Tristan 338 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 This is a review of my experiences using the company 'Shift Style'. I have not received my products yet so will not comment on them yet but will be sure to update when I receive them... Something I wasn't expecting for a couple of reasons (Read on ) My order was initially placed on 6/6/13 using their website and their credit card facilitator. I ordered a black leather shift + e-brake boot with colour matched (to my seats) stitching. Here is a note included in their automated reply email. Please note that production time for each order is generally 48 hours After 2 days I had still not seen any deduction of funds from my account. In fact, there wasn't even a pending outgoing (something that usually happens with overseas purchases on my card) They have absolutely no means to contact them listed on their website other than the 'Contact Us' email page. There is no phone number, not even an address - I have no idea where in the world they are (assuming USA). In between placing my order and 10/6/13 I sent 2 or 3 emails asking for progress on my order as they had my credit card details, along with an order status saying "Pending". Come 10/6/13 there had still been no deduction from my account, no contact from them, so I emailed them this: I would like to cancel this order # XXXXXX This is due to difficulty contacting you. Thanks I assumed this was the end of it, and that they wouldn't be charging my account and went on the purchase a shift boot locally to install with my Storm knob when it arrives.Well, surprise surprise! I get contact ON THE 19TH OF JUNE.. This is 9 DAYS after I write to cancel my order, and 13 DAYS after placing the order. Their order confirmation specified a typical 48 hour production time, and 10 days max shipping (12 days) Shift Style had the audacity to REPLY to my cancellation email, 9 days later with: Hi, We apologize for the delayed reply. Your order has shipped and will be arriving shortly. Thank you again, Shift Style www.shiftstyle.com Your #1 Source for Custom Shift Boots Maybe other people have had better experiences than me but I've read about similar experiences on other boards. I hear good things about Topgaiters on eBay! Will update when I receive the items. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Feel your pain mate and can sympathies. Why is it that so many international companies are so crap to deal with. I'm sure 90% of people out side of Australasia think New Zealand is part of Nigeria and we are span bots or scammers. I am lucky if I even get a reply at all to most inquiries, I don't understand it, we are the ones offering our money and have something to loose. There are exceptions. Should we start a list of international companies that are good to deal with? 1) Tirerack 2) 1552 Wheels Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tristan 338 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Should we start a list of international companies that are good to deal with? 1) Tirerack 2) 1552 Wheels Could be a damn useful sticky if it's kept up to date. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 I only deal with reputible etailers these days.. Or top sellar ebayers. I cant be bothered with pokie little nothing shops as I have been stung before. I had one of these experiences too with Hoonigan clothing. place order, nothing for a couple of weeks then an 'oh hai yrorderisshipped' which was actually the thing that pissed me off. They shipped it bang on when NYC had that hurrican. And guess what happened, parcel didnt turn up They shipped again.. it arrived missing parts of the order. I got stickers and a note saying their new stock guy missed if off the order. The shipped again the rest of it but this was 2 months later. I had a sour taste in my mouth after that and just wont use them again. Great experiences: Anything our of hong kong or singapore .. awesome China also mostly had a parcel from Germany turn up within 1 week which surprised me greatly .. normally its weeks for that stuff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobimmer 694 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Yeah, most stuff from China and Europe that I have ordered has surprisingly been awesome. I ordered a plug for my aim dash from Sweden or something and it showed up literally in 2 nights. Quicker than some orders from Wellington... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 If one finds an item overseas that is at a reasonable price you find out the company do not ship international. The same item from a company that does is half again if not more as expensive or the shipping wipes out any gains. That said have found several British firms that have been great both in price and delivery times in the past. Would members be willing to list their overseas contacts that have proven to be cost effective. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 I've bought a fair bit of stuff from Schmiedmann and they have always been excellent. Really transparent order and communication process. Great website and easy to navigate and huge range, plus shipping even on large items is generally pretty reasonable and always prompt. I have found that shipping from Europe and Asia is generally far quicker than orders from the US. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
