Helmetguys.com -- Internet rip off

Hey wolf, don't know where to post this, but I just got ripped off by a motorcycle web site Helmetguys.com. They advertised a product they did not sell and charged my card for 215.00, which they quickly removed form my bank account. Chase Bank says they will get it back for me, but I just want to blow off steam and let everyone know that Helmetguys.com is a no no.

mordicai wrote:

Hey wolf, don't know where to post this, but I just got ripped off by a motorcycle web site Helmetguys.com. They advertised a product they did not sell and charged my card for 215.00, which they quickly removed form my bank account. Chase Bank says they will get it back for me, but I just want to blow off steam and let everyone know that Helmetguys.com is a no no.

How exactly did this whole sordid event unfold? What was the time frame? The reason I ask was I just received delivery of some goods from a fairly high-profile vendor that were ordered back around Thanksgiving. The target ship date came and went, I e-mailed them, received another target date, that came and went and finally they arrived at my door Friday. They never contacted me in all that time. Obviously at least one of my parts was NOT in stock and they had to wait for it OR they needed a minimum order put together to their supplier. Maybe this was also your situation. It doesn't necessarily imply malice on helmetguys part, maybe just poor communication. Unless there are details you haven't included yet.

They advertised TCX boots on their site, I ordered a pair. Two hours later they e-mailed me that TCX was no longer sold in the US. Would I like something else. I said no thanks. I'll buy from someone else. Please cancel my order and DO NOT charge my card. I went to the Revzilla site and ordered form them. I never heard back from helmetguys. I checked with Chase and sure enough the bastards had already taken the money out of my account! My e-mails demanding the return of funds has not been answered. Low life SOB's

mordicai wrote:

Hey wolf, don't know where to post this, but I just got ripped off by a motorcycle web site Helmetguys.com. They advertised a product they did not sell and charged my card for 215.00, which they quickly removed form my bank account. Chase Bank says they will get it back for me, but I just want to blow off steam and let everyone know that Helmetguys.com is a no no.

This forum is probably as good as it gets. We don't have an "Alerts" forum, and most people probably wouldn't check it every day anyways.

In the long run, alerting the banks, taking the time to make a complaint with the BBB, etc is what will eventually stop their clock. In the meantime, I'm probably not the only guy that looks online for their Internet ratings before placing an order. When I'm pissed off, I ensure anyone doing a check on a business will find my complaints about what they did. In the case of one New York online camera company, the complaint was effective enough that they sent me a bunch of free stuff to shut me up. I'm a mercenary with no scruples whatsoever, so I took it... but just to the point I didn't put up anything new, but left my old comments up.

I think most internet businesses work on a VERY small margin, & often don't have the backup/experience or technical ability to maintain proper stock listings or databases. It is highly unusual for a company to act maliciously. In saying that, I have been on the receiving end of a company that missed its shipping date on some iPod parts - they were so rude that I nearly fell off my chair!! I guess the only way is to check out online reviews of an un-used company & take a gamble..... Luckily you paid by credit card, so assuming US law is similar to UK law, you should (eventually) get a full bank refund.

Mordicai, let us know when they finally credit your account. I, for one, want to know if this is just a procedural error by helmetguys or if there is actually a real rip-off here.

This is great...... We should inform each other about sites that can't or won't conduct business as they should. And we should let others know about folks that are conducting reputable business practices. I thnk you'll all agree that the internet has the potincial for people who make or sell a product to reach customers that even five years ago they would not have reached. And if they do it honestly they deserve to make a killing.

Yup.............. keep us informed. I would think everyone here would give a damn.

After I filed a complaint with Chase Bank they e=mailed me about my bad manners. My reply:

I'm sorry.....You advertise a product for sale.....I order it and download all my information to you in good faith.....then, after you have taken $215.00 from my bank account you tell me gee, sorry we don't sell that product......and you tell me I should have dignity and respect for you........Your a rip off SOB and I have already started spreading the word in the local motorcycle community.... You had two days to make this right....two days to return my money ..yet you did nothing. My e-mails went unanswered for 24 hours....I had to call Chase Bank and file a complaint against you....you screwed with me for 2 days and know your going to get pay back ......

