mail order hassle

[phoenixtexas]

Can anyone direct me to where you log complaints or remarks about mail order problems? I'm having trouble getting an order filled for my R1100R from a dealership, even though they have my money. Thanks.

[Cliffy777]

Well, are you doing it as a warning to others of us who might shop there? If so, then "Gear" might be a good choice. If you are trying to accomplish something else - like motivate the dealer - then you should complain to the chain of command at the dealership. (?)

[phoenixtexas]

Sincere appreciation. I'll go to "Gear" and post it there. The dealership is Sierra BMW, who claim my order "must have got lost in the mail" for some time, and UPS delivery will be triple the usual time because of the holidays. Problem is, UPS isn't aware of any delivery delays. I've gone thru this song and dance before. Nothing much to be done except vent and buy elsewhere in the future. Thanks for taking time to respond.

[dlearl476]

Sincere appreciation. I'll go to "Gear" and post it there. The dealership is Sierra BMW, who claim my order "must have got lost in the mail" for some time, and UPS delivery will be triple the usual time because of the holidays. Problem is, UPS isn't aware of any delivery delays. I've gone thru this song and dance before. Nothing much to be done except vent and buy elsewhere in the future. Thanks for taking time to respond.

Yes, in my experience, blaming UPS, USPS, or Fed-Ex is a favorite ploy of slacker companies. More likely someone forgot to actually put your stuff in a box, label it, and get it on a truck. The bloke who took your money just assumes it was done. As a rule, I'm pretty insistent on a tracking number the moment my card is charged. 99% of companies do it right, it's the 1% that makes everyone look bad.

I'd also like to add that I've had the best of luck ordering from Irv Seaver in LA. For me, it usually means < 2 day shipping and they don't take on BS "Shipping and Handling" charges. I pay postage, or UPS.

[dbrick]

Doesn't UPS use tracking numbers? You can go to the UPS website and find out where the errant package is, or whether (as I think you suspect) the dealer has not actually delivered the package to UPS. If the dealer can't provide you with a tracking number, I'd think that the item hasn't, in fact, begun its journey through the UPS system.

[Win3855]

I have used these guys twice Max (http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/fiche.asp) and have been very satified with service.

[BradfordBenn]

Actually you may want to zap a note to Hawk Hawthorn as he is in the process of fillingthe consumer liasion role and this would be part of that responsibility. If you paid by credit card, you may want to call the credit card company and ask them if they can assist. I have had to do that once or twice but both times it worked like a charm. It is amazing what happens when Visa or American Express calls on your behalf.

[kbasa]

Make them provide a UPS tracking number.

[phoenixtexas]

Thanks and appreciation for the tips. I didn't get a UPS tracking number, Sierra BMW didn't give me one. Guess I should e-mail back and ask for one. I will note that money orders can be also be tracked as to date and bank location where submitted for redemption. The money order date didn't match what the dealership told me. It's excellent customer protection, also saves time getting your cash back on a lost money order. I'm glad Win3855 is a happy camper, wish I was. As I mentioned, I've been thru this song and dance before with a couple of BMW dealers, kinda tired of it. Ironically, I mail ordered a helmet from JCWhitney (regular mail & money order) the same day as the Sierra order and got the helmet yesterday. Whitney isn't especially fast on delivery, but they have been the most reliable of any company I've ordered from, and once sent me a merchandise gift certificate for a delayed order that was their fault, plus some other good discounts on future purchases. Sierra doesn't seem to care whether you spend money with them or not.

[LeRoux Strydom]

I have purchased several items (on-line) from Sierra BMW, and will never do so again.

But not because they took my money, and didn't come up with the goods.
No. It's just that they did not send everything I asked for, and when the order arrived it was packed *very* poorly. It's amazing I got it at all. They never answered my e-mails, and never included a packing slip or credit card slip with my order. If goods were back-ordered or NLA, they did not tell me. As far as I'm concerned, they are a slip-shod outfit.

On the other hand, I can strongly recommend MAX BMW and BMW of Santa Cruz. These two dealers have given me exemplary service in every respect.

[frazz]

I'm thinking that it depends on a number of factors and is not ongoing in all cases (according to what's been posted, so far) :dunno
I just got an order from Sierra and it was packed nicely, contained everything I ordered and arrived 2 days ahead of another order made the same day from another vendor, in the same region, which provided me a UPS tracking number (UPS DID misroute it on it's way here, in this case, and reflected same on their web site)....so, I'm guessing it's just good or bad luck with a particular order.
Just my $.02, I could be wrong.

[phoenixtexas]

Thanks to all for putting their 2 cents' worth in. The package with my Battery Tender left Sierra on Nov. 23, the same day I started kicking up dust. FYI, a friend at UPS corporate said a lot of vendors these days don't actually keep a lot of inventory, although the customer is led to believe it's in stock so as not to miss a sale. When an order is placed with the vendor, i.e., Sierra, it is then relayed to the supplier who sends it back to the vendor, who then sends it to the customer. Any glitch, mucho delay, and the vendor just shrugs and says, "Sorry, that's the way it is." That seems to be the literal translation of "customer service" to some dealers.

[GlobalRider]

I'm having trouble getting an order filled for my R1100R from a dealership, even though they have my money. Thanks.


Why does the dealer have your money already if this was a mail order?

