E90Post
 


Studio RSR
 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90/E92/E93 Marketplace (For Sale / Trade / Wanted) > Vendor Comments/Review/Feedback Forum > ALUFELGEN - DTM RACK - Wheel Shipping Disaster !!!



Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      03-20-2011, 02:11 AM   #1
MERLIN335i
Brigadier General
MERLIN335i's Avatar
England
117
Rep
3,866
Posts

Drives: Gone: E92 M3 Competition Pack
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Buckinghamshire

iTrader: (0)

ALUFELGEN - DTM RACK - Wheel Shipping Disaster !!!

Despite the packaging/shipping disaster, of the UK Group Buy recently, which resulted in several sets of wheels being damaged, (note the replacements were also damaged) I made the decision to buy some Alufelgen CS-7’s, as long as I was assured/convinced there could be no repeat of the damage.

The following is a chronological history of communication between myself and Matt @ Alufelgen & Setian @ DTM Rack. I have edited the messages in an effort to reduce the length of this post, but obviously the full length versions are available (should anyone need them). These will also be supported with relevant photos & scanned documents.

My reason for posting all this is not to bore you to death or get sympathy, but to give you the facts surrounding my personal horror story, and give you an insight to what you have to go through when it all turns to sh*t, and so you can make your own informed decision about placing an order for Alufelgen wheels.

But make sure you have enough “supplies”, this will be a long post !!

Merlin335i to Matt @ Alufelgen - 20/01/11:
Please can you confirm that the data below is correct for 2008 BMW E92 335i M-Sport:

FRONT: 8.5J x 19 - ET35 .

REAR: 9.5J x 19 - ET35.

I would like to buy CS7's in OE Silver, please supply prices, availability.

Hopefully lessons will have been learned, and presumably with a individual order rather than a palleted order, they would be packed differently, each wheel in individual cartons as other wheel manufacturers ??

Obviously need to be happy that there is virtually no chance of damage, before placing an order.

Matt @ Alufelgen to Merlin335i - 22/01/11:
Your wheels are packaged individually and will arrive safe at your destination.
For your set, we learned from the situation and will arrive at the destination without any issues. Please let me know if you are ready and we`ll have this set ready to go by Monday.

Note: At this point I spent some days making the decision as to whether to risk placing the order, and decided to use Fedex, rather than Alufelgen’s shipper.

Merlin335i to Matt @ Alufelgen – 07/02/11:
Please re-quote with FEDEX shipping:

Matt @ Alufelgen to Merlin335i - 12/02/11:
I just received your quote from Fedex. The total shipped for the CS7 would be $1399 including Fedex Air Freight.
The only problem is the CS7 ran out.

Note: it has taken 6 days to provide shipping quote, then the following e-mail arrives.

Setian @ DTM Rack to Merlin335i - 13/02/11:
Hello,

We were referred to you by Alufelgen. We are Alufelgen's ONLY stocking distributor and are currently the only place to get the silver CS7 in the setup you have requested. I am writing you this email to assist you with anything you might need. Alufelgen told us the deal they set you up with and we will be happy to honor it. Let me know if this works for you and I'll be happy to process your order. Paypal is our preferred form of payment. If you have any questions, please let me know. I'll be happy to answer them.
Cheers,
Setian

Merlin335i to Setian @ DTM Rack – 14/02/11:
Thanks for your offer, there have been several messages between Matt and myself and some things like courier have been changed over that time, so would like check all the details with you, so there can be no mistakes or mis-understanding, as I am in the UK it would not be easy to sort any problems.

You may be aware of a recent group buy from Matt for customers here in the UK, that went very wrong, several sets of wheels arrived with lots of damage, and even the replacement sets were damaged, one customer had to be supplied with three sets, which took nearly a year to sort out !!!!

So please forgive my over cautious attitude, I would be very grateful if someone could carefully check the wheels for paint defects, scuffs, damage, etc before shipping, because as I mentioned before, the effort/cost involved in returning them does not bare thinking about.

Setian @ DTM Rack to Merlin335i - 14/02/11:
I was not aware(of the problem). However, I am happy to tell you that we do not host any group buys. We only offer specials and always ship the very next business day after payment is processed. I will PERSONALLY make sure the wheels are packaged as best as possible to make the trip over the pond. And we inspect every set upon receipt and before departure.

You're in good hands. I guarantee it.

