Dear Speedsurfer,
This is Lee with Southern Style Offroad! We talked on the phone a few weeks back when the damage first happen. I let you know that we would be building you a new bumper ready to go, but that is solely based upon how Fedex handles the claim.
We are fabricators, not shippers and that creates sort of a disconnect with customers some times. As long as we fabricate, package the product correctly and ship it we have relieved our duties as fabricators (This is actually stated in the TOS). I know it's crappy to be in the situation you are in as a customer, but it's equally crappy to be in the situation as a business.
We're into the bumper you received as follows:
-We paid a guy to order the metal
-We paid the metal distributor to receive and bend the metal
-We paid a laborer to get the metal
-We paid a welder to weld the bumper
-We paid a grinder to grind the metal
-We paid another welder to do quality control check/and final fab welds(shackles/hoops)
-We paid a laborer to bring that bumper to powder coat
-We paid the powder coater to powder coat the bumper
-We paid a laborer to pick up the bumper
-We paid the shipping team to pack it up and ship it
-We paid for the box it's in
-We paid for the foam around the hoop
-We paid for the custom expanding mold inside the box
-We paid for the insurance on that bumper
Now, I understand that this bumper was indeed paid for by YOU, the customer. So everything above was covered by you thus far, but when we fabricate another bumper and just ship it out to you without waiting on Fedex to finish the claim, now we're 100% inheriting the cost of all of that + more shipping on the product, + shipping on the return. Our profits (nor any companies') profits are high enough to just ship out a brand new product everytime a shipper messes up a product, we would simply collapse as a business.
This unfortunately is the hands of the carrier. We 100% fulfilled our part of the purchase agreement, it was Fedex who failed you NOT us.
They're other solutions in this case if Fedex just denies you completely where we can meet in the middle, so neither party loses entirely but we're not at that step.
I understand reading this can be "eh" but it's honestly just business. I don't want to provide you bad customer service, but part of running a business is understanding financials and responsibility.
A link to our TOS
Terms and Conditions, Company Policies and Returns/Cancellations – Southern Style OffRoad
TOS Paragraph on shipping
"Shipping & Delivery
All packages are shipped from Southern Style OffRoad will require a direct signature upon delivery. You will be emailed with tracking information when the package leaves our warehouse and it is the responsibility of the customer to arrange for receipt of package. All Slimline bumpers, Stage 2, Roof Racks and Sliders are shipped via Fedex with required signature at time of delivery. Changes to the shipping address need to be made before your package leaves the warehouse. Please allow up to 9 business days for your package to arrive since there could be potential delays in shipping once the package has left our facility. We cannot guarantee any delivery dates but if provided with notice will do our best to meet your deadlines.
Southern Style OffRoad, LLC’s responsibility for damage terminates upon transfer to carrier. It is the responsibility of the customer to note any obvious damage to shipping container or pallet with the carrier at time of delivery. If you are sending your product to a third party (ie body shop) it is imperative that you or your agent inspect the package/pallet contents for damages prior to accepting the shipment. Freight companies will not pay for visible damages not noted at time of delivery.
Damage can occur during shipping which is why you must open and inspect your package/order. If a package appears to be damaged during shipping, the customer must notify the shipping driver or shipping facility immediately before opening to start a claim. Product damage whether visible or concealed must be reported to SSO within 48 hours of receipt of the package. A claim will be filed on your behalf by SSO and the customer must provide pictures of the damage to the package, packing material, and products. Pictures should include all sides of box/pallet and multiple views of product damage clearly marked with a description of the damaged area.
Full bumpers are shipped via flat-rate freight. This flat rate will send the bumper to the hub closest to the customer’s zip code. This flat rate fee does not cover the cost of shipping the bumper to an installation shop or customer’s house. "
Pictures of the damage, which I do agree is worth replacing over. This is why we're waiting on Fedex to answer.
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