[Kev]

I'm usually very laid back but this is really pissing me off, BIG TIME. I have not had such a bad customer service experience since I have been on this board. This has to do with the attitude of MW Design and 3T Motorsport, aka Hamann USA. They managed to delay my order for months and still screwed up the order at the end. When asked about compensation for my wait, my inconvenience, and extra cost accrued to get that bumper fitted on my car, both parties turned a deaf ear and no one is returning my email. All they would offer is a 30% discount on future purchases. Who in the right mind would still order anything from these two companies provided they gave me this type of attitude?

Cliff Notes version of events: Ordered a Hamann NON-PDC front bumper in late April, promised 6 weeks delivery date, instead, took more than 4 months to deliver, and it was still the wrong bumper with PDC cutouts, asked for compensation, but all they offered is a future discount

My demand is very simple:

1. Cash compensation for the extra cost of running the dummy PDC plugs on my Hamann front bumper cover

OR

2. Full refund for the front bumper cover and side skirts that I ordered with the front bumper, with shipping paid for by the distributor or vendor

It's simply about what's the right thing to do for a stand up vendor / distributor.

Here's the full scope of the story:

Back in late April, I was interested in getting the new Hamann front bumper cover for the E92. Based on my previous good experience with Lewis @ MW Design, I decided to order the bumper cover with them again. I reiterated multiple times during our correspondence that I want the NON-PDC version of this bumper and asked him to check with Hamann USA for availability. His answer was affirmative. So, I put down a 50% deposit for the bumper cover on 4/23, but Lewis was on vacation, so he didn't get back to me until 5/5. Here is his response:

Originally Posted by Lewis@MWDesign

Kevin,

Attached is your invoice.

The bumper has been ordered last week and it will take 4-6 weeks to get the bumper to North America then about 5 days to get the bumper shipped to you.

Thanks again!

6 weeks come and go..... Guess what? No bumper. I needed to cancel my show appearance on 6/15 because of that. I tried to contact MW Design again. Here's his response:

Originally Posted by Lewis@MWDesign

Kevin,

The rep that was in charge of putting the stocking order at Hamann USA is currently in China and he won't be back into office until Friday. We have no means of getting an exact ETA for you until then.

I will also be in HK for 2 weeks starting Thursday so email replies might be slightly delayed but I will try my best to update you as soon as we hear anything.

Thanks.

Lewis Fan

Another month comes and goes, still no bumper. I was getting a little annoyed, and contacted MW Design yet again. Here's his reply:

Originally Posted by Lewis@MWDesign

Kev,

I was about to PM you while I was talking to Hamann USA on the phone expressing my concerns.

This is the last update we got from Hamann.

So I reckon ETA you are looking at around July 23rd onwards.

I have expressed our concerns for the 3 week delay and looking for an answer from Hamann Germany.

Thanks.

Lewis Fan

On 7/9, they sent me the Paypal invoice to pay for the remaining balance on the front bumper. I promptly paid for it expecting that the bumper will be here soon. Boy, was I wrong...... 4th year medical school started during that time, so I was busy and didn't get a chance to pay for the invoice until 7/20. Even then, there was no signs that the bumper actually arrived in the US.

Another month went by and the bumper finally arrived some time in early August. They claimed that it has to be transported from the Port of NY//NJ to SoCal for 3T / Hamann USA to inspect the bumper before they can ship it back to Boston to me. I'm fine with that arrangement as long as it arrives in one piece and it is the correct "NON-PDC" bumper that I ordered.

After the supposed "inspection", the bumper finally arrived at my friend's shop. Unfortunately, I was rotating through the surgical ICU during that time, I was not able to go down there to inspect it myself..... My bad.

I was finally able to go there to inspect it on 9/13. When I opened the box up, I immediately noticed something wrong with the bumper. It has, you guessed right, PDC CUTOUTs in the front bumper. Knowing the construction of these bumpers, using fiber glass to seal these holes and expect them to hold up over time is next to impossible. My only option, if I were to install the bumpers, were to run some PDC plugs in them. This added extra cost to my project. Also, I was astonished that 3T Motorsport spent all this money to have the unit shipped to SoCal to "inspect" it before sending it back to me in Boston. They apparently didn't notice or intentionally ignored the fact that this is not the bumper that I ordered and sent it to me regardless.

After that, I placed numerous emails to MW Design asking them to compensate me for the extra cost to fit the PDC plugs to the bumper cover and for the extra wait time that I have to endure. Initially, I didn't get a response, but then Lewis said that he forwarded my claim to Hamann USA. Here are his replies:

Originally Posted by Lewis@MWDesign

Kev

I got your PM and sent you a reply immediately but guess it didn't go through as I used the iPhone.

