Not so NiceDeals.cok.up

[JMZ]

Hey all,

I just thought I might share my recent....experience with a particular UK based website that sell aftermarket accessories for all makes and models of cars.

I found a pretty cool fibreglass front bumper for my Opel Astra and decided to buy it from them......and that, my friends, is where the trouble started.

Google checkout is a pain in the ass. it's not the most user friendly program to be using. Paypal would have been much simpler. I bought the item on 3 March with confirmation that the item would take 7-9 working days to be shipped from the UK to the Sunshine Coast in QLD. What the UK based website failed to mention is that they didn't have any of the bumpers in stock and two weeks later I received a barely decipherable email from Google Checkout informing me that the item had been marked as shipped.

I promptly informed my panel beaters of the imminent arrival of the item to which they asked if I could find out which courier company would be delivering the item. After emailing the UK based website, I recieved a reply email informing me that the item that was previously marked as shipped had not, in fact, been shipped at all and they were still waiting on stock to arrive. The item would now be shipped 1 week later than what I was told by the friendly well trained monkeys at Google Checkout. The new and improved shipment day was the same day my car was booked in for the fitting of the new bumper....cool huh? Not so.

I have finally received the front bumper, more than a month after the date of payment, being only slightly more than the 7-9 working days i was promised by the UK based website......and guess how it was posted?! Wrapped in brown paper with some cardboard taped around the ends. $75 p&h clearly doesn't get you much these days.

Here are the photos of how it arrived;

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0050.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0051.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0052.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0048.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0049.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0053.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0055.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0054.jpg

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/IMAG0056.jpg

[sooty]

ouch mate, not good!!!

[Nurb608]

Ouch!

In saying that, it's kind of expected for that freight charge, it's very hit and miss with how stuff would arrive :(

[guy 27]

:(
not cool.

[Greenmeanie]

What a dissapointment :( What are your plans send the photoes and ask tor them to have another go, claim against google ,ebay? Or just go on a little holiday with a big baseball bat :)

[Dahlia]

I was just about to buy a bumper from them.... maybe I shouldn't....

[JMZ]

i was just about to buy a bumper from them.... Maybe i shouldn't....

don't !

[JMZ]

What a dissapointment :( What are your plans send the photoes and ask tor them to have another go, claim against google ,ebay? Or just go on a little holiday with a big baseball bat :)

hahaha, it's only fibreglass so it's an easy fix and I'll live with it. I'll definately be sending them the photos and letting them know I won't be using their "service" again.

[BEK-46P]

Not cool. Hope you get it sorted :)

[Dahlia]

don't !
I'll take your advice mate. But we are running out of places lol

[guy 27]

But we are running out of places lol

no you're not. There are plenty of places in the uk that are willing to ship. Just need to ask them the question.

Some of them are even cheaper than what nicedeals charge. :)

Just jump on uk astra forums and you will find links. even look on ebay uk for deals.

[ChrisMaz]

I didn't have a problem with nicedeals, my front lip must have been instock and was shipped literally 2 hour after payment was received..
Although the part was shipped with another members part, meaning I have no idea how they were packed. It did however arrive with a small crack, which isn't noticeable, but still I repaired.
I would recommend sending them your pictures so hopefully they can pack better in the future.

[gmonkey]

ive used nicedeals twice now.. first time wasnt 100% there fault as their supplier said it was a 3dr front bumper (ended up being a 5dr one, i sold it on to a 5dr owner) since then i re-ordered it again and this time was a 3dr one. Also ordered Chrismaz's front splitter from them and that seemed almost perfect condition. Both times delivery has been within 2weeks roughly. And both times myn has been dodgily wrapped like that too and had a small crack on the front bumpers (repairable but easy enough).

Ive ordered a front bar from lumma before ($1000 for bumper) and all it was wrapped in was paper and a little bit of cardboard and that arrived fine... i think as rory said its hit and miss on who they send and how much the people care...


