LoD customer service...read before you buy

[SPDRMNKY]

This is not a rant or an effort to slander LoD (makers of Jeep accessories)

From everything I've seen, they make quality products, however, you need to be aware of their "real" lead times, and their total lack of customer service.

What follows is a 3 email train I sent LoD after receipt of my bumper from them...please keep in mind that this email train is after 3 telephone calls that went unanswered, and 3 phone calls that went poorly (I was lied to)

WHAT I SENT (personal info removed for privacy)

> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> To: <sales@lodoffroad.com>
> Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 11:06 PM
> Subject: received front bumper
>
>
> > LoD,
> >
> > I'm happy to report that I received my competition front bumper
> today.
> > Unfortunately there was some damage during shipping. There are 4
> spots
> > where the powdercoating was worn through to bare metal, and a few
> other
> > spots where the powder coating was simply scratched. And this
> after you
> > assured me that my bumper was going to be well packaged so as to
> avoid
> > damage.
> >
> > Also, there are no light tabs on the sides of the bumper. I was
> assured
> > when I ordered the bumper that there would be two light tabs, one
> on each
> > side of the bumper, to mount lights on.
> >
> > Add these two things to the three times that I was told "you'll
> have your
> > bumper next week", (but it didn't show up) and I have to say that
> I am
> > now pretty pissed off.
> >
> > I planned my ordering of your bumper around the stated lead time
> on your
> > website (1 to 2 weeks). I even added a week to my planning for
> > complications. I then took leave (I'm in the military...time off
> from my
> > job that is) based on that three week schedule, to complete a
> build up on
> > my YJ that included your bumper. My leave is now over (3 weeks
> ago), and
> > just today I receive my bumper. Like I told you in a previous
> email, I
> > do not appreciate being lied to.
> >
> > The faulty information from your website, and from three phone
> > conversations with Chris ("you'll have your bumper next week"),
> have put
> > me in a bad spot. I am 2 weeks away from a 2 month cross country
> trip on
> > which I will be flat towing my YJ. Because of your latency I have
> no
> > other option but to use the bumper I received in it's damaged
> condition.
> >
> > I would like you to refund the quoted shipping cost of the bumper
> based
> > on consideration of the above information. That quoted cost is
> $148.70.
> >
> > Please advise me of your decision.


LOD RESPONSE

On Tue, 20 May 2008 19:51:21 -0400 "sales" <sales@lodoffroad.com> writes:
> You will have to file a claim for damage with UPS. That bumper was
> packaged
> very well and cost us over $148.70 to ship it to you.

MY RESPONSE

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
To: sales@lodoffroad.com
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 21:24:32 -0400
Subject: Re: received front bumper

LoD,

It was you who contracted with UPS to ship that bumper, and so must be
you who files the claim for damage.

Regardless of how well the bumper was packaged, it was indeed damaged.
Please see attached pictures.

And I need to correct myself, when I took pictures of the damage, I
counted only three places where the powdercoating was worn through to
bare metal...not 4 places. My apologies for the initial mis-count.

I do not want to be reimbursed for the actual cost of shipping, only for
the quoted cost...the cost I paid...$148.70.

I'm sorry if this makes you upset, but your customer service has been
very poor throughout my entire LoD experience.

I have been very patient, and I believe that I'm being very reasonable
now.

Please advise if the below response is your final decision.

I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REPLY AFTER A WEEK

just information for your consideration before you order accessories for your jeep

[kwrangln]

There is a reason myself and many others here recommend Zach at AtoZfabrication for bumpers, cages, tire carriers, and fabrication parts, you have just experienced the opposite of an AtoZ experience.

Lesson learned.

Sorry if that sounded a bit harsh.

If I'm not mistaken you can file a claim with UPS as the reciever and let their legal dept make it right. If you can avoid it, dont use UPS in the future, got a guy working for me now who was a UPS employee and some of the horror stories he has about sliding flat screen TV's down loading ramps convinced me to use another carrier real quick like. Glad I just buy fab parts, not much they can do to hurt raw steel.

Sorry to hear of your misfortunes.

[loaf]

Sorry about your experience with LoD.

Ditto to what kwrangln said about both AtoZ and UPS. I don't have any AtoZ products but I've never read a single bad review over the years. And a couple years ago I worked customer service for a gift company. In our dealings with both UPS and FedEx, UPS had far more problems getting anything right. They once even told us that they couldn't change the shipping address of a package until they attempted delivery at least once. This is after we told them that the original shipping address had burned down recently.

[The Duke]

Pay with a credit card? Dispute the charge with the CC company. I bet they get back to you real fast when they see the reversed charge.

[CMSurfer]

Good luck if you have to file a claim.. I've filed about 3 claims with UPS in the past few years and NEVER heard anything or got anything resolved. I did it for the fact of it. The missing/damaged parts were not much $$$, but still.

I eventually gave up and forgot about them. It wasn't worth it.

[Bada-Bing.]

Should have just purchased a bumper from Q-tec then you wouldn't have this problem

[Cromwell]

I tried a couple of other places once and had a hard time getting them to ship to a military APO address. So after some recommendations form here I called AtoZ. After talking to Zack he confirmed that APOs would be no issue except the extended time frame (Aviano Air Base, Italy). I purchased a set or rockers from him. After several weeks of Zack emailing me to see if they arrived. The rockers finally arrived, were intacted and they fit like a glove. AtoZ's customer service was second to none. When I am ready for any more body armor or mods he will be the first company I call.

Tony