Negative Review: J on Demand
May 7, 2007, 12:12 PM
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Negative Review: J on Demand
So back in December I spoke with Eric at JonDemand about purchasing Swift springs for the MR. He quoted me an awesome price but told me it would take about 3 weeks to get them from Japan. I agreed since I didn't mind waiting at the time.
About 2 weeks later I asked him about the status of the springs and he said that he hadn't ordered them because I hadn't paid for them. At this point I was a bit angry because he never said he needed me to pay up front. I guess it's my fault because I should have asked? I don't know...whatever. I paid on January 13th, 2007 and was told it would take another 3-4 weeks from the date I paid to get them.
I figured the time would go by fast if I didn't think about it. A few weeks after I paid I called Eric and asked him about the status and he says they're on the way.
Fast forward a month and Eric says that the container that has my springs has arrived from Japan but he doesn't know when they will be in my hands. I'm like okay...thats cool, at least they're here.
Another couple days goes by, same answer from Eric.
Now its been about 6 weeks since I paid, still the same response...at this point I let Eric know I'm not happy with the wait and he tells me hes doing the best he can to get them to me. I'm not mad at Eric, just the situation.
Another few weeks goes by and at this point, a good friend offers to let me use his Swifts and then just have me give him my springs once they arrive. I agree and he gives me his springs and I forget to keep reminding Eric about the springs since I "have" them.
I call a few weeks later and now Eric tells me that he has to refund me because they undercharged me and that they paid $400 for the springs. I call him out on it because I know Swifts have an MSRP of about $369-379. So now they tell me its going to take 30 days for a refund. At this point I'm angry because its taken so long and they apparently aren't able to give me the springs I want.
I have to front my friend the money for the springs because he needs it so now I'm out double the price of the springs and I still have no status on a refund from JonDemand.
Around March 25th?...I get a call from Eric letting me know he no longer works at J on Demand. He instructed me to call Hiro (owner) and have him issue me a refund.
Now, fast forward to March 30th, I send Hiro, the owner of JonDemand an email concerning the whole matter. Heres an excerpt of his reply to my email:
I am sorry to hear we were not able to able to help you to our fullest potential. We have been experiencing several delays lately with our supplier, and due to this inconvenience we have been given lead times that have been longer than usual. I will have your refund processed in the form of a check in the amount of 260.00. Please allow us 30 days to complete the refund. Once the check is issued I will have Eric give it to you since he is local in your area.
Now I asked him why it would take 30 days to complete a refund, and he said that the state of California allows him 30 days to send a refund. He also said it was tax time and it would throw his books out of balance. At that point, I was FURIOUS so I told him 30 days from when I requested the refund would be April 30th and I'd be expecting a check in the mail. He agrees an we hang up.
I called Hiro around April 25th to ask about the status of the refund and he told me that the springs were going to be arriving in a few days. I said that I had no need for springs so I just needed my money back. He proceeded to try to convince me to take delivery of springs that I did not need.
It is now May 7th, 2007 and I still do not have a refund check or Swift springs for the MR from J on Demand. I called in today to get status on my refund and I was told that Hiro is in Japan again and that they might not be able to process the refund until he gets back which is May 14th.
Update: After mediation with CharlesJ, Hiro (owner of JoD) said he needed another 10 business days plus mailing time (so about 3 weeks) to send me a refund check. Keep in mind, this is ADDITIONAL TO THE 30 DAYS HE SAID HE NEEDED EARLIER. So a total of about 7 weeks to mail me a refund check. Sound fishy?
Update: Fortunately, I contacted AMEX again and they were willing to do a chargeback for me, so no need to wait another month to get my money back.
Update: Offered to be refunded today via PayPal. I agreed if I was refunded the full amount I paid PLUS PayPal fees.
Update: Received refund and cancelled the AMEX chargeback.
Of course there are always fan boys who bought a shift knob from a vendor and think they're the best company in the world. I also know there are people who have spent large amounts of money with them and have had problems with delays in shipping and getting in touch with anyone there. I wrote this out to let other consumers know about J on Demand and how they deal with customers after they have your money. It might help a vendor if the owner was not always out of the country and was not able to respond to phone calls/emails in a timely manner. If he can not help it, it also might help to have a manager who can run things when the owner is not there. Just my $0.02.
