There are only three reasons I can think of as to why a vendor would offer a Core credit...

(1) As a courtesy offer to customers who have no need for their previous OEM item(s), this saves the customer the hassle of having to list, sell, and collect on their duplicate set to an unknown party and gives them at least some discount in the process.

(2) The cost of purchasing new OEM units to modify is both more expensive and requires inventory be maintained.

(3) OEM parts are no longer available.

Think of it this way, most vendors that offer customized parts have two general options for a business model...

(1) Buy lots of OEM parts up front and on a continuing basis to maintain an arbitrary supply at any one time (even GM has problems in forecasting safe and responsible inventory levels). This model is both expensive and ultimately risky to the vendor as at some point he will usually have to eat his remaining inventory when demand slacks off (or unexpected cores start to be returned).

(2) Maintain little or no inventory and RELY on core returns as their primary source of items. This is usually the smartest option as it reduces their risk as well as their cost as the core credit is usually somewhat less than a new OEM part would cost them. In most cases this is a win-win for both the customer and vendor.

Put yourself in the vendor's position. If he sells "x-number" of items on a monthly basis, and receives back 100% of the cores from customers, he "may" never have to invest in ANY inventory (or very little). Every month he receives fewer core returns vs what he sells, he is forced to pay the higher OEM price and so his profit drops. Most small businesses look at their profit/loss on a monthly basis and invest in inventory accordingly. But what would happen if all of a sudden the vendor received 100 core returns at once several months later unexpectedly?...Ouch! His inventory investment could theoretically almost double overnight and without warning! Also, he MUST now sell twice his normal load ASAP to get things back to "normal" - makes for some sleepless nights. Even major vendors like VetteEssentials only had ONE Steering Wheel core in stock when I ordered mine - so most "custom" vendors operate on a tight margin (they have to unless they want to end up asking for a Government bail out!).

I always return my cores within 24 hours, but if I could foresee that I might need a couple months, I would call the vendor to see if that was acceptable FIRST!

 

I'm completely with Z28 Johnny on this. Tyler has HIS money, a deposit that was a good faith guarantee of the return of the cores to Tyler. Tyler made NO reference to a specific time frame for their return, and cannot change the rules because he felt they wern't returned in a timely manner. At the very least Tyler should have contacted Z28 Johnny and asked him for the cores, or his deposit would be forfeited. Half the amount doesn't cut it. Tyler, do the right thing here and return the entire $350.

 

Most dealers list the time for core refunds. Ecklers does 15 days for chrome wheels, 3 weeks for differentials. The difference in time is in ease or difficulty of install. Lenses rate as simple as you can get on an install basis. Two months is pushing the window I'd say. Take the offer or resell your lenses and cut your losses. Next time set it in stone. 65 hours a week you can afford to cut your losses on this deal.

I will say though thanks for bringing the core issue to light so everyone can think of it whenever they face a core deal.

 

All I can say about this, is that I'm glad I don't work 65 or 114 hours or whatever that ridiculus amount was. Life's to short. I say WORK LESS AND DRIVE MORE! Class dismissed.

 

if i was going to get 350 core refund Id try to send them back right away and if it was more than a week or so Id keep in contact with the seller and let him know im working on it and he will have them soon. no way would I lose contact for 52 days straight and expect him to remember me. I can understand that maybe he found a lot of other cores within that time and when you were ready almost 2 months later to return them he has too many cores laying around and doesnt need yours. I agree that he should disclose a time period to give the cores back and what happens if you dont by then but you asked for trouble by procrastinating. its a tough call, the good part is you still have all of your lights and you can sell them separate here on the forum and make some of your loss back

 

When a business works on modiying core products, they need the core back to make more product to sell to the next customer. After a few weeks, if he didn't receive yours, then he has to restock to keep his supply up. You should have returned them much quicker. Many vendors want cores back within a week or two. Put yourself in his shoes for a minute. He should have told you just to keep the core at this point but was willing to give you back a reasonable amount. Your tardiness impacts his business. You were taking advantage of him by returning the parts at your convenience. If he took seven weeks to ship you parts after you paid, you'd be pissed. I think he was being more than fair. I would have told you to keep them. Maybe he didn't specify a time frame for return, but be realistic. Seven weeks and you were first inquiring about getting around to returning the parts.

