[richpike]

Hi Folks,

Executive Summary:
I ordered the Bimmian Smoked Overlays from Jlevi and one of them turned out defective. Neither Bimmian, nor Jlevi, would stand behind the product they sold.

Background:
I recently purchased a set of smoked overlays for an E90 LCI from Jlevi. They are a great concept - very easy to install and look pretty good when they are on. Unfortunately, they don't seem to handle cold weather very well.

About a week after I put them on we had our first cold spell here in Colorado Springs - it got down to freezing and one of them started to come off. I knew I had installed them properly (A. They are super easy to install. B. I've done both tint and clear bras myself, so I'm fairly savvy at these types of things). I immediately contacted Jlevi and explained what happened - they replied that these were new and that they hadn't had much experience with them yet, but they would have a chance to talk with Bimmian at SEMA that week.

SEMA goes by and no word from Jlevi, so I pinged them. Jlevi replied that they talked with Bimmian and that Bimmian claimed I must have not installed them properly. Interesting, given one side was fine (installed at the same time), and both sides were fine until it got cold when the passenger side peeled off. This strikes me as a clearly defective product - unfortunately Bimmian was not willing to stand behind it.

I spent a few additional emails with Jlevi on how best for us to remedy this situation - in general, I felt the passenger side overlay should have been replaced for free as it was defective.

I've bought several things from Jlevi and always had a great experience. I've also just recently purchased my 335i (coming from a 330i) and as we all know, the 335 is an extremely mod-able car and as a company focused on mods, I would think Jlevi would want to keep their 335 customers happy. Sadly, Jlevi apparently doesn't care about keeping me as a customer. After offering to sell me a set at their cost ($10), I relented - in the end it was Bimmian's defective product that Bimmian didn't want to stand behind - I didn't see a need to punish Jlevi for that. However, when Jlevi sent me the bill, it was over $18 - basically the same cost as new. When I emailed them about why there was a discrepancy, they never replied.

In the end, it isn't about the money - I couldn't careless about the $18. It is more about the lack of customer service by both Jlevi and Bimmian. And while the overlays are a great idea, I would encourage you to think twice if you live in a cold climate. I know both Jlevi and Bimmian are reputable companies - I'm not sure why this went the way it did. Nevertheless, both Bimmian and Jlevi have lost me as a future customer - it is unfortunate that they couldn't see the forest for the trees - nothing like losing a customer over $18.

-Rich