MAX/GTR - buyer beware!
12-19-2013, 05:14 PM
#1
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MAX/GTR - buyer beware!
Edit: as this this currently an ongoing scenario please hold off on any judgements. Thanks!
Well, it pains me to make a thread here but i feel i have little choice. Im pretty agitated over this whole ordeal and admittedly i may have been able to avoid this mess if i acted smarter - i figured id tell my story here first and determine who is in the wrong before jumping the gun and giving this guy a bad review.
So, the seller MAX/GTR, sold me a pair of R34 retro headlights for 320$ shipped. This seems like a fair price, especially with wiring harness and bulbs included. Throughout the process he was very informative and helpful with answering questions, and one day after payment (good job UPS!) the package arrived. Everything was professionally packaged with bubblewrap and peanuts so theres no way they could have been damaged during shipping.
At first glance, everything checked out. All pieces were present, etc. However, with closer inspection, i realized that the shrouds (the metalic colored pieces surrounding the projector lenses, my appology if this is the wrong term) were not properly seated around the lenses, and instead were about 1/4 inch above where they should be; this resulted in a gap on the bottom of the lenses and shrouds and having the shrouds cover a small sliver of lense on the top. None of this was mentioned by the seller, and i immediatly brought it to his attention voa text. He responded he never noticed it before, and assured me the light output and beam pattern were never affected on his car.
Because this could be considered a "cosmetic" issue rather than a function issue, it is my fault for not being ridiculously **** and requesting dozens of pictures detailing everything there is to be seen. I accepted his assurances, and decided id try and install them in a few days when the weather cleaned up.
Yesterday, i got the headlights together and was preparing to buff out some minor scratches on the front plastic cover (nothing major, standard wet sand and headlight buff compound job). As i was doing this, i noticed the front plasic covers were not even sealed! Instead, only one of the two top clips that hold the light were properly engaged, while the other ones were not clipped, causing a hairline opening on the top. Closer inspection revealed the worst - the shrouds were so poorly installed that they were physically preventing the front cover from fitting back onto the housing.
As this can be consisering a functional flaw - a non waterproof headlight unit is useless especially when living on an island in winter - i decided i did not want these headlights. Cosmetic issues are one thing, but for a seller to sell a product that is incapable of functioning properly without any mention of such faults is wrong. A broken product should not be sold as a working product, and this is soley where my issue lies.
So, i contacted the guy saying i wished for a refund of 300$ of the original 320$, saying id pay return shipping as well as the original shipping charge for his inconvience - and got no response. Several texts later and a Pm and no change, which brings me here.
Sorry for the hellishly long essay post, but i figured i should detail everything before i badmouth someone. My question is, am i in the wrong here? He sold knowingly sold me a broken product and basically vanished - if the issue was cosmetic only i could certainly see how i would be sh*t out of luck but since it is a function issue i feel my anger is warranted. Just want to get some opinions here on this matter - feel free to call me a dumbarse because i am for not being ridiculously careful on a unregulated market like this one.
Well, it pains me to make a thread here but i feel i have little choice. Im pretty agitated over this whole ordeal and admittedly i may have been able to avoid this mess if i acted smarter - i figured id tell my story here first and determine who is in the wrong before jumping the gun and giving this guy a bad review.
So, the seller MAX/GTR, sold me a pair of R34 retro headlights for 320$ shipped. This seems like a fair price, especially with wiring harness and bulbs included. Throughout the process he was very informative and helpful with answering questions, and one day after payment (good job UPS!) the package arrived. Everything was professionally packaged with bubblewrap and peanuts so theres no way they could have been damaged during shipping.
At first glance, everything checked out. All pieces were present, etc. However, with closer inspection, i realized that the shrouds (the metalic colored pieces surrounding the projector lenses, my appology if this is the wrong term) were not properly seated around the lenses, and instead were about 1/4 inch above where they should be; this resulted in a gap on the bottom of the lenses and shrouds and having the shrouds cover a small sliver of lense on the top. None of this was mentioned by the seller, and i immediatly brought it to his attention voa text. He responded he never noticed it before, and assured me the light output and beam pattern were never affected on his car.
Because this could be considered a "cosmetic" issue rather than a function issue, it is my fault for not being ridiculously **** and requesting dozens of pictures detailing everything there is to be seen. I accepted his assurances, and decided id try and install them in a few days when the weather cleaned up.
Yesterday, i got the headlights together and was preparing to buff out some minor scratches on the front plastic cover (nothing major, standard wet sand and headlight buff compound job). As i was doing this, i noticed the front plasic covers were not even sealed! Instead, only one of the two top clips that hold the light were properly engaged, while the other ones were not clipped, causing a hairline opening on the top. Closer inspection revealed the worst - the shrouds were so poorly installed that they were physically preventing the front cover from fitting back onto the housing.
