Hi guys,

This is more of a post to vent, rather than anything important, so if that's not okay with the mods, I apologize. I don't know if I should post the name of the company or not.

Anyway, I have ordered from a certain large online company in the past, and have been very happy, and am still happy with their customer service and shipping speed. But, the problem is that I think they tend to be a little dis-honest.

The scenario: I ordered a set of Putco LED dome lights, and they shipped them quickly and accurately. That wasn't the problem at all. These lights are not impressive at all to me, however. They aren't worth returning to Putco, but they aren't very bright and are definitely not worth the $80 price tag.

So they emailed me, asking for a review of the product, and I gave them one. I rated the lights at 2 stars out of 5, and complained about the cost and lack of brightness - all of which fit into their standards for writing a review. I know they got the review, because I got an email from them saying they were sorry that the product wasn't as good as I had hoped.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the maplight LED's didn't work at all. I called Putco and they recommended that I push the leads into the light housing - I did that and they work fine now. But that was another issue that influenced me to give them 2 stars - since I figured that for $80, they should have higher quality components that don't just jiggle loose in shipping.

Anyway, the problem - they never posted my review!

Again, this isn't a big deal - I just wanted to let everyone know that this smacks of dishonesty, if they only post the glowing/happy reviews of all their products. In other words, if you are going to buy online, research more than just reading the reviews on that one website.

Okay, sorry, rant over.

 

I would have went ahead and posted the company on here reguardless,
that way we can all stay away from shiddy companies, and that sell non-quality chinese made junk parts & accessories.
(oh, thats right, EVERYTHING is made in fuggin china these days)

And this is just my opinion,
a company that dictates their review`s, i dont wanna do business with them anyway.
ALL reviews are important to post so that the product(s) are fairly judged by ALL end users.
Hiding or not posting the review is just wrong...!!!!!! They wont post bad reviews, they`ll loose money...!!!

 

I have to agree...Its wrong for a site to pick and choose the reviews. I would like to know the site as well so I stay away form it.

 

I have always wondered why this site's reviews seem to give everything 4 and 1/2 to 5 stars, out of five. Then you go on Amazon, or a different auto parts online store, and their reviews give the same product about 2 stars.

I know that they can't use the excuse that they haven't had time to post it, since the email they sent me saying "thanks for the review" was dated January 18, 2011. It's been almost a month.

Anyway, the name of the company starts with Auto, and then the next word is a synonym with "everything". Then "dot com". (Maybe I'm ****, but I don't want to post the exact name, and then have some forum-bot pick it up and then I get in trouble for slander, or something like that).

 

I've purchased a ton of stuff from them over the years and I've noticed the same thing about the reviews. It just makes sense (to me at least) to do a little research on an item before you make a purchase, and it's not difficult to find other reviews on the 'net about products.

That being said, I agree that it's somewhat less than honest to cherry-pick the reviews and only post the favorable ones... but that won't stop me from using them, that free shipping is Da Bomb!

 

The key is to do through research. I take the reviews with a grain of salt because people will post negative more then positive experiences. I have found that some people just don't know how to follow directions and then complain when the product doesn't work.

A vendor who does not post negative reviews isn't doing himself or customers any good. Eventually the word will get out that he is selling junk and people will go else where.

The onus is on the consumer to research before buying and the internet makes it easy to run down the quality of a product.

 

lol...I had a feeling you were going to say them. I order stuff from them all the time and I don't ever really see negative reviews. I guess it is what it is. I've never had any issues with any of thir stuff though. They actually did me good on a set of chrome handles I ordered that were the wrong ones. I went with the cheap ones and ordered them for my 09 Ram 1500. The ones they advertized as fitting, didn't fit. So they sent me a different set that was almost twice as much for free (or for the price of the other ones). I was impressed. Their return policy is really good too, so if you're not satisfied, I would just return the stuff.

 

Yes definately do research before buying products. I bought my Bakflip tonneau cover, airraid cai, poweraid tbs all from them at once and it arrived in Canada in a really fast time frame. I was impressed as this was my first internet purchase. As for the dome lights i thought putco were good, i guess not. I bought my kit from recon and love them their bright as hell and match with the mirror leds. But going back to the reviews i was actually looking on that site yesterday for a bull bar and some lights and like you said the reviews are all good, but i did see a couple negative ones. But anyways i ended up picking the KC slims after my researching on a westin black bull bar. But im gonna call local 4x4 shops and get prices on exact items and compare prices see if its really worth going through AA.

 

Yeah guys, I have bought from them in the past as well and have always had a good experience.

But I've noticed that, if you research enough, most everything they sell can be found on other online stores that are no more expensive, and are often cheaper. Often, I think their free shipping hooks people, when other places have the same product for cheaper, even after paying for shipping. We all know it isn't really "free" shipping anyway - they make that money up in the price of the items they sell.

It sure could have been an honest "overlook" on their part, too. But I think I will do a bunch of google searches before I buy truck stuff again, before I give them my money.

Basically, I just thought you guys should know how it seems that they run things there...

 

Well the info is appreciated, I'll be sure to be more cautious when ordering from them. I'll definitely have to find more reviews than the ones they show.