I wouldnt say dont use Nicedeals again, im a pretty positive shopper with them. I would use them again (just let them know there wrapping is shit and ur willing to pay the extra $10 for more plastic or something :p

[gmonkey]

Also i know its not the point but thats easily repairable aswell

[poita]

get it repaired and send them a bill for it

[metry]

get it repaired and send them a bill for it

thats not a bad idea. its easier then sending the whole unit back and getting them to send you back another. but they should know better. i work for a freighting company and everything gets "placed" nicely in cages usually covered with other parcels. then its "placed" nicely into a van and delivered to you. youd expect they would bubblewrap that a few times atleast. that way it would survive minor drops and bumps

[poita]

with my mags they sent the wrong colour, so i got them resprayed the way i wanted them

paid the bill, sent it to them, and got the amount reimbursed.

was $600 back in my pocket.

freight was 400 pounds each way for the mags, so they had no problems in paying it

[Dahlia]

with my mags they sent the wrong colour, so i got them resprayed the way i wanted them

paid the bill, sent it to them, and got the amount reimbursed.

was $600 back in my pocket.

freight was 400 pounds each way for the mags, so they had no problems in paying it
Wow, if they pay for damage repair maybe going with them isn't that bad after all. But looking at all the **** ups that has happened to everyone, they really are a shit company.

I also hate how their website has no descriptions for things, just photos. Heaps dodge...

[faneca]

I bought pretty much the same bumper from another guy on ebay, he wrapped it in bubble wrap and then in a massive box, it was slightly warpd but nothing as bad as yours, on mine there is a slight gap n a crack which happened wen i was tryn to fit it just under the righr light, not noticible unless u look for it, i only paid like $450 au for it including postage

[JMZ]

good idea lads!

[JMZ]

Here's a copy of the Email correspondance I've had with NiceDeals.....

"The above item has been delivered to the correct address but with multiple fractures and cracks in the fibreglass. I believe this is related to the sub-standard packaging of the item. Please see attached photos of the damage and inadequate packaging.

I would like to request a full refund from NiceDeals.co.uk to cover the cost of damages sustained during shipping. I believe this will be a significantly cheaper solution to paying for return shipping, replacing the damaged bar with a new one and re-shipping it to Australia.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss this matter further."

"hi,
GRP is very easy to repair using some GRP paste as part of prep work prior to respray."

That's it.....nothing more what-so-ever. So I wrote back;

"While it may be an easy fix, it has been quoted at an additional $400AUD to repair the front bar. An amount that no one expects to pay when receiving what should be a brand new, ready-to-fit item. An amount that NiceDeals.co.uk should not expect a customer of theirs to pay, considering the damage is a direct result of inadequate packaging of an item know to be brittle and fragile.


I once again kindly request that NiceDeals.co.uk to cover the costs of the repairs by refunding the full amount of the transaction being £272.00.

I hope we can come to an agreement soon."

If this continues, who do I take it to? My girlfriend had the idea of contacting the ACCC and asking them who their equivalent authority is in the UK. Makes sense, but are there any other ideas?

[hazrd]

hate to break this to you, but thats the risk of dealing with overseas sellers.. the ACCC cant do anything (ive tried before, nothing can be done outside Australia)

only thing you can do is tell other forums about your experience with them (i would start with the UK forums as this is where they would get most of their business i assume)

[adam_92]

The UK is version is called trading standards. They will tell you what's available to you and wether or not you can do anything about it and how to go about it.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

[Dahlia]

I was just told that if I get a bumper sent to Australia, I not only pay for postage but I also have to pay other fees to the government for something. Is this true?

[poita]

import duties i would say they mean

only if its over $1k AUD

[Dahlia]

import duties i would say they mean

only if its over $1k AUD
Apparently my next door neighbor bought a front bumper for his Cruze from the US.
He got the bumper for $200, I can't remember how much posting was. But he also had to pay the import duties and it took the price up to around $2000.
He was telling me its not worth buying the bumpers overseas because of the later charges, he thinks it would be better to get a custom bumper made up over here (for my car).

