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| 04-20-2018, 04:48 PM | #1 |
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Hey Everyone I thought I would take the time to review a local shop here in Edmonton that specializes in wheel repairs. I am not one to usually post reviews about businesses, however I felt as though it was important to share my experience with this particular operation due to the extreme circumstances regarding some work I had done. This post is to merely outline my own experience and I cannot comment on anyone else's. I am simply providing this feedback so that those who may be in the market for this type of service can make an informed decision. Settle inâ¦this may be a long post. Having recently purchased a second hand set of BBS FI's from forum member Wuweiying87 in January, I was looking forward to having them refinished as the factory finish had seen better days. Wuweiying87 provided full disclosure regarding the condition. Other than a slight curb and scratched inner barrel, the overall condition of the wheels was as expected for the age. These wheels did not come off a garage queen and as such I knew exactly what I was getting when they arrived on my door. I was very happy with my transaction and sought the services of a local shop, The Wheel Clinic, to bring these wonderful and rare wheels back to a factory finish. I have been following this company for some time on Instagram and from what I gathered, it seemed as though they had dealt with a number of high end brands such as Volk, BBS, HRE and OEM. Knowing that the wheels would need a little TLC and not just a refinish, I approached them to refinish and repair the wheels. February 2 Arrived at the Wheel Clinic to drop my wheels off and met the owner Rob. We chatted briefly about what I wanted to do with the wheels. I was looking to change them from the matte black to a gloss black like my former ZCP 359 wheels. I also pointed out the small curbing and the fact that the barrels had scratches, most likely due to rocks getting in a BBK. Rob communicated that the scratches would disappear when they powder coated them. We discussed timeline and he indicated that it would be 10 business days as a standard turnaround time. We talked briefly about this point and he chuckled that he is quick to point this out as he gets some customers calling within days, while others don't contact him for weeks on end. I simply said that there was no rush given the fact that we were in the middle of a snow storm and that my car doesn't hit the pavement until spring when the roads are clean and dry. Little did I know that from the time I dropped them off until I picked them up that it would have been such long delay filled with a number of issues. Before I left he informed me that I had to pay for the service up front as that was their policy. This seemed odd to me however I obliged and paid my $550 and was on my way. March 5 No communication about the status of my wheels so I decide to pay a visit to The Wheel Clinic to talk to Rob directly. One of the things I should mention is that the shop moved locations from the time I first went there on Feb 2. I never heard a mention of it from Rob when we initially met and noticed it only when I was scrolling through my IG feed. I thought that it was great that it was now located on 2 blocks from my shop. When I arrived I took a moment to peek in the back of The Wheel Clinic to find Rob himself back there. It was at this point that he began to explain that my wheels had not been finish yet and they were still stripping them. Adding to his explanation was that they were massively behind due to the move and that they were going to finish stripping them that same day. He explained to me that the BBS wheels are very difficult to strip due to the primer that is used. He showed me my wheels and went through them with me to point this out. He also explained that this is pretty common for the European wheel manufacturers and that the wheels are cast poorly with uneven surfaces and pitting. Upon further inspection, I could see that there was a number areas which was very rough and pitted on the raw metal. Having no wheel experience or knowledge of casting/forging processes, I took Rob for his word. We took the time to chat more and I got a very good feeling from the conversation we had about cars. I left feeling reassured that my wheel were in good hands and I was willing to see past these initial delays as he reassured me they would be done soon. March 12 I received an Instagram message from The Wheel Clinic that my wheels were ready for pickup. I was eagerly looking forward to this and made a point of going over there within the hour. When I arrived, Rob was not there and I was left to deal with his 'second in command', Kevin. With his assistance I blindly loaded the wheels in the back of my covered work truck on a moving blanket without closely inspecting them. I merely pulled the cloth covers off and gave them a quick glance. I drove home later that day and began to unload them into my house. Having waited 4 weeks longer than initially told, I was eager to mount these on my car. I pulled out my DLSR and snapped a few photos of one wheel for my IG feed and proceeded to put them in my basement until my new tires would arrive. It wasn't until my wife INDVDL///M arrived home that I uncovered the poor workmanship of The Wheel Clinic. She asked to see the wheels and we ventured down to the basement to have a look at them. It was at this point that I notice that the powder coat coverage was thin on the inside some of the spokes. You could still see the aluminum showing through. How did I miss this? Upon further inspection, all 4 wheels had the same issue to varying degrees. Added to this, there were rough and textured areas that were felt along the spokes. I was sadly disappointed and made a point of reaching out to Rob on IG as I had no other means of communications other than in person or calling the shop number. Rob promptly responded within 8 minutes and expressed his apologies. He indicated that he would have them looked and rectified ASAP. March 13 I brought the wheels back to the Wheel Clinic in the morning. Rob was not there at the time and I was left to show Kevin the issues that I found. He seemed to recognize the issues that I was pointing out and he said that he would have their powdercoater respray the areas that seemed to be missing an even coverage. I also received an IG message from Rob (I assume it is him however I believe there is multiple users for their IG account) that morning indicating that he had reviewed the wheels and agreed that it would be addressed ASAP and that his second in command would be in touch that week when this had been rectified as he would be away for holidays. March 16 I received a phone called from Kevin that my wheels were ready for pickup. I headed over to The Wheel Clinic to pick up my wheels. It seemed as though the quick turnaround was a sign of their intent to rectify the poor workmanship promptly. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Kevin and we went into the back of the shop to inspect the wheels before I loaded them upâ¦fool me once. Due to the poor lighting in the bay I used my flash on my phone to inspect the wheels that were sitting on the concrete floor. To my dismay, the same issues were present and I pointed this out to Kevin. I began to ask what the path forward was as I indicated that it shouldn't be acceptable that they be resprayed again as I felt the coverage now was so inconsistent and so I asked that they be stripped again and redone. Kevin obliged and indicated that they would do what was necessary to get it right. When I left there was no clear communication as to when these would be finished for pick up. April 2 Reached out to The Wheel Clinic on IG to find out the status of my wheels as it had been 8 weeks since they were initially dropped off and was looking for some sort of communication as to when I could expect them. I assume it was Kevin responding to my DM as he indicated that Rob was still away, the powder coat went missing and they had equipment issues. April 10 Another DM by myself to find out the status. The response I received was that they were stripped and ready for powder coat. Still no indication as to when they would be completed. April 15 A DM from Kevin indicating that my wheel should be ready the following Tuesday and that they would reach out to confirm on Monday April 16. This DM coincidentally came after I posted a picture of my car on blocks and a message to a fellow forum member that I was still patiently waiting for my wheels. April 17 DM regarding my wheels that they were not happy with one of the wheels and that it was going to be stripped and powder coated again. April 18 Received a DM that my wheels were ready to which I responded that I would come by the next day to pick them up. April 19 I arrived at The Wheel Clinic shortly after 1 pm and saw the owner Rob driving off. I knew that I would probably be dealing with Kevin as Rob seemed to be out of the picture completely now. I waited in the front area and was beckoned by Kevin to come to the back shop. Even before I said a word, Kevin began to get on the defensive about my wheels. He remarked that I had posted my wheels on IG (initially) and that they had been reposted by BBS on their feed and as such this was an indication that The Wheel Clinic does high quality work and that if I wasn't happy with them now then my standards were too high. I guess my only communication regarding the work was that they were to be finished to a factory or equivalent finish. I found it odd that he would engage me in this manner as I had not even taken a look at the wheels. Once again I pulled out my light and began the process of inspecting each and every spoke while running my fingers along the finish. I will have to say that I wasn't surprised to find that the same issue, although not as extensive, was still present. Incomplete coating with various degrees of texture. It was at this point that I began to try and dig a little deeper with Kevin on a number of fronts. Firstly, why the incomplete coverage? I received the following responses: 1. The coverage is complete and even. There is no issue with the coverage. 2. It is your wheels and the casting process. 3. The problem areas are soaking up the powder coat and therefore due to the casting, there's nothing that can be done. When pressed about the delay from when I left them in March I was told that it was because it was a standard 10 business days for the work. What!?! I couldn't believe what i was hearing...it was actually more than 10 business days and I was being given a line that I should wait like everyone else??? Effectively what I was getting was a number of excuses as to why they could not be put back to original spec and that they were no longer investing time into them. Kevin made a point of saying that he would even get his powdercoater there (it appears they don't do this work onsite?) to substantiate Kevin's claim that the coverage was even. I took the time to bring a wheel out of the bay into the sunlight and show him that what we were seeing was not acceptable and that you can see the metal still. I felt as though I was going nowhere with this and that the lies and excuses were plentiful and therefore made the decision to take my wheels. I felt like I had lost enough time at this point (11 weeks!) and that I could not trust them to do the work properly as their dealings with this were less than satisfactory. Before I left the shop, I took the time to communicate to Kevin that I expected a call from the owner Rob as I no longer felt the need to deal with his second in command. I promptly messaged Rob on IG that I was expecting a phone call to discuss the matter. I took the time out of my day to go over to a high end shop, Impact Coatings, that I have used very successfully in the past. I knew they would be able to give me a second opinion and rectify the finish on these wheels. It is also important to note that when I picked up the wheels from The Wheel Clinic that they were dirty, had scratches on the faces and that the back side was marred and scratched from being left directly on a concrete floor. I have never seen such poor handling of a finished product. Upon arrival at Impact Coatings, I recanted the story of my experience and we discussed a path forward to make things right. The experienced and knowledgeable staff agreed with my own assessment of the work that had been done. They had asked why I hadn't initially come to them for this work and I remarked that the wheels needed some slight repairs, which isn't what Impact Coatings does. They are painters and powder coaters. They were also the ones who refinished my calipers that currently resided on my car as well as refinishing some Ducati wheels a number of years ago. We also entrusted them to do all of our commercial projects, so I know exactly the level of service that I am getting. Conclusion So here I am, 11 weeks in and still no wheels. The wheels will be back from Impact by next week. Still no response from Rob and The Wheel Clinic. I don't expect to get a full or partial refund directly from him. I may get a response when I post this and share this experience, however time will tell. Feel free to leave comments. I am more than happy to answer any questions you have. Thank you to those that endured this novel!
