Joined
·
42 Posts
Firstly, I want to say that this is my personal experience with customcougars.com, and I am trying to be as unbiased as possible. I have never dealt with customcougars before, and probably never will again. I only dealt with customcougars because they offered me what I wanted for reasonable prices, and forums such as these praised James for good service.
Secondly, I want to say that I am not trying to start a flame war. I will not respond to any posts that will lead this discussion in that manner.
My Experience with CustomCougars, DOCUMENTED (note that comments written with a >> indent are original and have not been changed):
My first contact with customcougars was with respect to shipping quotes and the following items:
> >>>I would like the following items:
> >>>OMP Brake Kit (399)
> >>>Extra Pads (~70)
> >>>Sway Bar (105)
> >>>Water Pump (100)
> >>>Dual Exhaust (473).
He replied, saying it was too heavy. Fine! I don't need a break kit... His reply was:
>> You are correct it would make a difference because of the Brake
>> Kit. The Brake Kit weighs about 45-55lbs in shipping (two boxes). The
>> exhaust kit with the water pump and sway bar is 45-50lbs. Shipping cost is
>> $350 by US Postal Service Express Mail with Tracking. Item would take about
>> 7-10 days to arrive.
Cool! I was happy with that. However, I did change my mind and order an ADDITIONAL AEM Intake. I checked the online shipping quotation system and costs in shipping did not change with additional weight of the intake.
So I paid the balance. In fact, I sent James an additional $10 to cover insurance (on top of all other costs and despite the fact that his policy is to include insurance costs in shipping quotes).
The primitive shopping cart at customcougars did not allow for the additional payment to allow for international shipping. So I paid that in another transaction. I asked CustomCougars to confirm that full payment had been made. They never did so.
Complete payment was made on 20th August 2003.
THEN, I received another email 6 days later:
> >
> >
> > As mentioned, the total due on Shipping to Australia was $350
>in
> > an e-mail
> > dated June 30th 2003. We took into account the US Shipping. If you
> > can pay the additional $70 shipping, I can get the order processed
> > for you. At this
> > time the items should be ready to ship by Friday except the AEM
> > Intake.
> > Thanks
> > James
WHAT?!?!? You mean, after you quoted me $350 for shipping you want MORE!? I always thought that if a huge mistake like that was made, the company involved should cover the cost. At least, if it was an ethical company.
That was ludicrous. I demanded an explanation. The stance of customcougars was (dated 27 August 2003):
>> When our company calculates International Shipping, we calculate it with US
>> Shipping as the base line then the rest is Overseas shipping. The total by
>> UPS To ship the package you are requesting in a dimensional box is costing
>> is $420.00. If you wish for us to refund your order, we can. At this time
>> your order will be ready to ship early next week via UPS
What?! Did that make sense to ANYBODY? HIS original quote was to use USPS, and then he switches to UPS? Not to mention the fact that I orignally asked for shipping to Australia and not anywhere else.
Anyway, I wrote an email to customcougars to explain their situation. They never did. That is the second ignored email. How is that for customer service?
I paid the extra $70 in shipping anyway... since my order was ready to be shipped...
WRONG! On 2 September, 2003 I wrote:
>> The balance was paid last week. Can you tell me when the order will be
>> processed?
CustomCougars reply (3 September 2003):
>> Order will be processed and ready to ship Overseas by Monday. Once
>> shipped, I cannot control the time frame
So I waited till 8 September 2003 for them to ship the items. But they never take the initiative to contact you.
So I replied on the 9th Sep, wanting a transaction number. Their reply:
>> Order was processed last Friday, Sept 6th. Item should be shipping
>> today/tomorrow
That means that my order was shipped, right? Guess it was too much asking for a tracking/consignment number... In fact, the order hadn't been shipped yet.
CustomCougars(9th September):
>> As mentioned in my LAST e-mail, the item is scheduled for
>> shipping. Method of Shipping is going to be United States Postal Service.
