negative experience with Russell Automotive mailorder

[Aaron Lung <alung@xxxxxxxxx>]

Just wanted to give a heads up to you folks who are 
considering mailordering from Russell Automotive in Maryland.
They are a BMW dealer and advertise in the back of
C&D and R&T.

How well mailorder places handle problems is the
real test.

To summarize, here's what to expect:

- - consistently being put on hold for ~5 minutes
  while being transfered around.  A speaker phone is
  a big plus.
- - they seem to have trouble tracking what or when
  they shipped, if they shipped.
- - they seem to have trouble shipping correct parts
- - they seem to have trouble shipping the correct number
  of parts
- - fail to meet promised delivery dates whether it's
  2-day air or standard UPS ground

- - a positive point--at least they supposedly ate the 
  cost of getting the wrong part sent back as well 
  as the additional cost of shipping me the missing parts.

My 528e has been sitting in my garage half torn
apart for about 4 weeks, waiting for the correct 
water pump which was missing the gasket when I 
finally got it.  I was also shipped 1 instead of 8 
oil filters.  Fortunately, I bought
my timing belt + tensioner, etc from Bavarian.

What was supposed to be a half-day exercise 
is turning out to be over a month.  I hope I remember
where all the bolts and stuff I took off go...

Let's see if they credit back my account properly
when they receive the original pump that I sent back...

aaron
88 528e, 65Kmiles

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