Is Import Shark legit?

[shutterjack]

All I can say is that I wish I had read this thread before ordering from ImportShark! I now count myself in the growing majority of frustrated customers of ImportShark . I won't rehash the frustrating details, as it is the same tale as others have posted. All I will say is to avoid this company at all costs if you are considering doing business with them.

 

[Skywagon]

I did ask for my money back and I'm still waiting. On about Aug 22 I ordered a badge, see below link. Was e-mailed will ship in 5-15 days. Waited 15 days, e-mailed again. Was told that hurricane Irene had caused problems in their "customizing shop" and I should have it two weeks max. Waited ten days, e-mailed them again saying please cancel the order and credit my Pay Pal account. Was told "don't worry" the badge would be shipped in 5 days. I e-mailed them back saying I no longer needed the part and, again, credit my Pay Pal account. That was last Fri., Sep 16. No response and as of this morning no refund. Not happy.

http://www.importshark.com/store/details.php?image_id=737

 

[VanillaGorilla]

I did ask for my money back and I'm still waiting. On about Aug 22 I ordered a badge, see below link. Was e-mailed will ship in 5-15 days. Waited 15 days, e-mailed again. Was told that hurricane Irene had caused problems in their "customizing shop" and I should have it two weeks max. Waited ten days, e-mailed them again saying please cancel the order and credit my Pay Pal account. Was told "don't worry" the badge would be shipped in 5 days. I e-mailed them back saying I no longer needed the part and, again, credit my Pay Pal account. That was last Fri., Sep 16. No response and as of this morning no refund. Not happy.

http://www.importshark.com/store/details.php?image_id=737

Skywagon, Just an FYI i ordered the same badge back on 8/24 and have had the same issues. I havent received the badge and was told about the delays with their shop. Of course all this is after sending them an email asking what was going on. They never made any attempt to contact me and let me know of the delays. I paid with paypal and i put a claim in to hopefully get my money back. If i can find another source for the black wings i will let you know. I will most likely just get the standard emblem so i dont have to go through all of this again. Hopefully we can all get our money back.

 

[Skywagon]

Gorilla,
Sounds good. Just contacted Pay Pal as well. Also sent another e-mail to import shark. I didn't mind waiting over a month for the badge but when they ignore my e-mails I have no choice but to take action. Too bad.
Thanks

 

[Skywagon]

After being ignored for a week after asking them to cancel the order and refund my money I prodded them again. Below is their response. Obviously, I'm the bad guy.

"Great job on your part Einstein. It was going to ship today."

 

[dond13]

After being ignored for a week after asking them to cancel the order and refund my money I prodded them again. Below is their response. Obviously, I'm the bad guy.

"Great job on your part Einstein. It was going to ship today."

Add me to the list of those who would never think of doing business with Inport shark after reading this thread. Sounds like a nightmare.

 

[Skywagon]

After I responded to the above e-mail telling them to cancel the order I was told again it was shipping today. I finally had to send them a picture of my car, de-badged, trunk holes filled and trunk lid painted. They finally refunded my money.

 

[Hmma102752]

I think it's funny how "importshark" hasn't responded to this thread anymore or your emails....haha #crappy

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Glad someone got their money back at aleast. Honestly i have not read the forum rules so this may be frowned upon but i simply used "the google" and now we can put a face to the shark.

 

[IMPORTSHARK.com]

I think it's funny how "importshark" hasn't responded to this thread anymore or your emails....haha #crappy

What's "funny" is some of the posts and replies in this thread. We get thousands of orders a week and know that our reputation is stellar. It's obvious that an extremely small handful of orders will be problematic out of these numbers--and especially when some people simply do not have the patience or compassion to allow adequate time for delivery. Case in point, take the guy who wants the customized wing badge, knows it's now in stock--but is too stubborn to remove his Paypal claim so we can ship it out.

We try to provide the most accurate updates when available, but the problem is that suppliers in Asia can be unreliable at times and delays can occur during during the importation process. For the most part, there aren't any issues, but when obstacles pop up which are out of our control, then that's when we have to deal with customers complaining about delivery times. Again--for the most part--people are extremely understanding. However, as we can see in threads like this, certain people simply do not allow us to do our jobs. It's one thing to respectfully request to cancel an order like a normal human being, but there are those who take an entirely belligerent attitude like they're some spoiled little 14 year old child. Those are the people who get responded to harshly. We're more than happy to make up for problems such as delays or product issues, but sometimes aren't even given the chance.