>> As soon as it ships, we will forward you a tracking number. International
>> Shipments take a little longer than Domestic Shipments
Several things of note:
1) the item should have ALREADY been shipped
2) probably should aggravate your customers by using caps when they've already been waiting weeks and the original quote was for arrival in 10 days at most.
3) wasn't it UPS that you were gonna use? or is it USPS?? I dunno, cos they kept changing their mind.
18th September (CustomCougars):
>> Item was returned due to missing your daytime phone number. Please respond
>> with your daytime phone number
At no time was I EVER asked for a telephone number. I thought these guys had their services down pat - and knew exactly what to do. According to James, he filled stacks of International orders and even knew that his parts would fit my Aussie cougar. So why did they not ask for my telephone number in advance? They were experienced in filling international orders and should have anticipated that - not make me wait anther two weeks.
I responded immediately with a telephone number. No reply from customcougars. You'd expect that they'd send you an email to confirm the package had been shipped or something.
So, FIVE days later, on the 23 September I wrote:
>> It has been 5 weeks (!) since I first placed my order. Can you tell me
>> what the status of it is? Has it been sent? If so, what is the
>> tracking number?
So they responded in two lines (the next day, to their credit). The first line of the email was the carrier (UPS). The second line was the tracking number.
No apologies, no sympathies (not even a "hi"). Just a tracking number. You'd think they could apologize for something. I've just compiled a long list.
I received the items on the 6th October, a full 7 weeks after I placed the original order.
Was it a happy ending?? Not quite. I found that they in fact had only paid $350 for shipping, not the $420 they paid for. Further, was the package insured?? I don't think so!
So where did the extra $70 go? Where did my insurance money ($10) go?
Guess it was pocketed by CustomCougars.
Oh, and my muffler was not included in the package. But hey, thats another story. (You rock, TruBenz).
In summary, my experience with customcougars:
- had extremely bad customer service.
- was late.
- was overpriced.
Anyway, I was thinking about going to certain fair trading sites about this sort of behaviour. However, I decided to come here first, since his site is generally held in high regards. What are people's opinions, comments?
Secondly, I want to say that I am not trying to start a flame war. I will not respond to any posts that will lead this discussion in that manner.
My Experience with CustomCougars, DOCUMENTED (note that comments written with a >> indent are original and have not been changed):
My first contact with customcougars was with respect to shipping quotes and the following items:
> >>>I would like the following items:
> >>>OMP Brake Kit (399)
> >>>Extra Pads (~70)
> >>>Sway Bar (105)
> >>>Water Pump (100)
> >>>Dual Exhaust (473).
He replied, saying it was too heavy. Fine! I don't need a break kit... His reply was:
>> You are correct it would make a difference because of the Brake
>> Kit. The Brake Kit weighs about 45-55lbs in shipping (two boxes). The
>> exhaust kit with the water pump and sway bar is 45-50lbs. Shipping cost is
>> $350 by US Postal Service Express Mail with Tracking. Item would take about
>> 7-10 days to arrive.
Cool! I was happy with that. However, I did change my mind and order an ADDITIONAL AEM Intake. I checked the online shipping quotation system and costs in shipping did not change with additional weight of the intake.
So I paid the balance. In fact, I sent James an additional $10 to cover insurance (on top of all other costs and despite the fact that his policy is to include insurance costs in shipping quotes).
The primitive shopping cart at customcougars did not allow for the additional payment to allow for international shipping. So I paid that in another transaction. I asked CustomCougars to confirm that full payment had been made. They never did so.
Complete payment was made on 20th August 2003.
THEN, I received another email 6 days later:
> >
> >
> > As mentioned, the total due on Shipping to Australia was $350
>in
> > an e-mail
> > dated June 30th 2003. We took into account the US Shipping. If you
> > can pay the additional $70 shipping, I can get the order processed
> > for you. At this
> > time the items should be ready to ship by Friday except the AEM
> > Intake.