 

Well said

 

I can see your point, BUT he did not recieve his money yet. So its not the same as a vendor taking 7 weeks after you have paid. Even if a time period was specified, I do not see the vendors problem with paying the full $350. I presume he still needs stock right? So how is the vendor losing anything by paying out with this, even if it had been 6 months. I would think that as a vendor, you would do everything in your power to make a customer happy, in the hopes that he will buy from you again, and pass on good word of mouth advertising. I would think that is certainly worth the $350 that he would have paid anyway, just 30 days earlier.
I for one will avoid doing business with this vendor, not really because I think that his actions are questionable or underhanded in any way. But because it is clear to me that this vendor does not place customer satisfaction as his highest priority.

 

 

IMHO you waited too long. I myself would assume that the guy is in business to make $ and that he would need the cores back soon. A week to 2 is my max that I wait before sending anything back. If you didn't have time then you probably should have waited for when you had time. If the vendor didn't post specific instructions and time-frames...shame on him however you did take a little bit to long. This is a lose lose situation for both...sorry.

 

I still fail to see how the vendor is losing anything if he pays the $350 back. He is still getting a core that he can mod and sell. What has the vendor lost?

 

The Vendor HAS the customers money!
The Vendor placed a value on the core charge.
The Vendor OWES the CORE CHARGE when the item is returned.
It doesn't matter if it was two days, two weeks, two months or even two years in my opinion!! It's not like they go DOWN in value do they?
In my opinion, the customer is getting here... Not good...
A core charge is a core charge, is a core charge. PERIOD!!

If the Vendor needed the cores back, he could have phoned, emailed, or whatever. It's simple! Customer said he'd send them back. He didn't say when and was not given a time period in which he was to do so.
The Vendor's lack of customer service and the idea that he could buy a cheaper replacement core is the root of this problem. He took the core charge money and is now keeping it... WRONG!!!



Customer gets ALL of his money back. Done.

 

If you think they are worth so much why don't you just sell them on the forum to recoup your money or take his offer.


It's just a leeson learned.

 

Many of you fail to see the point. There is a reasonable amount of time to expect the parts to be returned. How long do you think it would be unreasonable, six months? a year? The guy is in business and in good faith he expected the parts to be returned to him in a timely manner. In a small business he might not have the working capital to just fork over because of someone else's irresponsibilty. The customer is not always right. Sometimes you can't satisfy everyone. If some of you who disagree had your own businesses you might see this whole point differently. Being self-employed is not easy, try it. I've been self-employed for 35 years. It's got its own set of problems and difficulties that you don't experience when you have a boss that buffers you from those realities. It may be worth doing but it's hard work to stay in business.

 

You air this dispute on a public forum over a measly $138?

GIMMEABREAK

 

I completely agree. Tyler has done more harm to his business then the $350 will ever buy him. LOUSY customer service, plain and simple. I for one will not do business with him. Tyler, Is it worth it?

 

You, as the customer, were very slow to meet your end of the arrangement and return cores in a timely manner. On the other hand, the dealer, who initiates the agreement and determines the details of such agreement, and should be held to a higher regard of professionalism, did not, by your words, explicitly spell out a time frame for you to return cores. I would say 75% dealer error, 25% customer error, would be a fair judgement in this case.

 

IMO, if the vendor did not specify a date to return the core, then its the vendor's problem.

The seller was slow on returning the cores, but that is irrelevant if no time frame is specified in the purchase agreement. If the customer returns the core in the required condition, then they deserve a full refund.

I understand that small business have issues with stocking inventory and such things, but that is not an excuse. It sucks, but that is the risk you take for doing core exchanges. The vendor needs to take this as a lesson and implement a core charge/refund policy and make it clear to their customers what it is.


Chris

 

I for one don't think it's an unreasonable time. I know the vendor is a small business but if there is a specific time frame that he expects the item to be returned then it should be noted. I've purchased items that required a core charge and I have to confess I've dragged my feet returnining some. I took 3 months to return a steering wheel back to Mid-America and their policy is by the way One Year in returning a core item. My core charge was 100% refunded.

 

The vendor isn't keeping the core charge, he offered a sizable refund to the man. He didn't offer all of it because the customer didn't contact him for 52 days and he had to replace his stock by then.

Most companies that do core charges are under a month turnaround because they need them to stay in business. It sounds like you think the vendor has money growing on trees to buy cores back 2 years later.

It's not the vendor's responsibility to locate people and get their cores back. It's the customer's responsibility to get the core back in a timely manner for their refund.

The customer here was lazy and is paying $138 for it, oh well. If I were the vendor I would have said get lost as I had to replace your part to maintain stock and business.