Setian.

Note: Having had re-assurances from both Alufelgen & DTM Rack, I “bit the bullet” and sent a “PayPal” payment to DTM Rack on 19/02/11.

Merlin335i to Setian @ DTM Rack – 22/02/11:
Can I have the FEDEX tracking number please.

Note: 2 days before reply, 6 days after payment.

Setian @ DTM Rack to Merlin335i - 24/02/11:
GET EXCITED!! TN: 796795461372

Note: Order was being delivered to my work, we have a Fedex account, and they call in most days, so warned our regular driver to look out for my four boxes, and to treat them with extra care.

Delivery Day – 01/03/11:
Fedex driver arrives, says “How long have you had a Reliant then ??”(a three-wheel English car), my reply, “You better be f*cking winding me up !!!” Go to the van, my heart sinks only 3 boxes !! Two of the boxes have broken open (only one single strip of sealing tape on bottom opening of boxes) the third box actually breaks open as the driver moves it in the van !!

I said I would sign for them as damaged, the driver said “too late I had already logged them as “boxes opened and contents damaged” at the depot, I only brought them out because it was you”.

I have attached a selection of photos, to shown damage, packaging etc, no point in posting all 30+, all three wheels have similar transit damage and paint faults. Sorry about the quality of some, but very hard to photograph a reflective silver surface close-up, all much more visible to the naked eye. See photos below.

New revised/upgraded/extra packaging comprised of:

Standard corrugated carboard box, inside dimensions just over 19” x 19”, so rim fills the box, no room for padding, but enough room for wheel to “shuffle” around in box.

Loose fitting Plastic “U” channel bands for Wheel Inner & Outer rim edges, only one out of six still in position, wheel in thin plastic bag.

No crumple zones, no polystyrene, no air bags, no snow, no anything else. See photos below.

Merlin335i to Setian @ DTM Rack – 01/03/11:
You should have a voicemail from Fedex, both Fedex and I have tried to call you today in normal opening hours, but no answer.

Only 3 wheels arrived, 1 still in Memphis (too damaged to ship according to FEDEX), other 3 damaged (cosmetic, structural, etc) completely of no use, Slight flat on rims !!!! Rim protectors not in place, packaging only one layer of card (the box), rim next to that, so nothing to absorb any impact, so damage has occurred.
Inner rim face rubbed through to primer in some places on all 3, rim been "shuffling", "fretting" inside the box, now a scratched matt finish. Several "knock" dent/bruises on all 3.

FEDEX state packaging totally inadequate, for protection on such a journey, I agree 100%.

Note: At this point it is noticed that the shipper is in fact Alufelgen, not DTM Rack, confirmed by Fedex shipping label, but Alufelgen had no stock !!

Note: At this point I am more than a little p*ssed-off, after all the promises from both Alufelgen & DTM Rack that they had learned their lesson, they still send wheels across the world, loose in a thin cardboard box with no absorption space around the rim to prevent damage !

As the payment was made by PayPal, you have the right to “Dispute” the payment if your problem falls into one of several categories. I was eligible under two, “item significantly not as described” (not in new condition) and “item not received” (missing wheel).

By filing the dispute, it freezes the funds in the recipients account, with the speed of light I not only get an irate e-mail, but a phone call as well (so they can react fast when they want to !).


Setian @ DTM Rack to Merlin335i – 02/03/11:
Michael,

I was surprised to see a paypal dispute from you. Even though I placed plastic protectors and did as much as I could to prevent damage. I've tried to provide you with the best customer service I could.

I have no problem making sure everything is resolved for you. But I ask you, out of common courtesy, to close your claim and give us a chance to fix your issues.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Setian.

Note: Once you close a claim, you cannot re-open it, you are on your own. So refund needs to be made before you close a claim. At this point e-mails are of no use, no instant answers, and they do not convey emotion, or allow you to make judgements based on a person attitude. So I call Setian @ DTM Rack.

Setian says he will give me a refund, but first of all I have to close the “Dispute”, now as I said above, once closed you cannot open it again, so if the other party decided not to do the “right thing”, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, especially when your on the other side of the Atlantic!

So a stand-off begins where neither of us is sure the other will do what he says, after a while (remember I am paying for this international call) I press the “Close Dispute” button, Setian waits for the “Dispute Closed” message to appear his end, and then tells me he has made a refund into my account, I in turn wait for the “Refund Received” message, it arrives, I finish the phone call.

