RockMJ Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Hey everyone, I needed to take the time to rant a bit and see if anyone else has had the issue I am dealing with. I ordered a little over $600.00 worth of parts for the MJ from Team Cherokee going on nine days ago now and am having some problems. I placed the order early in the week to hopefully get everything in by the weekend so I could get the Jeep one part closer to running and driving. So a week goes by and no shipping or order update email was sent to me and my order on the website kept reading "Awaiting Fulfillment". Now, I have placed orders (several thousands of dollars worth) in the past with them on other Jeeps without issue, until now. I decided to hop on the phone this past Monday after not hearing back via email for a few that I sent out between Thursday and Friday of the previous week. I spoke with a lady early Monday morning who put me on hold to go check the warehouse to see what was going on. She gets back on the phone and informs me the IAC motor and PS mirror were out of stock and I can either wait until it comes in or have it drop shipped from Omix-Ada. I asked her if having the items drop shipped will hold up the rest of the order and she said "absolutely not! I can get it all out today for you if you want." I of course said yes and thanked her letting me know what was going on. She informed me that she would get it all out and place the order with Omix-Ada and shoot me the tracking number by the end of the day Monday. Well, Monday comes and goes so I give them a call Tuesday to get the tracking number so I can arrange for either myself or my wife to be home Friday to accept the delivery. Now please keep in mind, I am not being impatient at this point, just trying to get the Jeep together and out of my jobs parking lot. Anyways, the same lady gets on the phone and I ask her if I can get the tracking information and provide her with the order number. She puts me on hold then about five minutes later comes back and informs me that the order did not ship yet because two items were out of stock. At this point I began scratching my head and could swear the Twilight Zone theme song was going off. I informed her that we had spoke yesterday (Monday) about the order and the out of stock parts and asked her again to just ship the order out and have Omix-Ada drop $#!& the rest. Starting to see a pattern here? This all brings us to today. So again, not hearing anything regarding the order I am getting a bit annoyed at this point. I placed another call and spoke with another woman different from the previous two phone calls with a name beginning with "M" (old-timers setting in). So I politely asked if I can get an update on my order, provided her with the order number, etc. and she proceeded to put me on hold for another five minutes to check the warehouse. This left me scratching my head as we had not progressed far enough into the conversation for me to talk out of stock parts. She hops back on the phone and tells me the order has not shipped yet because two items were out of stock...I politely asked her if they had any notes in their system regarding my past two phone calls and what I wanted done with the order? She informed me no so I asked her if I had spoken with her the past two days and she said no, she was out of the office. Okay? So trying to get to the bottom of it I asked her what is going on with the order (like I had any questions as to what the status was). She asks "Do you want the order to go out without those two items?" Yes, yes I would like to get the parts I ordered from you guys and today if possible. And here comes the same line I keep getting fed "Okay I will get this order out today for you." So I proceeded to ask "So what about the other two items?" to which she replied "Do you want them to be shipped when they come back in stock, or drop shipped?" "I would like them drop shipped from Omix if it will be quicker?" She came back and told me that they actually placed that order Monday but have not received the tracking information yet. So this lead me to my next question as to when I should see the rest of the order that has not shipped yet. She told me she was not sure but it was for certain going out today (Wednesday). Which leads me to here, Wednesday night, still without any tracking information or an update to the order. Has anyone else experienced this completely ridiculous BS? I can totally understand being short staffed, busy, etc. as I work for a very small company and we are normally overloaded, but I mean come on already. I have ordered from them in the past and received everything in a timely fashion and without issue but this is getting ridiculous. I will be giving them a call tomorrow and if the order still has not shipped I don't know what I am going to do. I could cancel it but chances are it will take them six years at this point to give me back my $600+. For anyone in the future looking to order from them, be forewarned, customer service has taken a serious hit with Team Cherokee and I will never be ordering from them again. Worst part is, is that they have some rare and hard to find items that you cannot get elsewhere. Just really bothers me when companies take their customers for granted when its our orders that keep them afloat. Rant officially over... RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Yeah, that really, really sucks. I just recieved a small ($30) order from them today and I have a list of parts well over $250 put together for later. It really is a shame, since so much of their stuff can't be found anywhere else. Keep us informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Yeah, that really, really sucks. I just recieved a small ($30) order from them today and I have a list of parts well over $250 put together for later. It really is a shame, since so much of their stuff can't be found anywhere else. Keep us informed. Will do man. I have ordered roughly $2500 worth of stuff from them over the years and had a wish list of ~$1500 sitting there