If you paid using a charge card, dispute the charge when you get the bill if the order hasn't come in yet.

[phoenixtexas]

Thanks for the contact. I had mailed Sierra a cash money order for the price of the Battery Tender and shipping in early November. After tracking the money order deposit and waiting about 2 weeks from that point, I politely contacted them via e-mail to find out where my order was. I was concerned since I hadn't heard a single word from them in that time, and they hadn't sent me a UPS tracking order. That's how all this got started. I used to use my AmEx card on internet orders, but got stung on a purchase once. Bottom line, it will be December before I have my Sierra order.

[GlobalRider]

I used to use my AmEx card on internet orders, but got stung on a purchase once.

How did you get stung?

Using a charge card is the safest way to do business because use of it, is part of the order you place and your order is a contract.

When I place an order, I state no backorders, how the order is to be shipped and only to charge my charge card when the order ships. I also ask for the tracking number. You'll get your order long before you get your charge card statement. If it doesn't apear by then, I file a dispute. Nice and simple. In 15 years, I've only had to do this once.

[knary]

:dunno

I'm sorry that you had a less than great experience. I've bought stuff from Sierra in the past without a hitch. I've also spent some time (too much?) in their dealership. It's a family run shop and the Swalls are *very* nice people who have always been very honest with myself and folks I know.

My guess?
Considering that you bought a battery tender, something they probably keep well in stock considering the popularity at this time of the year, I'd bet that it was being shipped straight from Sierra. So we've got you sending out a check, them then processing the transaction and getting the package handed over within what? a day or two of them receiving your check. This is after maybe getting through a weekend and that motorcycle shops aren't always open during 'regular business hours'. Then you sit and wait for UPS to do what they don't always do that well - ship the product - as we enter the holiday shipping vortex. On top of this, you, I assume, placed the order by phone. This means that you have, in a sense, been waiting for the product the moment you placed that call, even though there was a bunch of stuff in between, including you sending that money order.

Translation of above rambling guess: no one is really to blame. Just a mish mash of circumstances.

p.s. if I'm buying something from a remote location, I *always* use a credit card. It gives you purchase protection and a much faster transaction.

p.p.s. I'm just another riding enthusiast. Not a representative of Sierra BMW. blah blah blah

[phoenixtexas]

Just got back into town and saw your question. I got stung on a "free computer, you pay only shipping" scam my teenager talked me into since we were gonna get him one anyway. Only the case, power supply and hard drive were free, everything else was extra and tacked onto my AmEx with the shipping, nearly $300. Since the computer was actually delivered, it was considered a valid sale. Plus, I began to get bombarded with related spam and regular mail crap, sometimes 3 or 4 a day. I use the money order/mail route on stuff I don't have to have immediately, also a good idea should you not want the government to know what you're buying...like ammo, reloaders, night vision & gps equipment, etc.

A finale finale if anyone else is interested. After my hassle with Sierra, I began checking out other BMW web suppliers. The good ones will tell you up front if the part is actually inventoried or will be drop shipped from a supplier resulting in a delay, letting you decide before placing your order. Many will offer a good discount on drop shipped parts, figuring that the customer will accept a short delay to get a good price on non-time-critical parts. A month's delay just ain't acceptable. Isn't this the way business ought to be done everywhere, not just BMW bike gear vendors?

[phoenixtexas]

Scott: Thanks for the input. Just saw your post. I don't have any hard feelings towards Sierra, and will be curious to see if my order is correct. Snafus happen, but the thing was, I didn't get any kind of acknowledgement or thank you for my order, a tracking number, nothing, from Sierra. I had sent them an e-mail notice that the money order was being mailed, and all they had to do was hit reply on their computer. Won't get the tender 'til December.

I have a nephew who works for the post office and a buddy who's an exec with UPS, so I can make a good estimate about transit times. Believe it or not, UPS delivers faster during the holidays than any other time of year, it's their bread and butter. See the post to Global Rider as to why I mostly use money orders via mail. I use my AmEx for orders to the BMW dealer in Dallas, and if I place an order Monday morning, I will have it on Tuesday or Wednesday no later than. Bob's BMW is also very fast with money orders, from the post office to my front door almost always in 10 business days. Bob's didn't have the tender in stock, that's why I placed my order with Sierra.

[knary]

Hopefully Sierra will take this information and improve their service. Again, though I don't live down there anymore, I did get to know the Swalls pretty well. Good people.

[GlobalRider]

Just got back into town and saw your question. I got stung on a "free computer, you pay only shipping" scam. Only the case, power supply and hard drive were free, everything else was extra and tacked onto my AmEx with the shipping, nearly $300. Since the computer was actually delivered, it was considered a valid sale.

Well shipping can't cost $300. Furthermore, a computer consists of a motherboard, etc, not just a case, PS and HD. I would have put a dispute in to AmEx and asked them to show me a signature. If the vendor wants to play dirty, I can play the same game.

[phoenixtexas]

As a finale, a good ending to the mail order hassle story. First, the battery tender finally arrived on Dec. 2, but that isn't the good ending. I ordered a set of new Dunlop tires from Motorcycle Accessories Warehouse on Monday afternoon (Nov. 28), and they arrived as promised today (Friday, Dec. 3) from either Indianapolis or Utah. MAW sent an e-mail with thanks for the order, along with another keeping me informed on tracking. Just wanted you all to know.