Online customer service nightmare, Don't EVER buy from carpartswholesale.com Options

[CAMAricer]

My sad/frustrating (and long) story:

I bought an Injen intake a few months ago from ebay. Got item okay, installed fine. Everything was good. Until I wanted to get a heat shield to go with it. So....I went online, used froogle and found the best price for one at $45 at carpartswholesale.com. They also had a discount code for -$10 and free s/h if I spent over $100. So I added an extra filter to bring the total a little bit over 100. With the discount, it brought it back down to ~90. Then 2 weeks passed, and I got a package from the store. Opened it up and found....the filter. No heat shield. WTF?

Called the company #, got xferred to a woman who asked for my order number. I told her I never got one. No email from company, no receipt sent, nothing, nada. Read the # on the order slip to her, was placed on hold for about 30 minutes the was finally told that the filter had been sent and to wait for it to arrive. Fine, whatever.

1 week passes. Nothing. Called again. This time get some Indian dude. First of all, I can't hardly understand a word he is saying (not being racist here, just stating a fact). I speak slowly and clearly to explain to him my situation but the jerk keeps interrupting me and speaking over me! He won't ever let me state my case, just keeps spouting out stupid company polices and BS. After frustratingly waiting for him to shut his mouth long enough to get a word in, I finally tell him that I was never sent the item. He puts me on hold, does his "thing" and 20 minutes later, tells me a tracking number then hangs up before I could respond. Whatever, at least I got the tracking number, right? WRONG.

The tracking number (from FedEx) shows that it was delivered to the wrong address 2 weeks earlier. And since it was the wrong address, I never got any notice to pick it up from the FedEx center. So it was sent back to the warehouse. So back on the phone I am talking to another Indian guy from the company. Just like the first guy, this idiot doesn't let me get a word in, just keeps cutting me off every time I try to tell him the explanation. Finally we get to the point where I ask him to resend me the item to the correct address...and oh my this is where the $#!t hits the fan.

He tells me that it was not the company's fault that the item was sent to the wrong place and that it was the warehouse's fault. Then he tells me that I would have to pay the s/h to have the item resent back to me. I tell him no way I was paying for someone else's mistake. He then tells me something in the order of "too bad, tough luck". Well I tell him without the heat shield, I don't want the filter, so send me a shipping label so I can return it...which he replies that I would have to pay for shipping it back to them. WTF!?! At this point, I'm fed up with this crap and tell him that I'll dispute the charge with my CC company. He laughs (yes he did!) at me and says, "Go ahead. You won't get your money back. Plus you'll probably have to wait 3 to 4 months for nothing." Now I'm about ready to curse the idiot out but decided it probably would have made him ever more gleeful. And of course when I asked to speak to his manager, he said that there was none on duty and later said that he was the manager. Seeing as how it was pointless to talk to him, I just hung up the phone and contacted my CC company. End of story? Not quite...

The CC company initially credits me the amount (like most do while they investigate). Well, this mofo internet store lies to my CC and tells them that they sent BOTH item to me. My CC believes them, recharges me the full amount TWICE (one additional time by mistake, just my luck). I find out about this when I check my monthly statement and see two separate charges. A quick call to them reveals what I suspected, they were told by carpartswholesale.com that they sent both items to me correctly. BS! I gave my CC the tracking number and told them to check it and see that the 2nd item was sent to the wrong address. A week later, my CC calls me to tell me that they would credit me half the amount (for the heat shield that never came) but couldn't do anything about the filter since it did "arrive" at my address. ARGH!

So...I have an extra air filter that I never wanted in the first place. No heat shield. And those stupid idiots at carpartswholesale.com probably laughing that they ripped off another customer. Worse customer service I have EVER experienced. Moral of the story: AVOID carpartswholesale.com at all cost.

Sorry if this is way off topic. But it might serve someone some good in the future if they ever accidentally end up on that crummy @$$ website...

[forkee]

wow thats horrible. makes me want to just stick to ebay to buy stuff online. at least ill be able to check ratings and submit my own feedback. i would definitely see if theres a way to report them to the better business bureau. i think its like bbb.org

[Random_Stranger]

That's messed up dude. Thanks for the warning, I don't like how they treated you and I wouldn't bother with them. I shall be sure to let everyone I know in on this. Do you still need a heat shield?

[97Celica]

I was just on their website and it looks like it was made with a crappy template and it's not very functional. If you click Toyota it asks you to click your year and select Toyota again...very stupid. That's like a highschool mistake. Also I LOL'D when I read it said installation time for a cold air intake takes 1.5hrs...I did mine in 15-20 minutes and that included cleaning my MAFS.

[Athorn]

I have given up with online companies and am just using ebay now.

[GriffGirl]

Something's weird... it takes a long time for their site to even load and I know it's not my connection

You should report them to the BBB. According to their site, they're a member.

This post has been edited by GriffGirl: Jul 23, 2008 - 12:29 PM

[chucho]

sucks. It's one of those situations when you couldnt do anything better to change the outcome

This post has been edited by chucho: Jul 23, 2008 - 12:46 PM

[Sinyk]

Something's weird... it takes a long time for their site to even load and I know it's not my connection

You should report them to the BBB. According to their site, they're a member.

x2!

[D-Man]

That F-ing Sucks!! Can you get an address to where they are located, So that the nearest 6gc.net member can go down to the shop and plant his/her foot in someones ass for you?

You should report them to the BBB. According to their site, they're a member.

x2!!

[FortuneCookie]

Notice that it says in their customer service page, "Our friendly, knowledgeable customer service phone agents are available to assist you 24/7." Friendly? Knowledgeable? LOL!

[Random_Stranger]

Something's weird... it takes a long time for their site to even load and I know it's not my connection

You should report them to the BBB. According to their site, they're a member.

I was going to ask that, but with what you told me on how they acted towards you, I didn't think they were dumb enough to be part of BBB. WOW! Yeah, do that!

[CAMAricer]

Yeah, I noticed so many other online stores using the same (or extremely similar) template. And yes the whole setup is so stupid. I suspect that they are all the same company but they just use different website addresses and names to capture/corner all the business (which would explain why they ship items from an independent warehouse instead of their own store).

Oh, and yes, I'm still looking for a heat shield...probably end up getting one from Ebay for $60 or something if I can't find one cheaper...

I was just on their website and it looks like it was made with a crappy template and it's not very functional. If you click Toyota it asks you to click your year and select Toyota again...very stupid. That's like a highschool mistake. Also I LOL'D when I read it said installation time for a cold air intake takes 1.5hrs...I did mine in 15-20 minutes and that included cleaning my MAFS.