However, when I check the refund, it is not an “Instant Refund” it is only “Pending”, the reason it is pending is that, there is not enough money in DTM Rack’s account to pay my refund !

Eight days later, it finally clears into my bank account, but in that time the exchange rate has changed, so along with the fees, I end up with less than I paid !

Some of you, if you haven’t fallen asleep, will be saying “he’s got his money back, what’s he moaning about", time for a little re-cap of the facts.

1. I still have a $330.00 (£200.00) Import Duty bill to pay (for 3 damaged wheels) this has to be paid to the UK Customs & Excise, these are people you do not mess with! It has to be paid, the fact that I received three damaged wheels is beside the point, they are not known for their sympathy!

2. I did not get a full refund.

3. I do not have the wheels I wanted, but I do have $1400.00 worth of tires (tyres) with no rims to put them on. I do not want any other brand/design of wheel, and my car is currently on 18’s so tyres of no use to me.


The next two weeks are spent providing 30+ photos for Fedex, plus other information they required, waiting for four days while Fedex searched Memphis Tennessee for the “too damaged to ship” wheel that had now gone missing, eventually declared “lost” some days later.

So many calls between myself and Fedex, the master tracking number stuck in my brain, I had to repeat it that often, no need to look it up. Also my Fedex UK contact spoke to each other that often we recognised each other’s voices!

I need to mention at this point, all this work was not my responsibility, it should have been done by the shipper (whoever that really was), it also now turns out a third party shipping agent is also involved . So the claims process is very involved, Fedex UK – Fedex USA – Global Cargo Alliance – Alufelgen – DTM Rack, and takes for ever. I only did it to speed up the process.

ANY OF YOU STILL AWAKE ??

During this long process, I was offered some “solutions” by DTM Rack.

Setian @ DTM Rack to Merlin335i:
Michael,

I am so sorry that you received the wheels in a damaged condition. I would like the opportunity to make this happen for you. I want you to be happy and to get what you want and what you DESERVE.

If you want replacement wheels, I will make sure I TRIPLE wrap those suckers. If you want them, you
only have to send half the payment now, and half the payment upon receiving them.

Either way, let me know Michael please. We care about our customers. We honestly do.

Cheers,

Setian.

Note: Problem with this offer is, no confidence in the wheels surviving the trip un-damaged, I would have to pay the $330.00 Import Duty AGAIN, No offer of a discount, still full price, even after the problems they caused, and after all the work I had done for them so they could submit a claim to Fedex. Another example of outstanding customer service !!!

Setian @ DTM Rack to Merlin335i:
Revised offer: “OK, I will do them at half price for you, only $699.00”.

Note: Problem with offer No2 is, $699.00 is not half price, it is actually the price they were charged by Alufelgen ! So still not prepared to take any pain for their mistake. Please see attached Invoice from Alufelgen to DTM Rack, which proves the cost, and the fact that Alufelgen did ship them (they billed DTM Rack for it). See Invoice photo below

These delays gave me time to think, I decided I would like to keep the three wheels, source another one to replace the missing one, and have them refurbished, this was the only way I felt I could get the wheels I wanted with no damage or paint faults. They would not have the expense of re-packing and shipping back the wheels, or have to scrap them, if they refurbed them, they could not legally sell them as new, so I thought it was a good solution for all concerned, thinking they would give me the three damaged wheels, and maybe contribute towards the fourth wheel, as some kind of apology/good will.

So although the wheels would still cost me $1000, (refurb + duty) at least I had the set of wheels, all be it not new, I would be happy with that.

WRONG !

I suggested this to DTM Rack, this was the reply during a phone call 17/03/11:

“If you want to keep the wheels, we will have to drop our Fedex claim, then we would lose the $1000 payout, so you would have to pay us the $1000 to keep the wheels” !!!! (If Fedex pay out naturally they then own the wheels, so for me to keep the wheels, claim would have to be dropped).

Note: Add to this the $670 to have them refurbished, and still pay the $330 Import Duty, plus cost buying a replacement fourth wheel, and cost of shipping them to and from the refurbishers. I make that around $2200, for basically some refurbed used wheels. DTM Rack were fully aware these costs when they made the offer, but still made the above offer!

I only paid $1399 for the four new ones !!!! Another example of outstanding customer service !!!