CN:
-Paid for Swift springs on January 13th, 2007
-Kept getting the run around.
-Requested refund on March 30th, 2007 and was told they needed 30 days to process a refund.
-Today is May 7th, 2007. No refund yet. Called in and was told Hiro is in Japan and might not be able to process refund until May 14th.
-Mediation with CharlesJ, ended in Hiro saying he needs another 3 weeks to issue a refund, in addition to the 4 weeks he was allowed by law.
-Contacted AMEX again, spoke to a very nice lady, she did the chargeback for me
-Was contacted by CharlesJ with a possible refund today via PayPal.
-I agreed to the refund via PayPal if I am not paying PayPal fees.
-Received a refund
-Cancelled AMEX chargeback
About 2 weeks later I asked him about the status of the springs and he said that he hadn't ordered them because I hadn't paid for them. At this point I was a bit angry because he never said he needed me to pay up front. I guess it's my fault because I should have asked? I don't know...whatever. I paid on January 13th, 2007 and was told it would take another 3-4 weeks from the date I paid to get them.
I figured the time would go by fast if I didn't think about it. A few weeks after I paid I called Eric and asked him about the status and he says they're on the way.
Fast forward a month and Eric says that the container that has my springs has arrived from Japan but he doesn't know when they will be in my hands. I'm like okay...thats cool, at least they're here.
Another couple days goes by, same answer from Eric.
Now its been about 6 weeks since I paid, still the same response...at this point I let Eric know I'm not happy with the wait and he tells me hes doing the best he can to get them to me. I'm not mad at Eric, just the situation.
Another few weeks goes by and at this point, a good friend offers to let me use his Swifts and then just have me give him my springs once they arrive. I agree and he gives me his springs and I forget to keep reminding Eric about the springs since I "have" them.
I call a few weeks later and now Eric tells me that he has to refund me because they undercharged me and that they paid $400 for the springs. I call him out on it because I know Swifts have an MSRP of about $369-379. So now they tell me its going to take 30 days for a refund. At this point I'm angry because its taken so long and they apparently aren't able to give me the springs I want.
I have to front my friend the money for the springs because he needs it so now I'm out double the price of the springs and I still have no status on a refund from JonDemand.
Around March 25th?...I get a call from Eric letting me know he no longer works at J on Demand. He instructed me to call Hiro (owner) and have him issue me a refund.
Now, fast forward to March 30th, I send Hiro, the owner of JonDemand an email concerning the whole matter. Heres an excerpt of his reply to my email:
I am sorry to hear we were not able to able to help you to our fullest potential. We have been experiencing several delays lately with our supplier, and due to this inconvenience we have been given lead times that have been longer than usual. I will have your refund processed in the form of a check in the amount of 260.00. Please allow us 30 days to complete the refund. Once the check is issued I will have Eric give it to you since he is local in your area.
Now I asked him why it would take 30 days to complete a refund, and he said that the state of California allows him 30 days to send a refund. He also said it was tax time and it would throw his books out of balance. At that point, I was FURIOUS so I told him 30 days from when I requested the refund would be April 30th and I'd be expecting a check in the mail. He agrees an we hang up.
I called Hiro around April 25th to ask about the status of the refund and he told me that the springs were going to be arriving in a few days. I said that I had no need for springs so I just needed my money back. He proceeded to try to convince me to take delivery of springs that I did not need.
It is now May 7th, 2007 and I still do not have a refund check or Swift springs for the MR from J on Demand. I called in today to get status on my refund and I was told that Hiro is in Japan again and that they might not be able to process the refund until he gets back which is May 14th.
Update: After mediation with CharlesJ, Hiro (owner of JoD) said he needed another 10 business days plus mailing time (so about 3 weeks) to send me a refund check. Keep in mind, this is ADDITIONAL TO THE 30 DAYS HE SAID HE NEEDED EARLIER. So a total of about 7 weeks to mail me a refund check. Sound fishy?
Update: Fortunately, I contacted AMEX again and they were willing to do a chargeback for me, so no need to wait another month to get my money back.
Update: Offered to be refunded today via PayPal. I agreed if I was refunded the full amount I paid PLUS PayPal fees.
Update: Received refund and cancelled the AMEX chargeback.
