Beware of gonefishing69, rodpartsdealer, Gearhead Enterprises

On 6/26/08 I purchased 4 each American Racing Torque Thrust "D" 15" diameter x 7" wide wheels from a company on e-bay which does business under names of gonefishing69, rodpartsdealer, Gearhead Enterprises and possibly others I am not aware of. I understand they also have booths at some car shows. When I ordered I specified 5 x 4.75" bolt circle and was later sent an e-mail asking to verify the sizes and also asking what size lug nuts I needed. I responded immediately that I needed 12 mm lug nuts for a Chevy application. After receiving the wheels I opened the boxes and inspected the wheels for any shipping damage and then stored them in the boxes to prevent damage. As car projects sometimes go mine was delayed. After starting back on the project I recently had tires mounted on the wheels and balanced. This story would end here except when I went to mount the wheels on the car they wouldn't fit. After making some cardboard templates for different size bolt circles it was discover I was shipped 5 x 4 1/2" wheels instead of the 5 x 4 3/4" wheels ordered.

When I called gonefishing69 on 8/10/09 a women named Karen said they would have to pull my original order to verify what was actually ordered and she would call me back. After a day and a half with no return phone call I called Karen. She said the order could not be found. She then told me because tires had been mounted on the wheels they considered them used and they could not be returned. I asked her directly if her company took any responsibility for shipping something different then what I ordered. Her Response was "It doesn't make any difference rather we shipped the wrong wheels or not because we do not accept the return of used wheels". "It is your responsibility to determine if the wheels fit properly". I asked to speak to the owner of the company or for her to give me his phone number and she replied "That is not possible". After much persistence on my part she did finally give me a phone number for their Customer Service.

I called Customer Service and spoke with Craig who listened to my story and was very polite. After talking for maybe ten minutes he put me on hold and then came back and said "Our policy is to not accept back wheels that have had tires mounted on them because we consider them used". I reminded him we would not even be having the conversation if his company had shipped the right wheels to begin with. After additional conversation he took the e-bay auction item number and said he would look up my invoice and call me back. To Craig's credit he did call me back several hours later and informed me they could not find my invoice or record of shipment. My personal opinion is that is a lie or at least a convenient excuse for not looking up the paper work because they never had any intention of exchanging the wheels. As a businessman I can tell you a list of past customers for potential new sales is worth its weight in gold. Finally Craig told me that it was "my fault" for mounting the wheels and in addition it had been a year since the purchase. I agreed I shared some responsibility for it being so long and then offered to pay all freight charges for shipping the old wheels back and new wheels to me if they would exchange the wheels for what I ordered to begin with. He then said "Our policy is to not accept back wheels that have had tires mounted on them because we consider them used". I tried to explain the wheels were perfect with absolutely no scratches, dings, etc.but he said it made no difference.

I told him if that was their final answer it was my intention to write letters of complaint to E-bay and PayPay, as well posting my story on the HAMB and Grassroots Motorsports forums as a warning to others. I told him it would be a fair representation of what happened and if he gave me his e-mail address I would copy him on the e-mails and provide links to what I posted. He gave me his e-mail address. It seemed to bother him about my threat of posting to a forum and he then asked me to wait 24 hours and he would get back to me. After waiting 24 hours with no return call I called Craig. The receptionist said that he would call back shortly. He didn't. After another 24 hours I called Craig and his response was "Do what you have to do". I verified his e-mail address and am proceeding as I told him I would.

In my opinion an exchange of the wheels is warranted since they sent the wrong wheels to begin with. I offered to cover all shipping cost assuming some responsibility. I will let all of you come to your own conclusions as to who's right or wrong. I'm sure many of you will have opinions and state them. . As for me I am out $665.00 for the wheels, $67.49 for mounting and balancing plus what it will cost to have the tires removed from the wheels and put on new wheels. I will probably be able to sell the wheels but certainly not for what I have in them.

