Beware this vendor ! Tried to cheat me & almost got away! This is a pretty long story, if you’d rather just get the bottom line, scroll to the end and I’ve summed it up in two lines.

Name of Vendor: Wheel and Audio
Location: 14048 firestone blvd,santa fe springs, CA
Phone: 562-926-9338

Ok, so after ch@mp posted about getting a good deal from this vendor about a month ago, I decided to give it a try. The deal was $1700 for ADR m-sports with hankook tires 19” staggered setup.

I call up and speak to a guy named BEN, who tells me that the price has gone up to $1900. I hang up and decide to call others. Over the next couple of days, I get quotes ranging from 2200 to 2500 with better tires (falkens) so I decide to call Wheel & Audio back to see how much it would cost with Falkens. This time, I speak to a guy named David who tells me “sure I can get it to you for the same deal, 1700$ mounted+balanced with Hankooks, come tomorrow and give me a deposit and we’ll get started”. So I go there the next morning, no David, but BEN is there. He tells me “that’s not possible , David is new he has no idea , cheapest I can do is 1950 with Hankooks”. So after I told him that America Tire was getting it for me for 2100, he says “2050 is the best I can do.” So considering America’s Tire gave me a one month wait, I decided since he had them in stock I gave him the deposit for $1000. (with Amex Thanks God!).

I leave and come in two days since the wheels were not at the store yet. After I get there, he insists on me paying him the remaining balance immediately before even putting the wheels on. I didn’t think much into it and examined the top wheel (which were stacked one on top of the other in boxes) and it looked fine so I gave him my card and he charged the balance (1050).
While I was watching one of the workers put the wheels on my car, I suddenly looked at the rear wheel near the lug nuts and almost had a heart attack.. there were huge scratches in all the holes where the lug nuts go. After asking Ben about them, he says “oh yes these are bmw wheels u know and they had to drill the holes bigger to fit your car.” He then said “You won’t even notice it once the lug nuts are on”. I was on the fence almost about to say yes, till I told him that I was more afraid of the chipping of the paint. So he says okay you can talk to the dealer of the wheels just to make you feel better. So he puts me on the phone with his dealer (big mistake on his part, good for me), cause that guy tells me “yes these are actually mercedes wheels (???) we had to drill the holes to fit the Nissan 5x114.3”. So I ask him “doesn’t adr make a rim for the 5x114.3.”, he says “yes but we don’t have them in stock, will probably take another month, why don’t you take those wheels for now and come back when we get the correct ones”. So I confirm the same with BEN and he agrees so I allow them to put the wheels on.
This is the best part: - While I am waiting there, one of the guys from the shop next door comes up to me and asks me about the wheels , so I tell him the whole story. He then says after looking around to make sure no one is in sight, “get everything in writing, and make sure he gives you a date when you can come back and get the correct wheels, I’ve been around here and I know how this guy does business”. I immediately go back to Ben and ask him for a date and he says “oh it could take anywhere between now and a year and I cannot give you a date in writing”. I was like totally shocked so I told him I don’t want them. After a long talk, he agreed to give me my money back, then he gets on the phone and tells his wheel dealer “take these wheels back you don’t expect me to sell these”. Yet he was trying to sell them to me !!!! @#*$*(#@!!!.

Anyways, that’s not all, he gives me a confirmation slip which shows a refund of 2050. I go home and thank my lucky stars and God of course, and after 3 days, I notice not only did he give me back 2050, he also charged me again for 2050!!!!!!! At this point, I just called up American Express and let them handle it. This was more than a week ago. I have finally got my money back today and am posting this thread for everyone’s benefit so that you NEVER go to this scammer/cheat ever.

Brief version: Tried to sell me used/drilled wheels!!, double-charged my credit card and extremely hard to deal with. Stay Away!!!

I have truly learned my lesson , good part is I did not lose any money in the whole thing, just maybe a couple grey hairs and some wasted time. Here are pictures:-

 

Thanks for the heads up Warren, thats terrible retail/customer care on his part.

If you still need M sports from a standup guy, you know who to call.

Good luck on this whole situation!

ravi

 

UN F-IN Believable..........That just makes me SO ANGRY....Why do we have so many dishonest people in this world. KARMA is a real B*tch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry

 

I had a friend drill out holes once to fit rims. It seemed to hold up fine until several miles later. One of his rims broke off and the others became really wobbly.

 

OH-MY-GAWD... geezzus.. thank God i didn't settle for those... whew .....

 

thanks fo the heads-up....it's jerks like these that ruin it for reputable shops out there.

 

Ohhhh Snap I was JUST in there the other day loking for wheels....Thanks for the heads up wow. I think I'll skip these bozos and go somewhere else....

 

That is the most terrible vendor story i've ever heard about....

 

great! saving one fellow-z-member is my good deed for today

 

desiZ,

Freaking criminals!!! The sad thing is somebody will be their next victim.


Tony

 

Screw them. Good looking out!
I suggest posting their email. They just lost alot of potential customers by screwing you over buddy!

 

Desiz,
Dude i didn't even notice those scratches on my rims, until i looked at your pics. It's like that on the right rear wheel. what should i do? I've been on them for like 2 months now, but i remember one of them saying that ADR has warranties. I'm so sorry about your mis-fortune. Remember when i sent you those pm's, about myself having no affiliation with them, i was serious, only reason why i tried referring you to them was because i got a good deal and knew that you were interested in them. It's not my fault that Wheels and Audio screwed you, but i feel at fault because it was my referral. Once again i'm sorry bout whatever happened. I got to go back to them and tell them about the scratches in the lugs area. God, I'm so naive sometimes.

 

thats what my wheels looked like after discount tire put my 5zigens on....... damn grease monkeys

 

Dang! what the heck is wrong with businesses these days!!!

Sorry to hear that Ahsmo (and DesiZ). One would think a Wheel/Tire place could put on wheels and tires without much problems!!! This makes me mad. The more and more i think about what my brother-in-law said, the more he's right..."99% of this world is incompetent!" I hate incompetence, and what's worse is that they expect you to PAY for it!!! (i just woke up. )

 

Incompetence is something this world is wanting to embrace more and more lately...equal opportunity laws


I am installing my Volks now that my tires came pre-mounted. Not going to allow any screw ups that I have to pay for.

 

hey man dont worry, just get your wheels checked to make sure you're driving on something safe. as i mentioned in a pm i sent u b4 checking this thread, you do not want to be driving on wheels that are weakened by re-drilling (this is what an america's tire rep from torrance told me ). for your safety, i would recommend getting an expert to give you his opinion. you do not want to be on weak/wrong wheels driving on the freeway at 80mph when one of the wheels decides to go crack!...

i almost took those wheels if it wasn't for that guy from next door who came and warned me...