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Review 3/17/2011
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This company sells a very poor quality product through Amazon and Ebay. I purchased a unit in October of 2010, and installed it shortly there after. By January the unit was leaking from both ends and the rubber boot on the passenger side was rotted away. In addition, they promised a refund of $30 for the old unit (core) that I returned in November.
In early February I spoke with Garo steering and they first offered to repair existing unit if I remove and ship it to them. This would put the vehicle out of service for at least one week. They then offered to sell me a new one and credit me back for it upon receipt of the defective unit. I also noted that the $30 core deposit was never credited even though the core was returned in October and I did follow-up on it in November. Their warranty person did indicate that he would forward the request for the credit to accounting. That was the last I heard of my $30!
Recognizing the work involved (4+ hours according to the Dodge dealer) to remove and replace the unit, the need to pay shipping charges for the return, the cost of $60 for a necessary alignment each time the rack is replaced and the fact that a rack normally lasts 80 to 100,000 miles or about 5-8 years, I did not want another unit that may last only 3-4 months. What is more troubling than the leakage on both ends is that the rubber boot has rotted on one side. This is a clear indication of VERY poor quality materials!
Given this, I began to request a partial credit for the item so I can get a unit from a rebuilder with much better quality and a lifetime warranty that I have used previously. Again, I will need the replacement unit as a core since I did send the old unit back to Garo Steering in November.
I then began to tell Garo's representative that I am willing to compromise with Garo Steering and accept a total of $100 credit for the core and compensation for the defective unit, but before I could even suggest this their warranty person ended the conversation by hanging up on me!
In January I began contacting Amazon.com where I purchased the unit. After numerous emails and telephone conversations (where I was told several times that they would resolve the problem and get me a refund), today their "Guarantee Claim" department issued a final denial of my claim, stating:
"The Amazon.com A-to-z Guarantee refund policy only covers:
1) When the buyer provided payment to the seller, but the seller failed to
deliver the item.
2) When the buyer received the item, but the item was materially different than as depicted in the seller's description.
We determined that you are not eligible for an A-to-z Guarantee claim as you did not contact the seller within 14 days of receipt to report the issue or return the item within 30 days of shipment. Your Guarantee claim ............has been closed."
Obviously it may take more than 14 or 30 days to determine that a product is defective! So much for Amazon's "GUARANTEE"!
Given my experience with Garo Steering I strongly suggest that the buyer beware! For a few dollars more, find a reputable rebuilder!
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