At the end of the day, the types of people who don't allow any leniency in the extremely rare cases of a delay are the same people who fail to realize that this is not Amazon.com--and that Amazon.com does not give a damn about the Hyundai aftermarket industry. You can't just go anywhere to get items like customized wing badges and specialized grills from Korea. We're more than happy to fill the voids, but especially in this market with these specialized products, it's unrealistic to keep 100% of the people out there 100% of the time.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[shutterjack]

These are hard working Americans, the ones you refer to as 14-year old children, who are spending hard earned money on products they just want to see in less than two months, or at a minimum, to receive appropriate communication. In today’s marketplace this is an expectation, not a luxury. Those same Americans put faith in you and your company that you would honor their business. At the end of the day the reason they have to go through channels such as the PayPal claims process is because of unprofessional individuals, such as yourself, who do not have the honor to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the transaction.
Do you have the audacity to communicate in a condescending, rude, and disrespectful manner to men and women who are sending you their money? Post your excuses on why you feel it is appropriate to do so, Mike; why you feel it is ok to give such terrible service and to dishonor the customer. It is apparent that you believe the American public is too stupid to be able to figure out what kind of a man you are. Allow me to let you in on a little secret… we are not! I think your posts are the most compelling argument against your own company.
It makes most of us laugh when you argue that, because you are one of the few merchants that offer a product, it entitles you to the privilege of providing poor service. Welcome to what most would call the communist ideal (or did they not teach that at Iona College)! Don’t worry, you aren’t a monopoly and we won’t continue to send you our money.

A couple of side notes: Skywagon is not “stubborn” as you claim. He is smart… he knows that you only tell people “the product is in”, “shipping this week”, etc. to stall past the PayPal dispute window. Good luck to the poor guy that lets that happen!
Oh, and referring to YOUR behavior as child-like would insult my 14-year old, so I will refrain.

 

[shutterjack]

Oh, and just to point out the obvious, if Import Shark is doing "thousands of transactions a week" why is Mike, the self-proclaimed "founder" and owner, the only person with whom any of us ever have dealings? And how would he ever have time to write his love notes on this thread?

Suddenly the percentage of unsatisfied customers becomes a little more apparent.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

What's "funny" is some of the posts and replies in this thread. We get thousands of orders a week and know that our reputation is stellar. It's obvious that an extremely small handful of orders will be problematic out of these numbers--and especially when some people simply do not have the patience or compassion to allow adequate time for delivery. Case in point, take the guy who wants the customized wing badge, knows it's now in stock--but is too stubborn to remove his Paypal claim so we can ship it out.

We try to provide the most accurate updates when available, but the problem is that suppliers in Asia can be unreliable at times and delays can occur during during the importation process. For the most part, there aren't any issues, but when obstacles pop up which are out of our control, then that's when we have to deal with customers complaining about delivery times. Again--for the most part--people are extremely understanding. However, as we can see in threads like this, certain people simply do not allow us to do our jobs. It's one thing to respectfully request to cancel an order like a normal human being, but there are those who take an entirely belligerent attitude like they're some spoiled little 14 year old child. Those are the people who get responded to harshly. We're more than happy to make up for problems such as delays or product issues, but sometimes aren't even given the chance.

At the end of the day, the types of people who don't allow any leniency in the extremely rare cases of a delay are the same people who fail to realize that this is not Amazon.com--and that Amazon.com does not give a damn about the Hyundai aftermarket industry. You can't just go anywhere to get items like customized wing badges and specialized grills from Korea. We're more than happy to fill the voids, but especially in this market with these specialized products, it's unrealistic to keep 100% of the people out there 100% of the time.

Your website says the to wait 5 - 15 days for delivery of the emblem i ordered and i did wait. You neglected to contact me of any delay. Wouldnt you want someone to inform you of the delay in an item you ordered? I did ask to cancel my order and asked about a refund. You did not answer me at all. You set the terms of the items you sell. I purchased agreeing to those terms. If the terms change the shouldnt i be given the opportunity to cancel my order and get a refund? If you order a pizza and it doesnt show up the day you order it are you still going to eat it if it shows up a few days later. Come on, really.

If you have thousands of orders a week then most certainly my $48.13 is nothing for you. I would appreciate it if you would refund it to me. How about showing some good customer service on your part and refund everyone who has asked for one.


Here are the email transactions in my attempt to get a refund:

Item ordered and paid for on 8/24/11.

I filed a paypal claim on 9/19/11 after no response to my refund request.

(Importshark)
Hello,

We saw that you accidentally filed a Paypal claim for this item. Since
the order will be shipping out this week, we'd need you to remove the
claim immediately so that it does not delay departure.

