Part return problems with European customs?

Just wondering how many of you have had issues with returning items purchased from European vendors. My C3 helmet return has been held up in Spanish customs since April 5th, wondering if this is a normal occurrence.

jagarra said:

Just wondering how many of you have had issues with returning items purchased from European vendors. My C3 helmet return has been held up in Spanish customs since April 5th, wondering if this is a normal occurrence.

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I've only bought a few things from foreign vendors, but never had to make a return. I'm interested in how this goes for you.

Thought I would finish this saga. After customs holding the package for over a month and having the seller investigate, they decided to send the package back to me. After many anxious thoughts about losing the helmet and my $$ it showed up my house today. A bit long considering I sent it back on 3/31/17. Contacted seller to see how we can proceed on my return.

I made another purchase from yet a different Spanish seller for a Belstaff jacket, after really, really triple checking their sizing chart and ordering a jacket in a size that I normally not wear, it arrived and fit perfectly. Guess them charts may be pretty close to accurate as long as you measure properly and not go by what you wear in the states.

jagarra said:

Thought I would finish this saga. After customs holding the package for over a month and having the seller investigate, they decided to send the package back to me. After many anxious thoughts about losing the helmet and my $$ it showed up my house today. A bit long considering I sent it back on 3/31/17. Contacted seller to see how we can proceed on my return.

I made another purchase from yet a different Spanish seller for a Belstaff jacket, after really, really triple checking their sizing chart and ordering a jacket in a size that I normally not wear, it arrived and fit perfectly. Guess them charts may be pretty close to accurate as long as you measure properly and not go by what you wear in the states.

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Thanks for the update.

With the current exchange rate on the British pound and Euro, there's many attractive bargains from European retailers. Can you make a return? That's a big if.

I was looking at a C4 Helmet at a Spanish vendor at a very good price until I discovered it wasn't DOT certified?

crucian said:

I was looking at a C4 Helmet at a Spanish vendor at a very good price until I discovered it wasn't DOT certified?

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I believe the C4 is ECE and DOT approved. The ones that are sold in Europe likely don't have the DOT sticker - because they don't need to.

Scroll to the bottom of the description on this link to see approvals:
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/schuberth-c4-helmet

Since i started this thread, now for the finish. After the helmet got back to me after I shipped it two months prior for a size return. I again contacted MotardInn (TradeInn) in Spain which was the shop I purchased the helmet from. Next day I received an e-mail with a link to DHL, filled out some questions and printed out some documents necessary for shipment, paid by the seller. Set up a pick up and DHL picked up the package. It arrived at the shop a couple of days later, was notified of my return credit and received the credit, including original shipping to USA back on the 20th to my CC. YAHOO

As far as customer service, I can only praise their policies and how they far they went to make things right for me. I would feel confident in buying from the 2 shops I dealt with in Spain again. Just really pay attention to their sizing charts and get one of those cloth tapes in CM.

I remember the day when shopping locally was the way to go........The retailer was happy to see you-again The customer was happy to go to his/hers favorite place and come home with the right size/fit or part.........
While I can "see" what has happened, I don't understand how the "retail experience" has mutated to this point in such a rapid manner

I find that sometimes saving a little money is expensive in the cost of time, money and energy.

OM

Omega Man said:

I remember the day when shopping locally was the way to go........The retailer was happy to see you-again The customer was happy to go to his/hers favorite place and come home with the right size/fit or part.........
While I can "see" what has happened, I don't understand how the "retail experience" has mutated to this point in such a rapid manner

I find that sometimes saving a little money is expensive in the cost of time, money and energy.

OM

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Range of available products, price and convenience (i.e., rapid delivery and easy return policies). Pretty much the same thing Sears offered in the late 1800's and revolutionized retail. Walmart took the brick-and-mortar concept as far as it could by improving distribution, driving down supplier prices and minimizing in-store labor costs.

What the Amazon and the web offers is the opportunity for manufacturers or distributors to sell directly to the customer and avoid the costs of the retailer. Tesla was on the right track, but the car dealers killed the idea at the state level. I want the product created by the producer. As long as there's a service network for the product, there's no need for the dealer and his expense.

What is the upside of this? I'm currently wearing US produced blue jeans that are sold by the manufacturer for $52 ~ 55 per pair. That's a domestic company, with domestic employees selling a US product (superior one, in my mind) for the same or better price than the stores at the mall. IMHO, that's people figuring out how to succeed.

36654 said:

Range of available products, price and convenience (i.e., rapid delivery and easy return policies). Pretty much the same thing Sears offered in the late 1800's and revolutionized retail. Walmart took the brick-and-mortar concept as far as it could by improving distribution, driving down supplier prices and minimizing in-store labor costs.

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Not to hijack the thread, but it seems relevant due to a purchase at a local dealer/supplier would have skipped all this grief

What the Amazon and the web offers is the opportunity for manufacturers or distributors to sell directly to the customer and avoid the costs of the retailer. Tesla was on the right track, but the car dealers killed the idea at the state level. I want the product created by the producer. As long as there's a service network for the product, there's no need for the dealer and his expense.

Click to expand...

