[worldrevolver]

I posted a topic here last Saturday about how I punctured my radiator. At the same time in another window I was ordering a new one from Oneida. Multi-tasking! ;D After I placed my order I sent a web inquiry through their somewhat annoying contact page regarding whether a gel seat for 04-09 would fit an 03 SV and should I add it to my order and save on shipping by combining the two. I got a reply from Oneida in about 15 minutes and they canceled my order. So I placed the order again.

Meanwhile I got some good advice in my thread here about seeing if someone local could repair it. So I decided to cancel my Oneida order. Sent in the cancel request via the web contact page (WCP) and saw no reply. On Monday I get an email saying the order is processed and will be shipped.

I send them another message through the WCP about how the order should have been canceled and get a response saying there is nothing they can do.

I am thinking oh well I will just eat the shipping both ways and return it.

I get the item on Tuesday and ask the UPS guy if I should just refuse it. He says yeah that will be the easiest. I do that and walk back into my work and check Oneida's page. Notice in the FAQ section it says DON"T REFUSE SHIPMENTS blah blah blah so I run back outside and flag down the UPS driver and get the box from him. I then contact Oneida via the WCP and tell them how I canceled the order but it was shipped and I don't need it and the person shoots me an RMA# and says no worries it will be no problem as long as I send it back within 5 days.

So far so good. I take it over to a fed ex shipper and send it back within an hour of having it sent to me. It arrived there today and I got an email about my refund. They charged me a 25% restocking fee. :angry1: So the $35 for 2-day (I knew I would never get back once they sent it) and then the 25% restocking which hits me for $92.50. So this is getting expensive with nothing to show for it.

I sent them more emails a little while ago through the WCP getting a different Oneida employee responding to each one with company platitudes about re-stocking fee being mandatory. None of the employees seem to have read anything I wrote to them asking for clemency, help, kindness, decency, etc.

Had I know they were going to charge me that I would have sold it myself on Ebay or here or whatever.

I asked if they would split the restocking fee. Or give me a store credit or a coupon code for 20% off an item and all I get are these bland responses from them about restocking fees being part of what they do.

It's impossible to deal with them because you cannot communicate in any proper way. They can hide behind that WCP. If you call they say they have nothing to do with internet orders.

I have dealt with probably a dozen other motorcycle companies and each one of them have been very good about dealing with the customers needs or finding middle ground.

Not so with Oneida.

I am not really angry so much as I am bewildered that they are so indignant about the whole matter.

Maybe I am not seeing this right.

 

[Gerard7aa]

You were just caught in the haze of purchase, shipping contracts.
I assure you it will not happen to you again. It was the 95 dollar lesson....

 

[PatSully]

i had a similar not so great exp with them. i won't be ordering from them again, i'll be staying local for dealer stuff.

 

[vwgti303]

That sucks dude. Internet ordering is risky business.

 

[worldrevolver]

Yep I guess Suzuki/Oneida gets my $92 to put the radiator on a shelf.

I have some entertaining (in a sad way) email exchanges from Oneida. Basically me stating my case and them not reading it at all.

I'd like to thank Jerry, Paul, John (for the RMA assurance), Andy, Gary, and Erin for the lovely not frustrating at all email/WCP exchanges.

Gah, going back and finding the names I found my first order placed and Oneida saying it was being processed in a kick back email and then another email from them 15 minutes later saying it was canceled due to my question about the gel seat.

They told me several times in regard to the missed cancellation that once an order is processed there is no way to cancel.

So I guess because I didn't use the secret gel seat question method to cancel the second order that is why I got the screw job.

 

[SVstryker]

that sucks man, but you got to be easy on the multitasking there killer.

what's a WCP? :dontknow:

 

[Gerard7aa]

LOL,,,, yes that was the key code for canceling orders.... "Gel Seat",,,...... OK CANCEL THAT ORDER!

 

[vwgti303]

LOL,,,, yes that was the key code for canceling orders.... "Gel Seat",,,...... OK CANCEL THAT ORDER!

Yup yup, rookie mistake.

 

[worldrevolver]

that sucks man, but you got to be easy on the multitasking there killer.

what's a WCP? :dontknow:

Web Contact Page. One of the worst ways to communicate known to man.



This is why this forum is great. Post something here and vent a little. Very cathartic. Makes me feel a little better headed into the weekend.

 

[zimmtown]

Almost any company will charge a re-stocking fee. It protects them from a lot of labor of returns when people change their mind. 25% does seem a little high.

That does suck balls though on how they didn't catch the order cancelation. If you still have the emails showing you asked them to cancel the item before they shipped you might want to try and get the money back again.

EDIT: I'm a little slow and now realize it was done via like you said one of those crappy contact email pages.

 

[worldrevolver]

Yeah they need to grade it against the price paid.

It gets pricey to return anything they sell above $10.

The main problem is you can't contact the same person twice. So when John understood the issue and said no problem on the RMA and re-stocking fee in his email, if he then didn't do the next step or make a point of indicating to waive any fee nobody else there would care. If I could contact this John cat directly I could probably discuss the matter and everything would be okay.

Their web contact page interface and disassociation with phone and internet orders makes it impossible.

Just a shady way to do business irregardless of the re-stocking fee.

 

[Nexus242]

I ordered a 1st gen SV air filter from Onieda Suzuki online last week and they shipped it and I got it this week.

I'm ordering from them again.

 

[cfreger]

This is a constant complaint about Oneida. Their contact options suck, and they do nothing to try and appease their customers.

If this was charged to your credit card, dipute it immediately with your card provider. If you have proof you cancelled the order before they shipped, the cc company should make Oneida eat the charges.

Best advice I can give is find a local dealer who will treat you right. There are a few, albeit they are hard to find. Ask around where you live. If there's a sportbike discussion group on the web that's local to you, join it and ask there. I found my perfect dealer, and I will never deal with those cretins at Oneida.

 

[worldrevolver]

Thank you. I just did that.

Hopefully Amex will come to the rescue. I really only have an issue with the fact I canceled it and then after that was brushed off by Oneida the rep telling me he would waive the restocking fee.

 

[RandyO]

another reason that I go straight to my local dealer

 

[Spacecoast]

I would continue to protest..and get the restocking fee removed/credited.

 

[Guest]

The restocking fee is nothing but a money grab in my opinion, but unfortunately most retailers will do it. If it was a special order item, I could understand. But I'd be willing to bet that the gel seat is a regular stocked item. And 25% hurts, especially after paying the shipping both ways. That really sucks.

 

[kcdt58]

i have ordered several things from oneida and no complaints thus far...however i haven't had to return anything yet, and that seems to be where they're problem is.

 

[worldrevolver]

Yep that is it in a nutshell. I have ordered a few other parts from them and no issues at all.

It's this return process, the poor communication, no single point of sale contact or ability to contact the same rep twice, and the things they did in and around my order placement that I don't like. The canceling of the first order and then unwillingness to cancel the second.

If I get the restocking fee back through Amex then all is happy in my world.

 

[kcdt58]

true. normally if you just b*tch enough to them they may just give in. worth a shot IMO.