I looked into it earlier on in the waiting process. According to my bank Visa has a stipulation that only covers the credit back within the first 90 days. I blew past that long ago so I was stuck. I wasn't planning on going that route since during that period I was told they were going to be delivered every other day. By the time they came I was well outside that window.

Greg, it was a half up front "sale deal ". I paid the balance when Jon charged my card for the remaining half indicating that they were shipping. According to driverz, Fikse shipped someone else's wheels instead of mine. Still five weeks later, no wheels.

Update as of Friday- no replacement wheel yet. Called driverz but no response there so I called Fikse. Spoke with Allen and he explained that they were forced to make a new wheel since the anodizing wouldn't cooperate. FWIW, Allen was very apologetic and forthcoming. He explained where the failure was and I believe he was sincere when he said he would do what he could to get me my wheel. They will be sold upon its arrival.

Well -- sadly -- the way I see it -- neither seller nor manufacturer has done what's right for YOU. And I'd let what's been said - and the ACTIONS (or non-actions) speak for themselves. Buyer beware.

I've owned and operated large wholesale companies.... we ALWAYS interceded on the behalf of the customer. When you don't do that as a company - you loose customers. And you loose the honor of your word. I don't think either of these companies are that big that you should have fallen through the cracks...

I once had a 20' container of much needed goods actually fall off the ship... it was critical that our customers get the merchandise they ordered or loose the season... We air freighted replacements of those goods directly to the customer (from England!) at a HUGE expense... But the larger expense would have been to lose those customers, and suffer the secondary loses in the marketplace of being branded a company that couldn't deliver.

Once they had your money - they had you over a barrel...

I always made dang sure my salespeople understood that getting a customer was easy - and making a sale was easy... The reputation was made AFTER the sale and when things went to poo in a hand basket. How it gets handled is what really counts and what is remembered long after the sale.

Nopant68, Friday was a bad day for us at the shop and I apologize for not getting back to you. Jon had to pick a car up in Simi Valley and I was stuck at a dentist getting some teeth pulled.

We are all over Fikse pushing and pushing to get all our outstanding orders out the door. We are in contact with Fikse every single day getting updates and pushing and pushing. I can yell tell I am blue in the face but unfortunately it is not going to fix the giant mess we are stuck in. If you have questions, please call, email, or pm me and we can discuss what we need to do.

no mention on a cancelation fee???

c'mon Justin whats the deal?

I not sure what you are talking about in a cancellation fee. Give me a call on Monday and we can figure out a way to make you happy.

Greg well said!! I agree 100%

Wait how did this turn into me not trying to help Greg? David had a problem with his wheel, so I sent it back to Fikse to be refinished. It's not my fault they took extra time to fix it is it? Friday was a horrible day to get a hold of me, while most of the country enjoyed a day off, I put in a 12 hour day picking up a car in Simi and working like a dog. I did call and email Alan Friday morning about Dave's replacement wheel and received an email later that evening in return. And if you read the entire thread, us as a seller have tried very hard to keep every Fikse customers of ours as much in the loop as possible. We've even switched a few of the pending orders to other wheels to help get them rolling in the next 4 weeks.

This Fikse thing is going to be the death of me.... Everyone's going to forget how hard we've worked for you all over the past 5 yrs, and remember us as the dealer who went out of business because they couldn't absorb all the chargebacks when A manufacturer they sold didn't deliver on time.

I quit. I just can't make everyone happy fast enough anymore.

Jon,

I think it is clear you definitely ARE working very hard to keep your customers happy. I just think Fikse is working harder trying to disappoint your customers. If it were me I would not take one more order for a Fikse wheel. When you clear your books of this mess, I would be done with them. You work too hard to have them take you down! Hang in there! :thumbsup:

I'm one of Jon's customers that jumped ship on Fikse and went with Forgelines. Driverz Inc. handled everything for me. The only hard time I had was picking another wheel has I liked as much as the one I cancelled my order on. I spend almost an entire day running around SEMA like a mad man looking at the wheel/tire combo on every first gen there. JCG's Project Blue Balls helped me close the deal on going Forgeline. Ended up ordering the new GZ3 which is similar to the ZX3 on Blue Balls but different enough I didn't feel like a copy cat.

