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Aussie_T100
Tappet Rattle
Joined: 04 Nov 2010
Posts: 443
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 Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:35 pm Post subject: Pinwall and freight costs |
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Same story with almost every purchase I've made from Pinwall's eBay store but here's the latest installment. I purchased a set of Bonneville 865 barrels & pistons "Buy it Now" for US$250 and promptly received the following invoice through eBay:-
I considered the freight charge of over US$140 to be excessive based on some calculations and a visit to the USPS site so I e-mailed Pinwall complaining that a true and reasonable freight charge would be closer to US$100. Here is their response:-
Note the statement that the parcel weighs 19 pounds. A set of 865 barrels & pistons weighs exactly half that so they are saying that the packing materials weigh 9 1/2 pounds by themselves which is ridiculous so I e-mailed them again stating that I considered the 19 pounds figure not to be "factual" and that a realistic total shipping weight would be closer to 12 to 14 pounds at the very most. I also specifically asked if it was possible to ship by a cheaper method. Here is their response:-
Must be pretty heavy foam huh? I responded stating that I appreciated their careful packaging but still doubted the total weight of the package being 19 pounds. I asked if it was possible to keep the shipping weight down and if it was possible to ship via a cheaper method. Here is their response:-
Finally I get more than a four word reply and they reveal that they are only guessing the shipping weight but they make no offer to accurately cost the freight only to refund me if their guess is inaccurate and I am "grossly overcharged". The shipping method they are using is the cheapest they can offer. Here is my reply:-
I then paid for the item.
Today the shipment arrived, here is a copy of the packing slip:-
Note that the shipping method is USPS Priority Mail International and that the shipping weight is 12 pounds. So I measured and weighed the package myself:-
The package measured 16" x 10" x 10 1/2" and weighed just under 12 pounds so off to the USPS site I go and do a freight calculation. Here's the result:-
US$75 to US$80 depending on payment method. I do suspect that Pinwall would get a better rate than that considering the amount of overseas shipping they do but let's call it US$75.
Now they also have material costs for packaging:-
A medium sized light weight cardboard carton, some expanding foam and a bit of plastic sheeting, probably no more than US$5 in total when purchased in bulk which I assume they do.
Now they also have labour costs to actually package the item and administration costs to fill out the paperwork etc. Let's say half an hour and allow US$20 to cover that.
So the total cost of the shipment is around US$100 exactly as I stated in my first e-mail to them. Now it's up to me to go back and argue the point with them to try and get a refund for the difference.
Not the way to do business I would think and to deliberately lie about the weight of the package in order to justify the high shipping price is inexcusable. To make things worse this is not the first time I've had to go through this process.
Buyer beware. |
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Aussie_T100
Tappet Rattle
Joined: 04 Nov 2010
Posts: 443
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| Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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Well I've sent off a request for a refund so we'll see how they respond:-
| Quote: | Dear pinwall_cycle_parts,
I received this shipment today - Thank You. The item was exactly as described, the shipping was prompt and the item was well packaged. This otherwise excellent transaction has been spoiled by an excessive freight charge and poor communication. I was told that the package weighed 19 pounds yet its true shipping weight was only 12 pounds as per the packing slip. I was charged US$141.55 for freight yet a visit to the USPS site reveals that a package of that size and weight costs only US$75 to ship to Australia. Allowing for material and labor costs a realistic freight charge for this item would be closer to US$100 exactly as I stated in my first e-mail to you regarding the excessive freight charge on the invoice for this item. Considering all of the above I feel that I have been overcharged by US$40 for freight on this item and ask that you remedy this prior to my leaving feedback for the item. Thank You. |
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Churchy
superstar
Joined: 17 Mar 2007
Posts: 3647
Location: The Druit
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| Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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Pinwalls and freight cost
Postage does seem to be the main problem with them.
Other comments re Pinwalls (Click Here)
Wonder how they cost the U.S buyers ?
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Last edited by Churchy on Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:17 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Aussie_T100
Tappet Rattle
Joined: 04 Nov 2010
Posts: 443
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| Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Churchy wrote: |
Postage does seem to be the main problem with them.
Wonder how they cost the U.S buyers ? |
Shipping cost has always been a problem with Pinwall as you say, I've had one shipment cost US$250 in freight and the next shipment of the same size & weight cost US$400 in freight. On another occasion after I had paid their invoice, which included a US$400 freight component, they sent me a request for a further US$250 because they had "under estimated the freight cost". I ignored their request as I considered the original charge was already too high and the goods were shipped without further communication or monies being paid.
I can perfectly understand that they have to cover their costs - no argument there - but they are repeatedly overcharging for, and no doubt making a handsome profit from, the shipping alone. I'm sure that very few buyers challenge their freight costs but I'm equally sure that most buyers feel they are getting ripped off and that must be hurting their business. I know it has virtually stopped me buying from them and I used to spend several thousand dollars a year with them.
If they need to make more money in this business why don't they just increase the prices of their parts accordingly instead of trying to do it stealthily by overcharging on freight. |
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Aussie_T100
Tappet Rattle
Joined: 04 Nov 2010
Posts: 443
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| Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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To date I have received no response at all to my e-mail requesting a refund of US$40 due to overcharging on freight and as a result I have left negative feedback for this transaction citing a 50% overcharge on freight, the false info on the parcel weight and the ignorance of communications as the reasons.
I very much doubt that I will ever deal with this company again. |
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Aussie_T100
Tappet Rattle
Joined: 04 Nov 2010
Posts: 443
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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Well they were a day too late, I received this e-mail this morning 24 hours AFTER leaving negative feedback:-
| Quote: | Dear xxxxxxxx,
I am sorry for the inconvenience. I have credited your paypal account $45.93 for the shipping.
Thank you and please let me know if I can help you further.
Jaime, customer service
Pinwall Cycle Parts, Inc
635 Third Street NW
Massillon, Ohio 44647
(330) 879-9910 ext. 501
www.pinwallcycle.com
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Now I'm left to ponder if this is in response to my leaving negative feedback or if they were just slow responding to my e-mail requesting a refund. I did give them 6 days to respond before leaving the feedback which I think is more than sufficient time for any business to respond to a customer communication.
As I've said earlier this is not the way to do business, it should not be up to customers to chase refunds after the fact. Pinwall should be charging the correct freight right from the start and thus avoiding this negative impact on their business. |
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Aussie_T100
Tappet Rattle
Joined: 04 Nov 2010
Posts: 443
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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For completeness here is my response:-
| Quote: | Dear pinwall_cycle_parts,
Thank you for finally putting things right. Unfortunately your response was 24 hours too late to avoid me leaving negative feedback for this item. This whole process has been publicly documented here:-
http://musicswap.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=2447
It should be obvious to you that shipments should be packed and weighed, so that an accurate shipment charge can be calculated, PRIOR to sending the buyer an invoice. The practice of estimating freight costs and applying those (high) estimates to the invoice is causing you to lose business not just from myself but others as well. It should not be up to buyers to chase a refund after the fact.
- xxxxxxxxxx |
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