Fedex UK to Merlin335i 17/03/11:

“Shipper is pushing the claim, so we need to send someone to inspect the wheels, to establish to cause of the damage, from the photos you supplied, it looks like insufficient packaging, but needs to be confirmed by an inspection, you will be called to arrange a date & time”.

Merlin335i to Setian @ DTM Rack – 18/03/11:
Setian,

My final comment on this situation is, I no longer want to retain the wheels, so happy for Fedex to come and inspect them, so they can determine the reason for the damage, insufficient packaging, or bad handling.

My reason for this change of heart, is after talking to you at length, it is obvious you are not prepared to take any "pain", and are determined to make sure you don't loose even one cent over this, and to hell with what I want, and my feelings.

I have lost, sleep, health, money, etc, so probably best to step away, and let Fedex come to their decision, and from indications already given it may well not be in your favour.

Michael.

If any of you are still awake, well done !

All of the above is 100% true, and as I said, I can be provide proof of 95% of the above, should anyone have any doubts, but why would I make it up, you couldn’t.

You may all think it is a storm in a tea-cup, but if it stops one person making the same mistake as me, and going through all that expense, effort, and stress, then it was worth all the effort.

If you got this far, thanks.

Michael.
Attached Images
               
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 02:30 AM   #2
IancoleTX
Dillo boxers
IancoleTX's Avatar
United_States
272
Rep
3,360
Posts

Drives: 2019 M5C
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: USA

iTrader: (14)

Wrong forum. Just saying.
__________________
2019 M5C Matte MBB / Tartufo
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 04:23 AM   #3
MERLIN335i
Brigadier General
MERLIN335i's Avatar
England
117
Rep
3,866
Posts

Drives: Gone: E92 M3 Competition Pack
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Buckinghamshire

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by IancoleTX View Post
Wrong forum. Just saying.
Suggestions Please ??
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 04:50 AM   #4
XieJin
Private First Class
Sweden
10
Rep
197
Posts

Drives: '15 M235i xDrive
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sweden

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by MERLIN335i View Post
Suggestions Please ??
Post in the wheels/tires section

Oh, and sry to hear that someone would treat a customer like that
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 06:36 AM   #5
J02 335i
Lieutenant Colonel
J02 335i's Avatar
Canada
39
Rep
1,558
Posts

Drives: F80 M3
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Ontario

iTrader: (1)

Wow, what a pain in the ass that must have been. Good luck with your next set.
__________________

Sport pack, JB3, Dci, factory oil cooler, 18" M3 reps, Michelin PSS, painted trim, black grills, smoked side markers, LED plate lights, H&R coils, Borla catback
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 09:26 AM   #6
IancoleTX
Dillo boxers
IancoleTX's Avatar
United_States
272
Rep
3,360
Posts

Drives: 2019 M5C
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: USA

iTrader: (14)

Quote:
Originally Posted by MERLIN335i View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by IancoleTX View Post
Wrong forum. Just saying.
Suggestions Please ??
Vendor feedback section. Good luck getting sorted
__________________
2019 M5C Matte MBB / Tartufo
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 09:31 AM   #7
bulldog_yyc
Major General
bulldog_yyc's Avatar
127
Rep
5,040
Posts

Drives: GT3RS
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: probably work

iTrader: (28)

wow thats a pain in the ass - at least it looks like you have very accurate records of what happened and that should help resolving the issue
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 09:41 AM   #8
cssnms
Brigadier General
cssnms's Avatar
United_States
207
Rep
3,175
Posts

Drives: 2011 BMW 335d
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Murland

iTrader: (4)

MAN THAT REALLY SUCKS! DTMRACK has not had a good month.

I will admit as a buyer of Alufelgen wheels, although I think the product is great, their packaging STINKS. I had to send one wheel back due to some minor damage because the finish was worn along one edge (the damage was clearly due to insufficient packaging, despite they blamed FedEx). I will say that Alufelgen took care of it right away though. It's to bad they don't package these wheels like they do the Morr's. I don't think consumers would mind even paying a little more to have their wheels packaged appropriately, not to mention it would mitigate the reputational risk to Alufelgen.
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 10:26 AM   #9
arctic330i
Lieutenant Colonel
arctic330i's Avatar
United_States
126
Rep
1,984
Posts

Drives: F15 35i
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gainesville, Fl

iTrader: (8)