I emailed Hamanm USA as soon as I saw the reply and expressed our concerns accordingly.

They are looking into this and see if there are two versions of this bumper. If in fact they have two and it was their mistake they will look into some form of compensation as requested in our email.

We apologize for this and will keep you updated.

Best regards,

Lewis Fan

Originally Posted by Lewis@MWDesign

Kev,

I sent Hamann an email as soon as you notified me of this situation. Please read my email below.

We are looking for some sort of immediate compensation for my customer, we understand that mistakes do happen despite the long delays but we have to look after our customers in order to maintain a strong reputation with our clientele. We feel that if we do not offer him something immediate, it will be hard for us to secure future orders with this good customer of ours.

Please advise if you have anything in the warehouse we can send him along with a brief letter explaining the cause of this error.

Will keep you updated as soon as we get a reply from Hamann.

Thanks.

Lewis Fan

In his latest reply, he claimed to be the middle man and has very little pull in getting this matter resolved the way I wanted:

Originally Posted by Lewis@MWDesign

Kevin

I realize your frustraion but we had specified for a non PDC version. I have asked for money compensation from them as well but no luck, please understand we were the middle guys here. I want to get you maximum compensation as well but we have to work with what Hamann agrees to.

I have forwarded this email to Hamann and hope they will reply first thing Monday.

Best regards,

Lewis Fan

Lewis, I understand you are the middle man here and the profit margin is not great, but I would still expect the same level of customer satisfaction as if I were shopping for anything else. You can't just pass the ball onto 3T and pretend nothing has happened.

In response to the non-response of 3T Motorsport, I have drafted this email and sent it to them last night:

Originally Posted by Kev

Hello,

My name is Kev and I have ordered a Hamann front bumper for my BMW E92 335xi. I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the way my order was handled. First of all, it took 3T and MW 4 months to deliver the bumper to me, which is much longer than the initial ETA of 6-8 weeks. Secondly, when I placed the order, I have reiterated multiple times that I would like order the NON-PDC version of this bumper. I have been told by MW Design that 3T has contacted Hamann in Germany and confirmed that the bumper will be made to NOT include the PDC cutouts. However, when I opened up the box to inspect the bumper, to my surprise, I found 4 PDC cutouts on the front bumper. I am now faced with a dilemma. If I were to proceed with the install of this bumper, I would have to spend extra money to get dummy PDC plugs to fill the PDC cutouts on the bumper.

I have been told by MW Design multiple times that the front bumper will arrive in the Port of NY/NJ in late August. However, the bumper has to be shipped to SoCal to 3T Motorsport for "inspection" first to make sure that there are no damages before it can be sent back to me in Boston. If said "inspection" did occur in CA, why is the mistake not picked up by 3T Motorsport at that point? Why did you not make any effort to contact me or the vendor and inform us of this error? Instead, you proceeded to send this bumper out to me as if nothing was wrong.

Since I don't think I should be held responsible for something that is not ordered to my specification, I hereby demand either:

1. a FULL compensation in CASH for the cost to fit this bumper to my vehicle, including the cost of the dummy PDC plugs

OR

2. a FULL refund on the purchase price of the front bumper as well as the side skirts (I have no use of the side skirts if I'm not getting the front bumper), with shipping paid for by 3T Motorsport.

If I don't hear from you with a reasonable and satisfactory offer to resolve this by the end of of the business day (5:00pm EST) on October 6th, 2008, I will gladly post my experience with 3T Motorsport on major BMW forums as well as on my own BLOG.

Sincerely,



Kev

So far, no response from either MW Design of 3T Motorsport / Hamann USA. To stay true to my words in the email, I'm posting my ordeal on this board for everyone to see. If I don't get a response from them, I'll be posting in other major Bimmer forums as well. Friends, if you think that injustice has been done, feel free to forward this to other Bimmer forums.

On a side note, I had another Hamann order with a different vendor and it was delayed for 12 weeks. Instead of ignoring my requests, they immediately refunded my purchase, no question asked. Now, that's what I call great customer service and I know I'll be back to that vendor for my future needs.

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Hey man, I know this doesn't help, but I had the exact same problem with Hamann when I lived in Germany no less. I have their sideskirts on my car and they arrived to my house 5 weeks late. Everytime I asked about them, the vendor would keep telling me Hamann hasn't sent them yet.