A Internet Goggle of "Gearhead Enterprises" will reveal I am not the only dissatisfied customer and that Customer Service is probably not their priority. I certainly would like to see these companies lose business as a result of this posting but that is up to you. I personally will never buy another item from gonefishing69, rodpartsdealer, Gearhead Enterprises or any other company associated with them. My advice is if you are going to purchase anything over the Internet you would be wise to do some research into whom that company really is and what kind of track record they actually have if you are not happy with the purchase.

Kudos to you for posting a thoughtful, and respectful complaint and heads-up to other enthusiasts. It's too bad it hasn't been successfully resolved, but it appears to me you've acted in a professional manner.

Good luck!

While I can understand your position, it has in fact been a year, you would most likely have a problem at any big retailer after this time period. Also, you probably should have checked the rims (sans tires) when you originally got them to be sure of the bolt circle at least. Especially after a second email requesting the size again before shipping, couldn't they read the original order? Did you offer to pay a 15% restocking fee? Maybe that would have overcome their no used wheel hurdle.

I am in no way trying to defend this company, just stating a few things that could have avoided the situation.

Agreed. But how hard would it have been for them to just do the exchange and keep a customer happy? Especially if the customer pays shipping.

It's not that hard to do the right thing in a case like this, but it does take a little extra effort and dedication to customer service.

This is one of those situations that separates good shops from bad. Unfortunately, it looks like this one falls into the latter category.

Have you considered small claims and a BBB report

They are used now though. I would be pissed if someone sold me a set of wheels that were supposed to be new and they turned out to have already had tires mounted on them.

Joey

joey48442 wrote: They are used now though. I would be pissed if someone sold me a set of wheels that were supposed to be new and they turned out to have already had tires mounted on them. Joey

Why? If they were installed and removed by a competent tire changer with a competent machine, you'd never be able to tell. If I bought new wheels, then someone told me that they once had a tire put on and taken back off, I'd be more confused as to why they were telling me that than anything else.

Unfortunatly this is not uncommon. At the garage i worked at we checked every wheel before mounting tires on them becasue if they did not fit but had already been mounted they could not be returned. If the supplier would agree to take back wheels inevitably someone somewhere would hack a wheel all to hell mounting rubber, then ship it back. This policy just cuts out all the hassle by just classifying the wheel as used. (I.E. next time dont tell them you put the tires on them)

Perched on the horns of a dilemma. If I owned the joint I think I'd have offered to swap out less a restocking fee, with the understanding that I needed to inspect the wheels first. After all, I'm in the business to pay my bills, etc. and the last thing I need is to get stuck with some beat up wheels I couldn't sell as new.

Moral of the story: anytime you order something make sure you check it carefully before bolting it up! Ask Toyman about that one.

spdracer315 wrote: Unfortunatly this is not uncommon. At the garage i worked at we checked every wheel before mounting tires on them becasue if they did not fit but had already been mounted they could not be returned. If the supplier would agree to take back wheels inevitably someone somewhere would hack a wheel all to hell mounting rubber, then ship it back. This policy just cuts out all the hassle by just classifying the wheel as used. (I.E. next time dont tell them you put the tires on them)

Exactly. If they were mounted and dismounted properly, don't tell them they were ever mounted.

This is an indicator of what kind of business you are dealing with. If they just care about one sale, you are screwed. If they want future business, they will work with you, to satisfy you. Personally, I feel the hardest sale to make is the first one, after that, it gets a lot easier. I try REAL hard to make my customers happy. Even when they are wrong. (within reason)

But it has been OVER a year, I wouldn't of even had the nerve to call them since I let this much time pass.

I agree with those that say to check the parts when received even if you don't use them right away.

The other question I have is that I've bought plenty of wheels new. Every one of them was marked clearly on the box from the manufacturer what the size/offset/pattern is. Were these boxes not marked? If not then I would have doubly checked the sizes.

Not trying to rag on you, just sharing an opinion. I say sell on CL and take the small $$$ hit and get what you really need.

one thing I learned during my (not nearly short enough) short tour in sales... 1 dis-satisfied customer will tell dozens, while a satisfied customer will tell one or two...

seems to hold true

The fact that you got an Ebay seller on the Phone is a miracle.