Really? I got a letter from you guys Friday saying you were hitting me with a $1k restocking/shipping fee, and sure enough, my credit card was ran for the amount in the letter on Nov. 8.

Yes, I'm one of the two people Jon mentioned earlier that canceled their order. Pretty sure I know who the other guy is, too (heh, we have a PM/email support group for all the people that got in on this deal); if it's the same guy I'm thinking of, he was fed up with the run around and put in a dispute via his CC, and they responded by trying to immediately send him 3 wheels ... the 4th I suppose was to be sent later on when it was finished. I'm assuming he wasn't ok with that.

I wish no ill-will on the DriverzInc/Fikse people. If Fikse wasn't running so far behind, I think my experience with DriverzInc would have been very positive. They seemed very knowledgeable and friendly, and were reasonably responsive when I would check it with my order (although I never got any information that was of any real value). Problem was I, along with everyone else, was told again and again 'any day now' or 'just 1 more week', when that was never the case. One of my first calls I talked to Justin and mentioned seeing that NoPants waited 16 weeks for his, and if I should expect the same on my wheels. He told me people will say all kinds of stuff on the internet. I guess we know now who was blowing smoke and who was telling it like it was. All I want was someone to be honest with me; I know the vendors are in a tough spot when stuff like this happens, but the answer is not to just tell people what they wanted to hear and hide behind 'but that's what the manf. is telling me' crap. When the early orders were taking 4 months, you guys should have been contacting folks and setting their expectations accordingly - at least telling them that was a possibility instead of 'just a few more days'.

Anyway, I ordered at the end of June. There is a limit on how long you have recourse on charges, and I didn't want to be on the hook for $3k+ if something crazy happens like Driverz or Fikse goes belly up before my order is fulfilled. Seen it happen plenty of times, and the latest update I had heard from Driverz was that Fikse suffered an equipment malfunction on the machine that makes the hoops (I'm seeing other excuses posted in the public forums for the delay, but I haven't seen this one?). Anyway, I told my bank I still wanted the wheels if Driverz will come through with their latest estimate for shipping them. Bank calls me back several days later we conferenced in Jon to see where we are at on things. He says no worries, the wheels are shipping today. I said great, just send me proof, and I told my bank rep that I would consider this matter resolved if they get me a tracking number. Jon forwards me an email from Fikse later that day where they say they are shipping my order, but there is no tracking number. I replied that I needed a tracking number. John says there is no tracking number, it shipped freight and it will be 5 days before it gets to us. He then said he will get a copy of the shipping documents. 5 days pass and I never heard anything back from him. I then told Jon I haven't heard a peep from you guys, forget the shipping docs because you already have my wheels, right? Nope! These are coming from Canada, and it could take several more days. I say send me a scan of the shipping documentation (you know, the one that was promised to me last week) today please. He gave me a sarcastic 'sure, I'll call up Canada! I just got back from driving all over So. Cal picking up wheels' ... WTF, you were supposed to be calling Fikse this whole time to check in on our orders, you even told me the week before that you'd get a scan of the waybill, but suddenly its some impossible task because you've had a busy morning driving around (keep in mind this is only like 2pm in the afternoon for him)? By this point I've reached my breaking point, called the bank and said I no longer want to deal with these jokers, please cancel the order.

And through all of this, somehow the customer is at fault and you need to slap them with a $1k restocking fee? This was already the worst buying experience I've ever had BEFORE the cancelation fee - way to raise the bar.

removed.

Justin,

You think that makes what you guys did ok?