I understand that you're really angry, but as I learned back then. Hamann is simply overrated. The fitment was shit, it's fiberglass so eventually it's going to crack if you had to do modifications, and they arrived late. I don't blame that poor guy(the vendor I used), he kept contacting them and asking about the skirts. I blame Hamann. Terrible company. I won't buy a damn thing from them ever again.

Believe me, I tried to get my money back, but once Hamann has the cash, it takes an act of god to get it back from them. I'm sorry you've had so many problems, but MW Design really is the middle man. All they really do is make the order and send the money to that shady company. Hamann is who you really want to be mad at.

Good luck with everything. Hope you get some level of satisfaction. I'm sure the bumper will look great on your car.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

Hey man, I know this doesn't help, but I had the exact same problem with Hamann when I lived in Germany no less. I have their sideskirts on my car and they arrived to my house 5 weeks late. Everytime I asked about them, the vendor would keep telling me Hamann hasn't sent them yet.

I understand that you're really angry, but as I learned back then. Hamann is simply overrated. The fitment was shit, it's fiberglass so eventually it's going to crack if you had to do modifications, and they arrived late. I don't blame that poor guy(the vendor I used), he kept contacting them and asking about the skirts. I blame Hamann. Terrible company. I won't buy a damn thing from them ever again.

Believe me, I tried to get my money back, but once Hamann has the cash, it takes an act of god to get it back from them. I'm sorry you've had so many problems, but MW Design really is the middle man. All they really do is make the order and send the money to that shady company. Hamann is who you really want to be mad at.

Good luck with everything. Hope you get some level of satisfaction. I'm sure the bumper will look great on your car.

I have two vendors to compare with, both of which I ordered Hamann parts from.

MW Design stated they can no longer help me when I asked for help because they sent me the WRONG part and it was delayed for 3 months than the original ETA.

Vendor B, which shall remain anonymous because I don't want to start a pissing match, ordered another Hamann part for me and it was delayed for more than 2 months than the original ETA. They didn't argue with me or anything. Instead, they issued me a full refund to my c/c right away.

I don't know if this is Hamann or the vendor.

In any case, the vendor is still making money on this transaction, regardless how small their profit margin is, they should still try to satisfy the customer's needs. Instead, they just raised the white flag and call it quits on me.

What's worse is that 3T Motorsport chose to ignore my email and demands. They are really the scum of the auto parts distributors....

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Originally Posted by Kev

I have two vendors to compare with, both of which I ordered Hamann parts from.

MW Design stated they can no longer help me when I asked for help because they sent me the WRONG part and it was delayed for 3 months than the original ETA.

Vendor B, which shall remain anonymous because I don't want to start a pissing match, ordered another Hamann part for me and it was delayed for more than 2 months than the original ETA. They didn't argue with me or anything. Instead, they issued me a full refund to my c/c right away.

I don't know if this is Hamann or the vendor.

In any case, the vendor is still making money on this transaction, regardless how small their profit margin is, they should still try to satisfy the customer's needs. Instead, they just raised the white flag and call it quits on me.

What's worse is that 3T Motorsport chose to ignore my email and demands. They are really the scum of the auto parts distributors....

Ah I see why you're so pissed. I mean delays happen, but the fact that you got the wrong part AND hand to pay extra to make it fit is bull. They should compensate you somehow. Any vendor who ignores a customer doesn't deserve business from the people on this website or any other site. And to think, I was saving to get a M-tech bumper from MW Design. lol

What's really going to piss you off is the second that bumper hits something...

[Kit523]

man if i paid almost 1xxx for a fiber glass bumper
i would expect to get the right bumper that i ordered
it's their mistake not "inspecting the bumper" it's their problem they fuxk it up the order
you clear stated you want the "non-pdc"
they earned customers money...and .it's their job fix every shit even they need to pay extra out .....
if we have to deal every shit....why the fuxk do we have to pay extra for this poor customer service?
this is unacceptable
kev good luck to u and keep us updated
dun back down on this
coz i am really disappointed about this whole thing.....and see how they handle a customer when they got all the money in their pocket....

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Originally Posted by Kit523

man if i paid almost $2xxx for a fiber glass bumper
i would expect to get the right bumper that i ordered
it's their mistake not "inspecting the bumper" it's their problem they fuxk it up the order
you clear stated you want the "non-pdc"
they earned customers money...and .it's their job fix every shit even they need to pay extra out .....
if we have to deal every shit....why the fuxk do we have to pay extra for this poor customer service?
this is unacceptable
kev good luck to u and keep us updated
dun back down on this
coz i am really disappointed about this whole thing.....and see how they handle a customer when they got all the money in their pocket....

