I haven't had a smooth transaction with ECS so far...avoiding them now.

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

The most recent fiasco is with an aluminum window trim part I ordered from ECS…they’ve shipped it twice, damaged both times.

The first time, ok. The box was a little smushed - shit happens.

The second time, box looks ok but part still bent? It was packed up against the inside of the box (mistake).

Me: So at this point, I’ve paid for 2-day shipping and it’s been 2-weeks. Ship another one 2-day shipping (so I can have it by the weekend) or send me a refund if they aren’t able to ship this part without damage.
ECS: We’ll send you a refund.
Me: You cheaped out because I know you’re not just going to stop selling this part, you didn’t want to pay the additional shipping.

He said he sent a refund…I don’t have it. He didn’t say they were refunding shipping, so I requested that. At this point, they’ve been paid twice for a damaged part (by FedEx) and no doubt they’ve been refunded the shipping (which they indicated would not send a refund for)…so they made money off of this and I’m still without the part.

I know mileage varies and some people have great success with them but cmon. I’d think they would bend over backwards to make sure I got this part at this point…They’ve lost a customer.

#2

I have had 1 bad experience, I ordered a grille that was in stock, said my order would ship that day, it didn’t, next day grille was out of stock so I said whatever and called and changed it from a black surround to chrome thinking I’ll just plastidip it, next day that wasn’t in stock but my original black one was, called and raised hell and they promised it would ship and it did finally and I got what I wanted. This was a huge pain in the ass because I try and time my purchases so they all arrive to the parcel place by Friday so I can drive to North Dakota to pick my stuff up Saturday, I ended up having to wait another week to get it.

Lately however I find the pricing becoming more and more uncompetitive. I have not ordered a thing from them in almost 2 years, before that I spend 2 grand there in 9 months. I order a lot of stuff from rockauto since the prices can’t be beat for things like mann oil/air/cabin filters, OEM NGK spark plugs and FCP euro for control arms and lots of Bosch sensors.

#3

ECS has had there credit card system files hacked like 5 times so that’s usually something I tend to worry about. Then there have been a few times I used them when the dealership didn’t have parts. It has always been hit or miss. A few times I have been sent the wrong parts. It could have been a disaster if I wasn’t checking each part. I think there name has gotten too big and they tend to not be as competitive.

Now with so many other options and most companies like JHM matching or beating there prices if your placing a big order ECS is less of a big player then they used to be.

#4

JHM doesn’t store your credit card numbers either. I was annoyed at first, but in the long run, it’s safer.

#5

I also find my local dealer to be on par with ecs in terms of OEM parts cost, I always check the dealer before ordering online because sometimes I get lucky and the dealers cheaper/in cdn dollars/no shipping

#6

Genuine audi parts, too. High volume audi dealer down in San Diego

#7

I have found ECS’s prices recently on OEM parts is the same as GAP’s and my local dealership’s list prices. Or the same price as if you bought the parts over the parts counter. So I now order OEM parts through GAP.

I did recently spend a large amount with ECS recently but it was a lot of aftermarket brand parts that I couldn’t source cheaper locally.

#8

Personally I have only ever had good experiences with ECS, I have been buying from them for 6 years and never had an issue. I live in rural Canada, and the nearest dealer is 200 km away, and they charge $$$ for OEM parts.

I have had great service and fantastic products from ECS. I know that is not everyones experience here, but for me, they have been great. I buy a lot from JHM as well, but ECS has everything you could possibly want and some things like sensors, and fluids, brakes and etc, at a variety of price points. The ECS “service kits” are fantastic, I bought the ECS coolant service kit for my S4, I have also bought a few timing kits for my 1.8t B5.5 A4 and etc, although I don’t think their B6S4 timing service kit is the same value as JHM’s.

I have never had a package from them take more than 5 days, usually if I order on Sunday/Monday I get the package before Friday. As well, I have never had a damaged package on 15+ orders, although I only ever use the Canadaese program which is UPS.

Strait shilling:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f202/sewermonsterBW/B306740C-FDC9-45F3-BE8D-A0BDCD8AC4CD_zpsuhtxxiyw.jpg

#9

Canadaese?

#10

Like I said - the first one was a fluke, I think the shipper straight-up damaged it. The second one…I made sure to take note of how it was packed when I pulled it out of the box. It was 100% their mistake. For them to tell me…and I quote “At this time we cannot guarantee the safety of this item as it was surrounded with packing material and in shipment must have slid over against the side. I have sent an email to my supervisor to refund you your 99.40 for the price of the part.” is just poor service. So from 1000 miles away, he’s going to tell me that it “must” have slid over to the side? How about being accountable and trying to make things right? This is a pure sign of a company that is getting too big for their britches and forgetting what got them where they are to begin with.

So they cant guarantee the safety of this item? So they’ve pulled it from their site and aren’t selling it to anyone else? I think not. http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B7_RS4--V8/ES438445/

Maybe I’ll paste the whole email thread in here. It’s comical.

#11

What’s wrong with your trim piece?

#12

The previous owner somehow scratched it quite a bit. The paint on the car is fine but the trim at the drivers window is hosed.

The new one - it’s bent, a lot. you cant bend it back and not have it messed up looking.

#13

I ordered one thing from them and I had my cc data stolen during one of the hacks. Whoever used the data ended up ordering a few grand worth of car parts. It slipped through the credit card’s fraud department too because it was car parts.

I’m surprised they keep credit card data stored in the system. That’s a huge nono…

#14

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a reply to this thread saying they no longer store CC data. lol.

Still, that’s been part of PCI compliance for years. If they aren’t PCI compliant for any reason and they lose customer data, they are liable for damages.

#15

Just another reason I use paypal if I ever have to order from them. I have had good luck with them, only had 1 issue with shipping price but their sales manager helped out.

#16

Canadaese is a service for Canadian customers, you get a fixed price to your door inclusive of duty and taxes via UPS so you don’t have outrageous duty costs when your loot lands. I only ever pay with Paypal as well, so I never got hit by their CC hack issues.

I have ordered trim pieces and even a cupra lip from ECS a few weeks ago, I never had any problems with damaged packages.

I am not sure how you select your shipping, but If you are shipping USPS then that is your problem.

#17
#18

You think they’re sending you bad stock and blaming the shipper? There have been a few forum members who have done that in the past.

Have worthless damaged part
Sell on classifieds as mint
Ship to buyer with insurance
Buyer complains to shipper
Shipper collects insurance payout (and hopefully refunds buyer, however that can be part two of a scam if the seller plans to disappear after)

#19

To be fair - the first shipment had a noticeably bent box so it seems likely that the shipper damaged it. The second box looked pretty good but the part was packed against the inside of the box…

#20

Yeah I make it a point to always use paypal, but back then they didn’t accept it

…and I really wanted those h-pipes