Edit: Issue resolved.

Dave and myself talked everything over and are now on the same level. There was a communication problem due apparently in large part to Buddy Club itself.

I will be returning the coil overs for the simple fact of not wanting to have to deal with Buddy Club again if any problems should ever arise. However, it seems like RandDmotorsports will be getting my business in other areas.

to RandDmotorsports for taking the time to explain the situation in a calm manner and for understanding the concerns of a frustrated customer.


Modified by ActiveAero at 6:44 PM 11/29/2004

 

i had a similar experience..except with IPS Racing. the reason i didnt post anything regarding their customer service was because they were so reputable and I would probably get hated on for posting something like that.
well to make things short, i crashed my car...called Mike up wanting a JDM conversion which he said would get to me in less than a month. I waited for approx 1/2 year, while my car was at the body shop, and having to either bum rides off friends or driving another family members car when they were not using it. When it came, it didn't even come with the lip, which I paid for. its over with now, but since this thread came up i might as well share another bad experience with a reputable shop.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ActiveAero &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I FINALLY received the coilovers a few days ago.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I sympathize with you for shitty customer service and a long wait. Been there, done that. Just curious why you posted now, after you finally got the coil overs? Are they jacked up or something?

 

IPS told me a week when it turned out to be 3-4 weeks before my products were delivered to me. I stopped doing business with IPS afterwards.

I dealt with R&D once and it was great. He delivered the goods in the time frame as quoted.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b19coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I sympathize with you for shitty customer service and a long wait. Been there, done that. Just curious why you posted now, after you finally got the coil overs? Are they jacked up or something?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Coilovers seem fine. I only looked at one, because I plan on returning them.

I'm posting now just to get a response to my email. They were replying to me before, but now that I'm asking for a refund I can't get a response. I sent my first email requesting a refund before I received the coilovers.

 

Ahh... Good luck. Situations like this blow.

 

I can't comment on them but good luck getting it resolved

 

This sucks, I'm in the same situation as you, well almost as I have not received my coilovers yet, which i ordered from R&D on January 28. I expected some delays as they had to be ordered from Japan but nearly 10 months is just rediculous, as they have been told by email too. Granted the first shipment was supposedly lost, but about 3 months have gone since the second set was sent out, I have asked for a copy of the shipping receipt but no such luck.

I have been offered a refund while i wait for the second shipment of coilovers to arrive, which i gladly accepted a week ago so time will tell what happens. What i do know is they will not get any business from me again.

 

IPS and R&D

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Uchiha Itachi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IPS and R&D </TD></TR></TABLE>

no dood....you can't just go callling people out like this! Both companies have been very very reputable to many users on this board. Yes, the couply instances that are being discussed in here are unfortunate but mistakes do happen and often times as much as the companies would love to have control of your order they surely dont. I understand why you are all upset, but please dont hate on two very reputable companies that many have dealt with....thats how not to make friends in here! Besides, in the long run it will get you no where.

&lt;---Who has not dealt with either company personally but have ties with members who definitely have time and time again, because of their loyal and great service

 

I have dealt with RandD, and they went out of their way to get me CTR pistons when I was building my motor, by having them drop shipped. Your situation does seem unfortunate however. It seems that despite having numerous opportunities to set things straight, you were just given the brush off by telling you a rescheduled date that your parts were due to arrive on. To compound a bad situation, you are having difficulty obtaining a refund.

Maybe the pressure of posting in a public forum will force Mike to deal with the situation promptly

 

You waited almost an entire year to get these coilovers and now you're going to return them because of bad communicaiton?! IMO, you need to let it go and enjoy your coilovers.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ActiveAero &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Now since I have request a refund they have no responded to any of my emails. </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ebelp &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You waited almost an entire year to get these coilovers and now you're going to return them because of bad communicaiton?!</TD></TR></TABLE>

It sounds like he has shown a great deal of patience. I would never wait that long for parts, especially if I paid in advance.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The situation. Approx 7-8 months ago I ordered a set of coilover from them. They would have to be shipped from Japan and I knew it would take several months, no big deal.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't really understand why it would take "MONTHS" to get the stuff shipped over from Japan. You're looking at roughly 14-18 days transit time via ocean freight to the US west coast, maybe 10 days to clear customs and get the container devanned. If the stuff is coming to the US east coast to clear customs, it either has to be transferred via rail (intermodal) or the ship has to sail thru the Panama Canal - another 20 days tops

To be fair, maybe R&D is ordering the BC stuff thru a third party and is at their mercy. Or maybe BC is having a problem getting the stuff from Japan.

Anyways, if it were my business (which it's not), I would have at least offered the customer the OPTION of a refund a long time ago...