Chase got on them and last night I received a notification that the funds had been refunded. +1 for Chase Bank! This morning I received an e-mail from Helmetguys telling me if I spread bad words about them that it will come back to haunt me as some kind of misfortune. You know, like getting killed in an accident or a heart attack at 70 MPH, etc. These guys are real shits or just plain stuped....

I had a similar bad experience last year with a company called Hyperformance out of Austin, TX. They took my money in a hurry, never communicated or responded to multiple emails and phone messages. Only after disputing the charge with BofA and getting refunded did the vendor reply with the equivalent of a dumbstruck look on their face and comments to the effect - had I only tried to contact them first... and they almost have the part in stock... WTF?

My lessons learned:
* When potentially dealing with a new-to-me vendor, do some research. I did the research on Hyperformance after the fact and found lots of bad stories.
* It's worth a few more dollars to deal with a good vendor. There is such a thing as customer loyalty and I practice it. I'll buy from my preferred vendors if they're anywhere close to a competitive price. If not, I'll call and ask if they can come close. The piece of mind from a no-hassle internet shopping experience is worth a couple extra bucks.

Kudos to some of the advertising sponsors on this site. A free plug for Atomic-Moto the Bombers are awesome to deal with!

Your absolutely right. I went with these guys because they were $24.00 cheaper then everyone else. Well I was right, These guys were cheap.

I know this is the Internet age and all that, but it's for just these reasons that I still would rather deal with a brick & mortar shop. I bought my Triumph and WR from the same dealer. Great guys, service, etc. I give them all the farkle business I can because, selfish of me, I want to keep them around! I generally know what things cost. If they're even in the ballpark, they get my part/accessory business. I bought a few things from another Yamaha dealer in my area. No complaints about them, either. Internet purchasing has a place but, to me, it's no substitute for real MC shops staffed by people you can deal with face-to-face. Exceptions would be for aftermarket products not available any other way. Also, I found that once these Internet places tack on shipping charges the final price is sometimes not all that far ahead of a shops price for the same item. To me, it's not enough of a dollar advantage to gamble on something NOT going wrong and then looking for a replacement or refund. In short, I feel that we should support the MC dealers more with our farkle purchases than in trying to shave the last nickel on each sale. BTW, I have no vested interest in any brand or dealer; I just want to keep these guys around!

I agree, and usually if a dealer will come close to the internet price , I am willing to eat the tax to support my local shop. The problem is I live in San Diego and to be truthful I haven't found a shop here that I feel comfortable with. I bought my bike new from a local dealer but never really liked the place. They never offered me anything. Just took the money and ran. I feel more comfortable with the sites that support this forum, but really most of my stuff comes from small one man equipment makers around the country.

Just about two weeks ago ordered two Shoei helmets from Helmet Guys, called them and they gave me 15% off the price. This was a deal no one else even got close too! Their shipping took 3 days overall, which is only a day longer then how long they told me it would take! Was just surfing the forums and saw this post, it looks like maybe some people will have a better experience the others! But this story by Mordicai sounds kind of weird, if a website never ships something they have no way of keeping their money because all merchant account providers will support the customer in this case! Looks like some people might just be trying to degrade their competitors, can't trust anyone until you try for yourself!

mordicai wrote:

After I filed a complaint with Chase Bank they e=mailed me about my bad manners. My reply:

I'm sorry.....You advertise a product for sale.....I order it and download all my information to you in good faith.....then, after you have taken $215.00 from my bank account you tell me gee, sorry we don't sell that product......and you tell me I should have dignity and respect for you........Your a rip off SOB and I have already started spreading the word in the local motorcycle community.... You had two days to make this right....two days to return my money ..yet you did nothing. My e-mails went unanswered for 24 hours....I had to call Chase Bank and file a complaint against you....you screwed with me for 2 days and know your going to get pay back ......

