Performance Products Complaint - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Peyton300TD · #1 10-23-2003, 01:48 PM

I've ordered $782.49 worth of parts from them in the past two months for just one of our cars. I deal mainly with James and Daniel, both very nice, reasonable guys. Here's what happened.

I ordered a molding for my wagon - the kind that protects the car from evil doors banging into it. the rear quarter panel molding is long and L shaped. very fragile in terms of being bent. The part came, i took the box to the bodyshop, they put it on and said it was bent from shipping. Apparently with the molding you are supposed to harness it to the box so it won't move around and get bent within the box. Mercedes packages the molding by strapping it to the box with a metal ring. The molding I recieved was clonking around.

So I called perf prod and they said that's UPS fault, call them and deal with it. I told them no it's your fault for not packaging it properly. They didn't care. So i talked to UPS and UPS will pay for anything under $100 no questions asked. Ignore performance products request for YOU the customer to deal with UPS, because that's incorrect. UPS deals with the shipper, not the reciever in this case.

Daniel is shipping a new one which I purchased and won't reimburse ME until UPS reimburses Perf Prod. Isn't that absurd?

Also, why should I have to go through the hassle to make the claim. UPS says only the 'shipper' can make the claim.

One more thing. My spring set for my seat that I ordered leans and it is brand new! They say, oh don't worry about it, it will be straight when you sit in it. But the only reason I ordered it in the first place is because my driver's seat leans towards the door!

thanks for letting me get that off my shoulders. what do you think?

#2 10-23-2003, 02:11 PM

I am sorry man. PP should be taking better care of you.

But I must ask, is Daniel the accented guy?

I was huslled really hard on a pair of 2.3 8V springs for my 2.6 12V 190E. He told me, "Nah, man, dont worry, they work fine on your car! No difference really!".

Sure enough, I bought the set, and they didnt work at all. I forced them to take it back. Daniel is a worse than a used car salesmen.

Bekkers and Performance Products are both componies I do not like to do business with.

Cap'n Carageous · #3 10-23-2003, 02:17 PM

When a shipping company agrees to haul your freight, they sign off that they 'own' it until they deliver it. Think of it this way. You give me a crystal vase to take to your customer. I drop it. Is that your fault? Yes and no. You should have taken resonable care to package it so that if I DID drop it then it would'nt break. Fair enough.
Let's say I LOSE the vase. All the packaging in the world won't prevent that. You're only fault here was choosing me to carry it for you. Who's responsible?? Me of course, but, the whole purpose is to provide customer service . And your customer just wants his vase. Shipper's and carriers must work together, yet the poor customer is usually the one that gets screwed.

drbrandini · #4 10-23-2003, 02:21 PM

I've bought a few things from PP. And with everything there was some sort of issue. I will not buy from them again. This is beside the fact that they're highly over priced.

savas · #5 10-23-2003, 02:53 PM

I read on another mercedes forum that PP was recently sold and became part of a bigger company. That may have something to do with their declining customer service.

GermanStar · #6 10-23-2003, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peyton300TD
I've ordered so much stuff from them recently it is insane. I deal mainly with James and Daniel, both very nice guys. Here's what happened.

I ordered a molding for my wagon - the kind that protects the car from evil doors banging into it. the rear quarter panel molding is long and L shaped. very fragile in terms of being bent. The part came, i took the box to the bodyshop, they put it on and said it was bent from shipping. Apparently with the molding you are supposed to harness it to the box so it won't move around and get bent within the box.

So I called perf prod and they said "that's UPS fault, call them and deal with it" I told them no it's your fault for not packaging it properly. They didn't care. So i talked to UPS and UPS will pay for anything under $100 no questions asked.

Daniel is shipping a new one and won't reimburse ME until UPS reimburses Perf Prod. Isn't that absurd?

Also, why should I have to go through the hassle to make the claim. UPS says only the 'shipper' can make the claim.

One more thing. My spring set for my set that I ordered leans and it is brand new! They say, oh don't worry about it, it will be straight when you sit in it. But the only reason I ordered it in the first place is because my driver's seat leans towards the door!

thanks for letting me get that off my shoulders. what do you think?

IMHO, you made a mistake in maintaining a dialog with "Daniel". The moment you felt you were being taken advantage of or treated unfairly, you should have asked to speak to the manager, and you probably still should. Your final recourse is to simply dispute the charge on your card.

