How would you handle this situation?

[Raguvian]

I bought some coilovers from a company a few months ago (not going to say the name, but if you look at my previous posts you can find out which company). I ordered them on 2/17 with a 4 week lead time. I was hoping to get them by mid-March, but didn't get them till 3/26, at which point I was going to be out of town for ~1month and couldn't install them. That wasn't a big deal and I wasn't worried about it. All I did was open the box to confirm that all the parts were there. After I came back, I decided it would be smarter to just install a clutch at the same time as both the clutch and coilovers required getting an alignment, and a lot of the same parts would have to come out (tie rods for knuckle swap, axles, etc).

May 16th I started on replacing the clutch and by the 19th I had everything back together and started pulling the suspension. I uninstalled everything and went to install the new coilovers when I found that the top hat studs were nowhere close to lining up with the strut tower holes. After some research I found out that I had been shipped MK6 coilovers with the completely incorrect spring rates that I had requested. I was finally able to speak to someone from the company on the 21st (Friday) and was told that they'd make getting the correct suspension out the main priority and it would only take a few days.

May 26th they emailed again saying they couldn't send the coilovers that week, and that they would be shipped this week. It's now Friday of this week and still no update. The last email said that they were "backed up with orders" and had long lead times (neither of which should be my problem), and that if they had found out about the issue sooner, it would have been easier to fix (kind of implying it's my fault for taking so long to install them?). I also asked if they could do a partial refund or a spring upgrade or anything, which was ignored.

At this point, what would you do? I can't easily put everything back together because 1. it's a lot of work, 2. everything is TTY bolts and would cost another $60-80 in bolts to replace and 3. I've already spent hundreds on the knuckle swap with new wheel bearings and Whiteline ball joints that I can't use with the stock suspension (50 vs 55mm struts). The car has been on stands for almost 3 weeks and I've been getting by with other vehicles. IF I had taken the car to a shop, they would have charged me for labor and bolts and maybe an alignment to find out that the suspension didn't fit. Would the company have refunded me then? Is it my fault that I didn't check the coilovers closely enough or didn't install them sooner?

I've also got other projects I've had to put on the backburner because I can't use this car and it's taking up garage space. Any advice would be great. Feeling kind of taken advantage of right now in that they made an error and I'm the one dealing with not having a car (or being out more money to put it back together).

 

[OldVWFan]

first, put a dispute on the credit card you used to purchase these suspension pieces so that the cost is removed. Then, unless you just have to have these suspension parts I would go with another quality manufacturer that could deliver quickly. Finally get a return authorization number from the first one and send them back, make sure that they pay shipping.

 

[miikez.]

TL;DR

OP bought coilovers from a reputable company and received them in late March. Was out of town for a while and didn't get around to installing them until almost two months later. Took suspension off, company sent him MK6 suspension. He contacted support and they've been dicking him around and his car has been on jack stands for almost 3 weeks.


Personally, I'd send them a fuck you fax. Here's their fax number: (800) 741-1972

 

[Raguvian]

TL;DR

OP bought coilovers from a reputable company and received them in late March. Was out of town for a while and didn't get around to installing them until almost two months later. Took suspension off, company sent him MK6 suspension. He contacted support and they've been dicking him around and his car has been on jack stands for almost 3 weeks.


Personally, I'd send them a fuck you fax. Here's their fax number: (800) 741-1972

It wasn't BC.

 

[miikez.]

It wasn't BC.

My mistake.

Do they have a number you can call? Sometimes bitching up a storm to someone over the phone really gets things moving. Seems to always work for my mom. I'd also let them know that it's a huge inconvenience for you since you can't use your car until you get the proper coilovers. If all else fails, I'd make a credit card dispute.

 

[Raguvian]

My mistake.

Do they have a number you can call? Sometimes bitching up a storm to someone over the phone really gets things moving. Seems to always work for my mom. I'd also let them know that it's a huge inconvenience for you since you can't use your car until you get the proper coilovers. If all else fails, I'd make a credit card dispute.

I’ve called them already but haven’t bitched them out. I guess I’ll have to call on Monday and tell them to either ship it or refund me. I’ll probably do a PayPal dispute if this isn’t resolved by end of next week then.

 

[Keehs360]

With there being so many coilover options. Fuck them and get your bank involved.

 

[Corprin]

I’ve called them already but haven’t bitched them out. I guess I’ll have to call on Monday and tell them to either ship it or refund me. I’ll probably do a PayPal dispute if this isn’t resolved by end of next week then.

Go for the jugular, charge back from your credit card for non-receipt of ordered parts. PayPal could give a fuck about you, your bank on the other hand.... Then tell the manufacturer you’ll gladly send the wrong parts back to them if they cover the shipping. If not, you’ll be keeping the free gift they sent you.

Sell the brand spanking new Mk6 coilovers, and take your money from the sale, plus the charge back, and buy some Ohlins.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Go for the jugular, charge back from your credit card for non-receipt of ordered parts. PayPal could give a fuck about you, your bank on the other hand.... Then tell the manufacturer you’ll gladly send the wrong parts back to them if they cover the shipping. If not, you’ll be keeping the free gift they sent you.

Sell the brand spanking new Mk6 coilovers, and take your money from the sale, plus the charge back, and buy some Ohlins.

PayPal is fantastic with disputes. The only problem might be the delay in receiving the order and then disputing it.

 

[Raguvian]

With there being so many coilover options. Fuck them and get your bank involved.

i wanted custom spring rates because wagon. Oh well

 

[Raguvian]

Go for the jugular, charge back from your credit card for non-receipt of ordered parts. PayPal could give a fuck about you, your bank on the other hand.... Then tell the manufacturer you’ll gladly send the wrong parts back to them if they cover the shipping. If not, you’ll be keeping the free gift they sent you.

Sell the brand spanking new Mk6 coilovers, and take your money from the sale, plus the charge back, and buy some Ohlins.

Chase only has 90 day protection, which has passed now. Not sure they’d do anything.

 

[Corprin]

Chase only has 90 day protection, which has passed now. Not sure they’d do anything.

Give them a call, explain the situation, they might shock you.

 

[zucchinies]

I've had issues with Neuspeed lowering springs. Purchased from Neuspeed, went to an approved installer and had them installed. As soon as I drive off I hear really bad creaking every time I turn. Contacted Neuspeed and the support person said it was installation error. Luckily the installer has a working relationship with the owner and the owner said they've ran into this issue and as a fix to cut off 1 inch off the end of the spring. That didn't work and now I'm out labor cost. I got pissed and told them I wanted a refund. Found some sport springs on craigslist for 20 bucks that I ended up swapping out the Neuspeeds for. Overall I ended up paying around 600 bucks to install OEM sport springs. Neuspeed never once offered to help with labor or anything. Hell, they even tried to have me pay for shipping them the springs back.

Don't expect anything from the company. You are just one bad experience in a sea of thousands and they'll think it wont hurt their bottom line. Say the company name, have other people avoid your problems.

 

[Keehs360]

i wanted custom spring rates because wagon. Oh well

Oh I see

 

[Unreal1]

Things are crazy right now, pretty much everything I've ordered has been delayed to some degree. Stuff I used to get in days is now taking weeks.

The company is at fault for shipping the wrong order, but I wouldn't say their response to the situation was exactly bad. Are they letting you keep the mk6 set while shipping out the proper one? If so, they're already compensating you for the inconvenience since you can sell the set, which sounds more than reasonable to me.