Chase got on them and last night I received a notification that the funds had been refunded. +1 for Chase Bank! This morning I received an e-mail from Helmetguys telling me if I spread bad words about them that it will come back to haunt me as some kind of misfortune. You know, like getting killed in an accident or a heart attack at 70 MPH, etc. These guys are real shits or just plain stuped....

Dear Bikerider3, Welcome to the site. Sorry to disappoint you but no conspiracy here. The deal went down as I told it. You have a vivid imagination. You joined our little group just so you could make that post? Do you ride a WR250R/X ?

mordicai wrote:

... charged my card for 215.00, which they quickly removed form my bank account.

This is exactly why you should avoid using a debit card online. Unless you have bad credit, you can use a credit card absolutely free. If someone charges you inappropriately, a credit card does not affect your bank account. Simply dispute the charge and don't worry about it.

bikerider3 wrote:

Just about two weeks ago ordered two Shoei helmets from Helmet Guys, called them and they gave me 15% off the price. This was a deal no one else even got close too! Their shipping took 3 days overall, which is only a day longer then how long they told me it would take! Was just surfing the forums and saw this post, it looks like maybe some people will have a better experience the others! But this story by Mordicai sounds kind of weird, if a website never ships something they have no way of keeping their money because all merchant account providers will support the customer in this case! Looks like some people might just be trying to degrade their competitors, can't trust anyone until you try for yourself!

That's really quite interesting... The only post, and the last part of it sounds quite fishy. Wonder if it's someone who is intimately involved there...

bikerider3 wrote:

Just about two weeks ago ordered two Shoei helmets from Helmet Guys, called them and they gave me 15% off the price. This was a deal no one else even got close too! Their shipping took 3 days overall, which is only a day longer then how long they told me it would take! Was just surfing the forums and saw this post, it looks like maybe some people will have a better experience the others! But this story by Mordicai sounds kind of weird, if a website never ships something they have no way of keeping their money because all merchant account providers will support the customer in this case! Looks like some people might just be trying to degrade their competitors, can't trust anyone until you try for yourself!

Hmmmm... it is always gratifying to see a new member dedicated enough to the WR community that they will register with our forum just to tell us their experiences with an online retailer were dynamite after a long term member related a story of very shoddy business practices from the same company.

Now that you've done your civic duty, we look forward to you introducing yourself in the "new members" area and maybe some pix of your bike! Get that post count up past "1"!

SheWolf wrote:

bikerider3 wrote:

Just about two weeks ago ordered two Shoei helmets from Helmet Guys...!

That's really quite interesting... The only post, and the last part of it sounds quite fishy. Wonder if it's someone who is intimately involved there...

Jäger wrote:

bikerider3 wrote:

Just about two weeks ago ordered two Shoei helmets from Helmet Guys,...!

Hmmmm... it is always gratifying to see a new member dedicated enough to the WR community that they will register with our forum just to tell us their experiences with an online retailer were dynamite after a long term member related a story of very shoddy business practices from the same company.

Now that you've done your civic duty, we look forward to you introducing yourself in the "new members" area and maybe some pix of your bike! Get that post count up past "1"!

You guys ROCK!

Most forums I'm a member of are big and what happens is that companies buy forum advertising to silence their critics. Only puff stuff allowed. Post the truth and if it's negatory it's banned camp.

Good to get the scoop on both good and sheeyit things.

It's not uncommon for some sites to let you order out of stock items without telling you it's out of stock. Revzilla did that to me. They also did not refund my money for 2 weeks - claiming they were trying to locate the product for me. They eventually refunded me.

If a site does not tell me up front if an item is in stock with an estimated delivery date - I don't buy.

I've had great luck with Motorcycle Superstore.

It's amazing to see a five month old post come back to life. In all fairness to the internet, I have to say that 99% of my dealings with motorcycle vendors have gone down without a hitch. It's great to be able to buy a rack made by some guy in Texas and handguards from another small maker in Colorado(HDB). Years ago it all would have come from a place like Motorcycle Superstore or we made it ourselves.