16vCorey wrote:

joey48442 wrote: They are used now though. I would be pissed if someone sold me a set of wheels that were supposed to be new and they turned out to have already had tires mounted on them. Joey

Why? If they were installed and removed by a competent tire changer with a competent machine, you'd never be able to tell. If I bought new wheels, then someone told me that they once had a tire put on and taken back off, I'd be more confused as to why they were telling me that than anything else.

I guess that's true. If the buyer ships them back and they are in perfect shape, maybe the company can work with him.

Joey

Similar story different outcome:

I ordered a set of wheels last year. They stayed in my shop for two months. Had tires mounted on them and tried to put them on the car. Wrong bolt pattern. Called the company and explained the situation to them. Their response was no problem. We'll send a call tag to pick them up and build you a new set. These wheels were custom back spacing and built to order. They will probably have a hard time selling them, but they exchanged them anyway. The fact that I had already mounted tires was irrelevant. They shipped the wrong wheels wrong and were going to fix it.

The company was Marsh Racing Wheels. http://www.mrt-wheels.com/

If you need racing wheels call them. I can promise you I will probably never buy from anyone else. I also recommend them to everyone that asks about wheels.

Thanks for posting a warning. Retailers need to remember bad news travels at light speed

I believe if I was Gearhead Enterprises I would have offered 15% restocking fee and your pay freight. Then I could have sold the wheels at a discount and not pissed anyone off.

^ +1 , but dude seriously, don't wait a year to test fit a mail order part next time.

I read that whole saga and... wow. HappyAndy says it all.

They should "maybe" have tried harder to make it right but - a year went by. You call me after a year, tell me it won't fit and you mounted tires? I assume you just sold a car and want to return wheels you used for the last 10mos. If you called me in 2 weeks... 2 months... but a YEAR? I'd have tried harder than them if you sounded sincere but I wouldn't be too enthusiastic to extend a refund. 15% restock, you pay the shipping and done.

^ Agreed. Almost 14 months!?

Most wheel companies/sellers have a "no returns once they're mounted" policy. When I had my shop and ordered wheels the first thing I did was check fitment before tires were mounted. Like as soon as they came in, not a year later. Granted they messed up but not accepting yours back or offering a refund is perfectly fine in my book if the policy was in place and clearly stated before you mounted the tires. If they had wanted to keep you as a customer and avoid being badmouthed on the internet they could have offered a discount on a new correct set. To me everyone is a little at fault. Its an expensive lesson to learn but I bet you check new wheels right away next time!

There are lots of companies out there - I will not need to use this one - it is poor customer service.

I do fit check parts as they come in - since I have more then 1 incorrect part shipped to me. Tough lesson.

MrJoshua wrote: The fact that you got an Ebay seller on the Phone is a miracle.

agreed...I ha d a real issue with a part I bought no getting shipped for 5 or 6 days, then when I go check, the seller isnt a registered member anymore...Well I found other listings with the exact same photos and verbage as the item I "won", and dug through tons of feedback till I found a number he gave another unhappy "winner". long and short of it...youre lucky they even posted a number, that the number was legit, and that someone answered when you called??? go buy a lottery ticket friend

Thanks for the comments to all that posted. I do accept responsibility for having the wheels for a year before finding out they didn't fit. I full well realize I share some of the blame. However, what grated me the most though was the attitude that "This is all your fault" . Never once in any of the conversations with gonefishing69 did they admit they made a mistake or were sorry. Had they offered any suggestions for how we might work it with a discount or restocking fee I probably would have said yes in addition to me paying all the shipping costs. From the first conversation it was pretty evident they had no intention of doing anything.

I work as a Sales Engineer and work with customers daily. When I am wrong I take responsibilty. When there are issues I work out something that is acceptable for both parties. The company I work for would not have it any other way.

This will be my last post regarding this subject. I have learned some lessons. Its time to move on. I can tell you for sure though I will never purchase another item from Gonefishing69, Rodpartsdealer or Gearhead Enterprises and that is their loss.

ebay them and find the right ones, you'll probably be money ahead as opposed to eating a restocking fee and 2 ways of shipping anyway.

FYI i have bought quite a bit of smaller stuff from them - fuel pumps, regulators, and the like and never had an issue.