Of course there are always fan boys who bought a shift knob from a vendor and think they're the best company in the world. I also know there are people who have spent large amounts of money with them and have had problems with delays in shipping and getting in touch with anyone there. I wrote this out to let other consumers know about J on Demand and how they deal with customers after they have your money. It might help a vendor if the owner was not always out of the country and was not able to respond to phone calls/emails in a timely manner. If he can not help it, it also might help to have a manager who can run things when the owner is not there. Just my $0.02.
CN:
-Paid for Swift springs on January 13th, 2007
-Kept getting the run around.
-Requested refund on March 30th, 2007 and was told they needed 30 days to process a refund.
-Today is May 7th, 2007. No refund yet. Called in and was told Hiro is in Japan and might not be able to process refund until May 14th.
-Mediation with CharlesJ, ended in Hiro saying he needs another 3 weeks to issue a refund, in addition to the 4 weeks he was allowed by law.
-Contacted AMEX again, spoke to a very nice lady, she did the chargeback for me
-Was contacted by CharlesJ with a possible refund today via PayPal.
-I agreed to the refund via PayPal if I am not paying PayPal fees.
-Received a refund
-Cancelled AMEX chargeback
Last edited by DruMMinStUd06; May 23, 2007 at 03:49 PM.
May 9, 2007, 08:54 AM
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We are offering a full refund by paypal right away, thats our offer. I am currenly in japan and asked for 10days until i return to sign a check to him. offered him overnight delivery as well. this situation was something different from a regular customer, i will not say why but we are here trying to handle this guy. Its up to him if he takes it or not. we are very sorry for the inconvenience and delay. there was many miscommunication on this order since it was a special case.
Last edited by JondemandSales; May 9, 2007 at 08:59 AM.
May 9, 2007, 09:05 AM
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I'm sure this is going to devolve into a "you said/he said" affair, but if I can only make one comment in passing to JonDemand, it's this: despite what your local business regulations permit, keeping a client's refund for 30 days or longer for goods not-delivered is poor business and customer management. I know most smaller companies will do this as a means of earning a little interest on these funds, prior to remitting them. In my opinion, it's better to lose the couple of bucks you would have gained letting the cash sit, rather than the customer. And to be quite honest with you, if what the OP writes is an accurate representation of the incident(s), then your offer to paypal him now is a too little, too late.
Bear in mind, I'm only making these statements based on the OP's post. I don't know the full story, and probably never will. So please take my comments as opinion only.
Bear in mind, I'm only making these statements based on the OP's post. I don't know the full story, and probably never will. So please take my comments as opinion only.
May 9, 2007, 10:34 AM
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I did not receive any PM's or any other means of communication stating you would do overnight delivery.
No comment.
I did accept your proposal for a refund via PayPal if you include PayPal fees.
Please explain.
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May 9, 2007, 12:04 PM
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We are here trying to solve this. I would love to tell everyone what actually went on with this situation but i made a few promises not to. Its an awkward position for me as well. We wish we can just give a paypal refund right after a claim but it ruins the companies book if we dont go by procedure.
May 9, 2007, 02:50 PM
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What i am trying to say is, give these guys a break, no part from japan is gonna get here overnight or in a real timely fasion. It takes time for these parts to get developed and it is in no way the vendors fault if things get delayed by a company in japan for any reason, weather it be a closing of the shop for a japanese holiday, shortage of materials, or a big event at tsukuba. Things take time and i know Hiro is trying to do his best to speed up this process to get things in a timely fashion. If u dont wanna wait for parts, then dont order them.
I only buy JDM stuff, and alot of the vendors on here know me through numerous transactions, and i have waited 6-7 months for things to be hand made and such. Thats the price u pay for getting parts from Japan.
Hiro, doesnt have alot of help on his side. He pretty much runs the buisiness by himself now, so cut him some skack. He gets bombarded with PM's, calls, and e-mails to try and satisfy everyone since they advertise they are open 24/7. I speak to Hiro all the time and he is always busy trying to fill someones order. He is not only here to serve the Evo community you know. He does everything JDM!