Ron
http://germanstar.net

DuckMuck · #7 10-23-2003, 03:14 PM

Personally, I feel that anything being sold that requires shipping, if the shipping goes wrong, it should be the responsibility of the seller/shipper to deal with it...unless the buyer made their own arrangements for the shipping...I feel this applies to both commercial retailers, as well as the small owner to owner transactions in the buy/sell section of this forum...what Performance Products did to you is quite unprofessional...

suginami · #8 10-23-2003, 04:53 PM

I would dispute the charges on your credit card.

You are probably unaware of it, but your credit card likely offers you a guarantee for exactly this kind of event.

Peyton300TD · #9 10-23-2003, 07:50 PM

ill call perf prod, give them a chance to act on good faith and give me a refund. if they don't give it i will call my CC comp for sure.

GermanStar · #10 10-23-2003, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peyton300TD
ill call perf prod and demand a refund. if they don't give it i will call my CC comp for sure.

Yes I agree -- talk to the manager there first. Calling your credit card merchant without providing the vendor a chance to resolve this is as inappropriate as what the salesman did to you.

Ron
http://germanstar.net

Ken300D · #11 10-24-2003, 06:49 AM

I generally stopped dealing with PP because they always seem to fill the order wrong - for example they substituted windshield washer tubing for injector return hose!

Later they accepted an order for Winter Flow fuel additive and then backordered the product until May - when you don't need the additive any more.

Much better prices available - so I don't deal with them unless they have something that can't easily be gotten somewhere else. Been at least a year since that's happened.

The catalogs are good parts references though.

Ken300D

Peyton300TD · #12 10-30-2003, 01:36 PM

So I gave Performance Products plenty of time to reimburse my Credit Card for the damaged molding they sent. The new molding arrived today (which i paid for as well) so I checked my account status, no reimbursement.

So I call talk to Aaron, a customer svc rep. He says that they won't reimburse me because the BAD molding had been installed on the car and there is no way to know if I did the damage or if it was the packaging and shipping.

First of all, how am I supposed to know if it fits unless I install it? It just doesn't sit flush with the sheet metal. It is a matter of centimeteres but there is still a decent sized gap in several places.

I asked to speak to a manager. He said the manager was busy but he discussed with him breifly and I can send the molding back for exchange. But I already bought the new molding because Daniel said I'd be reimbursed. Well Aaron said too bad. Also I will have to pay for the shipping of both.

So they want me to pay for THEIR mistake and they were RUDE, and they were unreasonable. I am waiting to hear from Larry, the manager. Depending on the outcome of that ill do the following:

I am about to take myself and our four cars OFF of their mailing list and call my Credit Card company to put the charges in dispute. I may also contact the Better Business Bureau. So they lose 4 customers and get a bad rap from me over a $33 door molding.

UNBELIEVABLE

RG5384 · #13 10-30-2003, 01:50 PM

thats strange peyton, when i had my benz i delt with them on several occasions and was more than pleased. I've been just as pleased using fastlane here(use it when you can, afterall it is the sponser of this forum). My favorite aside from fastlane was probably rusty cullins, always courteous and fast.
Ryan

Peyton300TD · #14 10-30-2003, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SP0CK
Hi Eric,

It is a shame what you have had to go through there. I have said this b4 and I will say it again. For any part on any car I ALWAYS order it on fastlane from this site in the above tool bars on the homepage. If I am NOT sure if they have the part, I call Phil. I have bought THOUSANDS of $$ in parts from them and PHIL has NEVER let me down and always been fair. Returning a defective product has never been a problem.

yea ill definitely use fastlane. i like Phil a lot. thanks. it isn't top of mind because perf prod has that catalogue that gets you thinking

84300DT · #15 10-30-2003, 03:28 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tkamiya
[B]Who will hold the responsibility on cases like this is usually spelled out in the fine print. It is usually called FOB (Freight On Board)

FOB
usually in shipping it is referred to ''free on board''. that means
the moment the goods leave the shipper's hands or warehouse etc it becomes the responsibility of the carrier and the buyer who also arranged the transportation. the shippers responsibility ends when the goods are placed at their cost on board the carriers' transport.

however, we usually buy stuff ''delivered'' and the seller charges us the cost of the shipping ie. freight. we are in fact buying C&F (cost and freight).
then you have an option of placing insurance for yourself. if the seller offers you insurance then you are buying CIF (cost, insurance, freight). any claim should go through the seller to the insurance cause they placed the cover.
the carrier is also insured so your additional insurance that you bought will be making a claim directly against the carrier.

have a nice day