BUYER BEWARE! ECS Tuning: Terrible customer service
 

Hello, how can I help you?

Me: 945-752-443

Just a moment...


Me: that's my order number
got a message this morning saying FedEx refused shipment
and that you guys need an extra $165 to ship via freight?


Sorry for the delay. We're working on getting to you as quickly as possible. If you need to run, please feel free to leave us a message

Sorry for the delay. We're working on getting to you as quickly as possible. If you need to run, please feel free to leave us a message

Josh: Hello, thank you for contacting ECS Tuning. How can I help you?
Yes, fedex will not ship that large of a package

Me: well can't you guys break it up into smaller packages?
i'd like to know what part is causing it to be so big?
most of my order qualified for free shipping, and just a few parts weren't free shipping, and was only supposed to cost me $15 to ship the entire order
I've been a regular customer of yours for several years now, so I think you guys can figure this out

Josh: We have to ship freight. The package is too large. We can ship freight or cancel the order.

Me: which part is making the package so large?

Josh: I would assume ecstuning.com/ES129807/
I do not know for sure
I do not handle the logistics side of the transaction.

Me: I need you to get me in touch with someone with the authority to help me

Josh: I can help you.

Me: apparently not

Josh: I've offered the options available\

Me: this is a joke. that's no option at all ... either pay $165 or don't get the parts I ordered

Josh: I'm sorry but due to the combines size of your order, it is no longer free shipping eligible.

Me: why can't the shipment be broken up into multiple boxes?

Josh: If it were shipped with UPS in multiple boxes it shows it would be $501.45 for shipping.

Me: then your online ordering system is extremely misleading. what's the point of quoting a shipping price if something like this can happen?

Josh: I'm sorry there was an error and the shipping was not correct when you went thru checkout. Which option would you prefer to go with?

Me: It seems ECS is prepared to lose me as a customer over this, so just cancel the order.
and I want to see my American Express credited for $535.96 TODAY

Josh: I'm sorry but that is not how refunds work. It can take 3-5 days for your bank to accept and post our refund.
Your order has been canceled.
Is there anything else that I can help you with today?

Me: ECS reputation gone now
I'm a member of several BMW forums, too

Josh: Thanks for contacting ECS Tuning, have a great day!

Thank you for contacting us.
Chat session disconnected.

UPDATED: ECS has resolved the issue to my satisfaction

I won't bore you guys with the additional details, but just know the issue has now been resolved. ECS has promised to honor their initial shipping quote of $15.

Update #2: Just received invoice, and it looks like ECS absorbed the complete cost of shipping. That's quite a 180 they just turned. Reputation restored as far as I'm concerned. A little training is overdue for their CS reps, but other than that I'm satisfied.

Glad to know they made it right. After reading 3/4 of your first post, I had already convinced myself never to use ECS again.

Wow. No way was that quote correct for shipping. You can ship some huge packages before they are considered freight. No single part in your order should be that large. I've bought some stuff from them before. Had strange shipping experiences with them too. I think the program they use for shipping has bugs.
Anyway, glad to see it worked out. Looks like they need to arm the customer service with more tools to help customers.

Sounds like a typical CS rep. Shoulda been handled a little better and I find the "free shipping" on many websites to be pretty picky. It's funny since they totally could have just had the one piece on a separate order or invoice. I tend to find myself buying more off ebay stores for the shipping rates more than anything. Either these companies don't move enough volume to lower their rates or they are also getting a cut of it. I'm inclined to believe that the want a cut. Freight really isn't that expensive especially when they have contracts setup with the major carriers. Source: I work for the company that handles FCA expedites, specifically NA.