OCarbon - FAILURE to deliver

[N_Stamp]

Happy things finally came in!

[Other_Erik]

Last two pieces will be delivered Monday according to FedEx, any pointers on getting the shifter surround out? Have had enough frustration just getting these trims, would like to avoid more irritation...

O_E

[Other_Erik]

So, all in all, here's the breakdown of how this all went down. The long gaps in dates, there was at least one email from me every 2 weeks requesting status, and usually a reply back within 24 hours...

June 11th, 2013: Ordered full interior set, paid in full including core deposit $925
July 1st, 2013: oCarbon runs a special 15% off all interior sets
July 5th 2013: I email oCarbon asking if the 15% off applies to my order from 3 weeks earlier. Never got a response on this (surprise)
July 30th 2013: I ask again on email whether the 15% off applied to my order, lo and behold, I get an email back (teasing me!) that there were 3 sets of C5 carbon interiors finished and ready to ship - no mention that they were for other customers.
October 5th 2013: After multiple emails requesting status, parts start coming in. Everything looks great, but I'm perturbed how long it took to get them
December 2nd 2013: Final parts come in
December 15th 2013: All parts installed, old interior parts packed up
December 20th 2013: Box sent to oCarbon, old interior set gone
December 30th 2013: UPS delivers old interior set
January 24th 2014: I get back from a couple weeks overseas, still no core deposit refund. After multiple calls (oCarbon has never once answered the phone when I called, why bother having a number?), and an email, I check with my credit card company - no guarantees a chargeback will work this late in the game
February 15th 2014:, I get the response "We didn't receive anything". F*$&, time to call UPS. UPS verifies receipt, package was signed for on delivery (with name)
February 24th 2014: After prodding a couple times, I finally get the response "We'll look for it and check with our driver" from oCarbon
March 18th 2014: Final day to open a claim with UPS - claim opened.
March 19th 2014: oCarbon decides to eat the loss of the box and refunds my core deposit (I assume they just wanted to stop hearing from me) Excuse - Probably got lost when they moved shop

So yes, I have been made whole on this transaction. And yes, I love the way the CF looks in the beast. But this shouldn't have taken 6 months to get all the parts, and getting the core deposit back took another almost 3 months. I can't recommend this shop unless you don't mind getting jerked around and waiting half a year for your refreshed interior, and even then only because they're the only shop I could find offering the parts for sale.

TL;DR: This was almost as bad as going to the DMV after having a no-painkiller root canal on the day you get a letter from the IRS saying "You're being audited!"

[MaxRS6]

Wowza- It is amazing they r still in business with practices like the above. Good of you to post the warning for those in the market.

[Other_Erik]

Wowza- It is amazing they r still in business with practices like the above. Good of you to post the warning for those in the market.

I'm sure I'll hear back about it, and am probably burning a bridge with the vendor, but I feel like the community deserves the warning before they go and do something crazy like expecting a top-tier vendor (the only one with an offering, anyway) to offer top-tier support.

I'll reiterate - they did make it right. It just took longer than I think is warranted. I would've just sourced used CF from eBay if I'd known this all would've taken this long, but I wanted everything to look perfect.

[bmlee007]

Bummer that you had such a bad experience, as mine was the complete opposite. I shipped my core out in mid-January, then went out of the country for 5 weeks. I got a progress report every week. He even started over once with new material because he didn't like the outcome on the first pass. I told him to take time, there was no rush. Two weeks after I got back, the delivery came and I installed them that weekend. To rub the salt in a little further, I waited until the Holiday Sale to order, so I even got a 15% discount! Now I'm working up a set of shift paddles to get sent out to match.

[Other_Erik]

Bummer that you had such a bad experience, as mine was the complete opposite. I shipped my core out in mid-January, then went out of the country for 5 weeks. I got a progress report every week. He even started over once with new material because he didn't like the outcome on the first pass. I told him to take time, there was no rush. Two weeks after I got back, the delivery came and I installed them that weekend. To rub the salt in a little further, I waited until the Holiday Sale to order, so I even got a 15% discount! Now I'm working up a set of shift paddles to get sent out to match.

Believe it or not, I am glad to hear that they've done process improvement to get stuff out the door in a more timely manner. Small business on the rise is the american dream, and not enough people are living that dream...

I crossposted this thread to audizine, and I bet now I come off looking like a chump because I turned it into a bitchfest/pity-party. Whatever, my conscience is clear.

O_E