Anyone Else Waiting an Eternity on an Expensive Wheel Order?(AFTER 1/2 YEAR, RESOLVED
11-09-03, 07:50 AM
#46
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My friends:
I can’t thank you all enough for your input. Your comments, even those with a more tolerant opinion of the frustration of this ordeal, helped me more than you can know. This site became therapeutic for me because your overwhelming support and the ultimate intervention by iFORGED validated the fact that “I’m not the crazy one.”
I have good news to report: as I mentioned previously, iFORGED saw my postings on this site. One of their representatives, Vincent, contacted me and provided an accurate status on my wheels. My wheels were shipped Friday, I have a valid tracking number, and they are expected to arrive Monday. I am as excited as a child on Christmas morning, and will again (last time was a hoax by the retailer) take the day off to take receipt of them, so I can get them waxed and mounted ASAP.
Our discussion in this thread focused on our expectations (as consumers) of realistic projections/timelines with regard to delivery of the product, and (as in any relationship), the need for communication; especially when the projected timeline is obliterated by the passing of time, or some idiosyncrasy occurs in the manufacturer’s or subcontractor’s normal process. With regard to timeliness, iFORGED has made an accommodation to me as a result of the delay, and RE the communication aspect, Vincent transformed the deafening silence that followed a never-ending succession of failed promises, into regular and sincere dialogue. iFORGED has in essence assumed the role of primary POC, for any issue, as well as for all communication, and all is now well in that regard.
As I mentioned in my written communications to both the FL-based retailer and iFORGED in the past, I could handle the wait; as adults we learn life is full of complications and things do not always work out as planned. However, its realistic timelines, as well as regular and honest communications that we as consumers expect and deserve. Vincent has now delivered on both counts, and while I was skeptical to the point that I would not “believe” this time until I had a tracking number, I am now hopeful that Vincent’s assistance and the ultimate delivery of my wheels will make it all worthwhile.
The tires have been re-ordered and may not make it to the dealer until Tuesday, but you can rest assured that I will follow-up with comments and photos. Again, you have my deepest appreciation for your support…
jjc01
I can’t thank you all enough for your input. Your comments, even those with a more tolerant opinion of the frustration of this ordeal, helped me more than you can know. This site became therapeutic for me because your overwhelming support and the ultimate intervention by iFORGED validated the fact that “I’m not the crazy one.”
I have good news to report: as I mentioned previously, iFORGED saw my postings on this site. One of their representatives, Vincent, contacted me and provided an accurate status on my wheels. My wheels were shipped Friday, I have a valid tracking number, and they are expected to arrive Monday. I am as excited as a child on Christmas morning, and will again (last time was a hoax by the retailer) take the day off to take receipt of them, so I can get them waxed and mounted ASAP.
Our discussion in this thread focused on our expectations (as consumers) of realistic projections/timelines with regard to delivery of the product, and (as in any relationship), the need for communication; especially when the projected timeline is obliterated by the passing of time, or some idiosyncrasy occurs in the manufacturer’s or subcontractor’s normal process. With regard to timeliness, iFORGED has made an accommodation to me as a result of the delay, and RE the communication aspect, Vincent transformed the deafening silence that followed a never-ending succession of failed promises, into regular and sincere dialogue. iFORGED has in essence assumed the role of primary POC, for any issue, as well as for all communication, and all is now well in that regard.
As I mentioned in my written communications to both the FL-based retailer and iFORGED in the past, I could handle the wait; as adults we learn life is full of complications and things do not always work out as planned. However, its realistic timelines, as well as regular and honest communications that we as consumers expect and deserve. Vincent has now delivered on both counts, and while I was skeptical to the point that I would not “believe” this time until I had a tracking number, I am now hopeful that Vincent’s assistance and the ultimate delivery of my wheels will make it all worthwhile.
The tires have been re-ordered and may not make it to the dealer until Tuesday, but you can rest assured that I will follow-up with comments and photos. Again, you have my deepest appreciation for your support…
jjc01
11-09-03, 10:29 AM
#47
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Thats awesome that it is all going to work out. It is also good that IFORGED stepped up to the plate and didn't run away from the problem. That deserves a 
. Hope you can get some sleep between now and then because once you put them on you won't want to stop driving. Goodluck and post pics!
. Hope you can get some sleep between now and then because once you put them on you won't want to stop driving. Goodluck and post pics!
11-09-03, 08:11 PM
#50
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It's the PRINCIPLE. If I tell someone I am picking them up at 7 and show up at 9, what would they think. Now imagine I am a Taxi driver, getting PAID to pick you up at 7, I come at 9 and say "oh there was traffic, delays etc".
BULLCRAP. That is not the paying consumers fault. Either deliver what WAS PROMISED AND CHARGED for in the time frame stated or extend the time frame. I am on countless boards and its not just Lexus owners.
