I should have heeded the warnings in the negative reviews but I did not so this vendor done screw me. I deserve it. Next time I will heed the warnings.
Here are the facts:
1. Wednesday noon - as I pulled up into my place, I discovered that one of my tires had a 3-inch slit on its side. The tire lost all its air and is not repairable. I don't have a spare. I searched online and came across Discount Wheel Warehouse. I called Wednesday to order a single tire. Spoke to a rep named Mike or a Micah. I could not place the order because the address that my bank/credit card company has had for the past 20 years is a PO Box. So, I called the bank Thursday to request they change my address. Their policy is that I would have to go into the branch with an ID and fill out some forms. After a long ordeal, I ended up convincing the branch manager to do it for me since she recognized who I was.
3. Thursday noon - I called Discount Wheel Warehouse to order the tire. I spoke to Eric. I specifically asked him whether he had the tire in stock. He put me on hold for a few minutes then returned and said they indeed have in stock 4 of the tire I am looking for. I asked him whether he had the tire physically in stock at his location. He said yes. I asked him whether that means he physically has in Fullerton. He said yes. So I placed my order. I asked Eric whether he can check with the guys in the warehouse to see if they can load it on a truck that afternoon. He replied that they would not be able to get it on a truck that afternoon. I said okay then it will get loaded on a truck Friday and I should receive it by Tuesday. Eric suggested I look for a couple of e-mails I should receive shortly.
4. Friday morning - No e-mails received. I called and spoke to Mike or Micah. He pulled my order but did not tell me anything about the e-mails I was told to be on the lookout for. He said my credit card was charged and that the tire will be shipped Monday. I was surprised. I asked him to do what he can to have the tire on a truck. He replied that there is nothing he can do. I asked him to escalate it to a manager so he transferred me to Edith. She too said there was nothing she can do because they don't have the tire. That the tire is in route from the manufacturer. WTH?!!! The manufacturer?!!! Where in Fullerton, in Orange County, In Boston, in Tokyo? Where?!!! Why would Eric say that they had the tire in stock at their Fullerton location?!!! I explained to Edith that I live in the suburb. I just moved to the East Coast from Newport Beach less than a month ago. I don't know anyone in my new town. I don't have anyone to give me a ride, to college, to the grocery store. I am enrolled in summer session at the university. There are no buses or cabs where I live. I am going to miss a whole week of a month-long class at the university. Meaning, I will likely flunk the class or get an incomplete and am not even eligible to drop the class and get any refund. $805 out of pocket in school tuition flushed down the drain. Heck, I don't even have much in my fridge to lasts me another week of staying at home without transportation! To add insult to injury, Edith said that they would charge me a 10% restocking fee if I cancel my order.
I guess either way, I am screwed.
Lesson: next time, heed the warnings and pay attention to all the negative 1 and 2-star ratings. Call around and pay an extra $10-$20 and buy the tire from a reliable merchant like Tire Rack or a brick and mortar vendor in your town like Costco.
0 comments