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| Ames Customer Satisfaction Forum Post a 'current' compliment, suggestion or issue with regard to an Ames service or product. |
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#1
08-27-2009, 01:12 PM
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aftermarket bumper issue
I thought I was going to be able to let this one go, but the more time passes the more this just burns me up and I want some input from you guys. I recently ordered an NEW aftermarket rear bumper for my '67 Lemans from a place I felt was a reputable source. When the bumper showed up, it had what in my opinion was rust spots all over it. I tried cleaning the spots off and tried a few different chrome polishes on it and could get the spots to not show up as bad, but they would not go completely away - to me, this meant they weren't just some goo that got on the bumper at some point, further reinforcing my belief that they were rust spots. Other than these spots, the bumper was satisfactory to me, not a great part, but OK for the price. This bumper was described as "EXCELLENT USA PLATED!" by the source I got it from. I contacted them, sent some pictures, and got authorization to send the bumper back for exchange. Well, when they got the bumper they claimed there was nothing wrong with it. They admitted they had to use some cleaner and steel wool to clean the bumper up and even after that not every spot was 100 percent gone, but that for the price of the bumper it was considered very good quality and I should be OK with some minor imperfections. They denied that these spots were rust. They didn't want to send me a different bumper, they wanted me to take the same bumper back and pay the additional shipping charges to return it to me. In the end they agreed to refund the purchase price of the bumper, but I had to eat the almost $100 worth of shipping charges.
So look at the attached pictures and let me know what you think. Was there a problem with the bumper I received? Was it rust? Was I unreasonable in my expectations? How would you have dealt with this? And, how should I go forward from hear (how would you go forward)? I'm guessing there's only one manufacturer of NEW '67 bumpers, so will I get the same thing from another supplier? |
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#2
08-27-2009, 04:49 PM
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Did you buy the bumper from The Parts Place?
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#3
08-27-2009, 05:28 PM
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Doesn't look very good. If it was a $100 bumper for a driver I'd probably let it go and use it, but if I'ts a $600 one for a restored car-No way would I accept it. If you got your money back and the supplier refused to refund shipping, that might be the best you can do. So cut your losses and let the vendor suffer any lost sales because of it. It would end up being more than the shipping fees were. (if we only knew where you got it).
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#4
08-27-2009, 09:15 PM
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Agreed. If it was $100, it could be a keeper for a driver, or resell it to someone who has one in worse condition. otherwise, it's a piece of crap.
Tell us where you got it, so at a minimum the locals could at least examine one B4 they buy it. George
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"...out to my ol'55, I pulled away slowly, feeling so holy, god knows i was feeling alive"....written by Tom Wait from the Eagles' Live From The Forum |
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#5
08-27-2009, 09:54 PM
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I got a front from the parts place for my 67 and besides the chrome being less that super deep looking, it was a pretty good bumper. It fit well, and was good looking from a few feet away. No blemishes or anything, just not super slick chrome.
The rear on the other hand came from Bumper Boys and it looked like it had been taken off of a totalled car in a junk yard and straightened and rechromed. The back of the bumper you could tell had been sand blasted of all the deep rust and painted with silver paint, and the front side was kind of crooked and you could see where rusted through spots had been cut out and patches welded in. The chrome was really good looking chrome though. Just what they put it on was not good. |
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#6
08-28-2009, 07:45 AM
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If you paid good money for a new bumper I would not accept any flaws in it. :)
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1971 Pontiac GT-37 Car is a junk yard dog and maybe one day will be restored.  
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#7
08-28-2009, 09:55 AM
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This was a $369 bumper. Going on my frame-off resto, but it is intended to be driven not a trailer queen concours type car, so perfect is not required although I'm not going to put rusty junk on it either.
It did not come from Ames, they straight up told me theirs was an overseas job with poor polishing and plating. I went with the source I did because even though they were more expensive than the others, they said theirs was excellent USA plating. It did not come from bumper boys. It did not come from the parts place. As a matter of fact, I was thinking about trying one from the parts place. They list a triple plated re-chrome for $349 plus $150 core. I'll reveal the source after I get some more input from you guys... |
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#8
08-28-2009, 10:41 AM
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I'd guess it came from the Paddock. I've seen that quality from them before. They store those in a non heated warehouse, at least they a did a few yrs ago. It also sounds like their customer service.