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Last edited by FMLYSDN; 04-26-2018 at 09:23 PM.. |
| 04-20-2018, 05:27 PM | #3 | |
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| 04-20-2018, 05:36 PM | #5 |
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Great post. I feel for you and your experience but I appreciate the thorough review for others. It's important us forum members continue to note poor quality, craftsmanship and customer service so someone else can avoid the same. Sorry OP for your experience
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| 04-20-2018, 05:41 PM | #6 | |
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| 04-21-2018, 05:04 PM | #8 | |
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Just fyi, not sure if you were aware.
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| 04-21-2018, 07:29 PM | #9 | ||
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| 04-21-2018, 09:52 PM | #10 |
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Sorry to hear about this issue. Recently had my 359's coated in gunmetal and the shop was very professional. My 11 year old would know not to lay the wheels down on cement even with it being the backside. I think that about summed it up right there. And why would the owner be running off over a $500 job? Crazy.
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| 04-21-2018, 10:01 PM | #11 |
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I've seen too many "professional" shops lay down bare wheels on cement floors.
Just poor practices... That refinish job looks like ass too, I hope things workout!
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| 04-22-2018, 09:30 AM | #12 | |||
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Rob and I spoke over the phone as he had given me his personal cell number. From the beginning I didn't have an issue with Rob, however it seemed as though the staff he employs and their dealing with customers was something to be desired. As I calmly spoke to Rob over the phone, I took the time to explain my position and pointed out the erroneous errors and untruths in his posting. He simply listened until I was finished. He explained the number of issues they were having which resulted in the errors and delays. This was a result of the unexpected growth and qc issues they were having. As a small business owner, he was doing what he could to address it. He discussed the difficulty in which they had with these wheels and couldn't explain why they couldn't get them right. He told me that he had personally washed and inspected the wheels before I came to pick them up. I really can't explain then why they were dirty, scratched and still missing paint. Rob then asked me what I was looking for as he felt that I was looking for something so to this post. At this point we agreed that they wouldn't continue to work on them as the staff were frustrated and did not want to see my wheels again. I simply told him that I expected nothing. All that I ask is that he rectify his QC issues and make his business better. I don't wish for them to fail, however they do need to learn from their mistakes and get better. As I mentioned before, I have nothing to gain from this other than to share my experience. At the end of the conversation I said that I would retract the FB reviews. In the end we said our goodbyes and that was it. I could have asked for my money back but it wasn't about the money to me. It was so much more and I hope that I somehow got through to them. I am sure they still do some good work, it's just that they didn't do it for me.
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| 04-22-2018, 09:38 AM | #13 |
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What a terrible experience! I wouldn't remove any social media feedback. WC didn't make anything right! Sounds like multiple commits were not made on their end. Future customers should know this.
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| 04-22-2018, 09:40 AM | #14 | |
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| 04-22-2018, 09:51 AM | #15 | ||||
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| 04-22-2018, 05:45 PM | #16 |
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I would've asked for a refund after that bullshit they just pulled. You let them off way too easy...
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| 04-22-2018, 09:27 PM | #17 | |
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| 04-26-2018, 06:10 PM | #18 |
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Unbelievable. You should have asked for money back.
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| 04-26-2018, 09:22 PM | #19 | |
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| 04-27-2018, 07:47 AM | #20 |
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I agree with your stand man, while it hurts to spend money and not get a return, its not the money that stings. Its all the bullshit you went through, time wasted, frustration and still not having the wheels the way you expected. Returning the money doesn't fix any of that and speaks volumes as to your character. Im the same way in similar situations, I dont want a hand out, I want it to be known where they failed so they can prevent it from happening again and to share my experience so everyone knows what I experienced.
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