As this can be consisering a functional flaw - a non waterproof headlight unit is useless especially when living on an island in winter - i decided i did not want these headlights. Cosmetic issues are one thing, but for a seller to sell a product that is incapable of functioning properly without any mention of such faults is wrong. A broken product should not be sold as a working product, and this is soley where my issue lies.
So, i contacted the guy saying i wished for a refund of 300$ of the original 320$, saying id pay return shipping as well as the original shipping charge for his inconvience - and got no response. Several texts later and a Pm and no change, which brings me here.
Sorry for the hellishly long essay post, but i figured i should detail everything before i badmouth someone. My question is, am i in the wrong here? He sold knowingly sold me a broken product and basically vanished - if the issue was cosmetic only i could certainly see how i would be sh*t out of luck but since it is a function issue i feel my anger is warranted. Just want to get some opinions here on this matter - feel free to call me a dumbarse because i am for not being ridiculously careful on a unregulated market like this one.
Last edited by Slamrod; 12-20-2013 at 05:27 PM. Reason: Accidental post
12-19-2013, 08:28 PM
#2
Jeez, really? wow.
2 things i got for ya. When making big ticket purchases ALWAYS send the payment as a purchase, not a gift. Like you did for me. The 3% can save your but in situations like this.
Second, if the headlights aren't sealing, you can try to remedy this yourself. Bake open the headlights and just file down the shrouds. You can take this chance to paint them yourself.
or even simpler get some silicone from home depot and seal the holes in like 5 minutes lol. Dont break your head over a situation like this.
Now, if this guy doesn't respond and you are ultimately stuck with the lights, 1) He is a scumbag. 2) Shoot me a text, ill be in NYC ill see if I can help you seal these up. or 3) Ill give chrisman287 a shout hes a pro at this, and he should be able to make things alright.
I had my phone reset and in the process lost your number, in any case if you need help lmk and hopefully MAX/GTR chimes in
2 things i got for ya. When making big ticket purchases ALWAYS send the payment as a purchase, not a gift. Like you did for me. The 3% can save your but in situations like this.
Second, if the headlights aren't sealing, you can try to remedy this yourself. Bake open the headlights and just file down the shrouds. You can take this chance to paint them yourself.
or even simpler get some silicone from home depot and seal the holes in like 5 minutes lol. Dont break your head over a situation like this.
Now, if this guy doesn't respond and you are ultimately stuck with the lights, 1) He is a scumbag. 2) Shoot me a text, ill be in NYC ill see if I can help you seal these up. or 3) Ill give chrisman287 a shout hes a pro at this, and he should be able to make things alright.
I had my phone reset and in the process lost your number, in any case if you need help lmk and hopefully MAX/GTR chimes in
12-19-2013, 11:05 PM
#3
Newbie - Just Registered
Thread Starter
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 1,167
Yeah, just my luck man. Go figure lol.
In the end i really have no one but myself to blame for this whole mess; as i was making payment a little voice was telling me to play it safe and pay the extra pennies on paypal but of course my greed got the better of me.
Through my internet detective work i determined MAX/GTR (Chris R.) is a young kid from newark who also turns out to be a young father. He started parting out his max is november and mentioned he is leaving the maxima scene and that he has a family of his own now and needs the cash. With christmas right around the corner i can fully understand how a few hundred bucks can be the difference between having christmas for your kid or why santa couldnt come this year - if thats why he pulled this stunt i feel for him but that doesnt justify ripping me off. I got my own bills and expenses to worry about and having to now allocate money i dont have towards these lights just rubs me wrong.
That being said, im going to hold off a day or two before giving this dude a bad review - unfortunatly as i said it appears he is leaving the maxima scene and has already sold most of his parts so a bad review would be little incentive to fix his wrongdoing.
On a brighter note youre right about the lights being salvagable - im going to take up your advice and get in touch with chrisman within the next few days and get his words in on this. With luck i shouldnt have to kill myself coming up with the money to make this turn out ok.
In the end i really have no one but myself to blame for this whole mess; as i was making payment a little voice was telling me to play it safe and pay the extra pennies on paypal but of course my greed got the better of me.
Through my internet detective work i determined MAX/GTR (Chris R.) is a young kid from newark who also turns out to be a young father. He started parting out his max is november and mentioned he is leaving the maxima scene and that he has a family of his own now and needs the cash. With christmas right around the corner i can fully understand how a few hundred bucks can be the difference between having christmas for your kid or why santa couldnt come this year - if thats why he pulled this stunt i feel for him but that doesnt justify ripping me off. I got my own bills and expenses to worry about and having to now allocate money i dont have towards these lights just rubs me wrong.
That being said, im going to hold off a day or two before giving this dude a bad review - unfortunatly as i said it appears he is leaving the maxima scene and has already sold most of his parts so a bad review would be little incentive to fix his wrongdoing.
On a brighter note youre right about the lights being salvagable - im going to take up your advice and get in touch with chrisman within the next few days and get his words in on this. With luck i shouldnt have to kill myself coming up with the money to make this turn out ok.
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