Funny but I forged (which is a lower cost alternative to HRE) has longer wait times. HRE costs more but has top notch customer service. TIme is money, no? Do they then cost the same?
I think we deserve the BEST and maybe we need our own representative from select companies b/c we have a lot of people ordering from the same places.
A discount too.
BULLCRAP. That is not the paying consumers fault. Either deliver what WAS PROMISED AND CHARGED for in the time frame stated or extend the time frame. I am on countless boards and its not just Lexus owners.
Funny but I forged (which is a lower cost alternative to HRE) has longer wait times. HRE costs more but has top notch customer service. TIme is money, no? Do they then cost the same?
I think we deserve the BEST and maybe we need our own representative from select companies b/c we have a lot of people ordering from the same places.
A discount too.
11-15-03, 07:21 AM
#51
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Friends:
I have been released from my straightjacket after demonstrating I can remain calm despite the complications life threw at my wheel situation last Monday… As you may remember, Vince from IFORGED had become personally engaged and helped me. My wheels were shipped, scheduled for delivery last Monday, I took the afternoon off from work to receive and wax them a couple of times, then get them to the tire dealer for mounting the following day. When the UPS truck arrived I was waiting at the curb before it could come to a complete stop, and when the rear door opened a surge of excitement coursed through my veins as I spotted the boxes with the wheels. My enthusiasm quickly turned to fear however when I noted only three of the four boxes on the truck.
After getting past the “I don’t load the truck so I don’t know about the other box” piece, and refusing to take delivery, the driver sent an email to his boss and the other drivers who worked the area around my neighborhood, and within a couple of minutes he drove off to get the fourth box from the other driver. He returned a short time later, asked if the fourth wheel had been delivered, I said no, and then he assured me it was coming any second. I still refused to take delivery and when an hour had elapsed after he drove off I called the local UPS office. After telling me the wheels had been delivered, and accepting my word they had not, they told me they would research it further and call me back. At 6:00PM that evening, UPS called, acknowledged there had been some confusion over the fourth wheel’s delivery as a result of the email the UPS driver sent out, indicated they had checked the plant and all the trucks and didn’t know where the fourth wheel was, but promised they would look for it all night and call me in the morning.
I called them the following morning and no one there knew anything about my issue. After briefing from the beginning, my new UPS action-rep said she’d search the trucks and had no doubt the wheel would show that morning. She changed the deliver status from “ground” to overnight so when they located the wheel, it would be delivered ASAP. In the meantime I accepted delivery of the other three wheels. Approx 10:00AM Tuesday, she called me back, asked me if I was sitting down, and in essence, told me they had blown it. Apparently, the box the wheel was shipped in had been damaged by UPS to the point they couldn’t read the “to” or “from” information, so they took the wheel out of the box (after it was placed in another truck and allowed to slide around another delivery truck the day before), determined it to be damaged, and shipped it off to Salt Lake City, UT (very early that morning) for last rites. Needless to say, this was so unbelievable to me it was surreal. I was more angry at UPS than I can describe, but there was nothing that I could do, and at least they were being honest with me at that point.
I talked to Vince and IFORGED started manufacturing me a new wheel immediately. Initially, I wasn’t going to open the boxes with the other three wheels because I had always feared having to wait for a replacement, but I made the mistake of peeking into the boxes to examine them and I totally lost all sense of logic and control immediately because those wheels are stunningly beautiful. I waxed each one three times, and wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t admit I placed one of them on a table (between me and the TV) so I could look and admire it (as I occasionally changed the angle of my view) that entire evening. I know I’ve had my shared of complaints about what had led up to this point, but I’m telling you that these wheels are gorgeous!
The bottom line is that in many ways I’m kind of back to square one. I can’t really do anything with three wheels and today I have to go and explain my situation to the tire retailer who has special ordered the tires for me twice now. The good news is Vince has promised to get me the wheel ASAP, as well as to make a personal plea to expedite the process to the folks who chrome the wheels, as that is where the hold-up has been in the past. Meanwhile, I absolutely love the looks of the wheels, and as you may imagine, can’t wait to receive the fourth so I can get them mounted and strap them on my GS400. These are truly well manufactured, and stunningly beautiful wheels that I have been admiring like a fine piece of jewelry. At this point I anxiously await the moment where I will be admiring them from the vantage point for which they were designed, bolted to my Lexus…
I have been released from my straightjacket after demonstrating I can remain calm despite the complications life threw at my wheel situation last Monday… As you may remember, Vince from IFORGED had become personally engaged and helped me. My wheels were shipped, scheduled for delivery last Monday, I took the afternoon off from work to receive and wax them a couple of times, then get them to the tire dealer for mounting the following day. When the UPS truck arrived I was waiting at the curb before it could come to a complete stop, and when the rear door opened a surge of excitement coursed through my veins as I spotted the boxes with the wheels. My enthusiasm quickly turned to fear however when I noted only three of the four boxes on the truck.