e30ftw 410 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Yep anything from Asia seems to come pretty fast, Bought a screen for my phone and it turned up in 1 week, Though not for BMW parts, iOffer is one to avoid.. Kind of like an Ebay I bought some shoes, got sent wrong size and they never replied back to me to exchange even filed a dispute and got nothing out of it. Crap website i'll never use again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tristan 338 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Asia .. Typically very efficient! I've also had good experiences with products out of the UK. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 To be honest america is light years ahead of the English in terms of email customer service and general attitude, I have to buy most of my parts from England and it is painful, very painful, if you want anything you need to give them at least 3 weeks. Its a shame the parts I need are not available out of the US or Asia. Also, I have found freight from Australia often costs more than Europe or the US, whats up with that? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Also, I have found freight from Australia often costs more than Europe or the US, whats up with that? It's a country still run by the unions and lobbiests. Still quite backwards over there I find. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tristan 338 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 Also, I have found freight from Australia often costs more than Europe or the US, whats up with that? They realise we're Kiwi and shaft us on it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted June 20, 2013 (edited) To be honest america is light years ahead of the English in terms of email customer service and general attitude, I have to buy most of my parts from England and it is painful, very painful, if you want anything you need to give them at least 3 weeks. Its a shame the parts I need are not available out of the US or Asia. Also, I have found freight from Australia often costs more than Europe or the US, whats up with that? Who on earth are you buying from in England? I've had nothing but the best of services from that part of the world and I've actually stopped buying stuff from the USA now for 2 main reasons: 1. Faster shipping and tracking system 2. Better service and part stock. The only time I've ever encountered an issue was the business was located in a rural area and their freaking post office guy that runs it opens at random hours (one of those small local towns). Once I had a package turn up from the UK in less than 24 hours ... completely blew myself and the sender away as to how fast it go here!! Wasn't even a courier service, just run of the mill Royal Mail stuff. Have just tried to buy some stuff from Schmeidmann like Julian does above - will let you know how I get on. I've noticed their shipping rates to be really good for Fedex parts and even for semi large items - the tracking system also seems to be really good and they appear to be able to source a huge range of items. I like how their website automatically takes VAT (25%) off with online orders - unlike some where you have to actually ask for it to be taken off. NEVER and I mean NEVER buy anything from the Aussie ... about the worst place you can ever buy anything online from. My other experiences: - Never buy from anyone from Florida, USA half the time it's a con. - Germany ... mixed on this one. Have had some really good experiences and some terrible ones. Mostly down to communication. - If buying from the US, the west coast retailers and the central part of the USA seems to be really good - the East Coast, forget about it. The central guys tend to not mind going to the Post office to post even really large items (I had a guy ship a front bumper to me via usps once for like $80 versus the usual large freight carriers). Parts from the West Coast also tends to arrive about a week faster compared to the East Coast. Central can be a hit or miss depending on where it's coming from. Some good retailers I've used in the past: - Turners Motorsport - Vorshlag - Quarrymotors UK - Tirerack - Skeller in Germany Edited June 20, 2013 by M3_Power Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted June 21, 2013 Problem I am having is with car "breakers" for second hand parts, they wot deal with Kiwi's. I have had no real issue with tuning companies other than the fact they can be a bit slow in getting back to me, its always a last resort though and I will always try and buy locally first, have just got some new brake pads from Neil Allport motorsport for example and they were cheaper than buying on line. The joying of racing a very rare car in NZ, there is literally no second hand parts and OEM is very expensive. For BMW parts I always found Gavin at Euro-Italian great, anything cosmetic I would try and manufacture locally, a gear selector boot for example could be fabricated at my local upholsterer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted June 21, 2013 Time to race an e36 or e46 m3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 607 Report post Posted June 21, 2013 Ive just got two sets of boots from topgaiter off ebay and they were great! brought awhole heap of stuff from different sellers on the same day and theirs was the first to show up within a week and about 4 days before anything else. good products aswell. also use Schmiedmann a fair bit and have nothing but good things to say about them Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tristan 338 Report post Posted June 21, 2013 Ive just got two sets of boots from topgaiter off ebay and they were great! brought awhole heap of stuff from different sellers on the same day and theirs was the first to show up within a week and about 4 days before anything else. good products aswell. also use Schmiedmann a fair bit and have nothing but good things to say about them Good to hear more positives about topgaiters. I think it was Darin that also had good experiences with them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarinD 8 Report post Posted June 22, 2013 Good to hear more positives about topgaiters. I think it was Darin that also had good experiences with them. Yup, twice now I've ordered on a Monday and its here on Friday! Shipping prices are real fair too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted June 24, 2013 Well my Schmeidmann purchase arrived today. What a disappointment. I don't think I've seen poorer packaging ever in my life!!! No surprise the product inside was damaged!! Now to go through the motion of seeing how good they are at dealing with damaged delivery .... VERY DISAPPONTED!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tristan 338 Report post Posted June 24, 2013 Well my Schmeidmann purchase arrived today. What a disappointment. I don't think I've seen poorer packaging ever in my life!!! No surprise the product inside was damaged!! Now to go through the motion of seeing how good they are at dealing with damaged delivery .... VERY DISAPPONTED!!! That's a shame! Seems like there have been a fair few Bimmersport member orders from Schmiedmann over the past month or so, generally seem to have positive write-ups. Let us know how their post-sale service goes. I'm half anticipating these shift boots to be utter crap based on things I've read where it's taken a day and an age to arrive and then hasn't even fit. Note to self: Research before getting trigger happy with online shopping! On a lighter note, my shift knob from Storm Motorwerks arrived today, well packaged, in a smart looking, branded box with foam cutouts to support the components inside. With the prices they charge you'd expect so but overall I'm very happy with them and would recommend to all! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted June 24, 2013 That's a shame! Seems like there have been a fair few Bimmersport member orders from Schmiedmann over the past month or so, generally seem to have positive write-ups. Let us know how their post-sale service goes. Just snapped a whole bunch of photos and sent a nice email to them to see what they would like to do about it. Highly pissed to be honest, as it's $350 worth of stuff. Couldn't believe the packaging when FedEx showed up at the door - basically two flimsy pieces of cardboard taped together to cover the parts with "no' protection whatsoever to stop the parts from being bent or dented. No surprise, opened it up, huge dents on the parts and broken clips - very angry right now! Good to hear you've had good experience with the gearnob - I love it when sellers go overboard with packaging and do it right. The worst I've experience was a retailer first sending me the wrong product ... resent ... broken product ... returned, sent again still slightly damaged - by then I'd given up on them and just took it on the chin. Oh well, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose!! The joy of online shopping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted June 24, 2013 Definitely not like the experiences I've had with Schmiedmann, Tom. Everything I've received has been really well packaged, good communication, prompt delivery not to mention pretty damn cheap. Can't complain... But then it only takes one stuff up to sour the taste. Hope they fix their mistakes for you... And quickly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
my_e36 43 Report post Posted June 24, 2013 That's not what I had with Schmiedmann either. Bought from them once and they are boarder line over-packaged my items, it's not a complain of course. I hope they will fix up your order quickly for you. Fail that, maybe you can claim against FedEx? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted June 24, 2013 (edited) This is how they packaged my item - two pieces of 1mm flimsy cardboard taped together and the items inside sitting in plastic bags with 'no' protection whatsoever - the items are the easily damaged type also (so they are unsurprisingly dented and bent and broken) - the creases you see on the packaging is where it has been bent somehow. Going to call FedEx tomorrow and see what they say - didn't have a chance today as the FedEx driver turned up at 6:40pm ... I had another two basket loads of stuff loaded on my Schmiedmann account ready to purchase (was waiting for this to turn up first to ensure they were good before I made the commitment) - if I don't get a satisfactory outcome with this they won't be earning another cent from me ever again ... Man sometimes I think I have some of the worst lucks when buying online!! Edited June 24, 2013 by M3_Power Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted June 25, 2013 (edited) That's not what I had with Schmiedmann either. Bought from them once and they are boarder line over-packaged my items, it's not a complain of course. I hope they will fix up your order quickly for you. Fail that, maybe you can claim against FedEx? Update ... Have been having email exchanges with FedEx all day today - sent in photos and gave details ect ect ... turns out the package was marked with "damages" when it arrived in Germany - so it was already on FedEx's system that it was damaged - WTF!! But despite all my efforts, I still get nothing out of this - FedEx have admitted fault to damaging the package and the contents inside (somebody had bent the package accidentally or something heavy had landed on it) - but because I am not the account holder, FedEx have credited Schmiedmann with the freight and it is now up to them to complete the claim with FedEx in Denmark over the damage. Doesn't help me however as I am still out of pocket with damaged goods. I still haven't got a reply from Schmiedmann about this - Have forwarded them all my correspondences with FedEx and how they have admitted liability - no replies ... This sucks big time - I guess if a retailer really wanted to shaft its customers it could always just pocket the freight reimbursement given they own the account and claim for the damage and then I am left on my own to fight this through the credit card company system. Awesome! Edited June 25, 2013 by M3_Power Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
