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3K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  NotUrAvg4G 
#1 ·
I'm a litte frustrated with ACI right now. In late december i got in a minor fender bender, rear-ended somebody, but it damaged my hood, front bumper and front body kit. The insurance adjuster couldn't find just the front part of the kit, so i got a bit more money then i should have, and i tried to order the CF OEM hood, IT fenders and IT V-speed kit with poly front bumper in mid january. I was informed that the polyueretane front bumper wasn't released yet and wouldn't be for two weeks. A month later i inquired about the kit again, and was told that it was going in for approval and would be released in about a month. I waited until the beginning of march when i heard (didn't ask, just heard) that it probably wouldn't be released, and on March 15 was informed that......

"Import Trenz scratched the design b/c they could not get it approved. We do have a Poly lip in stock from Import Trenz.
Thank You

_________________
Joseph J. Tiano "

so i ordered the CF front bumper. My bodyshop put the order in on March 26 and by April 6, after not recieving the parts, i had the bodyshop call to find out where the parts were. They were sitting at ACI. So hopefully this past weekend, the carbon fiber was applied to my bumper and the parts were shipped today.

Now i'm sure, and am fairly certain, that most people have had excellent experiences with Auto City Imports, and i know that most of this was dependant on a manufacturer, but i just feel like i was dragged along for a bit too long, even after they were informed that i wasn't just replacing the front, i was repairing it. I'm sure the fact that i've been driving a banged up eclipse around for 3 months doesn't help my disposition in regards to how frustrated i am, and i don't want to deter anyone from buying from these guys really, because i may again, i just wanted to vent really.
 
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#4 ·
Yeah, he is a really nice guy, i did have a good experience everytime i talked to him. Which is why i'm just frustrated instead of mad. I'll buy from them again i know, because from other people, i know ACI to be a generally great vendor. And like i say, part of it is having to deal with a beat up car too, which i haven't washed in two months:mecry:because i'm afraid parts of the front will fall off.
 
#6 ·
Well I am sure they are great guys and all, I found their customer service to be shitty, and really their shipping outrageous($70 to ship a cai to canada when I paid $20 somewhere else) My point is while I am sure they do a good sercive, I would never shop from there as every item I have bought for my car has been more expensive at aci then most other places, and thats pretty pathetic considering their a sponser of the other site. So I guess I am sayin their customer service sucked, and reall there prices too.

I hope everything works out for you and you become totally happy :)


peace
 
#7 ·
PART II

So my front bumper was supposed to have the carbon fiber applied over last weekend, and the parts were supposed to ship on monday April 9 or tuesday April 10. My bodyshop recieved a call today, April 12, and was told that they had a crease in the carbon fiber on my front bumper and would have to have a new bumper shipped to them from Import Trenz to get the carbon fiber applied and it would ship on monday April 16.

Facts above, Rant below.

Why in the hell is a parts retailer applying anything to a bumper? Doesn't IT do that themselves? I see the part on the IT website. If the bumper gets here and it looks anything unlike the picture on the IT website i'm going to ask for my money back. Plus, if i have my way. And why if they were supposed to ship on Monday, do we get a call today, THURSDAY, letting us know they fucked it up. Don't you think they'd offer some sort of a discount or free shipping or something? No. They just ask my bodyshop guy if hes getting any heat from me. Good stuff huh? I haven't put all this up on the other site yet, but i think i will now. I think of myself as an extremely patient person, but it has been tested and i think i've reached my limit of understanding as far as the complications of their business goes.
 
#8 ·
Again I know what u mean man, I ran into a few issues with them also, but I was able to win the battle. Let me C if I remember what they did. Oh Yeah!

I called to ask about the lambo door kit, they only had the GT Factory, he told me it was completly bolt on, I specified to him I dont want welding or cutting. He said dont need it, is bolt on. When I got the kit and saw the insutrctions and CD video, everything was welded and cut a huge whole inside the fender chassis. Anyway I paid I think 3 or 2 day shipping, a week passed and I called them, they didnt have the part in store is Back order, 2nd week I called, "let me check" yeah we got it we will ship it tomorrow, after that almost 2 weeks and 1/2. Got the part like I said wrong thing, I called him back told him thats not what I ordered, fight with him and I wanted to return the item. He got the balls to tell me he has to charge me restocking fee because since I placed the order was more than 10 days.

I was like what? :eek3: MOFO :bat: I placed the order 15 days ago, but I just got the part yesterday because u didnt had it in stock. Anyway it was something like this :bash: :wallbash: :chair: :rant: over the phone but when I mentioned the word Better Business Bureau and Bank Charge cancellation I won :hump: :fever: Got my credit, and a discount for my wing and springs.
 
#9 ·
A little word on manufacturers and resellers:

A lot of manufacturers out there really don't give a flying F about what you feel as a consumer. Not to sound overly cynical, but the auto aftermarket is very much a niche market, with the players having very little comparable alternatives that it's pretty much a monopoly.

