warning about a parts retailer....fyi

[woody's bullitt]

hey folks,

just posting this FYI. i'm not a hothead and i'm really a pretty easy guy to get along with. i've purchased a lot of new stuff for my '91 vert since i bought it and have only had unpleasant dealings with one merchant. i thought you all might want to know that the co. in question is mustang wharehouse. they sell on ebay and from their website. i purchased a ford motorsport strut tower brace off the website at a very good price of $129.00 (shipped). it took about 3 weeks to arrive. no problem with that.

unfortuntately, when i asked my mechanic to install it, along with a new exhaust (i don't have the time to do it myself with a one year old), he showed me how it wasn't even close to a fit. i don't know if it's the wrong model, or if a vert needs something different, but it wasn't even close. i want to be clear that i'm not some dufus who simply couldn't do it himself. i had a professional attempt it.

anyway, i can't get through on the phone to mustang wharehouse, so i email. an unidentified individual promptly gets back to me, but immediately dismisses my problem. he doesn't believe me on any level, is curt and rude, and completely disavows any responsibility. "all sales final...go to the shipper... file warranty complaint to ford motorsport." we exchanged a few messages, and i swear to you that i never got vulgar or rude, be he got progressively more so. all i wanted was to send it back at my own expense for a refund.

get this, he even went to the trouble to set up a yahoo account and send me a PROFANE ECARD that suggested i needed a beat down, replete with an f-bomb. of course he denies this. nice businessman, huh? all the while, he is threatening to sue me if i say in the forums anything that constitutes "deformation of character." i did mention that his character was already deformed and that he may want to do a spell check before referring to anyone as a "moron", as he did me.

all i wanted was the benefit of the doubt as a customer. obviously, i got much less.

i'm not telling anyone not to shop from this merchant. i'm merely passing on that i had an unsatisfactory experience. truly unsatisfactory.

best wishes all,
woody

 

[TheBocSez]

Have heard this many times about this company. Looking at the feedback he leaves for unsatisfied customers. Seems to have good prices and the free shipping is attractive but Im not taking any chances with him.

Also hear storys about people getting letters from a "lawyer" threatening suit for making these post and ordering you to stop immediatly...what ever. Cant get blood from a turnip.

Regarding the STB. I bought one for my 1991 LX Vert a few years ago (from a different company). It fit from strut tower to strut tower but was short where it should mount to the firewall. The manufacturer included with the mounting bolts, several heavy washers to space the difference. Installed it with the washers and it worked fine. Mine was off by about 1" or so. Not sure if this is the same case for you. Being a vert the chasis flexes more and this maybe the case with yours also. Invest in some subframe connectors if you havent already.

 

[Aaron]

Well that information is enough to make me stay away. I'll stick to LRS, CJ Pony Parts, etc.

Thanks for the heads up!

Did you pay for it on a credit card? You may be able to dispute the charges because of the situation.

 

[woody's bullitt]

thanks for the corroboration. i should have checked the ebay feedback, as i use ebay quite often. definitely an oversite. i got caught up in the pricing i guess. lesson learned.

my problem with fitment is actually that the brace is too large. the two strut holes way overshoot the mounting position. i suppose it would be better to be too short, as was the case with yours. don't know what to do about that...

i've purchased kenny brown subframes and have to talk to a guy about welding them in. thanks for the advice....

 

[woody's bullitt]

i paid through paypal, and i filed a complaint. probably what elicited the ecard. not sure it will go anywhere though since a product did arrive to me. paypal isn't as helpful as a credit card co. again, lesson learned.

 

[Deleted member 87397]

I've ordered from them quite a few times through ebay and direct and I've never had trouble with them. Of course they've never sent me the wrong thing, causing me to have to try and send it back. I think you just got an azzhole. See if you can get in touch with someone else there and plead your case. If not then warn everyone you know that they suck.

 

[Aaron]

i paid through paypal, and i filed a complaint. probably what elicited the ecard. not sure it will go anywhere though since a product did arrive to me. paypal isn't as helpful as a credit card co. again, lesson learned.

You need to tell Paypal they shipped you the WRONG PRODUCT and won't take it back. You still have a case...

 

[poneypower89]

See if you can get in touch with someone else there and plead your case. If not then warn everyone you know that they suck.

This is probably the most thought out and intelligent response given here.


Try to go to a higher up and explain ur situation with the parts you purchased. Also explain the problems you having with *said* employee. Chances are things will turn around after that.

 

[90lxfoxbody]

sorry to hear someone else has been e-screwed courtesy of ebay. i had a very similar experience with dynamicracingproducts. now i only buy from foxmustangrestoration or individuals.

 

[woody's bullitt]

paypal denied me. clearly they take the seller's word for things even though his response is asinine.

here is the info, both my message, his response and paypal's judgement:

We have completed our investigation of this case. No further action is required by you at this time. We have denied this claim. As stated in our User Agreement, PayPal’s Buyer Complaint Policy only applies to the shipment of goods, not to disputes about the attributes or quality of the goods received. We have noted your claim in the seller's record. The seller's account privileges will be limited if excessive complaints are received.

