Why I will never be purchasing from FT86 Motorsports again

[knapper]

I had seen several folks over the years make mention of their poor experience with FT86 Motorsports, but had yet to experience it first hand until today.

Needless to say, I will be purchasing all products from elsewhere from here on out. I wanted to share the email thread, as I think it provides a candid view of the type of service and communication you can expect from that company.

Rude and unprofessional would be a compliment.

[Ashy23]

Time to open a chargeback!
F these guys

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[Ohio Enthusiast]

I wouldn't expect a vendor to address an issue 5 months after shipment, unless it's an issue that can only be discovered in service.
You should have opened the box and inspected the item once you got it.

As for the expected quality, price certainly plays a role. Would you complain of a loose stich on a $3 Walmart shirt? How about on a $500 Italian hand sewn shirt? You haven't posted pictures of the supposed defects so we can't judge how bad it is. Customer service could certainly have responded in a more flowery manner, but the bottom line of "you get what you pay for" would still have been the same.

And if this is "by far one of the most ridiculously rude conversion" you have with customer service, I applaud you for your sheltered life.

[knapper]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

I wouldn't expect a vendor to address an issue 5 months after shipment, unless it's an issue that can only be discovered in service.
You should have opened the box and inspected the item once you got it.

As for the expected quality, price certainly plays a role. Would you complain of a loose stich on a $3 Walmart shirt? How about on a $500 Italian hand sewn shirt? You haven't posted pictures of the supposed defects so we can't judge how bad it is. Customer service could certainly have responded in a more flowery manner, but the bottom line of "you get what you pay for" would still have been the same.

And if this is "by far one of the most ridiculously rude conversion" you have with customer service, I applaud you for your sheltered life.

If I had used it for five months, or it wasn't blatantly obviously that I clearly just opened the box, sure, I would tend to agree with you.

Your shirt analogy holds water about as well as a colander. You can still wear the shirt if there is a thread coming off of it, or even if the logos were off-centered. The wing doesn't even fit on the car, its not useable. The cosmetic flaw I mentioned and showed them, I would be willing to live with given the price, but the product can't even be installed.

Should I have done a closer inspection of the product, taken my car out of storage in the middle of winter and test fit it, because I should just assume that unless I am buying the top of the line products, they are just junk and there is a 50/50 chance its a paperweight... yeah, sure I guess I could have.

Edit:

Just so its clear, I understand that I probably should not have assumed that the product was going to be in usable condition, but I also think it's slightly ridiculous to assume its not? This thread is more so about pointing out the lack of professionalism in communication.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Why not share the pictures of the defects and how they affect your ability to install the wing?

[knapper]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Why not share the pictures of the defects and how they affect your ability to install the wing?

Sure, no problem, not sure why you are so hell bent about the pictures, as they aren't going to show you that the wing doesn't fit, but here you are.

The first shows the consmetic flaw in the top of the spoiler, again this one I am not happy about but can live with. The other two show parts on the underside that are more prominent and cause the wing to not make good contact all the way around the wing. No matter how much pressure is applied.

Whether I bought the wing a day, a month ago or five months ago shouldn't matter. I know that if I ran business and someone came to me with this, I certainly wouldn't be speaking to them that way, regardless of their claims. There is a way to conduct yourself, and that ain't it.

Again, this post is about why I will not be doing business with a place that communicates that way with its customers. You still want to? No problem, enjoy your experience.

[villainous_frx]

I see Sylvain has demoted himself from "Owner" to "Customer Service"

Sorry to hear about the wing, that really is unfortunate to hear. Best of luck with it, I hope you're able to make it work.

[Wally86]

Their responses were curt but it's very possible that you're both in the wrong.

And yes, you should have tried testing fitting it in the middle of winter to make sure it fit. Or maybe I'm the only one that doesn't store their car for winter and loves putting mods on asap.

Some cheap stuff does work but you really have to do your homework. The "buy once cry once" folks will show no sympathy for your post.

Originally Posted by From their website

Returns
It is our goal to provide 100% satisfaction and peace of mind to our customers.
There is a 30-day return period from the date the item is received. Return shipping will be provided, unless otherwise noted.

To be eligible for a return, the item must be in its original packaging, unused, unmodified, unpainted, the return item should be in the same condition as it was received.

We will offer refund of the item price only. Modified/Used returns, or Returns outside of the 30-day policy will not be refunded or returned to the customer unless otherwise noted.

Return packaging will NOT be provided. Please contact our support team prior to returning an item.

If you received a damaged or broken item, please contact us immediately with photos of the package and item.


Warranty
30 Days Limited Warranty.
Warranty is for exchange only.