[poita]

he got ripped

I imported my rims from the UK and didn't have to pay a cent from import duties, and they are about $900 AUD

[faneca]

Yea the bumper i brought from the uk was only $600 after all charges were applied

[Dahlia]

he got ripped

I imported my rims from the UK and didn't have to pay a cent from import duties, and they are about $900 AUD

Yea the bumper i brought from the uk was only $600 after all charges were applied
This is what I thought... I just don't want to get a bumper sent over here, thinking it's going to cost me $500 and I find out I have to pay import duties. Is there anyway to find this out or are you just unlucky to have to pay for the duties.

[poita]

read this, should help


http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/importinggoodsbypostfaq.pdf

[Dahlia]

read this, should help


http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/importinggoodsbypostfaq.pdf
Cheers for the link, very helpful. So I shouldn't get import charges for a bumper as its under $1000. I would really like to know what happened with my neighbor then as it was meant to be $200.

[JMZ]

so I got the Astra back today.....

this is the picture with the item description on NiceDeals.

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/Warp.jpg

This is what I've got.

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/P7140003.jpg

Close but no cigar. I am happy with the front bar but would be happier if it was exactly as shown in the image at the top of this post....bit of a shame really.

[sooty]

Ah mate that sucks! Does look good though

[Dahlia]

Looks good. But what a pathetic company...

[dutchy]

That's an srit-t bumper.



so I got the Astra back today.....

this is the picture with the item description on NiceDeals.

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/Warp.jpg

This is what I've got.

http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/jimbow86/P7140003.jpg

Close but no cigar. I am happy with the front bar but would be happier if it was exactly as shown in the image at the top of this post....bit of a shame really.

[JMZ]

i thought so. does anyone else agree?

[poita]

i reckon it may well be

http://www.migweb.co.uk/gallery/data/2/gsi2.jpg

[ChrisMaz]

Turbo Coupe right? I like it.
Sure as hell aint what you ordered though...
Have you contacted nicedeals? What did they say?

[JMZ]

I wish it was a turbo coupe but it's only a 1.8L sedan.

Contacting Nicedeals today. I very much doubt I'll hear from them becuase I've been sending them a lot of emails strongly suggesting they refund me the full cost of the bar.

[Dahlia]

I wish it was a turbo coupe but it's only a 1.8L sedan.

Contacting Nicedeals today. I very much doubt I'll hear from them becuase I've been sending them a lot of emails strongly suggesting they refund me the full cost of the bar.
We should all email them. Bombard them with emails saying all of OA think they are ridicules and something should be done.

[poita]

We should all email them. Bombard them with emails saying all of OA think they are ridicules and something should be done.

Would rather if you didnt

[Dahlia]

Would rather if you didnt
It might actually do something if it's a group of people all with very similar problems... Instead of one person saying "oh my bumpers wrong" and they go oh sorry... And nothing changes, they still continue to **** peoples orders up.

I'm so glad I read this thread before I wasted my money on their shit.

[ChrisMaz]

We should all email them. Bombard them with emails saying all of OA think they are ridicules and something should be done.

Never had an issue with them.

[Dahlia]

Never had an issue with them.
No one should have had any issues if it's a legit business but I've read multiple people on here with problems. Just seems very careless, especially since your spending a couple hundred dollars.

[poita]

I dont care if you email them, I just don't see the point of dragging the forum into it.

Then I have to deal with the shit that I honestly couldn't care less about

[Dahlia]

Fair enough. Just an idea. Power in numbers.

[ChrisMaz]

If members on here have had issues, then they should have contacted them as soon as the issue arose. With the amount of problems people have had, I'm pretty sure that they really just don't care. Won't make any difference if you have 100 people contact them and complain, its called a delete button or hanging up. As pete said, no point bringing the forum into it if its a buyers complaint.