Fixed

[ska///235i]

Kev....you should always use your credit card when doing these orders (American Express)
They'll take care of everything right away

[Kit523]

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

Fixed

shit.....
r u kidding me?

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Originally Posted by Kit523

shit.....
r u kidding me?

Not unless the price came down from the price quote I got. It's a little north of $2k, not counting shipping. It's a sweet looking bumper, but pricey and yeah...

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

Kev....you should always use your credit card when doing these orders (American Express)
They'll take care of everything right away

Great idea. I agree, they'll suddenly become your best friends once you notify the CC company. Ska's right.

[Kit523]

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

Great idea. I agree, they'll suddenly become your best friends once you notify the CC company. Ska's right.

i believe kev said it before
he said he paid with AE thru paypal

[Kev]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

Kev....you should always use your credit card when doing these orders (American Express)
They'll take care of everything right away

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

Great idea. I agree, they'll suddenly become your best friends once you notify the CC company. Ska's right.

I did. I used my AMEX Gold to pay Paypal. I don't know if I'm still protected since I'm several months out. I have every intention to file small claims if they refused to pay up.

Originally Posted by Kit523

man if i paid almost 1xxx for a fiber glass bumper
i would expect to get the right bumper that i ordered
it's their mistake not "inspecting the bumper" it's their problem they fuxk it up the order
you clear stated you want the "non-pdc"
they earned customers money...and .it's their job fix every shit even they need to pay extra out .....
if we have to deal every shit....why the fuxk do we have to pay extra for this poor customer service?
this is unacceptable
kev good luck to u and keep us updated
dun back down on this
coz i am really disappointed about this whole thing.....and see how they handle a customer when they got all the money in their pocket....

Originally Posted by Kit523

shit.....
r u kidding me?

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

Not unless the price came down from the price quote I got. It's a little north of $2k, not counting shipping. It's a sweet looking bumper, but pricey and yeah...

ArmyBimmerDude is right. If you factor in shipping, the total cost is close to $2300 for that bumper. I still have to pay for the PDC plugs, which is absolutely nuts.....

[Kev]

It is good to announce that Lewis @ MW Design has stepped up to the plate to rectify the problem. They have offered to cover the cost of the PDC sensors. However, I still have not heard from Hamann USA / 3T Motorsport. They claimed that have contacted me, but I have not heard from them at all.

[lyjw88]

Sorry to hear dai lo...
I didn't know that Hamann front bumper is made of fiber glass.
If the fitment is off, it's going to be a PITA to fabricate that thing to make it fit right.
But once you intall it, it's going to look SEXY!!

[Kit523]

good to hear man!!!
good luck and keep us updated!!!!

[Gen_E92]

damn...wasn't expecting that from Lewis!

hope he can chime in on this one

[Kev]

Originally Posted by lyjw88

Sorry to hear dai lo...
I didn't know that Hamann front bumper is made of fiber glass.
If the fitment is off, it's going to be a PITA to fabricate that thing to make it fit right.
But once you intall it, it's going to look SEXY!!

All the Hamann shit are made of fiber glass, but they fit damn near perfect though. Painting them to match the car is another story......

[mig28]

Originally Posted by Kev

All the Hamann shit are made of fiber glass, but they fit damn near perfect though. Painting them to match the car is another story......

are u sure that hamann parts are near perfect fittment?cause ive heards lots of shops in usa or other countries having difficulties installing their hamann kits.

you need to chill out a bit kev,
cant blame on lewis@mwdesign for sure since they are trader.
you need to blame the germany side.
call them up and ask why..

again,good luck

[Kev]

Earlier this week, after MW Design agreed to pay for the PDC sensors because the order was messed up, I went to fully unwrap the bumper to inspect it and get ready to send it over to the body shop for prep and paint. However, upon closer inspection of the front bumper, I noticed a crack and major chip on the bumper:









I contacted MW Design immediately and they said that they would contact Hamann USA and see what they are going to do about it. Two days have gone by since then and I still have not heard back from them with regards to the damages.....

[KkSc]

what the hell...chips and cracks too??sorry to hear that man!!

[Kit523]

Talked to mike today about this
i believe they are trying their best to solve the case!
it's hamann USA that is trying to avoid all this shit here
GOod luck guys!

[Kev]

Originally Posted by Kit523

Talked to mike today about this
i believe they are trying their best to solve the case!
it's hamann USA that is trying to avoid all this shit here
GOod luck guys!

There's no doubt in my mind that MW is trying hard to get this resolved, but I still want periodic updates with regards to the status...... I have this bumper sitting in my friend's shop and I can't install it. That's really frustrating....