Leafnut
Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2024
- Messages
- 25
- Reaction score
- 13
- Cars
- 2022 Lucid Air GT
- DE Number
- 0
Hello Everyone,
I recently purchased 4 "New 21 Inch Stealth with summer tires--only 35 miles on the wheels, swapped the wheels straight from the dealer" is what was advertised. I bought them here on the marketplace forum.
I made the mistake of not asking for close up photos from multiple angles prior to arranging shipping. The photos I received from the seller were low resolution from too far a distance to discern damage. Heck, you couldn't even read the tire size on the sidewall. I trusted, but did not verify.
I made sure the shipper would individually wrap each tire, face up with nothing to be stacked on top of it. I asked the seller to be sure that was indeed the case at the time of pick up. Both verified this was done. Shipper later told me that the seller walked away after the second wheel was wrapped and did not ensure this was done. He told the shipper to do a good job because he didn't want "it to come back on him" --whatever that means. Not confidence inspiring.
When the wheels arrived, I verified that the wheels were wrapped in blankets, face up, nothing stacked on them. I commented to the shipper that these wheels were Pristine and just taken off a brand new Air sedan. His response, "I'm not sure what he (the seller) told you, but these wheels aren't pristine, the have scratches and pits on them. Mind you, he said this while they were still neatly wrapped and safely secured on the truck.
As we began to unload and unwrap, I took out wheel cleaner and discovered that 2 of the four tires had substantial scratches and gauged, one with a small section of rim rash. The other 2 still had minor damage, but not enough to warrant repair.
I was disappointed, but not angry. I queried the shipper about everything and felt satisfied that he had done everything I asked and was truthful.
I figured the seller just missed the damage and once discovered, would set to make things right. No big deal, right? I just sold my Model S and when doing final prep for it to be shipped, I noticed a very minor door ding. So minor, I couldn't get a proper photo of it. I immediately called the buyer to inform him of the damage, he didn't seem to care that much, but I still offered to throw in a roof rack to make up for it. I have always strived to fulfill the golden rule of two parties coming into a transaction and both winning.
Now when I call the wheel seller to inform him of the damage, I get steamrolled. Even though I remained calm, non-accusitory, and didn't react to his arrogance and hostility, I couldn't complete a sentence. First, he advised me to use high grit sandpaper to fix it because the scratches were only in the clear coat. He would tell me abruptly he had a client and would call me later and hang up. Then he'd call me back 25 seconds later listing all the reasons it wasn't him. He stopped answering my calls and when I set up a time via text to talk, he no showed. He blamed everything on the shipper (no real evidence as to the why other than his low-resolution, prove nothing photos) and told me he accepted no responsibility whatsoever. "In fact" , he said, "I'm doing you a courtesy by even talking to you about this."
I was shocked. Didn't I just, in good faith, spend thousands of dollars, on a product that he misadvertised? Yet he's doing me a courtesy as he's talking over me?
Long story short. I had the damaged assessed and the repair bill is $400. Rather than go through his insurance and risk his premiums increasing, the shipper agreed to pay 1/3, I agreed to pay 1/3 since I didn't do a thorough enough diligence, and I asked the seller if he would pay 1/3. A measely $133.33. His response: "I truly don't feel any obligation whatsoever to take the situation any further"
Friends, the lesson of this story is to do your due diligence. You can't rely on meeting and doing business with a fair-minded person every time. This guy obviously is an extreme example and has major personal problems, but that's not the point. If you're buying wheels from this forum, have the seller take close ups from multiple angles, under different lighting. There is a sheen on some of the wheels that, unless you look close, under direct light, you can miss damage. If you can buy in person, even better. I've learned my lesson. I'll be more careful next time.
I recently purchased 4 "New 21 Inch Stealth with summer tires--only 35 miles on the wheels, swapped the wheels straight from the dealer" is what was advertised. I bought them here on the marketplace forum.
I made the mistake of not asking for close up photos from multiple angles prior to arranging shipping. The photos I received from the seller were low resolution from too far a distance to discern damage. Heck, you couldn't even read the tire size on the sidewall. I trusted, but did not verify.
I made sure the shipper would individually wrap each tire, face up with nothing to be stacked on top of it. I asked the seller to be sure that was indeed the case at the time of pick up. Both verified this was done. Shipper later told me that the seller walked away after the second wheel was wrapped and did not ensure this was done. He told the shipper to do a good job because he didn't want "it to come back on him" --whatever that means. Not confidence inspiring.
When the wheels arrived, I verified that the wheels were wrapped in blankets, face up, nothing stacked on them. I commented to the shipper that these wheels were Pristine and just taken off a brand new Air sedan. His response, "I'm not sure what he (the seller) told you, but these wheels aren't pristine, the have scratches and pits on them. Mind you, he said this while they were still neatly wrapped and safely secured on the truck.
As we began to unload and unwrap, I took out wheel cleaner and discovered that 2 of the four tires had substantial scratches and gauged, one with a small section of rim rash. The other 2 still had minor damage, but not enough to warrant repair.
I was disappointed, but not angry. I queried the shipper about everything and felt satisfied that he had done everything I asked and was truthful.
I figured the seller just missed the damage and once discovered, would set to make things right. No big deal, right? I just sold my Model S and when doing final prep for it to be shipped, I noticed a very minor door ding. So minor, I couldn't get a proper photo of it. I immediately called the buyer to inform him of the damage, he didn't seem to care that much, but I still offered to throw in a roof rack to make up for it. I have always strived to fulfill the golden rule of two parties coming into a transaction and both winning.
Now when I call the wheel seller to inform him of the damage, I get steamrolled. Even though I remained calm, non-accusitory, and didn't react to his arrogance and hostility, I couldn't complete a sentence. First, he advised me to use high grit sandpaper to fix it because the scratches were only in the clear coat. He would tell me abruptly he had a client and would call me later and hang up. Then he'd call me back 25 seconds later listing all the reasons it wasn't him. He stopped answering my calls and when I set up a time via text to talk, he no showed. He blamed everything on the shipper (no real evidence as to the why other than his low-resolution, prove nothing photos) and told me he accepted no responsibility whatsoever. "In fact" , he said, "I'm doing you a courtesy by even talking to you about this."
I was shocked. Didn't I just, in good faith, spend thousands of dollars, on a product that he misadvertised? Yet he's doing me a courtesy as he's talking over me?
Long story short. I had the damaged assessed and the repair bill is $400. Rather than go through his insurance and risk his premiums increasing, the shipper agreed to pay 1/3, I agreed to pay 1/3 since I didn't do a thorough enough diligence, and I asked the seller if he would pay 1/3. A measely $133.33. His response: "I truly don't feel any obligation whatsoever to take the situation any further"
Friends, the lesson of this story is to do your due diligence. You can't rely on meeting and doing business with a fair-minded person every time. This guy obviously is an extreme example and has major personal problems, but that's not the point. If you're buying wheels from this forum, have the seller take close ups from multiple angles, under different lighting. There is a sheen on some of the wheels that, unless you look close, under direct light, you can miss damage. If you can buy in person, even better. I've learned my lesson. I'll be more careful next time.