All the more so with Eclipses and, say, high ends. Eclipses are for the most part a US market product, with very little visibility to foreign markets. 4-cyl engine parts are at least better in that the 4g6x engine has been in existence for almost two decades. The 6G7x, however, is at a loss - and beginning with the 3G, it was tough getting people to work on aftermarket solutions.

The same can be said of auto body parts. Companies like VIS, Razzi, Buddy Club tried making parts for the car. Shine Street, IMHO, did the best job of all. However, all these shops are small companies who really don't care much about what you want because it's pretty much a monopoly out there. As opposed to, say, cars like the 350Z where you have both JDM and US manufacturers jumping in left and right to make parts for a very popular car, good luck with an Eclipse.

On the flipside, the 4G is getting better attention than the 3G did.

Vendors are really no different - drones to two things: selling and catalogs. A lot of vendors out there don't even carry product, so they really can't be expected to provide support for you. So if you happen to have a question about "specs" or "color" or "fitment" you'd do better asking Doug-Doug for an answer.

Often, you'd receive a product that was drop shipped from the manufacturer and not the vendor. All the latter does is act as a true reseller for the manufacturers - they don't see the product at all. This way, you get the product "cheaper". But then again, this "cheaper" method also translates to lack of in-depth knowledge of the products. There are exceptions of course.

But in general, as a friendly word of advice from someone who's been around the block and some... really and truly, caveat emptor.
 
#10 ·
Well then it seems i'm exercising the only recourse i have available by bashing them whenever possible. I'm already overly cynical so no worries on pushing me over the line or anything. I try to be an educated shopper, even with things i know very little about, which is one of the main reasons why i'm even on these forums. My first experience with auto aftermarket was a 2000 civic EX, so i really know very little. I just think somebody needs to be accountable for the $1000 + I've given them and not leave my parts hanging out in their office. I'm not too concerned about quality or anything yet, i'm just really curious why one of ACI's excuses to my autoshop guy was that they had to get carbon fiber applied to my front bumper. Someone here might know why they would need to do that as IT sells a CF V-speed front bumper.

http://www.importtrenz.com/v3/catalog/product.php?productid=18272&cat=1626&page=1

http://autocityimports.com/2006-mit...ions-classretailretail-s75000sdiv-p-7865.html

Thats why i'm a little concerned about what it may look like when it gets here. It may be sitting at the auto shop right now, i think it was supposed to arrive on friday, so I'll try to go get some pics on monday if possible. Thanks for all your input everybody, I hope it all looks good when i get it put on finally.
 
#11 ·
Our business hours, contact email addresses, and a phone number are very clearly posted on our website at www.autocityimports.com. If you have a problem then I suggest choosing one of these ways to contact us so we are aware you have an issue.

Now…I would normally never choose to make all this information public but it seems you made this everyone’s business so I guess I’ll use the message board to make you and everyone else very aware of what this issue really involves. For starters you did not purchase these items from us, you purchased them from your body shop at Lafayette Auto Body. We are supplying them with the products that you are telling them you wish to purchase. Even though your shop is ordering form us and not you I was still always willing to answer your questions you sent via PM on www.club4geclipse.com in regards to the Poly Bumper you were awaiting the release of. Here is a couple PM’s you sent me with my responses.

Your Question (FEB 16th 2007) I was wondering if you had any updates on ETA on the v-speed poly front bumpers? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Our Response In stock but Import Trenz can't release them untill it is approved. Still looking at about a month or so away.
Sorry buddy


Your Question (FEB 17th 2007) And there aren't really any other poly kits are there? Oh well, i've waited this long i guess. No biggie, thanks for the update, any other updates would be appreciated. You probably talked to my bodyshop guy at Lafayette Autobody (not sure if that sounds familiar, you probably talk to a lot of people everyday) cuz he called me today to tell me the same thing, that it'd be about a month. I see that some people in SD are test fitting the front bumper though, so i guess thats a good sign. Anyways, not sure if theres some way to teleport one to me in oregon when its done, but I think i'll probably wait. My car is painful looking, but very driveable, so thanks again.

Our Response Yes, i have been talking to steve over at Lafayette Auto Body. Sorry we can not have the Poly V-speed released yet but Import Trenz needs to have it approved before they release it. Should be about a month or so, i'll keep you informed.
Thank You


The answers I gave you in response to your PM questions were the exact responses that Import Trenz was giving us. We didn’t advertise for the Poly bumper because it wasn’t available yet. When you and your shop came to us I talked to our rep at Import Trenz and asked if they were released…the answers they gave me I conveyed right to you. No BS or beating around the bush. The bumper needed to be approved and they were set up to get it all checked out in about 4 weeks. Assuming everything was going to go as planned Import Trenz would have starting sending out the bumpers at that time. Obviously things didn’t go as planned and your shop was notified immediately.

