Drop Shippers. Caveat Emptor.
Placed an order for a set of exhaust pipes with California Motorcycles only to discover too late, that they are drop shippers.
My buying "experience" with these people went like this.
After ordering and paying for the pipes, they were delayed for a week because these people who specialise in shipping around the world had incorrectly completed the Customs forms.
When the pipes arrived, I saw they had sent me the wrong ones, on being informed, they gave me an address to return them to - at my expense (£85.00) and told to mark the box "Fao Warranty Department" and given no other instructions. So I returned them after marking the box as directed.
When the pipes arrived back in Spain, they were held by Spanish Customs for tax payment. The shipping "experts" at California Motorcycles apparently don't have the faintest idea how to deal with their own customs laws.
However as California Motorcycles exported the pipes in the first place, you would think they would have no trouble speaking to Customs in their own town and resolving the matter, especially as they had failed to supply me with any information how to send returned goods back.
But no. They refused to intervene, presumably being too lazy or too incompetent to deal with their own Customs people and told me that as the package hadn't reached them, they would not refund me and it was all my fault.
Well California Motorcycles, welcome to Section 75 of the Consumer Act. (Google for full details.) As they hadn't supplied me with what I ordered, Visa refunded me in full. The very helpful lady at the Visa dispute centre told me that they (Visa) would simply take the money back from California Motorcycles bank account.
So, if you are tempted to buy from this outfit, bear in mind the following. If you ask them whether they have an item in stock, they will only send you a link to it on their website, they will not give you a yes or no answer, because as drop shippers they have zero stock. If you ask a question these people consider "awkward" they will simply ignore your e mail, and finally, if there is a foul up at their end, they will offer you no help, expect you to pay to cover their incompetence and use every excuse why they will not refund you.
But if, despite my experience you are still determined that you should buy from them, ensure you use a credit card and that way, when this crew mess up and refuse to refund you, you'll be refunded by Visa or Mastercard.
28 September 2023
Unprompted review