All products come with a 30 days limited warranty against manufacturers defects including bulbs, led outage, and water leak.

No exchange will be issued on products that have been damaged in any way.


Refunds
Any items returned will be inspected for quality and condition. We will notify you immediately on the status of your refund after the inspection of the item.

Upon approval, we will initiate a refund to your credit card (or original method of payment). You will receive your credit back within a certain amount of business day, depending on your card issuer’s policy.

EDIT since you posted s'more:

Originally Posted by knapper

Whether I bought the wing a day, a month ago or five months ago shouldn't matter. I know that if I ran business and someone came to me with this, I certainly wouldn't be speaking to them that way, regardless of their claims. There is a way to conduct yourself, and that ain't it.

Again, this post is about why I will not be doing business with a place that communicates that way with its customers. You still want to? No problem, enjoy your experience.

Everyone's tolerances for dealing with bad customer service is different for sure.

[knapper]

It may also be worth noting that up until this point, I was a regular customer there and I am within 35 minutes of the door. This wasn't a one off purchase, I have spent thousands there over the years. Does that make me special? Nope, but when it comes to supporting the community and locals, I would have thought there would be a little more grace involved.

[knapper]

Originally Posted by Wally86

Their responses were curt but it's very possible that you're both in the wrong.

And yes, you should have tried testing fitting it in the middle of winter to make sure it fit. Or maybe I'm the only one that doesn't store their car for winter and loves putting mods on asap.

Some cheap stuff does work but you really have to do your homework. The "buy once cry once" folks will show no sympathy for your post.

EDIT since you posted s'more:

Everyone's tolerances for dealing with bad customer service is different for sure.

Agree to disagree I guess. The responses were rude and unprofessional.

I don't think its wrong for me to want a product that works as intended. I didn't ask for a refund, or any special deals, I just want a product that I paid for. One that is free from defects and can be installed on the car.

My only mistake was not taking my car out of winter storage, and installing it when it was first ordered. It's -30 degrees here for much of the winter, and no way to properly install the wing given those temperatures, which I guess is my fault and mistake.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by knapper

Pictures

How does that affect your ability to install it? That it won't be completely flush in that small area? The blemish in the third picture looks to be completely harmless, and the one in the second picture looks to be very localized. The cosmetic issue with the clear coat on the leading edge is pretty minor and probably not that visible when installed.
How does it impact your ability to install it? Is it completely warped? Will it not be flush for a significant portion of the length?

And yes, these blemishes are exactly what I would expect from a lower-priced offering. The blame in this case is shared mostly between the manufacturer (for not caring about the blemishes) and the customer (for shopping mostly on price, i.e. manufacturers will cater to the price demand and cut any needed corners to achieve that). The retailer selling that is mostly a middleman. Yes, some middlemen retailers step up, sometimes above and beyond, but not all of them do and it's certainly not the retailer's responsibility to provide quality control for the manufacturer.

Originally Posted by knapper

It may also be worth noting that up until this point, I was a regular customer there and I am within 35 minutes of the door. This wasn't a one off purchase, I have spent thousands there over the years. Does that make me special? Nope, but when it comes to supporting the community and locals, I would have thought there would be a little more grace involved.

I wasn't gonna comment on that, but seeing as this gets several Thanks I will. I suppose you are asking for preferential treatment for your endowed contribution to the success of the business? Tough luck for the schmuck who bought the same wing and has the same issue but that was his first purchase, I guess.

[villainous_frx]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

I wasn't gonna comment on that, but seeing as this gets several Thanks I will. I suppose you are asking for preferential treatment for your endowed contribution to the success of the business? Tough luck for the schmuck who bought the same wing and has the same issue but that was his first purchase, I guess.

My thanks was actually in relation to this part of his post specifically.

Does that make me special? Nope, but when it comes to supporting the community and locals, I would have thought there would be a little more grace involved.

but since you're the internet warrior here you can win

[Wally86]

Originally Posted by knapper

Agree to disagree I guess. The responses were rude and unprofessional.

I don't think its wrong for me to want a product that works as intended. I didn't ask for a refund, or any special deals, I just want a product that I paid for. One that is free from defects and can be installed on the car.

My only mistake was not taking my car out of winter storage, and installing it when it was first ordered. It's -30 degrees here for much of the winter, and no way to properly install the wing given those temperatures, which I guess is my fault and mistake.

I bet if you had drawn the issues to their attention in the 30 day period they state on their site, your experience would have been completely different.

[TommyW]

5 months after receiving a product is way too long a timeframe to file a complaint. The only comment I would have is the vendor could have used a bit softer language.