Whats going on guys..
WARNING!!! this is gona be a very long and detailed thread!!! This year is really not starting off good for me.
In February of this year I contacted Rennen International via the MyG37 forum about warranty work on my RM10 Extreme concave wheels I purchased in February of 2011. *I was extremely unhappy with the condition of my wheels after only 5 months of having them on my car, *the chrome on the lips of the rear wheels was peeling & bubbling like crazy. *I had already dealt with waiting 6 months for my wheels the previous year so I wasnt gona be bothered with it till the new year (hence the reason for me reaching out). * I contacted Emily who handles he correspondence via the forums and requested my warranty work. *She asked for detailed pics which I provided ( see attached pics) and referred me to Richard Sha who handled my complaint in regards to the delay the previous year. * Rich told me not to worry about it that they would take care of it no charge and I just needed to get the wheels to them. *To save me some cash up front I asked if they could send me shipping labels using their UPS account. He said no problem and to give him a few days. *After 3/4 weeks of waiting for the labels they finally sent them to me, I had already started to catch an attitude but tried not to because they where saving me some cash but honestly does it take 3/4 weeks just to send labels?? In any case I was happy to have them. During the time waiting for the labels Rich recommended I change the wheels face color since they were about to be disassembled anyway. He stated it would only a few hundred but no more than $300 and might even absorb the cost as part of the new sponsorship for 2012, I figured why not, worst case $300 plus the $130 I owed them for the labels, that was great & even ran a thread to help decide the new color.
My wheels left for California*on 3/23*and were delivered on the 29th. * Rich told me it would only be a few weeks and they would be ready to ship back out. *I followed up on April 4th asking for an update to see if they have been stripped yet. I was going to make a thread tracking the progress and wanted pics to update it. No updates yet but was told they were going to the finisher Monday which would have been
April 9th. That Monday I contacted Rich for pics so I could start the thread & he didnt know what I was talking about. He had forgotten he said
April 9th. I called him the next day to find out what was up and he said to give them till Friday.
April 13th, I txt Rich for updates on the wheels and all I received was " No Answer ". At this point I was getting upset but left it alone, he was in NY and they re-finisher was in Cali so I was patient.
April 24th, I contact Rich for updates and he said he would check into it for me and follow up & of course no reply.
April 25th, 2pm, I txt him asking for an update and get no reply.
April 25th 5pm, I txt Rich stating it had been a month and still not a single update, they may be busy but I am still a customer and would like an update, I am starting to feel very uneasy.
April 26th, Rich asked me again what finish do I want, so I confirmed with him again but I was under the impression they had been as the finishers since
April 9th.
April 27th, we confirm what hardware we will be using and again confirm the finish. I express concern over a thread I found on the BMW forums about their bolts rusting and poor chrome. I even call Rich to express my concern about the matter since I too had a horrible experience with their chrome company. (
New Wheels. Rennenforged R10. - Page 4 - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com) ) He tells me that the reason my wheels peels was because I didnt clean them right... I had to laugh but hey once they started peels why was I gona scrub them, it would have only enhanced the peeling but fine not a big issue.
April 30th, I get a txt from Rich saying the total I OWE
$965. I immediately call him blowing up! How in the world did it go from $300 to $965, he says that includes shipping but shipping both ways was $260 and I was only paying shipping to them for the warranty work. So $700 to refinish which is more than double what he originally told me. I refuse to pay it and told him he needs to figure it out. He is a manager at Rennen and knows what the costs are, I am holding him too what he quoted me period. They have a budget like any business and this will need to be absorbed.
May 1st, Rich txt me saying they are not budging and I reply saying the cost can be absorbed into the sponsorship & written off as an advertising expense I am willing to pay the $300 he quoted me and the $130 shipping that is it. They are forcing me into a corner and I will not sit down and just take it. I am not gona go back and forth about this, I am holding him to the price he quoted me before I shipped my wheels out. At this point I advised Rich that if this is the negative route they wanted to go I would file another formal complaint with the Moderators on this forum similar to the one I filed the year before but ended up dropping it once "Rich" stepped in after I called asking for the owner of Rennen International. He replied that he only suggested I change the color cause my wheels looked horrible and didnt match (which didnt address anything I just said but fine thats his opinion). I clarified with him, does he realize he is arguing with me over $550 which is pocket change but its the principle. This isnt a bodyshop that gives me an estimate, especially since im supposedly sponsored. He states this isnt a healthy relationship and says to call him when I have a clear mind. I told Rich I was not about to argue over txt, I will not pay $965, its not even 8 months later NO WAY. Rich and I spoke later that day and agreed on
$664 which included shipping both ways. That was fair to me but I made sure he understood that if they delays continued I would not be paying anything!! I already had a previous poor experience with them after I paid up front. I would not happen again.
May 10th, Still no updates.
May 11th, Now they need more time! The lip is screwed up and TO LET HIM KNOW WHEN IM READY TO MAKE MY PAYMENT!! I asked for pics and got no reply.
May 14th, Still no reply again I asked for pics and an update. He says he is having trouble getting the pics but should have them by the time they are done. I asked when will they be completed and got no reply!
May 15th, I txt Rich and stated as of today I am deducting $25 per day because of this ridiculous delays. We are going on 2 months now with no end in site. No pics, No updates, No nothing! If it was the other way around and I didnt pay for my rims after 2 months they would be charging me a late fee or a penalty if not interest. So because of the continued delay $25 per day was Rennen International's penalty. I got no reply...
May 17th, Rennen posts a new thread showing off some new wheels on a G coupe, I post in the thread that I am not happy. They can come on the forums and try to hype up their wheels but cant follow up with their sponsored member (
NOT COOL ). Not to mention they are working on cutting new centers for these exact wheels in a more aggressive offset. I let Rich know that I had got a few calls about whats up with my wheels and they have lost a few sales because of this (Chi-City-G) and its leaving a foul taste in my mouth!
May 21th, Rich send me over pics of the new pics of that same G coupe posted on the forums, they do look sick and compliment them but no updates on mine. He stated he's got my back and to think long term with Rennen (all fine and good but after all this and I havent seen any pics, Im not feeling this). I spoke to Rich that day and he apologizes to me as a MAN, no BS! I was taken back because he didnt have to apologize for the delays but I accepted it and thought things would be resolved very soon! I even txt Jared (Chi-City-G) to discuss what was going on.
May 23, I got my 1st pics of the wheels, It was only the center but hey I was happy! Finally something to show off, I started a thread " 2nd Coming " as a teaser.
May 24th, I send Rich the link to the thread, I asked for more pics but he thought the one would create a buzz... I knew it wouldnt but posted it up to prove a point! Only one reply and it was as I thought, a smart *** remark from a member.
May 31st, Rich tells me he would check on my wheels and get back to me. They are coming today!
May 31st, He sends me pic of the finished centers and they look amazing. He tells me they should be ready to ship tomorrow.
June 1st, Rich txt me asking for
motivation ($) (money) to put them together. No straight up answer on when they will be assembled and Ive only seen 1 front, I wana see all 4 rims. I tell him I will make my payment once I see them fully assembled. Then he says they wont ship today like he had said previously (what a surprise). Rich continues to push for the payment, they no longer accept PayPal and their wire transfers will take time. I asked why would it take time, wires are guaranteed. I know because I just purchased a Harley in TX via a wire transfer and had it shipped the next day.