COMPETITION SOUND

I’m giving two stars for a couple reasons. I’ll begin however, with the positive aspects of my experience with Competition Sounds.
* The people who helped me were very knowledgeable about their product. Every question I asked was answered informatively which ultimately led me to buy something completely different than what I thought I had wanted in the first place… and I am very happy I didn’t go with my initial choice.
* The quality of the installation was good. I have no rattling or loose parts inside my car. The wiring isn’t ghetto (like I’ve seen in other people’s vehicles… which have been «professionally» installed elsewhere.) I will say though, that the bass controller knob is pretty bulky and takes up quite a bit of my already limited space. Could it have been switched out with something smaller?
**UPDATE**
The wiring is in fact fouled up. There is a whining noise coming from the speakers. Sometimes it is louder than others yet acceleration doesn’t affect the volume of it. I’ve taken the car to BMW to have them check out the problem however their system will not acknowledge anything since I have ‘aftermarket’ parts. Figures. So yes, I’m changing my rating from two stars to one.
**UPDATE**
* Quick turnaround time… basically same-​day service for the installation of one 10″ sub.
Now here is my reasoning for the two stars. My car is still fairly brand new… a 2010 BMW. I am meticulous about how I care for it and I know exactly where each and every rock chip exists… that means that at the time, there were zero scratches from human negligence.
It was 9:00 PM and dark out when I went to pick up my vehicle. Aside from the sound system itself, the first thing I noticed was the gaping hole in my rear bumper. As the guy wrapped things up and suggested I follow him inside to pay for the job, I asked him where my tow hook cover was. His response? «Ma’am, we have no reason to touch that part of the vehicle. We didn’t remove it; it must’ve been like that when you dropped it off.» I assured him that it was in fact there when I left it with them. I knew for sure because I looked around my vehicle before walking back in and handing them the keys (I now regret not making one of the employees do the walk-​around with me.)
Frustrated, I went in to pay while someone else searched around the shop for the missing piece to my bumper. I could’ve been an asshole like so many other people and refused to pay until it was returned, but then where would that have got me???
They reluctantly agreed to call BMW the following morning to order me a new one which, aside from the reluctancy, was nice. I was told I would receive a phone call letting me know when the part would be ready.
The next morning, I went to inspect my new speaker. That’s when I discovered the pressure dent and small but deep scratch on my back bumper. The white paint was completely gone and the black plastic from the bumper was clearly visible… and still is. I was absolutely livid.
I waited another day for my phone call and when it didn’t come, I decided to drive to the dealership and order the part myself. I then found that the part couldn’t be ordered without prepayment… and also that the part wouldn’t come painted so BMW would have to send it to a body shop across town.
I left and drove to Competition Sounds. Once I was there, I was told that they hadn’t found my missing bumper piece (of course) and they were just fixing to call the dealership to make the order (sure). I kindly asked to speak with the manager outside. He walked out of the back with an ‘oh great.’ look on his face and before I spoke, he said, «I know why you’re here.» I responded, «Yes, well I want to show you something else. Would you mind coming outside so that I can show you my car?»
I showed him the damage, which he smirked at as if it was stupid that I even cared about such things since they were ‘so minor.’ That pissed me off because the damage absolutely was not there before I left my car with them in the first place. I suggested that in the future, he might want to do a walk-​around with his customers. Mike Caballero’s response? «Ma’am, we would never see scratches like that anyway…»
Bottom line, he promised to call me the following week after he spoke with his ‘ding repair guy’ and I could come in to have everything resolved. In the mean time, I could go back to BMW and order the part under Competition Sounds’ account.
After doing all the footwork myself, I finally got the part (a slightly brighter shade of white) and two months later, I still haven’t heard from Competition Sounds. After a couple weeks, I decided it was best not to follow up as I had no desire to let them lay a finger on my car ever again. God, I hope I don’t need warranty work (which, I was told, they weren’t able to provide printed documents for…)
Great customer service guys! I’ve already persuaded one person to take their business elsewhere.