There are many people on this forum that seem to share a common experience; we are dissatisfied with Chrysler, our dealers, or other companies that sell us goods. We complain about them and find out that we have faced the same troubles and issues. This being said, I assumed there is a certain level of respect and truthfulness among the forum members and how we treat each other. Therefore, I have had no issue purchasing goods from people on this forum based on their descriptions, knowing that it will be accurate and forthcoming. Until….

I decided to get a set of side steps for my Rubicon so my wife would stop complaining about getting into the vehicle and the fact that we don’t come across many rocks in Delaware. I found what I thought was a great deal on the “for sale” section and contacted the seller. I was not really concerned that the ad stated:

“One side has a scrape on the bottom, but you can't see it unless you look underneath.”

I agreed to pay all the charges, including whatever the s/h was, and figured I was saving money off the $322 msrp so I was happy.

Then the steps arrived. I unpacked them and noticed both rails were scraped (oh well) and then looked at the passenger rail. The area near the center bracket (in the middle of the scrape) had a large hole in along with cracks propagating towards the ends, check out the picture and you can see what I mean. This is beyond what I would put on a brand new jeep and can guess it is the reason they were removed.

I contacted the seller and received back more of a description of how they didn’t make much money on the item and that it was now my issue. They even suggested “If you don't like them, everyone wants them, you probably could sell them”. which to me is not an option.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? Email did not work; I never received further replies to my emails. Paypal disputes only cover shipping loss. I am working through the credit card now to dispute the charges so that might pan out. Maybe an eBay type ratings system would be a great for the for sale part. I would like to know we could just trust the descriptions, but that doesn’t seem to work. I did not want to post this situation since I thought it work out but I don’t want to end up with useless parts and would like some input.

 

Well that pretty much sucks. On one hand it sounds like you got the shaft. On the other, there is the old "let the buyer beware." It is on the underside and no one will ever see it, but it still sucks.

Since you are going through the credit card, there is not much you can do after that. About the only thing you can do here is name the individual. That's taking it to the extreme though and up to you. I do agree that it's BS that you were told to sell them to someone else.

Ask for more photos next time, or buy closer so you can pick up and check them out.

 

I was thinking maybe there should be a buyer/seller feed back section. Many forums I have been have this kind of section. Obviously the mods watch and they dont let things get out of hand or have a bunch of random post.

Usually you can post negative or postive feedback on users and sponsors. This helped me avoid alot of bad deals and ultimately got rid of the bad sellers all together.

I think we should get a section like this. I purchased stock wheels and tires from a user here in GA and this sale went GREAT! but i have nowhere to put it so others know

 

Perhaps a moderator or the forum owner could be of help?

 

I wish I could help however I agree with the comment let the buyer beware. If the for sale section was for selling like E-Bay I would be all for a comment section and such but it is not. Rather the for sale section here is for getting some cash for parts you either no longer need or want. Usually it is for parts you have replaced and no longer need the originals. I would hazzard a guess that 99.99% of the folks here selling stuff are honest however it only takes one to make the rest look bad. Sorry you got screwed however like buying anything used from anyone else anywhere else you pay your money and take your chances. I know I would be pissed to however the truth is there is nothing that can be done about it and unless the person who sold you those is selling a bunch of other crap what would it solve to "out" them?

 

agree this is a buyer beware kind of thing but you have people who just try and take advantage of the situation. Buyer/seller feedback has helped me numerous occasions. As much as people are afraid of the negative, the postive helps alot. When my last car was wrecked i needed to sell A LOT of aftermarket parts. At first 1 or 2 got bought but then those people put up post about how great i was, how accurate my pictures and descriptions were, how quick i was to respond and ship and keep them updated on everything that my parts started to sell quickly because people had faith in my stuff.

 

I agree that there needs to be a leel of trust among forum users. When I post and get advice from all of the other users I assume that they are truthful. If I were to purchase on the site I would still expect that level of honesty and respect.

I don't believe you really have any recourse though. It is just a shame that there is not the proper level of decency.

 

There is good and bad in this. Can you take the bracket off and patch that area? Even if you pay for a professional, will you still come out ahead? I totally understand your frustration but take a deep breath and a good look. This is underneath, and a little bondo and some sandpaper will work wonders. Some sanding of the entire bottom will make it all match. Good luck and let us know. I am not nor have ever been affiliated with whoever sold you these. BTW...I have 2 brand new pairs sitting in my garage. a 4 dr and a 2 dr pr. Also have all my harley's spare parts. Just can't get into that ebay thing!

 

OP: this is unacceptable. nothing left to do but to pursue cancellation of credit payment and reveal the offender on the forum. maybe the mods will get involved with the latter part...

SBlair: try craigslist - easier, faster, cheaper and local.

 

First of all, I was right behind you on buying these. The person did mention they were going to send pics because of the scrathes, but before you know, they were already sold. I have sold a soft top, bought a radio, bought some and sold wheels. All I can say and hopefully speak for most of us, we're pretty cool bunch. There's always a sour apple every once a day. I truelly hope if we keep talking about this, we'll set up a standard. For now, I look at the personal file and see how long that person has been around. Then I actually read their post to see how invovled they are. A real life "Jeeper" sticks out. You can tell from the fakes. Also look at thier status (formelry membership). Anyways, if this is a big bother and to respect our graciuos vendors, I know a place that has these for $267 MOPAR OEM walk out with free shipping right now. I was in shock they are still around since I bought parts in my old TJ days. If the author of the thread interested, please PM me and I'll tell you their link. Otherwise I am interested to hear the other side of the story from the other person. Maybe you giys can make a compromise. On the other hand, I would take some good photos of theses up and down. Post them on Ebay and mention with heavy scratches. I bet they will still sell for at 150$. Overall, they seem in mint condition. I really feel bumb this happen to you. Good luck...