Hello all,
I live in Finland, and I do some tuning up for my Merc.
Finland has extremely stupid taxation, which makes cars and gasoline ridiculously high priced. I think 1 liter (1/4 gallon) gasoline costs around 1.3 €, which is 1.64 $, nice isn't it?
Cars also cost alot, for excample new E 320 CDi costs 92 100 $
Well, because of this, you cannot really find used parts for big mercedes in here. And as I need to update my brakes, I decide to go for 500 E / 500 SL brakes.
I search for them in interned, and decide to order from Silver Star Recycling, I send them mail, and they assure me thay have the needed parts.
I tell them that I specifically need 5 sets of rear - and front calipers, front calipers for disks 300x28 mm, and rear for 278x24 mm, both VENTED. They say OK.
I send the money in advance and wait for 2 months ! I get no tracking number or anything, and they don't tell me how long the shipping will take (I ordered rear carrier from Potomac German Cars, arrived in 2 weeks with LOTS of cheaper). After 2 months the packages arrive.
Front calipers are quite ok, at least they are right ones, but rear calipers are for nonvented disks, 278x9 mm. This is really bad thing, because we already have ordered right rear disks and pads from Germany, they were quite expensive, 216 $ for 2 disks and pads.
Well, I'm very dissapponted, I have paid enormous postage fee, big customs duty and real big sales tax for the rear calipers that I have no use for. And we have those disks too without proper calipers.
I contacted Silver Star Recycling, takes really long before they answer, and all they say is that they don't have rear calipers for vented disks, why the H*LL didn't he tell me that before he shipped the goods for me? He also says that he cannot get those, so I suggest that I send the calipers back, and he sends me some front calipers instead. He says OK if I pay for shipping. This is outrageous, in the first place I payed already 120 $ too much for shipping (yes, I counted the prices from stickers in the boxes, who took this money, this JED I was dealing with?), HE made the mistake, and I shoud pay for it. BULL****!
Perhaps Silver Star Recycling thinks that it is easy to f*ck with guy from Finland, but it is not so.
To declare you how expencive it is to order stuff from US:
If I order stuff from US, I have to pay 4.5 % customs duty from purchase price, then they will be summarized, transport costs will be added, and from all that I have to pay 22 % sales tax. Not very cheap.
Now I have received no answer, looks like Silver Star Recycling doesn't want to correct their mistake, but they hope I will forget everyhting.
What do you suggest me to do? I really don't want to pay nearly 800 $ for rear calipers that I have no use for and I have NOT ordered. Yes, 800 $ is the price for rear calipers with taxes.
Sorry for this long post, and thanks, if you read it.
Mauri