 

To be fair, in this aspect of dealing with companies, if they don't have it at their shop currently and can't ship right away, don't even bother to order.
It's bullshit to take the bs, and wait
It's like lending money out to the company and getting nothing except stupid phone calls

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kengs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It sounds like he has shown a great deal of patience. I would never wait that long for parts, especially if I paid in advance.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Exactly, he obviously showed a great deal of understanding towards RandD for all those months, and now that he's gotten the parts his patience ran out? Doesn't make sense to me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kengs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

It sounds like he has shown a great deal of patience. I would never wait that long for parts, especially if I paid in advance.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Half the amount was to be payed in advance, the remainder when they shipped out the coilovers, June 12 in my case.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kengs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I don't really understand why it would take "MONTHS" to get the stuff shipped over from Japan. You're looking at roughly 14-18 days transit time via ocean freight to the US west coast, maybe 10 days to clear customs and get the container devanned. If the stuff is coming to the US east coast to clear customs, it either has to be transferred via rail (intermodal) or the ship has to sail thru the Panama Canal - another 20 days tops

To be fair, maybe R&D is ordering the BC stuff thru a third party and is at their mercy. Or maybe BC is having a problem getting the stuff from Japan.

Anyways, if it were my business (which it's not), I would have at least offered the customer the OPTION of a refund a long time ago...</TD></TR></TABLE>

As David himself told me most of the delays had to do with the opening of Buddy Club USA, as they (R&D) up until then had dealt directly with Japan but now had to go through the USA office. So i fully understand the reasons for why it took so long to ship out from them, my problem is the 6 months that have passed since without anything showing up, never recieved any tracking # or shipping receipt to confirm it was actually sent. I have been offered a refund though, so hopefully we can get this issue resolved.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Uchiha Itachi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IPS and R&D </TD></TR></TABLE>

huh? i'd rather give these guys 2 grand for car parts and wait 7 months than to get scammed by some other company

r&d, yeah you'll wait long, but its better than not getting the stuff u paid for.

i bought my work emotions from them and waited a little longer than i thought. nevertheless i still got what i paid for.

you got it in 7 months right? thats the timeframe you were expecting anyways so why are you crying about it?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kengs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
It sounds like he has shown a great deal of patience. I would never wait that long for parts, especially if I paid in advance.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Maybe, but it seems like he's trying to return them now out of spite.

I'd be pissed too if it took that long for something to come in (also why I don't order JDM parts) but refusing them when they do show up seems wrong.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">huh? i'd rather give these guys 2 grand for car parts and wait 7 months than to get scammed by some other company</TD></TR></TABLE>

That may be YOUR preference, but I still don't see how he is out of line asking for a refund now.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you got it in 7 months right? thats the timeframe you were expecting anyways so why are you crying about it?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you read his post, it doesn't sound like that was the timeframe he was promised...sounds like they missed the promised delivery time 2 times.


As I said, the situation may have been out of R&D's control; the blame may lay entirely with BC-USA. However, the fact remains that <U>the customer</U> should not be penalized for whatever mistake(s) occured on the vendor side. This is not a custom-made/bespoke set of coilovers that cannot be used by someone else - why not just give him the refund he requested (made PRIOR to the coilovers shipping) and sell them to somebody else?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kengs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To be fair, maybe R&D is ordering the BC stuff thru a third party and is at their mercy. Or maybe BC is having a problem getting the stuff from Japan.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'd like to thank Dave and Chad of R&D for following up on my new set of Buddy Club Racing Spec dampers.

The problem indeed seems to have been that dampers for an EK



... were sent to R & D a couple months back, and at least they noticed the problem and set about trying as best they could to solve or remedy the situation before sending the assemblies out to their customers.

Yes, its unfortunate that it's taken several months to fill these orders.
I hope both R&D and IPS give "Buddy Club USA" an earfull over all this.

 

im still waiting (since june) for parts from both compies myself. but is nothing new. ive waited as long or longer with jdmspecperf (password now).

in the end you get your parts.

or you order it from japan yourself and pay the few hundred in shipping.

 

When i ordered my BC's from R&D they didnt come for about a month. This was told to me in advance though.. They did however, because they said i would have them for my last event at summit for the year, and even with the set already shipped to my door bring another set up to summit for me. Here Chad even helped to throw them on and get them set up. My only problem is I am still waiting on my 12k springs. Other then that everything is fine. Zig, does the ship address come from Maryland, that looks like the extra set i shiped out.

 

Mike M and Dave are 2 of the of nicest and most professional guys I've ever hung out with

 

definitely, other then the delays they get a from me