Regardless, the bank should have notified you guys the day I canceled the charge, which was a week before you guys got them. I told them about my last correspondence with Jon, where he was disrespectful and made it clear he had no intention of following through with his promise to send the shipping documentation. The bank agreed to follow up with you guys and was placing the call to you right then and there (again, a full week before they shipped) - I told them I felt I was no longer on speaking terms with Driverz and didn't want to be conferenced in on the call, and they said fine, we'll take care of it.

Alan at Fikse is handling this now, he originally took the order. Danny is no longer with Fikse.

Let me know what happens please.

Eddie,

I am not looking to get into a argument with you on the forums. I was not on the phone the last time Jon and yourself spoke so I can not comment on the conversation. I know he was trying to get some kind of proof of the shipment from Fikse who had to contact their freight company. We received the wheels and assumed we were all on the same page with the previously discussed time frame and shipped the wheels to you. You nor your bank ever contacted us and let us know you had charged back the wheels. We shipped them out to you, and only found out they had been charged back when they were returned to us. Eddie you act as if we were holding you wheels ransom. We are up Fikses rear trying to get everyone their wheels. We do not make these wheels, we extended the sales price, did all the custom fitment, and in the end had to eat several thousand dollars because Fikse ran behind and we were unable to get a freight company to send us proof of shipment.

guys , im sure Bayliss is reading these threads ,,

how about telling your side of the story Alan instead of Jon & Justin taking all the heat.

id like to know from either partys , were orders held back until a 'quota' was reached ?

In that 'quota' was there a deal for free shipping from fikse to driverz?

:yes:

I'm not arguing, only posting my experience in this mess and venting here. If you think I'm acing like Driverz was holding my wheels hostage, then you're missing my point entirely.

I feel sorry for Jon and Justin..You guys just need to stick with companies with better turnaround time and keep doing what you do. It's not worth the headache and loss of many potential customers .

Thanks Jon and Justin:thumbsup: , got my Fikse's bout 3weeks ago, just now waiting on my DSE quadra to come in so I can put on my 18x12 race black profile 5s...:woot:

Jon

I called Alan at Fikse to get to the bottom of this as this can't continue on this path.

I got several things from that call, including that there are only 4 sets of wheels in dispute. There have been issues with both Driverz and Fikse on these orders, it's far from one side being to blame.

I'm not going to publicly state all the details, but ultimately, Alan said if anyone is having problems with their orders, he invites them to call their dealer and have the do a conference call with Fikse as so all 3 parties are on the same page.

Scott, give us a call.

Sorry -- but nobody would have had to eat anything if the customer was given the right shipping timeframe at the BEGINNING of the process. Let them decide if they're willing to pay up front and wait 20 weeks for their stuff. Given that simple info - you wouldn't be playing this out via a forum.
I, for one, love it when stuff comes "early" when I expect it between now and never... And then I tell people "yeah! and they shipped my stuff early" -- like I was "special"! LOL

Like i previously asked the question...

were orders held back until a 'quota' was reached?
this can make a huge difference between 2 months and 4 months wait time.

and when the said numbers are reached is there a deal from fikse to driverz for free freight??????? :yes:

did anyone get charged for this?

Driverz Inc has sold quite a few sets of our wheels in a short time. We appreciate this very much. We are working together to get all of the late (and new) orders completed and shipped as soon as possible. I had a discussion with Jon today regarding his and your orders and we will be happy to discuss each of your orders via conference call with each of you. Please call Driverz and they will set up a conference call with me.

seems no-one will answer this publicaly ??

It was never advertised as a group purchase, and don't believe it was set up as one without us knowing.

As far as the cost of shipping between the manufacture the retainer who cares. We knew the price we were paying up front. The business arrangement between manufacture and retailer isn't the end users business. You are paying x amount for your wheels whether driverz inc paid shipping from fikse or not.

