Here is a copy of an email conversation made to www.VWSPEED.co.uk after they told me to return the items for a refund. I did not have any response for weeks so called them, to which I received a hostile response refusing a refund. Make what you like of it. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /> Reg: Returned Items I bought online from your web site as advertised the adaptors needed to fit Porsche 5 stud wheels to a 4 stud mk2 VW golf. However upon test fitting two out of 4 of the adaptors I discovered that the said items were not suitable for the job as they did not provide enough clearance from the suspension strut. Following a telephone conversation it was agreed that if the items were sent back a full refund would be given. However after not hearing anything from yourself I phoned only to find that you had now changed you mind and were no longer willing to give a refund as 2 of the adaptors had been test fitted. After receiving legal advice I now know that this is breaking the law under the sale of goods act 1979. Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994. The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 as the items did not suit the purpose for which they were advertised, i.e. they did not allow me to fit Porsche wheels to my MK2 VW Golf. Therefore I expect a full refund not less postage, including my costs incurred for postage return amounting to 22 (receipt available if needed). If no response or refund is given within 7 days then further legal action will be taken. In response to your recent email. The Porsche adapters you purchased on the 14th February are the exact items required to fit Porsche wheels to a Mk2 Golf. We have sold numerous sets for this exact purpose. May I ask what dimensions and offset the wheels are you're attempting to fit to your car? Mike VW Speed The wheels are desigh 90's ET52 6" and 8" rears. May I also ask what suspension you have fitted to your car? KONI coil overs. When you say enough clearance from the strut, what do you mean by this? Were they catching? Yes the wheel was touching the suspension. Did you fit them to one axle or one side of the car and which ones were catching? two adaptors were fitted to the left side of the car. and the rears were catching. The widest standard wheels that were put on the Mk2 Golf were 6.5" wide. The wheels you are attempting to fit to your car are 1.5" wider than this at 8 inches and the fact you've also got coilovers really won't be helping the situation either as they are specifically designed to dramatically lower a car. The legal point you are highlighting doesn't apply in light of your application of the items sold as they do allow you to fit Porsche wheels to a Mk2 Golf. Secondly, you notified us after 30 days from the sale of the items and they are not in an as new saleable state and can no longer be sold as such. It would be like taking an item of clothes back to a shop 5 weeks after buying it with a stain on it and asking for a full refund. I disagree as the advert was not detailed enough. It did not specify that the adaptors would only be suitable for certain sizes and suspension setups. I suspect that this is the reason why you have removed the advert from your web site. To sugest that the items would not fit a modified car is ridiculas as the items themselves are intended to modify a car from standard specification. Thus the items did not meet the criteria as they were advertised to. Also products are legaly allowed to be returned up to 6 years after the purchase date. Also you are refusing a refund when one of the boxes was not even opened. The reason they are no longer on the website is because we had one set left which you bought and the stock control system in the admin section of the site removes items from sale if we have no stock available. I would be very interested to check out websites selling Porsche adapters and see if they specify wheel sizes, ride heights and specified suspension kits to enable you to fit the adapters. I very much doubt anyone advertises what they will and won't fit with regards to individual set ups. This is just not logistically possible as you'd have to test all manor of suspension set ups on numerous vehicles. I agree one of the boxes may well not have been opened, although I haven't seen them yet, our issue is the fact that the other box has not only been opened but has been fitted to a vehicle and shows very clear signs of this fact and can no longer be sold as new. The items have been returned to us in a non resalable condition. So what is your final answer? Are you prepared to give any refund or are you going to ask for more of my money to return the items to me? As a long time VW enthusiast and member of the largest VW club & forum plus many others i am very disapointed and angry at the level of service plus waste of time and money i have encountered with VW Speed. I have never come across such problems with any other company and certainly could not recomend your company to anybody. We will gladly return the items to you at our own expense. As long term enthusiasts ourselves, our aim has always been to ensure we provide good quality goods at competitive prices and with high levels of service. I can appreciate your frustration but please do also see our side of things. We can't sell on the items you've returned as they are no longer in an as new and unused state. You must appreciate that second hand goods fetch second hand prices. So are you not willing to refund me on the unopened box? We sold you the last set we had and don't currently have access to further sets. They won't sell us single boxes as they refuse to break up complete sets, I'm afraid that's their rule not ours. Again i am astounded by your lack of customer satisfaction. Send the items back to me and this whole matter will be dealt with by other means. when we return the items to you, we would see the matter as closed. Mike VW Speed What do you all think?
Where is the 'hostile response'? Having read through your entire post twice over, I cannot find anything 'hostile' in their responses to you. Edited by: Trev16v
Have a word with your local citizens advice. ask for some solicitors who do fixed fee apointments. it'll proably cost about 20 for half hour. they will advise what to do. Lee
To be hounest its probebly not the best way to get a response by quoting the sale of goods act in your fist email, That would urine me off a bit, I wouldent be to helpfull either if that was me.
i can see why you would be annoyed, but reading both sides of the story it looks like nobody is in the wrong, they wernt to know what setup you had and they do actually allow you to fit porsche wheels on a mk2 golf. personally i think he should have given you a refund, but only for costomer satisfaction. thing is. jumping in with all that legal talk straight away was a bit premature. maybe a calmer aproach would have got you further, i usually find it does. as said stick em on ebay and flog em to some monkey for 18 times what there worth. just remember to add those special ebay words. "mint" and "rare"
It's always disappointing when you buy bits that don't work out the way you hoped, but when you run a highly modified car there's always a risk that some combination of bits will cause you a problem. Unless you specifically stated what wheels you wanted to fit, before you bought them, and what suspension you have, and they said the kit would work for that exact setup, then I don't think you've got a clear cut case. If you can use the adaptors to fit some porsche wheels, or all Porsche wheels when you've got standard suspension, then they are of merchantable quality (legal phrase meaning good enough to sell, and fit for the purpose for which they were made). You hope that suppliers will do you a favour in these cases, as a goodwill gesture, but to be honest I don't think they have to in this one... At least they're not trying to charge you postage again (which some would) to send them back to you So your options are... 1. Change your suspension 2. Change your wheels 3. Fit spacers to get the clearance 4. Flog the spacers 'as new' to get most of your money back. By the way, I've got nothing to do with VWSpeed, and I've never used them. Your experience so far wouldn't stop me, to be honest. just my 2p worth... Edited by: mikehorsb
At the end of the day there telling you the items do work but not on a car with your size of wheels so cant see how you have a leg to stand on . chuck on them ebay your bound to sell them on there . Can i ask you why you would want to put 5 stud wheels on your car anyway ?
