If you want to be treated like a…
If you want to be treated like a customer that doesn't matter, Street Image Truck and Auto Accessories in Rapid City is your place. I will detail my experience below if you care to read about it but be forewarned, it is lengthy.
I went to these folks because they are listed as the only authorized dealer in the region. The manufacturer only sells through its dealer network. I placed a special order with Chris for a replacement part which I needed to maintain full functionality of my vehicle. I agreed to the terms as quoted and paid them in full with cash on August 3rd. The part was priced at $453.00, and the inbound freight was billed on the same invoice at $60.00. Delivery was estimated at 5-6 weeks. As of tomorrow (October 27th) it has been 12 weeks, and I still don't have the item.
While I can understand production and shipping delays, the treatment that I have received after placing the order is the basis for this complaint. If Street Image had simply called me and updated me with information about the delay, I would have had an understanding about what went wrong and when I could expect delivery. Instead, they chose to ignore me.
After 43 days had gone by and I hadn't heard from the I called to check on the order (September 14th, 9:17am). I didn't write down the salesman's name at this point as it didn't seem necessary at the time; he said he would check it and call me back in 5 to 10 minutes. He never called me back.
The next day, (September 15th, 2:30pm) I called again to check the status of the order. This time I spoke with Nate. He said he would check it and call me back in 5 to 10 minutes. He never called me back.
Life got busy for me and a few more weeks went by before I called them again (October 23rd, 12:24pm) and spoke with Josh. He said he would check on it and call me back in 5 to 10 minutes. A pattern had developed but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and waited several hours for a reply. I didn't get one, so I called again at 3:20pm. When they answered the phone this time, the representative didn't identify himself; he simply asked me to hold. I stayed on hold for 10 minutes and nobody ever came back on the line. I thought maybe they forgot me, so I hung up and called them again (3:30pm). When they answered the phone this time, the representative didn't identify himself; he simply asked me to hold. I stayed on hold for 30 minutes this time, and nobody ever came back on the line.
Since they wouldn't return my calls, and I now felt like my calls were being ignored because they didn't even bother to answer them, I was forced to visit them in person. On October 26th at about 10am I walked into their store and was greeted by Chris. While I was upset about the ordeal, I was calm and courteous when addressing him (he will refute this, but I will let you be the judge). I asked Chris if they were going out of business to which he replied, "No, why would you say that?" (or something to that effect). I then explained why I was there and what had happened with their communication failures. He did not deny the allegations and apologized for their conduct but offered no solutions for their shortcomings. He then placed a call to the supplier to find out where my order was. While I never received any explanation for the delay, I was given the impression that it was the supplier's fault. He said it "should be here by mid-November". He also stated that we might be able to get it here quicker if we have them ship it via UPS or FedEx but that it might be broken in transit. I told him I would like to get it as soon as possible. He then proceeded to call them again to find out about that. He sat on hold with them for the better part of an hour while I stood there. I finally got tired of standing there waiting for an answer to something that could have been done on the phone and walked out.
Chris called me at 11:15 and informed me that they could ship it but there would be substantial additional shipping charges which I would be responsible for. I declined to accept the charges as he proceeded to lecture me about being a bad person and a terrible customer while accusing me of creating my own problem by breaking the part that I ordered (I didn't).
So here is where it stands: Street Image lied to me multiple times and made false accusations, I can't get my cash back, I still don't have my part. I don't have a firm delivery date, and I have zero confidence that Street Image will ever do what they tell me. I do expect that Street Image will reply to this complaint based on their responses to other complaints, but as I have stated previously; the credibility of any response is questionable. My hope is that the proprietor(s) of this establishment looks closely at their organization from the viewpoint of the consumer and takes action to improve their process.