May 9, 2007, 04:31 PM
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Stuff from japan takes a long time. These shops like ARC, Mines, Monster, Colt, YR, Safety 21, and so on do not stock parts in their offices or shops. When the order comes into Hiro, he takes the money and then sends the money to the company in japan until it is confirmed to what is ordered then the process of MAKING the part is started. At least 75% of the parts that come from japan are HAND made and are of high quality. This is the reason for the extra time. Hand made, quality labor. All this depends on if the raw materials are available right away. Right now there is a wait on titanium cause there is a shortage, and these companies dont just stock sheets of Carbon Fiber either. And then when all is done it is loaded on a container that comes by BOAT, not by air, and no BOAT carrying all that cargo is gonna get to CA in like 2 days from Japan. Then it has to go through customs and be inspected. Then it is distributed to the vendor, and they do a checklist of the parts arriving. Out of the thousands of parts in the container, maybe your part could be one of the last ones out, who knows. Then it is shipped to u via UPS, which may take a week depending on location.
What i am trying to say is, give these guys a break, no part from japan is gonna get here overnight or in a real timely fasion. It takes time for these parts to get developed and it is in no way the vendors fault if things get delayed by a company in japan for any reason, weather it be a closing of the shop for a japanese holiday, shortage of materials, or a big event at tsukuba. Things take time and i know Hiro is trying to do his best to speed up this process to get things in a timely fashion. If u dont wanna wait for parts, then dont order them.
I only buy JDM stuff, and alot of the vendors on here know me through numerous transactions, and i have waited 6-7 months for things to be hand made and such. Thats the price u pay for getting parts from Japan.
Hiro, doesnt have alot of help on his side. He pretty much runs the buisiness by himself now, so cut him some skack. He gets bombarded with PM's, calls, and e-mails to try and satisfy everyone since they advertise they are open 24/7. I speak to Hiro all the time and he is always busy trying to fill someones order. He is not only here to serve the Evo community you know. He does everything JDM!
What i am trying to say is, give these guys a break, no part from japan is gonna get here overnight or in a real timely fasion. It takes time for these parts to get developed and it is in no way the vendors fault if things get delayed by a company in japan for any reason, weather it be a closing of the shop for a japanese holiday, shortage of materials, or a big event at tsukuba. Things take time and i know Hiro is trying to do his best to speed up this process to get things in a timely fashion. If u dont wanna wait for parts, then dont order them.
I only buy JDM stuff, and alot of the vendors on here know me through numerous transactions, and i have waited 6-7 months for things to be hand made and such. Thats the price u pay for getting parts from Japan.
Hiro, doesnt have alot of help on his side. He pretty much runs the buisiness by himself now, so cut him some skack. He gets bombarded with PM's, calls, and e-mails to try and satisfy everyone since they advertise they are open 24/7. I speak to Hiro all the time and he is always busy trying to fill someones order. He is not only here to serve the Evo community you know. He does everything JDM!
If he needs 6-7 months to get Swift springs he should have let me know, I would have went else where.
May 9, 2007, 05:12 PM
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idk i was planning on buying stuff from JoD but im not gonna lie this has made me think a little. But i fully understand that jdm stuff takes a while to get.
May 9, 2007, 05:16 PM
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Thanks Brenden. Brenden is correct. There is no company out there that can deliver on time 100% of the time. Japan does change Eta's on us. We tell our customers what we get from Japan. We keep papertrails of all our order, We dont keep peoples money since Japan will not move until paid in full. This is because of trust issues with american companies. We do have alot of credibility but we do not want to owe anything so we send the money out asap. December and January was a big holiday for Japan. Numerous companies were getting ready for christmas, tsukuba super lap, new years, and tokyo autosalon. Golden Week has just passed too where everything in japan is closed for a whole week. We do not have control on this. Shelvin, we told you through charles that we would jus take care of you so why arent you happy?
May 9, 2007, 05:20 PM
#14
I have dealt with J-ondemand numerous times.. I can say Hiro is a stand up guy and came thru for me a lot of times on voltex stuff. However, if he can hurry and get the stuff i ordered in Nov/Dec 2006.. I would be even more happier..
Last edited by Speed Element; May 10, 2007 at 06:16 PM.
May 9, 2007, 05:27 PM
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lol sorry calvin. i sent you your 272 cams =) so expect a ups from japan. also we just got some voltex stuff in our office while i was gone. wait til i get back to i can sort out which is which. another shipment of voltex went out too while i was here. as you can see, were starting to stock up on voltex =)