March 18 - I placed an order with a rep for a set of balljoints to finish up my suspension rebuild. I specifically asked when they would be shipped and the rep told me they would "ship out tomorrow." Since I requested priority air (3-5 days) shipping, he estimated I would get the part sometime in the next week. Cool, I decide I will start take the car apart next week so I can minimize downtime.

March 28 - The part hasnt arrived. I email Spohn to inquire about the status and their reply is: "we had to do some paperwork for it since you live in canada and we have to drop it off at USPS. it should get there any day now." Hmm, why didnt they tell me this when I was on the phone with them?

April 6 - I am still without the use of my car b/c it is sitting on jackstands waiting for the part that I thought I was getting on Mar 25th. I email spohn again and this time I ask what was the exact date they sent the part. They reply April 2nd, and I should be getting it "any day now". What? Their last email on Mar 28th seemed to indicate that it was already shipped...

April 12 - Still hasnt arrived yet and my first event of the season is coming up in less than a week.

Had they said upfront: "it wont get shipped for another 2 wks", atleast i would have had the choice to continue with my order or decide to go somewhere else. Im still perplexed as to why it takes 15 days to get a part out the door. Im pretty pissed at myself now for not paying the extra 40 bucks or so to get this stupid little part locally and saving myself the grief of waiting.

Michael.

 

sorry to hear about your luck man
i seem to notice that ordering direct from the manufacturer isn't usually a good idea (like rksport)
next time just go with a middleman like thunder or somebody
live and learn i guess, good luck with spohn

 

I've never had a problem w/ Spohn. I had an order for a customer in KC that was over $3500 and everything arrived in great condition and on time. Had to wait a week for the powdercoating, but you have to expect that.

I've also found it's best to call any company directly. E-Mail is too easy to avoid or misplace. Everytime I called Spohn, I either get Steve or Gordon.

 

Is it possible your parts were shipped, but are stuck "in customs" in Canada?

[EDIT]
I suspected the above was true, but took the time to check with Steve Spohn. As usual, there are two sides to every story.... not taking sides, just posting for Steve, since I know he doesn't have time to follow bulletin boards frequently.... its a very small company.

 

Hi Fred,

Yes, it is entirely possible that it is now stuck in customs and obviously, I cannot blame Steve for things that are clearly out of his control. However, the issue that I do have is that I specifically asked when the part would be shipped and was told that it would be out the door the next day. Instead, it was shipped out 15 days later!!! If they had told me that there would be delay while they filled out paperwork, etc, atleast I would have adjusted my expectations accordingly, or decided to go with another vendor. Instead, it has almost been one month and my car is still sitting on jackstands.

Regards,
Michael.

 

"I get an order, I ship it. I have to drive to the post office to ship it, they won't pick up foreign packages because I have to fill out multiple customs
forms. I only get to the post office on a Saturday morning, I can't
leave for over an hour during the week when the phone is ringing off
the hook."

Thats understandable, but if that is the case, why wasnt my package sent on Saturday March 19th or even Saturday March 26 since my order went in on Friday March 18th? Instead, it went out on Saturday April 2nd. Dont blame customs for things that were under your control.

Maybe i sound unreasonable - i dont know... but when you spend a winter with your car in storage, have an event coming up in a week and it takes almost a month to get a part you were told would arrive in 5 days you go a bit nuts.

 

To avoid hassles out here in BC i ship the stuff to Point Roberts which is just inside the US border (a small postal outlet). I then bring it back across the border and save on the brokerage fees.
I find it saves a LOT on shipping and can fix the hassle at the border issue.

Duno if you can do something like that from Toronto... but if you can its a great thing to save some $$ and troubles

 

Another option that I use is to buy from Fast Toys in Winnipeg. Phil Reddy (the owner) is great to deal with and handles all the customs clearance and brokerage issues.

I've bought lots of stuff from Phil, including a Spohn rear suspension kit and received everything without hassle.

Harry