Remember this was't a driverz inc exclusive sale. All fikse dealers offered this deal.

not true ,, the freight charge was added on the invoice after the initial cost of rims was given.. so when i/we pay over $800 shipping 'on top' of this to get our rims to other destinations we do care. It brings these up to around the $5g mark.

as far as a group purchase,, you believe what you like ..
what im getting at here is that if orders are 'held back' so to get the free shipping deal it can add a lot of weeks to the date when the order was first placed & paid for. so who pays ,, us as purchasers with longer wait times and an extra charge.

I tried to deal with Fikse initially but got jerked around by alan ,who was not willing to ship direct to me , then no reply to my emails several times. After i brought it up on lat G i was contacted by Danny who set things right in the end..and as i still wanted these rims i went thru Jon/Justin as i have dealt with them before and I got a response when i needed.
overall my experience hasnt been too great from start to "yet to be' finish

Gavin, there was not a quota that had to be met. Orders were placed as they were received. Customers who were quoted the free shipping were giving free shipping regardless if we had to pay and have the shipping expedited to fulfill obligations. Orders were not held back.

Greg, if we would have know the build time was going to extend the way it has, we would have let customers know in the beginning. There is no smoke and mirrors.

All of our customers have been contacted and are up to date with the situation, except for Gavin from AU. Gavin if you could give us a call at the shop I would appreciate it.

Justin , im at work and cant phone the US at the moment

Gavin, I only have an international number for you. If there is another number that is easier to call or a specific time you need me to be available, please PM me and let me know.

Here's what we've done, so everyone that is INVOLVED with an order is in the know. If you are not involved, butt out, you're not helping anyone. Spend your infinite free time elsewhere.

Alan and I talked today. We are working together to make everyone who ordered a set of wheels and is still waiting taken care of, and here are your options.


Option 1:
For outstanding orders, that need to be delivered, you either have already, or will be getting a phone call from Justin or I by tomorrow at the latest. If you are willing to agree to a mutually acknowledged build time moving forward by Fikse, and us, I have a contract for you to sign stating that you are willing to wait said time for your order to be completed from the date it is signed.

This protects US moving forward. I am not going to let what happened with Eddie happen again... no one should stay quiet, not verbally cancel their order, and then when the wheels show up on their door step, send them back to us with a "no thanks, **** you very much". Like I said, I can't absorb that. It's happend 3 times now, and it will be the end of us.

Option 2:
Forgeline has agreed to match the sale price on any of our outstanding orders, and build the wheels in a 4 week period if a powder coated center and polished outer is ordered, and any wheel in their "performance series" is an option. We will also price match any open order in a NewGen wheel, that is a standard finish, i.e., a powder coated center, and chrome outer. 2 customers have already made this move.

I am also pointing out that Dave, the original poster talked to Alan on Friday, and also heard from me first thing this morning in regards to the finish on his wheel he sent back to be re-done.

I'm going to cordially ask that all individuals that are not involved with this deal, or are not a moderator, mind your own business, you have no idea what has happened between us, Fikse, and our customers, and you shoudn't be involved.

We're working hard here for you guys, and to continue doing what we love and pay the bills. Thanks to everyone who has actually called and encouraged us.

Yeah, that attitude oughta help with future business.

I did not jerk you around. Danny was incorrect and should have verified this information with me before contradicting me. The corporate poilicy for our company is for all international orders are paid in full at the acceptance of the order. We do not accepet credit cards for any orders that are shipped outside of USA or Canada. It is typical for us to ship to your nearest airport if shipping overseas. This is because it is about half the cost to ship to you directly.
Regarding any arrangements between the manufacturer and dealer, this is strictly between those two parties.

I edited that final sentence. I'm under a LOT of stress regarding this, and I have two sets of wheels that are ready to ship but require me to get back there and put tires on them, and I've called and talked to each and every pending order from this Fikse debacle. Monitoring this thread and making sure it didn't get blown out of proportion isn't making it any easier, and keeping me from shipping other customer's products which is not good. Take it as you will, and to guys who know me know I like to work hard and move forward and enjoy my job... right now, I'm not.