As far as I have information, Amazon has only (itself) shown a profit once in recent past. This doesn't mean that the Big Cheeses at the top are not doing real well........It means that the "stock buying public" keeps thinking it's "doing great" and buying stock........which I am pretty sure (by the reported numbers) is the real function of these gigantic operations. I seem to remember some rather lengthy postings here on the forum about wages and minimum wages and how they equate to todays pay-scale(s).
I have seen quite a bit of this kind of "consolidation" and "supreme outlets" in the heavy equipment industry. The quick examples would be, in the New England area, 1 dealer for CAT and 1 for John Deer. Iffin' you like either brand but don't like the dealer, your out of luck.
I'm pretty sure the service network for the product is what is referred to as the dealer. I can't even imagine buying a new vehicle from the parent company and going to the now beat-down "service network" for anything and having it go well.

What is the upside of this? I'm currently wearing US produced blue jeans that are sold by the manufacturer for $52 ~ 55 per pair. That's a domestic company, with domestic employees selling a US product (superior one, in my mind) for the same or better price than the stores at the mall. IMHO, that's people figuring out how to succeed.

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I see an upside for those who are not "stuck" in the past for customer service and supply. If a customer comes in and really needs something on say Thursday, but the stock order is already in so it will be a week to ten days.............The retailer should realize the customer can probably get it in two days....they could do it as well.

I guess in an age where a "salesman" is or has become a rather weak order-taker, there will be more and more "mutations" as the internet buying operations clue into the "new world of retail".
OM

Omega Man said:

Not to hijack the thread, but it seems relevant due to a purchase at a local dealer/supplier would have skipped all this grief





As far as I have information, Amazon has only (itself) shown a profit once in recent past. This doesn't mean that the Big Cheeses at the top are not doing real well........It means that the "stock buying public" keeps thinking it's "doing great" and buying stock........which I am pretty sure (by the reported numbers) is the real function of these gigantic operations. I seem to remember some rather lengthy postings here on the forum about wages and minimum wages and how they equate to todays pay-scale(s).
I have seen quite a bit of this kind of "consolidation" and "supreme outlets" in the heavy equipment industry. The quick examples would be, in the New England area, 1 dealer for CAT and 1 for John Deer. Iffin' you like either brand but don't like the dealer, your out of luck.
I'm pretty sure the service network for the product is what is referred to as the dealer. I can't even imagine buying a new vehicle from the parent company and going to the now beat-down "service network" for anything and having it go well.


I see an upside for those who are not "stuck" in the past for customer service and supply. If a customer comes in and really needs something on say Thursday, but the stock order is already in so it will be a week to ten days.............The retailer should realize the customer can probably get it in two days....they could do it as well.

I guess in an age where a "salesman" is or has become a rather weak order-taker, there will be more and more "mutations" as the internet buying operations clue into the "new world of retail".
OM

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CAT and Deere, excluding some foreign competition have held their positions since the early 90's. IH folded and was consolidated into Case before the Allis-Chalmers/Dresser nameplates went belly up. AGCO purchased the AllisChalmers/Massey/White etc nameplates and sold stuff from various Italian (Fiat, etc) manufactures for several years. Interestingly, the stuff sourced by AGCO was coming from the same factories that previously supplied the last mid-size Oliver/Hesston products. New Holland consolidated Ford and Case and I think produces the ag stuff sold under the CAT Challenger nameplate. Surprisingly, I can't recall Deere buying anyone, in these later years.

I worked for Allis-Chalmers in the early 80's. They were a diversified manufacturer competing directly with Ingersol-Dresser-Rand in many product markets, excluding machine tools. In that same town (York, PA), across from the current HD assembly plant was a massive CAT assembly plant that paid $22/hr plus full benefits to start in 1981. By 1984, the CAT plant was vacant and in 1986 Allis-Chalmers was a memory.

Things change.

BC1100S said:

I believe the C4 is ECE and DOT approved. The ones that are sold in Europe likely don't have the DOT sticker - because they don't need to.

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Thanks and that may be but in advance of placing the order I did some research and what I saw was that the C4 was delayed in the US because it lacked DOT approval?

That said, and this feeds into the "local/online" discussion, There are billions of folks who don't now, or ever did have access to brick and mortar. I'm one of them even though in the Virgin Islands I am on the fringe of the United States. As more online opportunities became available, everyone off the retail grid benefited. I try to avoid Amazon and will even pay a bit higher price to do so but it is amazing the number of US based online sellers that haven't figured out "international shipping". In my case that would require U.S. Priority mail which is apparently too difficult for some vendors to wrap their head around. I also use a Freight Forwarder for larger items and all that would be required of a vendor is to ship however they normally ship, to my Forwarder in Miami. All too often I get, nope we don't ship to Freight Forwarders or nope, we don't like your billing address. In some cases this is due to odd arrangements whereby I would need to order from a supplier say, in South America because the manufacturer doesn't consider me in the US even though I am in a US Territory.

Amazon however, Revzilla and the aforementioned Spanish vendor will ship to me in a heartbeat, among many others and they are killing vendors that don't grasp shipping. Distance issues? I needed a drain hose for my Miele dishwasher, went online and ordered it at a good price. Only after the transaction was complete did I realize I had ordered it in Great Britain. How did that work out? Royal Mail, par avion, and I had the hose in four days at my Post Office Box.

I hear all of you that lament the loss of local vendors where you are able to make an eye to eye transaction. What you need to know is that you are in a minority as most of us never had or never will have that option. Online is the only logical future as it serves people wherever they may be located.