After getting past the “I don’t load the truck so I don’t know about the other box” piece, and refusing to take delivery, the driver sent an email to his boss and the other drivers who worked the area around my neighborhood, and within a couple of minutes he drove off to get the fourth box from the other driver. He returned a short time later, asked if the fourth wheel had been delivered, I said no, and then he assured me it was coming any second. I still refused to take delivery and when an hour had elapsed after he drove off I called the local UPS office. After telling me the wheels had been delivered, and accepting my word they had not, they told me they would research it further and call me back. At 6:00PM that evening, UPS called, acknowledged there had been some confusion over the fourth wheel’s delivery as a result of the email the UPS driver sent out, indicated they had checked the plant and all the trucks and didn’t know where the fourth wheel was, but promised they would look for it all night and call me in the morning.
I called them the following morning and no one there knew anything about my issue. After briefing from the beginning, my new UPS action-rep said she’d search the trucks and had no doubt the wheel would show that morning. She changed the deliver status from “ground” to overnight so when they located the wheel, it would be delivered ASAP. In the meantime I accepted delivery of the other three wheels. Approx 10:00AM Tuesday, she called me back, asked me if I was sitting down, and in essence, told me they had blown it. Apparently, the box the wheel was shipped in had been damaged by UPS to the point they couldn’t read the “to” or “from” information, so they took the wheel out of the box (after it was placed in another truck and allowed to slide around another delivery truck the day before), determined it to be damaged, and shipped it off to Salt Lake City, UT (very early that morning) for last rites. Needless to say, this was so unbelievable to me it was surreal. I was more angry at UPS than I can describe, but there was nothing that I could do, and at least they were being honest with me at that point.
I talked to Vince and IFORGED started manufacturing me a new wheel immediately. Initially, I wasn’t going to open the boxes with the other three wheels because I had always feared having to wait for a replacement, but I made the mistake of peeking into the boxes to examine them and I totally lost all sense of logic and control immediately because those wheels are stunningly beautiful. I waxed each one three times, and wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t admit I placed one of them on a table (between me and the TV) so I could look and admire it (as I occasionally changed the angle of my view) that entire evening. I know I’ve had my shared of complaints about what had led up to this point, but I’m telling you that these wheels are gorgeous!
The bottom line is that in many ways I’m kind of back to square one. I can’t really do anything with three wheels and today I have to go and explain my situation to the tire retailer who has special ordered the tires for me twice now. The good news is Vince has promised to get me the wheel ASAP, as well as to make a personal plea to expedite the process to the folks who chrome the wheels, as that is where the hold-up has been in the past. Meanwhile, I absolutely love the looks of the wheels, and as you may imagine, can’t wait to receive the fourth so I can get them mounted and strap them on my GS400. These are truly well manufactured, and stunningly beautiful wheels that I have been admiring like a fine piece of jewelry. At this point I anxiously await the moment where I will be admiring them from the vantage point for which they were designed, bolted to my Lexus…
11-15-03, 07:56 AM
#52
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Wow what a devastating blow! It must have felt like you just got smashed with a sledgehammer huh? Well at least you have a nice centerpeice for the time being. Seriously though that sux there i snothing you can do just sit and wait and that is the worst part. I hope they can get you the 4th wheel asap and your long tramatic ordeal is over. Goodluck, keep us posted.
11-15-03, 08:45 AM
#53
i have a headache from just reading all that has happen 2 u...man i hope they get u that wheel as soon as possible, but i don't blame u 4 opening the boxes.. i would have opened them right away just 2 make sure they were in o.k. condition.well i'm glad u have at least 3 of the wheels...how about some pics?
11-15-03, 10:47 AM
#54
Super Moderator
I feel sorry reading what happened, Murphy's law 
Well, at least you can enjoy yourself just looking and admiring them. I would like to see pics of them too.Hope they get you a new one real soon.
Well, at least you can enjoy yourself just looking and admiring them. I would like to see pics of them too.Hope they get you a new one real soon.
11-15-03, 02:24 PM
#55
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I truly thought my head was going to explode!!! I have attached one photo of the 18 x 8 inch wheel and will follow with one of the 18 x 9" wheel. Please excuse the shadows caused by the palm frawns. I think they look great in the photos, but in reality, the photos don't even come close to accurately conveying the beauty of the sculpturing or workmanship...
11-15-03, 06:06 PM
#60
Originally posted by jjc01
The photo above is the 18 x 9" rim and this is the 18 x 8" for the front...
The photo above is the 18 x 9" rim and this is the 18 x 8" for the front...
is that chrome with a polished lip? or polish on polish...?