Here is All the info on your order since the day Lafayette Called us up.
A pending order from Steve at Lafayette Auto Body was placed with us on 2/12/07 for a V-Speed Body Kit w/ Poly Front Bumper, R-Spec Fenders, and our (No Name Brand) OEM Carbon Hood. The reason it is a pending order is because the Poly front bumper had not been released at this time. They requested everything ship together once the Front Bumper got approved and released. I let the shop know at this time that the Estimated Time of Release for the Poly bumper was about 4 weeks. About 4 weeks after the Pending Order was placed I contacted Lafayette Auto Body to make them aware that the Poly Bumper was not approved and that the project was put on hold and possibly won’t be released at all. At this time I told him to talk to his customer to see if they wanted to go with the fiberglass front instead b/c the rest of the kit, fenders, and hood was ready to ship. About 2 more weeks went by (right around the 26th) until Lafayette Auto Body called us up and placed a new order for a V-Speed Body Kit w/ add carbon lower section, and a ViS Carbon Fiber Hood. The Hood, Sides, and Rear were in stock and I informed him it usually takes about 2 weeks for the carbon front to come in because it is a special made per order item only. The new order was overlooked by us for about a week and a half (OOPS…OUR MISTAKE) until the 6th when we called up Lafayette to see if the customer had made up his mind on what he wanted to do about the front bumper. Steve at Lafayette mentioned he had already re-placed the order with us on the 26th and that we had already informed him that we would be shipping on April 10th. We realized we made a mistake and accidentally overlooked the new order from March 26th. We tried to put a rush on the bumper to see if we could still get it out on the 10th as we promised. (Giving Import Trenz only a couple days to work on getting the bumper completed and shipped) Import Trenz finished it by the 10th but there ended up being a quality issue with the bumpers carbon and they decided they wanted to make another one b/c it wasn’t up to there standards of quality. A brand new bumper was made up with the carbon section and was shipped out only 6 days later on the 16th of April along with the ViS Hood.

Summing Up Our Mistake: We made a mistake by accidentally overlooking your order between March 26th and April 6th but still tried to get the bumper ready for shipment on the 10th as we had promised your body shop. Import Trenz did finish the bumper although rushing the front bumper to be completed in those 2 days caused a quality issue and we couldn’t ship it out. We called your body shop to apologize and told them we need a week to finish up a bumper the right way and it would ship on the following Monday…the 16th of April (This is 6 days after the original promised ship date of the 10th) Import Trenz manufactured the bumper correctly and the quality was top notch. It was finished and shipped on the Monday the 16th as promised and received to your shop on that Friday. Our mistake to you ended up causing a 6 day delay in your order.

So other then our mistake that cost you 6 days extra to wait for your parts I believe we were very upfront with you and your shop about the bumpers release. I am sorry we overlooked your shops order update on the 26th but I believe every other aspect of your order was handled the way any other honest business would have handled it. Coming on forums and bashing us without ever attempting to contact us was really weak. Someone is there to answer the phones Mon-Fri 10am-5pm EST and no problems are ever ignored. We ALWAYS do our best at making sure the customer is happy, and if there is an issue we always address it immediately and come up with a solution to remedy the problem. It sounds like some of the information you were getting from Lafayette Auto Body was a bit misconstrued and I really wish you would have contact us direct so we could have cleared everything up for you.

Thank You

P.S. As for the guy in Canada we have never nor would we ever charge $70 shipping on a CAI into Canada. Our shipping on a CAI to the lower 48 states is $16.50 and anywhere to Canada it ranges from $22.50 to $26.50 at tops.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
P.S. As for the guy in Canada we have never nor would we ever charge $70 shipping on a CAI into Canada. Our shipping on a CAI to the lower 48 states is $16.50 and anywhere to Canada it ranges from $22.50 to $26.50 at tops.
Well I dont really have to like you as I will never ever buy anything from your business, based on your customer service, or the types of s*** quality products you are a reseller for. I will say this though:

If you dont charge(or didnt charge at one time) $70 for shipping here, then get your customer service reps or you own head out of your a** and come up with the real price.

DOnt give me some bulls*** either tryin to make yourself sound good on this board, that I am lying or not telling the truth because I talked directly on the phone when I was going to order, and laughed and told you guys to **** off and youd never hear from me again. And you didnt nor will you.

As I said if those arent your shipping charges thats fine, your staff or yourself arent smart enough to deal in sales though for my liking anyway.


peace
 
#15 ·
Wow... this is so deja vu for me. :lol:
 
#16 ·
What I really got no beef with him, at the same time I meerly stated my experience with the place and thats that.

I wont buy from there, but by all means you want to go ahead. I just hear more and more stories the more places I go where they are not sponsers is all I am saying.


peace
 
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