the TCM update?

Dave

[mikel]

Gentlemen,

I saw that a revision for U7191 was out so you are obviously working on this product.

But can I assume that we are still approx. 2 months + for getting the TCM update?

Dave

NO, not two+ months at all!
I said a few posts back that we were currently developing the update and that we would begin Beta testing in about 3-4 weeks, and that was over a week ago.

Thanks

[alextzi]

Hey at least you guys can at least program your vehicle with an engine tune. I have been promised support for my 6.0 Liter Silverado 2500 (new body style) for 3.5 months, but my CAL IDs are not supported yet (and they came out in March). At least your predator isnt a paper weight like mine is.

put my name down on the totally unsatisfied customer list (isnt all this promising and not delivering fraud at some level?)

[raregto]

I'd like to hear an answer on this also PLEASE!!

I too am interested in the response, albeit late. Also been very patiently awaiting this TCM update as indicated in previous posts. There are many of us who have invested the money in this device instead of an HP, etc, on the promise of TCM support for the 7191 and have yet to receive anything but more promises.

How about an ETA at the very least? Hemi is done, we've paid for these 7191 devices based on promise of delivery of the TCM support, and most of us have been very understanding about how development goes, but certainly from a marketing/word-of-mouth standpoint it's time to deliver on those promises...nearly a year later...and give those who've paid for this item some resolve on previous commitments. An ETA isn't too much to ask, not for those of us who've paid for the device on a promise of future features.