Lee Rust in not acceptable on any chrome plating job. Mike
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so many pontiacs, so little time.................. moderator is a glorified word for an unappreciated prick.................. "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein "There is no such thing as a good tax." "We contend that for a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." - Winston Churchill |
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#9
08-28-2009, 12:28 PM
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For the price you paid,that is absolutely unacceptable.IMHO. The rust is deeper than you think,it is starting to/has metasticize(d). I would be embarrassed to ship that to a customer. As a side note,I was at TPP,in Elburn,a few weeks ago,and saw examples of their bumpers,they looked very nice. Larry B.
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Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you " |
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#10
08-28-2009, 02:14 PM
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Is this new bumper replacing the original one on the car? Is the original too far gone to re-use? There are plating shops out that that will do an excellent job of straightening and replating old bumpers - I've always used North Star Bumpers in Brainerd, MN (they're now owned by Keystone Automotive, I believe you can bring your bumpers to a local Keystone outlet and they will send them to the Brainerd facility.)
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#11
08-28-2009, 07:30 PM
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Hmmmm, so far the only place that hasn't been mentioned is E-whatchamacallit. The "Excellent USA Plated" part sounds like a typical EB description.
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#12
08-31-2009, 11:57 AM
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Well, looks like I've got about all the feedback I'm going to get so I'll post the source now. This might get the topic removed...
I got this bumper from Performance Years, this forums sponsor. I don't send gobs of money their way, so loss of my business won't hurt them one bit, but it will be the last purchase I make from them. |
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#13
09-01-2009, 05:55 AM
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:eek:
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When I die, I want to go peacefully like my grandfather did, in his sleep. Not screaming like the passengers in his car.
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#14
09-01-2009, 06:10 AM
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Wow...That's what I'd call an Alfred Hitchcock moment.
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Greg Reid Palmetto, Georgia |
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#15
09-01-2009, 11:16 AM
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double :eek:
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#16
09-01-2009, 11:51 AM
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crickets.... We're retrieving the original sales conversation as I write this. Neither our catalog nor our online notes say that they are USA chromed nor are they. Only the 68 and 69 are USA chromed. If we told you it was a 'USA chromed bumper' then we will give you a refund of your shipping. In the meantime, I looked at the bumper and it took literally 5 minutes to make it look like the rest that are in stock. Those pictures you posted do look horrible but I will post the pictures of the bumper after literally less than 5 minutes of cleaning. It appears like the issue is whether we misled you by saying it was high quality USA plating because the bumper matches all the others we get and most owners are satisfied with the quality. I'll post an update this afternoon.
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--------------------------- Fool Around, Get Hurt, Don't come Crying to me. |
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#17
09-01-2009, 02:59 PM
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Ccass, Here are pdf files I just printed from PY's online catalog regarding this bumper. This is where I got my information on this bumper. I didn't place my order online like I usually do though, specifically because I wanted to ask someone in person about the quality of this bumper first. I don't remember the exact words of the salesperson, but I was confident enough after talking with them to go through with the purchase. I would recomend you edit your online catalog if these are not "EXCELLENT USA PLATED!" as it says.
USA plated or not, I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that any company would take a part with obvious defects as everyone looking at these pictures has agreed, clean the rust off with steel wool and then say there was nothing wrong with it! I didn't start this thread to try to bash PY, I just wanted to see if my fellow car guys felt the same way as I did about the bumper I received. The fine members of this great forum weighed in with their opinions and I thank everyone for that. |
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#18
09-01-2009, 07:13 PM
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Not the best pix in the world...........i got these from north star plating 10 yrs ago for $ 280.00..............still look great
Last edited by gtorich; 12-03-2011 at 08:19 PM. |
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#19
09-01-2009, 07:15 PM
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Lee...........those pics suck.............i can get a close up if you need one.
Rich |
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#20
09-01-2009, 09:00 PM
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I have bought bumpers like this, but not here. typically the steel is recycled, and "not pure" as it takes alot more temerature 'sorting" so make the steel as pure and impurity free
as originals. Secondly, they typically get just ONE coat of chrome, instead of triple chrome plating ( nickle, etc) There will be open air pockets under the chrome, and what you need to do for drivers is keep it waxed ALWAYS and the inside I use gloves and coat with a thin layer of waterproof grease. Usually good driver stuff though. Also there are plenty of places in the USA that do just single plating. to triple plate that bumper today would cost 350-400 bucks. May be a good idea to have PY post pics of new products in this forum, or new products. Im sure it will work out for ya , have patience ...
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