Prodrive USA / Cosworth LLC

After damaging one of my Prodrive PFF7 wheels back in February and the original Prodrive group pulling out of the U.S. around the same time I was having no luck sourcing a new wheel. Luckily for me (I thought) in mid March Cosworth LLC announced that they would be carrying the Prodrive line. I immediately e-mailed them to check the availability of replacing the damaged PFF7.

 

Gilbert Gonzalez Jr. from Prodrive USA/Cosworth LLC replied back with a price and stated that he had the wheels in stock. I work at a dealership that is a Cosworth dealer so I figured I would have the shop order it since it would be mounted there and I would be there to check it out when it came in. Manny from our parts dept. called on March 20th and placed an order for 1 Prodrive PFF7 in Bright Flitter and paid in full with my personal CC.

 

Fast forward to today...March 27th:

 

The wheel arrived today and I immediately opened it to make sure it was the correct color, model, etc. and instead of finding a new wheel in the box, found a wheel that appears to be a former display wheel, the wheel has several chips in the finish showing bare aluminum, scratches on the face and what appears to be red paint in a small section of the lip...to top that off the metal inserts in the mounting holes are rusted. Definitely not the "new" wheel I was expecting or that I paid the new higher price for. The box it arrived in was in great condition and was not damaged so I assume the wheel was packed that way.

 

I called and explained the damages and condition of the wheel to Gilbert who told me he had inspected and packed the wheel himself and there was no damage. I asked if he would send a new wheel to replace the damaged one and he replied "No, that was the last wheel in the country in that style" and "there is nothing else I can do".

 

No offer to refund my money, no resolution to the problem.

 

When inquiring about the wheel it was implied to be "new", no mention of it being a display, or blemished, etc and it certainly was priced as new.

 

I am a huge Prodrive fan and have had their wheels on 3 different Subaru's now...but I would not recommend purchasing any Prodrive items from Cosworth LLC, Gilbert or Prodrive USA as what you get may not be quite what you were expecting, and they do not care about satisfaction after the sale.

 

I will be posting pictures shortly of the damage.

ya man, that does not sound cool

that is some weak. sauce.

What a dick. I know the KOP has prodrive. I am sure you know they're a Subie dealer too...Call Tristan over there and see if they have any left.

 

Tell Gilbert Rodriquez to cram the damged wheel up his ass.

Did you use a credit card?

If so, take pictures, decline the charges, and send the wheel back.

Dispute the charges with the CC company, that will piss his negligent ass off

Send it back and file a dispute with your credit card. That is what I used to do.

you can just cancel the order and send it back. good to know though, i'll never buy from them

call you CC and dispute the charges

What they/\ said. And thanks fr the heads up on Cosworth as I'm trying to source a set of Prodrive mufflers.

Bad news for Cosworth, and lousy customer service. Fortunately you AREN'T SOL.

I've already disputed it with the CC company, they said to hold on to the wheel until Cosworth asks for it back.

 

I'll be ordering a "new" wheel from Cheam Motors out of the UK

Ya, it was the last one in the country. It was probably the first one in the country too; it's just been hanging on the wall, being used as a shelf for who knows how long.

Nice customer service asshats.

I've already disputed it with the CC company, they said to hold on to the wheel until Cosworth asks for it back.

 

I'll be ordering a "new" wheel from Cheam Motors out of the UK

 

And if they don't then you know that there is something fishy going on.

 

Sometimes I have been thinking about an annoying way to pack things when you are pissed off. This will require three things. A large enough box, plastic bag and polyurethane insulation foam normally used to seal around doors, windows etc.

 

- Take an empty cardboard box that is well over the size for the item.

There shall be space left between item and box wall.

- Fill the bottom with the foam - 2-3 inches when it's hardened.

- Place item in plastic bag and place it in the box.

- Fill the rest of the box with the remaining foam and close the box.

 

One thing is at least sure - they can't complain about insufficient packaging. But it will take them a while to unpack.

 

If you are really mad you may leave out the plastic bag...

 

If you are really mad you may leave out the plastic bag...

 

 

or put a small fish or crustacean, such as a shrimp, in the bag

Ha ha.

 

Filing a complaint with the credit card company should do the job.

Post a pic?

Here are the pic's, beware before clicking, they are very large to show detail. 56k beware.

 

Pic #1 - Rusted lug holes

 

Pic #2 - Red paint on lip

 

Pic #3 - Scratches on face

 

Pic #4 - Another view of lug holes

 

Pic #5 - More red paint, chip on edge

 

Pic #6 - Chips on edge

 

Pic #7 - Red Paint from different angle

 

Definitly not a "new" wheel.

^Wow that is crazy.

That is unbelievable.

 

Hope all works out.

I cant believe they send you that rim in that condition....

 

 

Where can i get a set of prodrive mufflers?

Hi Cosworth... we sees you and will not order from you

What a dick. Customer Service is verything these days. What joke. It is amazing that they would send you a wheel in that condition.

What a dick. Customer Service is verything these days. What joke. It is amazing that they would send you a wheel in that condition.

 

And then say too bad. That's a new wheel. We charged you full pop for it. We won't do anything about it.