waiting to order. I think I will probably give them one last chance tomorrow when I call and depending it might be my last order. I did some research and it looks like they changed owners in the past year to year and a half? Not sure how accurate that is but it would explain the lapse in customer service. Its a damn shame for all of us. RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Okay, so today's phone call was just as expected. I think my level of irritation went from annoyed to pissed off in a few short minutes. So, I get the woman who's name I could not recall (Melinda btw) and asked her yet again for a status update and asked if she had a tracking number. Without missing a beat "Hold on..." came through the phone and I proceeded to wait another 5:37 until the phone was picked up and quickly hung up. I feel like I am playing a game of cat and mouse at this point. So, about an hour goes by and I try on and off to get her back on the phone with no luck. Funny enough, the phone system seems to have lost its voice mail function at this point and after three rings it hangs up. So, in the spare time I decided to do some research and sure enough they have several complaints filed with the BBB regarding similar issues. And unresolved issues with customers out money might I add. At this point I started to get that feeling in the pit of my gut that holy crap, I might be out 600+ dollars. I tried to put those feelings out of mind and tried several more times to get her, or anyone back on the phone. Hell, even if I was able to leave a voice mail at this point it would feel like progress. So after a handful more attempts I receive an email saying my order status has been updated and its shipped. As I am reading the email Melinda proceeds to call me back and this is where the fun starts. Brace yourselves... The conversation starts with her apologizing for dropping the call nearly two hours ago at this point. I kindly let her know its no problem, I am more concerned about the order. She starts telling me about how her FedEx system is down and I again tell her, no problem I understand. And I do, trust me. Coming from a very small business I understand when things happen, I wholeheartedly do. I continued to ask her about the order and I can tell she is trying to rush me off the phone and I knew if I didnt keep her and get the info I needed today would be a lost cause, and I was not about to let it happen. Again. I started asking her about the email I received with the tracking number and she proceeded to tell me that it was weird that I got a FedEx update as it has not shipped yet. Big surprise here! So I just bluntly asked her what the tracking number is and is it valid. She tells me that she thinks its a USPS tracking number and I should have it in no more than three days. Okay cool, but it gets better. So after figuring out that the tracking number is not valid and I am still horribly uncertain as to what carrier its coming through, I asked her about the drop shipped products. You know, the ones I was told were ordered/shipped this past Monday. At this point I can hear it in her voice that I have thoroughly confused her so I speak up and tell her I was told four different times it was the passenger side mirror and the IAC motor. Now she sounded even more perplexed and proceeded to put me on hold, again. After another five something minutes goes by she comes back and tells me that everything is in the box ready to go. Now I am seriously scratching my head trying to piece this mess together. I began to ask her how is everything there when I was told three previous days that there were two items out of stock and would be drop shipped. She then confused both of us when she said that the door lock cylinders and IAC motor were being drop shipped but everything was in the box? My God... At this point in the conversation I am speechless, confused, irritated, and I can feel I am starting to lose my patience. Just relax she will hang up on you I kept telling myself. Next question I asked was "so, what items are being drop shipped? I have been told three different times its the PS mirror and IAC motor but now its the door lock cylinders and IAC?" to which she replied "Yes. Wait. Let me check." And again I find myself on hold. She hops back on the phone after God knows how long and tells me that everything is in the box, again. So I had to end this merry-go-round of frustration and ask is it all in the box, or is it not? She said "Yes, it is all in one box. Nothing is being drop shipped. We got in a shipment." Uhhhh? I found myself now trying to rush her off the phone because I swear I felt my head was going to explode. So to quickly end this misery, I asked one last time "Is it all in one box and for sure, absolutely for certain, going out today?" "Yes. It is certainly going out today. I apologize about the delay." And I ended the phone conversation at this point. Alright, well that brings me to this point I guess. I am still confused as to whether or not the order is going out today and even if all of the parts will be there. I can honestly say that I will never be ordering from Team Cherokee / Team Grand Wagoneer / Kenosha County Classics ever again. This frustration and confusion is unheard of and in all my years ordering parts through vendors I have never had such an experience. Hell, I have never even complained publicly about a company but this is just out of control. When I hung up the phone I seriously feel like they fed me a tracking number that does not exist just to keep me from calling for a few days. I basically did not feel comfortable and safe with them completing the job knowing there is little I can do to get my money back if they decide to screw me. Just a word of advice to anyone looking to place an order through them, you have been warned. Don't let this crap happen to you. Go elsewhere. Sadly, I feel this is to be continued... RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Yep, I've found several stories just like yours in my brief research. I'm gonna try my best