I ordered a cargo organizer in November and was charged right away. After calling and e-mailing till I was angry, I asked for a refund. Still don't have that either! Gene or Jeremy, WHERE IS MY $150.95 + SHIPPING????????????? Enough is enough.

 

Looks like I have to eat crow with respect to my last post. Just checked my email and Gene has stepped up and taken care of this Fedex screwup and put a new spring on order for me. He did this before I made the post here-my mistake. I realize that this forum represents a lot of buying power so I apologize to Gene and F. Beans for jumping the gun. I have been watching the F. Beans website develop over the last few months and it is clear that a serious amount of activity is going on there-I can certainly cut these guys a little slack during this period. I will continue to order from them.

Best Regards,
Linc A.
And yes, I was joking about the shotgun.

 

I can shed some light on this for you. I am a parts manager at a CA dealership. In GM's terms "ship direct" means that the part is coming from the manufacturer. GM does not make many of their own parts and does not stock all of their replacement parts. When a delaer places an order it is relayed form GM to the actual manufacturer and placed on an order from them. In most cases all accessories, chemicals, touch up paint, and some electrical parts are included as "ship direct parts". There is hardly ever an option to overnight or speed up freight and dealer can get left wondering how long it will take. Technically the "standard of service" for ship directs is 5-7 working days after the part has been ordered, but in many cases it DOES take a lot longer. Believe me I have to answer this question multiple times a week for our customers. I'm not sticking up for Fred Beans, I am just trying to let you know that it might not completely be his fault. I am willing to sell and ship parts to forum members if needed as well. -RICH-

 

I did get an organizer for slightly more money from another forum vendor. I called Gene last week to inquire about my refund and he just brushed me off. I understand $150 = shipping is peanuts to him, but it sure would be nice to have, to offset the cost of the organizer I did get. I'm getting worked up just thinking about it again.

 

Dan,
Your invoice is in the mail. I explained the situation to you several times. We have sold probably 2-3 times more organizers than any other dealerships and that is why we move freight faster and I was no longer able to get it.

I actually cannot believe it has taken this long. The only thing I can imagine is they are doing some type of repackaging thing. I have so many here that are broken I could make a plastic house. Your first one orginally came in damaged and I ordered another, which got me to this dilemna.

No need to get excited with me.
Thanks. Gene.

 

Thank you for your help.. as a matter of fact it should put me on the forum a lot more. It has hurt me not to be able to do what I want on here, as far as visiting as much.

What I can tell you is that it has been strategic on my part. We're running into some problems with getting stuff through as fast as we'd like so I have curtailed my campaigning, if you will. We have so much referral business and word-of-mouth that keeps us busy enough.

I believe at this time my replacement has been hired and should arrive within the next week. Then I will train him for the parts department and move on after we get Jeremy's replacement hired.

Thanks,
Gene

 

Yes, it was. Due in shortly.

Thank you!
Gene

 

Hi All,
Further comments about this discussion..

We sell so many of the accessories and colors of them that it is hard for us to keep them in stock. With the body colored accessories, bras, spoilers, etc being ship direct, the gentleman hit the nail on the head when he said it is 5-7 days.

Each and every order I decide how I will handle it as far as ship direct. If a person orders a spoiler and I don't have it I will drop ship. If a person orders a spoiler, door handle, fuel rail covers etc, I'll get it all in and make sure it's all ok and then ship.

Parts availability is tough when you're moving so much freight.

As far as credit card billing. I don't order anything or ship anything unless I get the money first. I have had issues with this in the past and have it in place to keep this problem to a minimum.

If I order a body control module or something else I really don't like to stock and I get it in, let's say it's a 500 dollar part. The credit card declines and now the guy doesn't want it because he can't charge it. What the heck do I want to have a 500.00 part in my inventory for nothing for?

I don't see what the issue is. If you're serious about buying the part and you're going to receive it in a reasonable amount of time then what are you complaining for?

Also, a portion of our business we drop ship from GM. Why would I want to drop ship it from GM without having payment for?

Realistically, if you're not willing to pay for it when you order than I cannot take the order. If I've ever had problems with availability or an order backfiring I've always offered a credit right away.

Thanks,
Gene

 

Ask for Gene and he will fix the problem. Fedex lost my navigation disc upgrade and Gene had a replacement right out to me.

 

I hate to say it, but you still didn't answer my question. Are the parts being shipped "direct" to you - the dealer, or to me the customer (from the manufacturer)?

 

They are shipped direct to us, the dealer in 5-7 working days.

 

 

As you are in the wholesale supply business, and in dealing with a new customer who does not have "terms" or "credit" with you, it is not unreasonable to ask for a deposit or charge a credit card at time of order for a non-stock special order item. This is good business and prevents you from getting stuck with an item that you don't stock should the customer decide to cancel.

Far different from an entity that stocks nothing and drop ships everything charging the credit card in advance to help their cash flow.
Beans is a GM dealership, maintaining a large parts inventory. My experience has been excellent receiving orders within a few days !

 

I agree with you. Thats part of the reason I'm wanting to understand more about this issue. For exactly that reason, I will pay a premium for someone who stocks the item. I don't like to be asked to place a deposit up front for an item that the dealer admits he has less control over. They have me over a barrell if there is a problem getting the item from their source, and they already have my money.

 

Thanks for the clarification

 

Gene and Jeremy.. Congrats on the new venture...

Gene, if you see this, I just want to say again (I spoke to Jeremy this morning) that I found the hinge we thought was missing... it was in a different box.

Since the end of November, I have done over $4000.00 dollars worth of business from Fred Beans. I have bought everything from center console latches to frame rails and front bumbers. EVERYTHING has been recieved in a timely maner, when there were any short delays, I got either an E-Mail or phone call.

I work in the automotive trade, and can get parts from our local Chevy dealer at their "trade" rate, which is from 15 to 20 percent off list. Fred Beans averages over 30% less than list, and Gene makes sure to consolidate my orders as much as possible to cut shipping costs. So even with shipping, I am saving a substantial amount of money by buying from them.

Gene has cross referenced part numbers for me, and corrected mis entered items also. The service is OUTSTANDING.

Now I am sure they screw up once in a while, everyone does, those who say they don't are just lying...But the real test is do they try and fix it... and from the service I have gotten, I would have to say yes. they get a big from me.

 

I am a GM supplier and just wanted to back up the direct ship statements.
When I receive a direct ship service order it will usually take a minimum of two days to get the part is the production schedule and three to five days to get it to a dealership by truck. The 5 to 7 days for Fred to receive a direct ship is well with in reason.

 

I also MIGHT be having a situation with Beans. I say MIGHT, because I will wait a little bit longer before getting upset. My first e-mail to them was 1/18. There has been a few e-mails back and forth since then, but I still have defective product on my car. Like I said, I'll wait and see...

Another problem is that I ordered other parts since then and as of yet have not received them either.

I just want my stuff...come on Gene, help me out.

 

Gene is the best and we all miss the monthly specials postings.

 

I believe if a vendor can't ship the product then they can at least send the information about the product. Most people are reasonable if they are kept informed... If an order is taking to long the customer should be able to cancel with a prompt refund. The vendor doesn't have the item so what’s wrong with canceling and refund the money? When I get annoyed is waiting a long time for something with little or no communication from the vendor. Every single customer inquiry should be answered by a supplier! I own a trucking and freight forwarding company and get dozens of quires daily. We simply can’t say we’re to busy and blow off the customer. We have to figure out what’s going on and get back to them. That’s just good business practice….. Most problems are quickly resolved with good communication with the customer.