From seller: Mustang Warehouse on 7/22/2006 12:44 PDT

1Z 382 991 03 6952 140 2 ups tracking. this buyer recieved a brand new part which is exactly what he ordered. he refused to contact the manufacturer for his warranty claim. per our pilicies all sales are final, m,anufacturers warranty applies and buyer is responsible for research of fittment to his particular application. we did our job by sending this person exactly what he paid for. i love these customers that lie and go to the "professional mechanic line". he is a liar who buys parts when he has no idea what he is doing. we shold not be subjected to losing money because of his inabilities.. thx



From buyer: on 7/22/2006 06:27 PDT


i have attempted polite and meaningful communication to you regarding the strut tower brace that does not fit my vehicle. i have saved this correspondance. i am not at fault for the fact that this item does not come close to fitting my car. my mechanic can corroberate the fitment issue. i simply want to return the undamaged item for a refund. i hope that you will please accept responsibility for this product since it does not fit as described for the year of my car. thank you for your prompt attention.

 

[90mustangGT]

There have been so many complaints about mustang warehouse. They always threaten to sue. If it wasn't true, then why do they get so many complaints. One or two, threre are always those.... but SO MANY. I think they just blame thier incompetence on everyone else.

Keep the link to the ecard.... if they try to sue you, actions like that will make a judge frown on them. And yes it can be traced, or a judge will put two and two togeather. I bet the sales guys that work there are a bunch of typical "parts punks". That is why tha parts punk suggest someone to beat you down, because he knows he can't do it. Sell parts for a living, yeah must make you tough. How much muscle does it take to operate a cash register and credit card machine?

 

[smokin91']

Call your credit card company and ask for a CHARGE BACK. Remember you are THEIR customer (the credit card companies) and they will do whatever you want to keep you happy. They dont care about the guy you made the purchase from. Within 24 hours the charge will be erased from your account, and you will have the parts plus your money back!

 

[rigamaroles]

Call your credit card company and ask for a CHARGE BACK. Remember you are THEIR customer (the credit card companies) and they will do whatever you want to keep you happy. They dont care about the guy you made the purchase from. Within 24 hours the charge will be erased from your account, and you will have the parts plus your money back!

Not quite....its called disputing a charge, I worked for American Express. Credit Card companies only do chargebacks for nominal amounts of charges, or if it is a regularly received complaint (ie. aol charges, etc.). The guy above had it right, you dispute the charge with your credit card company, they will take it from there. If the person they are corresponding with is either retarded or has lack of proof or whatever it may be, the dispute will automatically chargeback. However it has to start with a dispute. And I can tell you in all honesty as well because I have friends that work with Mastercard, and I have Visa...Credit Card companies wont bend over backwards for you. You are borrowing their money, not the other way around. A credit card company makes money a few ways, annual fee, interest (finance charges), derogatory fees (late fee, returned check, overlimit (however not much revenue from these), etc.), and from the merchant paying to accept those forms of credit card. If you are using a card with no annual fee, pay your balance in full, the credit card company isnt making any money off of you, they'd sooner hang up if you started to demand. The best thing you can do for your credit card company is be really nice, they have 100x more information and power than you could imagine.

 

[smokin91']

Not quite....its called disputing a charge, I worked for American Express. Credit Card companies only do chargebacks for nominal amounts of charges, or if it is a regularly received complaint (ie. aol charges, etc.). The guy above had it right, you dispute the charge with your credit card company, they will take it from there. If the person they are corresponding with is either retarded or has lack of proof or whatever it may be, the dispute will automatically chargeback. However it has to start with a dispute. And I can tell you in all honesty as well because I have friends that work with Mastercard, and I have Visa...Credit Card companies wont bend over backwards for you. You are borrowing their money, not the other way around. A credit card company makes money a few ways, annual fee, interest (finance charges), derogatory fees (late fee, returned check, overlimit (however not much revenue from these), etc.), and from the merchant paying to accept those forms of credit card. If you are using a card with no annual fee, pay your balance in full, the credit card company isnt making any money off of you, they'd sooner hang up if you started to demand. The best thing you can do for your credit card company is be really nice, they have 100x more information and power than you could imagine.

well then, I have to say that totally sucks and if that is the case, change banks. TD Canada trust is my bank, and they will do a charge back. Call them give them the details, and say you sent back the item. I have had 2 or 3 done for this reason and I got no hassle what-so-ever. As long as your reason is legit they have no problem doing it for you.

 

[rigamaroles]

TD Canada is also Visa cards, what they are doing for you is disputing the charge and they wont make you pay for it until the dispute has been resolved.

 

[smokin91']

TD Canada is also Visa cards, what they are doing for you is disputing the charge and they wont make you pay for it until the dispute has been resolved.

No there was no dispute. The charge was dropped from my card. END OF STORY. No trial, no dispute. Thats it! Dont belive me, like i said before, It's time to switch banks.

 

[88_GT_5_oh]

they're on my list now... honestly i buy alot of stuff from summit cause they are super easy to deal with shipping to canada

 

[RYC CUKR]

These are the reasons why I am willing to pay a little extra if I have to and deal with folks like summit or LRS. Great customer service is worth a little extra money most of the time.

I had gotten a new set of headlights from LRS a few years back and about a month after I had gotten them one started to leak. So I called and figured that I would have to send the leaking one back and wait on a new one. Nope. They shipped me out a new one and didn't even want the leaking one back. Most companies don't realize that little things like that will usually win you a customer for life.