Garage List
2014 BMW X5  [0.00]
2006 BMW 330i E90  [8.08]
2013 BMW 335is  [10.00]
Really helpful, I appreciate this. Too many times these situations go unpublicized and they companies get away with it. Good Luck!
__________________
See my full mod list in my garage
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 10:30 AM   #10
fdriller9
Banned
United_States
252
Rep
7,089
Posts

Drives: '06 AW 330xi
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: North Jersey/Philly/NYC

iTrader: (4)

Garage List
2006 330xi  [6.44]
This is sad to hear....companies should know that even if products are packaged well, the packages are sorted through computer guided systems...aka the computer does not handle packages gently.

Also driver's aren't always careful either....but if a shipping company notices that a driver's deliveries are consistently being claimed as damaged, they'll know the driver is mishandling the packages and appropriate action will be taken.

Good luck getting this sorted out....keep us posted.
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 11:09 AM   #11
bob.g
Captain
21
Rep
677
Posts

Drives: 2006 325xi
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: montreal

iTrader: (1)

damn i was looking to buy wheels off them. But im going to get wheels WITH tires mounted so theres less chance of damage. Just rims in a box with no padding around seems like trouble.

from those pics im sure fedex will say it's insuficient packaging.
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 11:49 AM   #12
f00dstamps
Second Lieutenant
United_States
24
Rep
234
Posts

Drives: 2010 BMW 335d
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Kansas City, MO

iTrader: (0)

I was looking at purchasing wheels and this definitely affects my decision.
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 11:56 AM   #13
RoundelM3
Major General
RoundelM3's Avatar
United_States
1823
Rep
6,979
Posts

Drives: 15 F80 M3, 22 G01 X3 30i
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Wendell, NC

iTrader: (2)

Garage List
2022 BMW X3  [9.83]
2015 BMW M3  [6.50]
Did a group buy from Wheeladdicts.com with 7 other parties for 18" CS7s for our 128i, still waiting for delivery sometime next month. I certainly hope this does not happen with the set I'm purchasing from Wheeladdicts, because I will definitely be getting a refund and going elsewhere.
__________________

2015 F80 ///M3 Sedan 7DCT Tanzanite, 2022 X3 sDrive30i 8AT Brooklyn Grey
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 03:16 PM   #14
VK11
Enlisted Member
2
Rep
44
Posts

Drives: 2011 328i Coupe
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Orange County, CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by f00dstamps View Post
I was looking at purchasing wheels and this definitely affects my decision.
Agreed
Appreciate 0
      03-20-2011, 03:17 PM   #15
DTMrack.com
Major
DTMrack.com's Avatar
84
Rep
1,256
Posts

Drives: BMW M3
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Florida

iTrader: (5)

Greetings to all,

I want to go ahead and address the situation at hand.

Merlin was sold a set of cS7's and the set was shipped to UK without any delays. When the packaged arrived he contacted us regarding the wheels. He was upset that the wheels were damaged and he himself acknowledged that Fedex had responsibility.

I proceeded to offer him a replacement set but he refused and wanted a refund. At this point in time, he had already placed a dispute with paypal, before any conversations of the issue at hand had taken place. I asked him to please close the dispute (over the phone) and he did so, IN THAT SAME conversation I immediately refunded his money over paypal. Because of our procedures, I am obligated to use the fund from the bank accounts and not from paypal. This is why he says that the fund took some time to clear.

At that point in time he had the wheels and the money in his property (and still does) Since he had trusted us by closing the claim, I felt no threat returning the courtesy by trusting him with the wheels.

After we gave him the refund he asked if he could just keep the wheels and get them refurbished. He also demanded that we pay for the taxes of the pieces.

We insured the wheels with Fedex. If Fedex approves the damaged claim (which he filed incorrectly) then they will provide him a receipt which he can use to get his money back for the taxes.

If not, we will close that bridge when we come to it, just like we did when we REFUNDED HIS ORDER IN FULL.

While I understand the frustration of getting a product damaged due to shipping, there is no reason to come down on us in this manner. Especially when a full refund has been given as soon as it was requested.

We always watch out for our customers. We do as best as we can in OUR power to accommodate them. We have a great reputation regarding this. One that we have earned.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to Pm, email, or call us. We always respond.

Cheers.
Appreciate 0
Closed Thread

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:14 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST