Boss 338 Wheels **GROUP BUY**

[brossow]

Real quick post 'cause I have to get out the door for movie night with the kids.

[mrh33916]

Too bad there's not a generic center cap for these wheels because I sure don't want to promote thier product after what I've seen in this thread.

I too had a minor imperfection on one of my wheels but I can live with it to put this deal behind me.

Here's mine mounted up.

The tires are Hankook RH07's

255-45-20, 295-45-20

I know it needs to be lower, Hopefully it will come down to where I want it as it gets put back together.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by mrh33916

Too bad there's not a generic center cap for these wheels because I sure don't want to promote thier product after what I've seen in this thread.

I too had a minor imperfection on one of my wheels but I can live with it to put this deal behind me.

Here's mine mounted up.

Promote their product in a way that helps those most impacted..... Advertise the issues you faced @ every car show or event you attend. Let other possible consumers know the issues faced.

[brossow]

Okay, I've been struggling with what to do over the whole email brouhaha with AEWC. I'm going to leave the old posts, but below is what I received from them Friday afternoon. It doesn't excuse their past responses to me, but for me at least it went a long way toward mending some fences and hopefully they learned something from this experience and it will help improve their business.

Unlike my previous posts, which were copied/pasted verbatim, I'm redacting a bit of info that's mostly irrelevant and shouldn't be shared publicly. That aside, in the interest of reporting the full story, here goes:

Truce. The White flag is up.

I took this to far with you due to the frustration on my end with the employees I have that got involved in this issue. I read some of the emails and stand corrected.

HID solutions is the company you purchased these wheels from. They are the company that you paid and that told you the wheels were or would be available.

[...]

The wheels at this time of HID's order were not available. It would have been wise for us on this end to check with production and get a near firm date for you and most issues may have never gotten this far.

Marcus is an orderdesk person that has no way of communicating with the proper departments and getting you the correct information needed to handle theses types of issues. This was my frustration. The part to this day has still not come through production. The wheels Marcus found you had to be those that were returned due to a lost sale from one of our customers or something like that.

While I do not ask for you to let bye gones be bye gones as your pretty pissed I would just like to end this whole issue with you at the least being happy with the quality of the parts you purchased.

At the end of the day we are very proud to be the last American wheel manufacture and we take pride in our product. The allocation date on the parts coming through is 09/10/2010. if you are not happy with the parts you have at this time let me know and i will make every effort to correct the problem.

I get a little Pig headed some times but Im not a bad guy.

Let me know if there is anything I can do and I will do my best.

My sincere apologies

Xxxxxxx

Shortly thereafter, I discovered the issue with the 20x10 I mentioned previously and emailed them again. This was their response:

Brent , this is the part 33862050 that is not available till about the 10th. If you would like you may run the wheel and i will still except the part back when the new one comes in. we do not like the part to be mounted if an issue so the store was right to tell you this. in this case i will take back a mounted part. i will not be able to pickup the mount and remount fee but again i will get you a new wheel. let me know.

I have also CC'ed [...] in the allocations dept so that he understands what to do to get you this part when it comes through

If you ignore the previous issues, you can't ask for better service than this. (I declined the offer to mount the tire temporarily on the defective rim and will just wait for a good one to be delivered.) Obviously you have to look at the situation as a whole, but if they learned from their mistakes (which I believe they have) and don't do this to future customers, I think it's safe to say AEWC can now be trusted. Kudos to them for finally seeing the light.

Brent

[lolife99]

Does he ever address the fact that they aren't a direct bolt on to any Chevy/GMC 2wd 71-87 5-lug truck rotor?

[brossow]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Does he ever address the fact that they aren't a direct bolt on to any Chevy/GMC 2wd 71-87 5-lug truck rotor?

No, but I didn't ask him to, nor did they ever claim that they were a direct bolt-on for those older trucks, at least not to the best of my knowledge. The wheels were designed for '88-up, even in rev -3, AFAIK.

FWIW, your claim of "any" isn't quite accurate. It's my understanding that they'll bolt up just fine to a light-duty rotor.

[k5hart]

I would say they still have a lot of work to do with the order desk personel and distributors. Corporate doesn't seem to have a handle on what's going on out there. I still would have to say I'm not impressed and I got my wheels with a lot less trouble than a lot of you. I only had to send one back due to being the wrong bolt pattern.

[brossow]

Originally Posted by k5hart

I would say they still have a lot of work to do with the order desk personel and distributors. Corporate doesn't seem to have a handle on what's going on out there.

I don't think AEWC corporate would disagree with you. As I read it, that's one of their frustrations in this matter. I also think they learned from this experience and will (I hope, for their sake) apply it to how they do business in the future. Based on something in the section I left out, I know for a fact they're already putting some of it into practice.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by brossow

FWIW, your claim of "any" isn't quite accurate. It's my understanding that they'll bolt up just fine to a light-duty rotor.

You are correct.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by Sublvr72

All orders have shipped except a few people are waiting on rear 20" wheels, and there are two that are waiting on 20" chrome still.

About 100 sets of wheels have already shipped.

Originally Posted by Liz

You have ignored my PM about this deal. If you do NOT reply within 24 hours, you will no longer have an account at all.

Thanks!

At this point, your account is now suspended. You have been online.. ignored this thread, and admin PMs in ref to this deal. Please email accounts at 67-72 chevy trucks dot com in reference to this matter.

[brossow]

...

[Liz]

Please contact me with issues as that.. He has emailed both Josh and myself at this point.

[Steelie73]

Hopefully someone can help me out with getting my rims. Personally I would just like to get my money back from Colin and be done with this deal. I paid my $1,200 for 20" chromes to HID Solutions back in Marck, 2010 under the first deadline. Unfortunatley I am from Canada so these rims could not be drop shipped. Colin said he would personally get all four rims and ship them directly to me. Now I haven't seen a rim or I am not able to track him down from the forums, by email or phone to get my money reinbursed. I have been honest and payed my money qucickly. I really am getting the feeling that I have been hosed for my money. Hopefully one of the moderators or some of the guys that have helped to arrange this deal can help me out to get my money back. This may not be the spot for this reponse but I have tried everything else to contact Colin.

Thank You, Derek

[brossow]

Originally Posted by Steelie73

Hopefully someone can help me out with getting my rims. Personally I would just like to get my money back from Colin and be done with this deal. I paid my $1,200 for 20" chromes to HID Solutions back in Marck, 2010 under the first deadline.

Derek, check your PMs. I can't do anything more than give you the info I sent privately, but hopefully it will help.

Did you pay with a credit card? If you haven't already done so, you should contact them to dispute the charge.

[Liz]

I asked in my PM to sublvr72 whom was owed what, etc. To which I had not received a reply.

who has not gotten what they paid for, besides Derek?

[brossow]

Originally Posted by Liz

I asked in my PM to sublvr72 whom was owed what, etc. To which I had not received a reply.

who has not gotten what they paid for, besides Derek?

I'm waiting for a replacement on a defective 20x10 rim, but that's really between me and Boss at this point.

To the best of my knowledge, Jugernot is still waiting for a pair of rims. Dunno who else.

Brent

[tcb-1]

how long does this debacle continue??

[brossow]

Originally Posted by tcb-1

how long does this debacle continue??

Five months and counting. I don't expect any significant progress until the next batch of 20s are out around September 10.

[Liz]

I really need you guys to keep it to who is owed what, and updates, and leave the chit chat out at the moment. Not to be an ass.. but this cluster is hard enough to figure out right now. And was all advertised, bought and dealt with, from someone whom was not even a site vendor, nor had any right to sell quantities on this site.

I would like to try and help whomever needs it.. but we need to know whom has not gotten what they have paid for

[brossow]

Originally Posted by Liz

And was all advertised, bought and dealt with, from someone whom was not even a site vendor, nor had any right to sell quantities on this site.

Liz, to be completely fair and with the utmost respect, Colin was acting as a middleman, getting us the rims at cost. He really wasn't acting as a "vendor" in a way to make any profit other than the rounding-up I suggested to make the dollar amounts more manageable. Yes, he took money and delivered (or was supposed to deliver) product, but not with a profit motive as most of us would classify a vendor as far as this site is concerned. There are a lot of issue with the way things were handled that Colin needs to be held accountable for, but this shouldn't be one of those, IMHO.

Brent

[Josh]

He was advertising his business and all through the thread which is vending. He took money in exchange for goods even with minimal profit it is advertising. He needs to step up and do what needs to be done and stop ignoring everyone.

[brossow]

Originally Posted by Josh

He was advertising his business and all through the thread which is vending. He took money in exchange for goods even with minimal profit it is advertising. He needs to step up and do what needs to be done and stop ignoring everyone.

Your site, your rules. Just trying to offer my perspective as the fool who inadvertently started this mess. No good deed goes unpunished and all that....

[Liz]

I am not understanding why you are sounding annoyed with us. We stepped in to end this giant cluster and attempt to help the folks get what they are owed. Yet we are the bad guys?

I know Colin fwd you a copy of the email as well. According to him, he has no records of the sales besides what is on this site. He also refuses to give me a list of which usernames are owed wheels, because he feels that is a privacy issue. Sorry but when folks take money and do not deliver parts, I feel it is a fraud issue...

In the end I am actually LOOSING money on this deal, as the cost of the product has increased over the past few months and regardless of the increase I'm not asking anyone for more money than they actually paid and I have been paying the difference out of my pocket

That is from the email I got today. If it was a group buy, and money was paid upfront.. how do prices change? Group buys are a mass order that is placed at the same time.. not several orders over several months.


Also on a side note, and not really to do with the wheels.. He had an admin from another site email me on his behalf. When I checked the whois of that site, he owns it etc. So he is emailing me pretending to be someone else, on his behalf. I replied and asked. No reply from him on that. Only one to me about his issues here and how he is out of money with this deal, and how he has no records etc.. Poor poor pitiful he.

Sound assy? Maybe... A group buy, through a non vendor, and people got screwed left and right. The head of it will not disclose whom has been shipped or owed parts, or provide refund or tracking information. Yet wants access to the site, and is trying to make US look bad.. Ya I am a bit pissy.. I have a ton of better things to do with my time.



So once again

Whom is owed wheels still.

[brossow]

Originally Posted by Liz

I am not understanding why you are sounding annoyed with us. We stepped in to end this giant cluster and attempt to help the folks get what they are owed. Yet we are the bad guys?

Liz, never for a moment did I say you were the bad guys, nor am I annoyed with you or intend to sound that way. My only interest in the thread at this point is accuracy and fairness, not taking sides. I was trying to paint an accurate picture of what happened. Believe me, no one wishes more than I do that I hadn't suggested the group buy in the first place, and I would like it over as soon as possible. Having said that, here's what I know:

1. Colin took orders for wheels at near-cost as a favor to us, not as a money-making venture. The difference between actual cost and what we paid offset differences in shipping costs, etc. There was no profit motive. How do I know? Because I set the prices to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest when Colin was doing us a favor. I still have all of the correspondence related to this if you need proof. He wasn't acting with a profit motive. As far as I'm concerned, he wasn't acting as a vendor any more than if I asked my buddy to pick up an alternator while he was at the parts store and I reimburse him for it and maybe give him a buck or two extra for gas money or a "keep the change" kinda thing. Money changes hands between my buddy and me, but no one would call him a retail outlet. That's what Colin did, just on a larger scale with more disastrous results.
   .
2. Even the local cops and the FBI need a search warrant to get business records. As much as it seems at first blush like Colin should just willingly turn over the list of people who bought wheels in this deal and that doing so would just make the problem go away, in reality that's not a reasonable request. Even if it were, as Colin said, without access to his account here it's nearly impossible for him to match up the names of real people from order forms with their handles on the forums and I'm sure you don't honestly expect him to turn over all of his sales records. As a private citizen, I'd be horrified to find out a business had turned over my purchasing history to someone without my consent, particularly to other private citizens and not even law enforcement. Even the Patriot Act doesn't cover what you're asking Colin to do. That's not him being shady; that's him being a good business owner and protecting himself, his business license, and most importantly his customers' privacy.

There are a lot of problems here, and I know you're trying your best to help. But individuals need to come forward and say what they're missing, or they need to pursue the matter on their own (as I did). I deeply appreciate your efforts as the owners of this forum to help those who are missing product, but you can't possibly expect greater policing powers than actual law enforcement has.

The new batch of wheels are due out in 8 days. Until then, no one (including me) is going to get any more wheels. Here's a compromise that may well solve the problem: give Colin back his account for two weeks. That will give him the ability to communicate with anyone who has sent him a private message about missing wheels. Place conditions on how he can use his account: he can only use it to respond to PMs and to reply to this thread, not to post elsewhere on the board. By the time two weeks is up, new wheels should be shipping and he should have tracking info for everyone who has purchased. If at that time there are still serious issues, then take it from there. In the meantime, suspending his account has cut off a primary line of communication between him and the people you're trying to help.

Again, I'm not taking sides here. I'm not pointing fingers or trying to make anyone the bad guy. I'm certainly not defending Colin's actions (or inaction) except insofar as I want everyone to have an accurate picture of what happened and be on the same page. I simply want it resolved as much as anyone, and I'm trying to help. With that said, there's nothing more I can do here. I've tried my best to paint an accurate picture of what really happened and what needs to happen to resolve it. Take it for what it's worth. It's just my own advice and opinions, not demands or complaints about the way the site is run or the people who run it.

Good luck,
Brent

[Liz]

2 things real quick..

1. we are not above the law, nor do we attempt to be. When deals are done on the site, we have the right to request information. If the "seller" is legit, telling us the status of a deal and the username of whom is owed things should not be an issue. No one is asking for ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION. Tracking numbers to relay to folks, usernames and status of shipments is NOT personal info, nor illegal for us to ask for. If he chooses not to give it, it only makes him look bad IMHO.

IX. Fraudulent practices or attempts to defraud another will lead to account suspension and banning. This is in direct reference to items offered for sale, trade, or leading someone on as a buyer.
I will turn you in! This also applies to people posting fabricated lies about another user or business. If you have a real issue, discuss it off the site, but don't make up lies because you're upset with someone. 67-72Chevytrucks.com will not put up with this kind of slander

2. Taking money for items and not delivering them is fraud. Plain and simple. No matter how good intentions are etc, it is fraud. If he is so willing to make good, and insure everyone is taken care of.. Then why ignore admin PM, replying to this thread, user contact etc. Any business whom had a mixup or issue in the past has gladly given a username and status of the deal. That is not illegal to ask for.
However it is illegal to take folks money for items and not deliver.


Back to the rest. I do apologize if we (not just I , but several staff members whom have read your replies) have taken them as we did, if that is not how they were intended. At this point, no offense at all intended, unless you have taken the payments and are shipping the items, it honestly does not involve you.

I fully understand that you feel bad because you began the deal etc.. But unless you are directly involved in the actual deal itself, it honestly does not involve you. I do however appreciate your input and help thus far.

Colin has been told how to reinstate his account. We do not allow bad deal users back to do this and that etc.. What he chooses to do from their is his choice. As far as telling folks to take up for themselves as you did. Yes, by all means they should. But with that, the deal was made on this site. Therefor we are involved. It is a privately owned website, and in the end it is our problem to tend to. If that means suspending accounts etc, thats what has to happen.


On a side note.. Colin owns and admins a website that runs vbulletin software, just as we do. He is aware of how the system works ( one would assume) and to say he has not read this thread (when timestamps show he was on this thread) or that an Admin PM was not received due to his inbox limit change (when admin PMs are forced through no matter limits) is hard to swallow. All the issues may have reasonable explanations, but when you have a bunch of inconsistencies in fact, and refusal to work with staff. It becomes hard to "trust" the person.