Has anyone had their problems rectified?

[JMZ]

agreed, this issue has nothing to do with OpelAus.com, only me and I'm trying my damndest to get some $$$ out of them. I've given them one last chance, listing all the reasons I should get a refund (reasons found on Consumer Direct UK), before contacting the appropriate UK autorities.

I haven't even told them I'm part of this forum. Don't know if I should, would or could.

[glider]

It might actually do something if it's a group of people all with very similar problems... Instead of one person saying "oh my bumpers wrong" and they go oh sorry... And nothing changes, they still continue to **** peoples orders up.

I'm so glad I read this thread before I wasted my money on their shit.

has nothing to do with the forum and seriously why the fk would they care what a forum in Australia thinks...

sorry to be blunt but really

[Dahlia]

has nothing to do with the forum and seriously why the fk would they care what a forum in Australia thinks...

sorry to be blunt but really
As I said, it was just an idea. I'm not saying turn OA into a hate group or something stupid like that. I just think its wrong that the company has stuffed so many people around, and a bunch of them are on here. I don't think they do care, and why would they, they got your money anyway, if they stuff your order, what are you going to do? Nothing... It's just wrong.

But as everyone has graciously continued to explain to me, it's nothing to do with the forum, so don't worry about it. But, after all these complaints and comments on OA, if you do risk sending money their way and they stuff your order up, its really your fault for dealing with them.

[2002_XC]

We had absolutely no issues with them for our lip.

which reminds me... i need to look at ordering from them

[gmonkey]

yep never had a problem either, i mean quality of the bumper and packaging isnt the best but u get what you pay for... try finding a VXR front bumper for $240 delivered

[Dahlia]

yep never had a problem either, i mean quality of the bumper and packaging isnt the best but u get what you pay for... try finding a VXR front bumper for $240 delivered
Well thats very true. I was going to order some stuff from them a while ago because of how cheap they are... But knowing my shitty luck I wouldn't risk it as I know they would stuff mine up haha. I'm just going to spend a bit more and get it from elsewhere... Bumper I want is $400 from eBay and talon quoted me well over $1,200 for the exact same one so I guess I know where I'm going to get it from haha.

[chrissn89]

i thought so. does anyone else agree?

100% an SRi-T bumper.

[faneca]

100% an SRi-T bumper.

+1 same as mine n i wanted an SRi-t bumper wen i was looking for 1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JMZ]

ok, so we're settled then.

I'll post updates on the progress of my claim for a refund.

[JMZ]

I sent them a nice long email and attached the quote from the body shop ($60 for materials, $340 for labour), linked some images of the advertised front bar vs. the one I received vs. an SRI-T bumper and also listed the reasons why I should receive a refund according to the Consumer Direct UK website.

I got another one line email back from them;

hi,
repairs wont cost more than £20-£30
you can send it back for a refund

You can just see the fowl smirk on this guys face when he wrote the email. Either that or he's just a retard and can't read.

[Dahlia]

hi,
repairs wont cost more than £20-£30
you can send it back for a refund

You can just see the fowl smirk on this guys face when he wrote the email. Either that or he's just a retard and can't read.
So pathetic.

[Vectracious]

might have to wear this one - at the end of the day - you gotta look at how much your time is worth and how much you're wasting over this issue. You have to sometimes be pragmatic about things.

Plus - I reckon the bar you got looks a hell of a lot better than the bar they have in the pic. :-)

[JMZ]

yeah i know where you're coming from. I'll be registering an official complaint with the appropriate authorities regardless.

I do like the sri-t bar and most certainly will not be returning it......but it's the principle of it all.

[Vectracious]

yeah i know where you're coming from. I'll be registering an official complaint with the appropriate authorities regardless.

I do like the sri-t bar and most certainly will not be returning it......but it's the principle of it all.

yeah fair enough - and keep telling people that you've had bad a bad experience - will make future customers of theirs think twice about spending the money with them - and thats the best way to get back at them.