> > Thanks
> > James
WHAT?!?!? You mean, after you quoted me $350 for shipping you want MORE!? I always thought that if a huge mistake like that was made, the company involved should cover the cost. At least, if it was an ethical company.
That was ludicrous. I demanded an explanation. The stance of customcougars was (dated 27 August 2003):
>> When our company calculates International Shipping, we calculate it with US
>> Shipping as the base line then the rest is Overseas shipping. The total by
>> UPS To ship the package you are requesting in a dimensional box is costing
>> is $420.00. If you wish for us to refund your order, we can. At this time
>> your order will be ready to ship early next week via UPS
What?! Did that make sense to ANYBODY? HIS original quote was to use USPS, and then he switches to UPS? Not to mention the fact that I orignally asked for shipping to Australia and not anywhere else.
Anyway, I wrote an email to customcougars to explain their situation. They never did. That is the second ignored email. How is that for customer service?
I paid the extra $70 in shipping anyway... since my order was ready to be shipped...
WRONG! On 2 September, 2003 I wrote:
>> The balance was paid last week. Can you tell me when the order will be
>> processed?
CustomCougars reply (3 September 2003):
>> Order will be processed and ready to ship Overseas by Monday. Once
>> shipped, I cannot control the time frame
So I waited till 8 September 2003 for them to ship the items. But they never take the initiative to contact you.
So I replied on the 9th Sep, wanting a transaction number. Their reply:
>> Order was processed last Friday, Sept 6th. Item should be shipping
>> today/tomorrow
That means that my order was shipped, right? Guess it was too much asking for a tracking/consignment number... In fact, the order hadn't been shipped yet.
CustomCougars(9th September):
>> As mentioned in my LAST e-mail, the item is scheduled for
>> shipping. Method of Shipping is going to be United States Postal Service.
>> As soon as it ships, we will forward you a tracking number. International
>> Shipments take a little longer than Domestic Shipments
Several things of note:
1) the item should have ALREADY been shipped
2) probably should aggravate your customers by using caps when they've already been waiting weeks and the original quote was for arrival in 10 days at most.
3) wasn't it UPS that you were gonna use? or is it USPS?? I dunno, cos they kept changing their mind.
18th September (CustomCougars):
>> Item was returned due to missing your daytime phone number. Please respond
>> with your daytime phone number
At no time was I EVER asked for a telephone number. I thought these guys had their services down pat - and knew exactly what to do. According to James, he filled stacks of International orders and even knew that his parts would fit my Aussie cougar. So why did they not ask for my telephone number in advance? They were experienced in filling international orders and should have anticipated that - not make me wait anther two weeks.
I responded immediately with a telephone number. No reply from customcougars. You'd expect that they'd send you an email to confirm the package had been shipped or something.
So, FIVE days later, on the 23 September I wrote:
>> It has been 5 weeks (!) since I first placed my order. Can you tell me
>> what the status of it is? Has it been sent? If so, what is the
>> tracking number?
So they responded in two lines (the next day, to their credit). The first line of the email was the carrier (UPS). The second line was the tracking number.
No apologies, no sympathies (not even a "hi"). Just a tracking number. You'd think they could apologize for something. I've just compiled a long list.
I received the items on the 6th October, a full 7 weeks after I placed the original order.
Was it a happy ending?? Not quite. I found that they in fact had only paid $350 for shipping, not the $420 they paid for. Further, was the package insured?? I don't think so!
So where did the extra $70 go? Where did my insurance money ($10) go?
Guess it was pocketed by CustomCougars.
Oh, and my muffler was not included in the package. But hey, thats another story. (You rock, TruBenz).
In summary, my experience with customcougars:
- had extremely bad customer service.
- was late.
- was overpriced.
Anyway, I was thinking about going to certain fair trading sites about this sort of behaviour. However, I decided to come here first, since his site is generally held in high regards. What are people's opinions, comments?