Pitiful experience with AJ USA

[Lothar]

AJ USA sucks!

I bought Hawk Blue pads that were listed on Ebay as being for my model and year of 911. What they sent me would not fit any car in that model range with stock rotors.

They sent me .720 pads and advertised that they fit 78SC's There is no freakin' way they would fit and they hide behind Ebay not having the ad listed anymore to verify what they advertised.

I bought the pads and have not used them. I kept them for 5 months as spares. Thank goodness I didn't need them. I asked for a refund or exchange with documentation of my purchase date through PayPal. Justin refuses to help me because he says they lost money on the Ebay auction when they were clearing out inventory. Is that my fault!!!

They do not care to help customers when there might have been a mistake in the ad. He won't tell me what car could use a .720 pad so I could resell them and suggested that I should list them however I wanted, presumably to make a sale.

I won't screw anyone the same way AJ USA did. Nor will I ever buy from these arrogant a-holes. I suggest the rest of you do the same.

edited for spelling

[70SWT]

Being 5 months out from the purchase, and doing it on an eBay auction rather than a direct purchase are the key factors here. Tough to get much satisfaction that far out. I notice a lot of businesses sell the same merchandise through eBay and don't offer much on returns or warranty coverage since it is an auction, not a regular purchase...

FWIW I have had no problems with AJ-USA during several purchases (930S steering wheel, 951 and 944 coolant hose kits, etc), no affiliation with them.

YMMV Al

[Lothar]

The really sad thing is that I even called them by phone before bidding to insure that they were the right pads for my car.

Here is a pic of the label that was not applied properly. Maybe he couldn't read the .720. Nonetheless, they refuse to help me and I need to find a home for these very nice track pads.

They will fit 78, 79 Turbos. Anyone need 'em.

As stated: I will never do business with these jerks again!!!

[Randy Webb]

leave neg feedback on eBay

but if you waited a long time....

[Lothar]

Randy,

Unfortunately, I left positive feedback because shipping was prompt and I did not discover the error until yesterday.

You would think that they could live with me returning the pads for an exchange or refund when they can resell the pads at full price.

[Mike Feinstein]

I've purchased many things from AJ-USA over the years and have nothing but accolades for them. I even stopped in once during a vacation to San Diego. The owner (can't recall his name) spent about an hour showing me around the shop and talking about my car, and many of his.

When you buy something off of e-bay, keep it for 5 months, then discover that it won't fit your car, you really shouldn't expect an enthusiastic response when you try to return it. Most businesses have a return policy that includes a duration for return following purchase. Putting e-bay and 5 months in the middle probably would exceed just about any such return policy. Your diatribe against this business is unwarranted in my humble opinion. You are at least equally to blame...probably more.

No relation or bias toward AJ. Just a happy customer with an appreciation for the challenges of running a business.

[Lothar]

Mike,

I did not expect an "enthusiatic response", I expected an accomodating response given the fact that they could take the return and sell the pads for the going retail price as new. They made a mistake advertising the pads by mis-stating what model and year they fit.

They are not part time Ebayers looking to liquidate parts taking up space in the garage. They are a retail business. The fact that they sold them on Ebay makes no difference. Ebay is simply the means by which they attracted the transaction. Their attitude is a reflection on AJ USA, not EBay.

How do I bear more responsibility for their mistake? I bought the pads as spares and went to replace them when it was warranted. I even consulted them prior to bidding. How much more can I do?

Justin even tells me today that they do not look at the pad thickness when determining the correct pad.

HB171 .720 and HB171 .590 are two different beasts. They are two different part numbers. If they are not aware that Hawk makes pads that have different thicknesses for different caliper/rotor combinations, then they are hacks who are not qualified to sell brake pads!

[CHILI]

Not like an "I told you sort of thing" but that's why I ALWAYS open items upon receipt to check for completness and correctness. Even if it will be months or years before I use whatever it may be. Then I just pack it back up and forget I have it and end up buying it again. Ohh wait, that's another subject.

But in all seriousness it sucks, but just be glad it's only brake pads. Could be something more substantial in dollar amount. Maybe you can sell them for what you've paid for them since it sounds like you must have gotten a deal. Otherwise I don't think you would have purchased them if they weren't needed. Just a thought.

[pwd72s]

I'd suggest chalking it up to experience, place 'em for sale here in the classifieds...bound to be a 930 guy out there who would want them. (edit) I've bought from AJUSA during my pre computer days, never had a problem. Will probably buy again, if the item wanted isn't offered here.

[cegerer]

Stay away from their sport mufflers - they're junk!

[m325ix]

never had a problem with AJ USA, I am surprised about your negative experience

[SteveStromberg]

Always inspect the Items as soon as they arrive to make sure that they are not damaged or the improper peice, having said that they should exchange them without a hesitation as they have never been installed. Steve

[Lothar]

I did inspect the pads, but I was not aware that the .720 thickness would not work. That is why I called Justin at AJ USA in the first place. He assured me that this was the correct pad for my car. This was in addition to his Ebay listing which indicated that these pads fit my model and year.

If this were simply a case of my buying the wrong pad having chosen the part number myself, I would take the blame with no complaint about AJ USA.

However, they acted as a consultant by giving me assurances that these were the correct pad. I'm not even sure if Justin listed the pad thickness of .720 since he doesn't think that the thickness is relevant.

Good vendors provide guidance and expertise to their customers. I believed that they knew their products. Apparently I was wrong.

[Zeke]

People make mistakes. They should probably take them back, at least on consignment. But 5 months? I think you're a bit out of line slamming them here. This is clearly a situation of two wrongs. Sorry that you were misinformed, but after a period of time, businesses assume the deal was OK. The ball was in your court. Still is. Sell 'em here (911parts4sale) and move on.

[Lothar]

I bought some parts from Pelican December 2002. In March 2003, my car burned before I had a chance to install the parts.

Four months later, I sent Wayne a message explaining the situation. He took them back without question. That's being a good supplier.

Zeke, if there are two wrongs here, I guess my part was trusting AJ USA. Sure they assumed it was OK because of a few months, but I am asking to return a new item in its original box that can be returned to inventory and sold again. I was willing to accept replacement with the correct part.

I'm on the other side of this equation every day and I stand behind what I sell. If it wasn't what I said it was, I make things right and I justify their loyalty.

I'm slamming them so no one else makes the mistake of thinking that these people know anything about brake pads. They have further demonstrated their incompetence when they tell me that they don't look at the pad thickness.

The pads are listed here.

[Joe911]

They should also fit the 911S alloy calipers. Should be easy to sell.