to find alternate vendors for everything I was planning to order. You've had 10 times the patience i would have had in a situation like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Minuit, I had replied to your response earlier (or so I thought), but yes I have found something similar in my searches. Several complaints with the BBB for similar incidents and most of them unresolved. I can honestly tell you this is the last time I will ever order from Team Cherokee / Team Grand Wagoneer / Kenosha County Classics. The products are generally decent and the prices are to be expected, but the customer service is deplorable. I have never dealt with a company that cares so little about their customers satisfaction. And on top of that, I still have no idea what is going on with my order. We are officially past the two week mark and I am still waiting. I wish I had the time to sit on the phone and hound them all day until I got somewhere, but I don't, nor should I have to. Just overly frustrated at this point. RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanchemodder Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Thanks for posting this. I appreciate the assessment of suppliers (good and bad). The price of this lesson was not cheap but I hope it helps others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockfrog Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The last time I placed an order with them, I only received a partial delivery. Although I received an invoice for the complete order. Emailed and eventually called them, and then they sent most of the rest of the order. Only upside was five weeks later I received the same second part of the order ... guess they forgot something. Needless to say I haven't ordered from them since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for the replies guys. Rockfrog, that makes me worry even more lol. Yeah, I am still in the dark here as to what the hell is going on. They do not respond via email and calling them is a waste of time. Most of the time they won't even pick up the phone and if they do they put you on hold forever and when you finally get to speak to someone they are overly confused. Over time I have placed a ton of orders with sellers overseas, through eBay, bought stuff off of CL, through countless Jeep part vendors and forums, and I can honestly say dealing with them is the absolute worst experience I have yet had. Hell, even getting a broken transmission through eBay was less painful then dealing with Team Cherokee. If and when I hear something regarding my order you all will be the first to know. Thanks guys, RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjrev10 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for posting this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for posting this. You are very welcome. I am trying to save fellow members the headache of dealing with this company. Just as a point of reference, most of their replacement parts are one of three brands. Crown Automotive, Rugged Ridge, or Omix-Ada. Do yourselves a favor and order directly from the manufacturer where possible or go through a reliable vendor like Quadratec. I will gladly pay that higher premium for piece of mind knowing I am not tossing money out the window. I seriously hope this thread helps people in the future for making the same mistake I did. Thread link has been added to my signature to spread the word. RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnj92131 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 When you mail/phone order parts, you need to pay by credit card. By doing that, you put the bank in between you and the vendor. If the vendor does not deliver, you dispute the charge with your credit card issuer and the bank reverses the charge to the vendor. Now, this does not reduce the frustration level about poor customer service, but it does protect your hard earned money. I need to call Team Cherokee to see if they stock some parts I need. If they do, I will pay by credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 When you mail/phone order parts, you need to pay by credit card. By doing that, you put the bank in between you and the vendor. If the vendor does not deliver, you dispute the charge with your credit card issuer and the bank reverses the charge to the vendor. Now, this does not reduce the frustration level about poor customer service, but it does protect your hard earned money. I need to call Team Cherokee to see if they stock some parts I need. If they do, I will pay by credit card. Absolutely you do! I had already called my bank earlier this week and let them know what was going on. I told them I wanted to wait until the end of the week and if I had not heard anything by the beginning of the third business week we would start the process. So today a package showed up at my door and wouldn't you know, it was undersized and I could already tell stuff was missing. Sure enough, I opened up the box and sorted through the items I ordered only to come up short. Big surprise here. I got back on the phone (hopefully one last time) with Team Cherokee and told them I received a part of the order and wanted to know when to expect the rest. Of course the woman on the other end was not sure what I was talking about so she put me on hold. Oh goody! More time spent on hold! Hell, at this point I could barely contain my excitement. A couple minutes goes by and she gets back on the phone and tells me it was weird not all of it was in there, it should have been. Okay? Well I assure you it certainly was missing a few items. After she puts me back on hold to go check whatever I figured she had forgotten about the drop shipped parts that were ordered, then not ordered, then ordered, then not ordered. When she finally came back I just asked her "Did you ever place the order for the items you guys said were out of stock that were to be drop shipped?" And here we go again with the ridiculous back and forth of confusion as I could hear her checking the computer system. She