Thank you


[ME]
Hello,

The item had a delivery date of two weeks. Had i known of the delay, three and a half weeks now, i would not have ordered. I understand delays happen but if i had know there was a possibility of a delay i would not have ordered. Your website did not indicate that the item was not in stock. I emailed you asking for a refund but did not get a response back.

Thankyou


(Importshark)
The customization shop was closed for 2 weeks due to damage caused by
Hurricane Irene. I trust you can take that into consideration.
Regardless, your emblem will be ready within the next couple of days.
Please remove the claim and we'll ship this week as expected.




[ME]
I have no idea where your customization shop is located. Again your website said nothing about the item not being in stock or going through a thrid party. I would appreciate a refund.


(Importshark)
If you can just do away with the Paypal claim, we can send out the emblem
this week.

[ME]
I am not sure i understand your statement "If you can just do away with the Paypal claim, we can send out the emblem
this week." I take this to mean that unless i retract my paypal claim you are not going to send out the emblem that i have already paid for is this correct? I have asked for a refund multiple times and i see no answer to this question. I waited your stated time for the emblem and did not receive it. You did not contact me to inform me that the emblem was delayed i contacted you and was then told of the delay. I am not trying to ruin your business or cause you harm. At this point I would like to be refunded for the emblem as it could not be delivered by the promised date. If your conscious will not allow you to give me a refund then so be it.



(Importshark)
Nothing can be done with a Paypal claim in place. Remove it and we will
ship the emblem this week. It's that simple

 

[George79]

These types of posts are just sad. It would be so nice to actually post ALL the emails--not just the ones that make it look like we're giving you the run-around.

The fact of the matter is that when we receive an update from a supplier, manufacturer, etc., THAT is what is relayed to the customer. If this information ends up being inaccurate, a new update can obviously be provided. The customer can obviously make whatever decision he/she wants at that point. Up until now, this person has had absolutely no problems waiting on the supplier to provide the product in question--but ok, go whine on a forum as if that will help speed up the process.

IF YOU DON'T WANT THE PRODUCT, WHY NOT ASK FOR YOUR MONEY BACK?

Maybe posting up the mysterious reasoning behind that would actually help, instead of just playing the role of the poor unfortunate soul. Speaking of which, what about the compensation that was offered? No mention of that either. How surprising...

I dont know who you are, but I will not buy from you. Everyone know that things like these do happen b/c of the outsourcing, BUT instated of making excuses I would rather if you were be honest and said "yes, we screwed up, how can we make you a satisfied customer? "

 

[Fearless]

IF YOU DON'T WANT THE PRODUCT, WHY NOT ASK FOR YOUR MONEY BACK?

I used to be in the mailorder business. I didn't charge a customer until I had product ready to ship. If I didn't have something in stock and the customer didn't want to wait any longer, the order was canceled and there was nothing to refund.

 

[cje882]

I haven't ordered from you, and the thread, until this post, didn't concern me as vendors often have problems delivering product on schedule due to a number of reasons, however, the statement above suggests there is no ownership by you (Import Shark)...

As I read your post, as a middleman providing no service beyond ordering from the mfg, you take data from party A (MFG) and deliver to party B (Customer) then blame the MFG for bad information delivered to your customer.... This is not a company I would do business with.

I agree. I was with you (ImportShark) until that last post, and I've actually ordered from you in the past with no issues. Even though some things may be out of your control, communication and customer service are key. And the way you are posting to your customers here makes you look pretty bad. I'd suggest a new PR rep watching the forums. But other than reading this post, I have never had any issues with them.

 

[iChris]

This forum has been such a good outlet of info and according to the BBB import shark has an F rating, the lowest rating that is given to businesses.

 

[leptoid]

I ordered HID Fog light kit from them... It took about 10 days to get... not too bad. I never heard from them with a tracking number, etc even though it was sent priority mail, nor did they ever tell me it shipped, but whatever, I got it.

 

[jackster]

I also have a very bad experience with Import sharks. I purchased something from them and had to wait 3 months for it, which WASNT the BIG PROBLEM. After finally receiving it The item was DEFECTED and after contacting them and FINALLY getting a response to 7 different emails he told me there is nothing he can do for me and that he doesn't have time for this BS. BS???? Seriously???? what kind of business are you running. This has to be some kid out of his garage slinging parts because there is absolutely no custom service coming from Import Sharks. Im glad I found this thread to vent my frustration of being robbed.

 

[Beendenied_U K]

This has been discussed over and over and over again. There's even an Anti-Importshark FB page. Just stop by the BBB and you'll see the company is ranked as an "F"