Quote:
Originally Posted by DiamondLube
Rusty,
You really know where to kick a guy.
That Travis ass hole took my $20,000 for the same SAE J1321 test and arrived at a 5% gain in fuel economy after only a 250 mile wear in period and he AND his team were excited as hell, even though they had to buy more fuel because they ran out - which is against the spec. They also did not provide the oiled bearings on the trailer as agreed. Travis checked the results three times on the day of testing, and kept coming up with a 5% gain that he said was worth billions. The following day he dropped it to 2.5% total gain and 30 days later he dropped it to 1.95% gain. I suppose he meant I was supposed to give him 50%.
2500 - 10,000 miles seems to be the correct mileage for treatment on a semi, but I did not know that when I had that ass hole steal my money.
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What was your contract for him to execute the test? 1/3 rd at signing? The rest at completion of milestone performance? The fact he ran out of fuel would void the test unless he could certify that he had the exact same fuel. If he didn't provide bearings as agreed, then you could also void the agreement and withhold payment. If you don't like the feel of the results, you can hire an outside consultant, at your cost of course, to review the data. It would have been best to have your outside consultant present at the test of course.
Don't blame the consultant for your lack of product knowledge. It is your product after all. And you do have recourse. The fact he is a licensed engineer means you can approach his licensing body (the SAE ) as well as any state or county authorities if you feel you have been defrauded. But, again, you had better have good evidence against him. I am a consultant, and I have been sued by people who did not like the results of the tests and development I did for them. However, I performed to contract. I have never lost in court. And I have always been paid.
Why you would agree to pay for a flawed test is beyond me. Or else, you are too naive to realize 5% is a GREAT result! If he is at fault, the responsibility to accept the contract is YOURS. If you are at fault for not knowing your product then, YOU are at fault. Either way, YOU are the problem here.
At this point, I am going to enjoy the weekend. And I suggest you hire someone with business and legal skills. How you survive in this wild west environment is beyond me.