then asks me what items were to be drop shipped? Really? Do you people NOT keep notes worth a damn? I then proceeded to tell her that it did not really matter and these are the items I did not receive. She checks on them and tells me that they went to place the order on the 14th for them. I did not care to stay on the phone much longer with her so I just asked her "when can I expect them and are you going to send me the tracking information?" She told me she would and I have yet to hear back about it. All in all, I am incredibly dissatisfied with the level of customer service this company operates at. It is completely ridiculous the amount of back and forth I have gone through to get any answers regarding my order. The feeling I get is that they just don't care about the customers or doing anything they say they will. I mean, for me to have to call them to remind them to finish my order is just absurd. I should not have to take time out of my day to call them to make sure they are not letting stuff slide. I really honestly believe that if I had not been so proactive in the process my order would have never shown up. This is not a good feeling for a buyer to have. I hope this crap that I have gone through with them is a lesson learned for the rest of the community. Just be aware that the customer service and the level of care is completely non existent at this point and I personally will never be ordering from them again if I can help it. Just happy that and relieved that this is somewhat over. RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I've been ordering stuff from Team Cherokee for years, mostly NOS things that you can't find anymore or stuff the dealer charges 3X more for the same item. I've only had one problem; an aftermarket power antenna i ordered from them. Installed it; it lasted a week before it froze up. I called, they sent another, same thing happened. I called they refunded my $$ and sent another to try. More junk. They admitted I was not the only one to have problems and they took them off their inventory. I was okay with that, all it cost me was some time. One week later a NOS Mopar power antenna showed up in a factory box free of charge from them with a note thanking me for testing the other antennas. The antenna incident was quite awhile ago though. Just recently I ordered some NOS power window plates from them correct for a 2DR MJ/XJ I never could find before. Again, no problems. :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepdoggydogB Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I have been ordering from them since 2006 with no issues except what Don mentioned about their prices. I have spent almost $2,000 with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 Up until this time I have had no complaints what-so-ever. I looked back through my account and to date I have spent well over $2500.00 with them and was planning on finishing off my MJ with parts from them. As they have some very hard to find items I likely have no choice on where to get my parts from so in the future I will have to place a one or two item order only. I was ready to order my rear slider window as well then all this occurred so I am on the fence so to say. I have never had any complaints about the products but good lord the customer service has been horrible. Maybe someone was on vacation or they forgot to drink their morning coffee for a few weeks but hopefully it changes for the better. Trust me, I am not a complainer by any means and this is the first time I have ever posted a rant about a company on a forum and hopefully the last time. I just want people to be aware of it. RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 As they have some very hard to find items I likely have no choice on where to get my parts from so in the future I will have to place a one or two item order only. ^^ This is the key. Their customer service people (who I'm sure are multitasking and have more work than they can handle) are most likely overworked and underpaid. KISS.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 As they have some very hard to find items I likely have no choice on where to get my parts from so in the future I will have to place a one or two item order only. ^^ This is the key. Their customer service people (who I'm sure are multitasking and have more work than they can handle) are most likely overworked and underpaid. KISS.............. I normally live my life by the KISS rule. I definitely have the last "S" under control haha RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Every problem I'm reading seems to be with large orders so I suspect hornbrod is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ride172 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Large orders or small, problems are problems. You shouldn't make excuses for poor service. I can't believe people are trying to say its the customer's fault for ordering too much stuff. If it is a large order it should be given top priority. Too big of an order? What a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ride172 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 And who cares if they are overworked and underpaid? Just more excuses. Doesn't most everyone feel this way? What if I told my boss I messed up cause I am overworked and barely getting by? He would say "find a new job." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhfear Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I'm kind of having an issue with them as well. ordered some items, they didn't ship all of the items (I'm guessing they were out of stock) normally they just refund your account when something is out of stock (and ship what they have) but I have not seen a refund, a few emails, a few phone calls with no answer voice mail only, Items shipping from Kenosha county classics, 7600 57th ave, Kenosha WI 53142. who knows guess I will wait a few more days. maybe I will get an email back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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