What can i do about consumer fraud? RETRO SOLUTIONS SCAM

mwoolfso said:
The more people like you report them through various online sites that cater to complaints, the better off "the next guy" will be; regardless of what happens with you. If this company is not part of the BBB, they will only be able to engage the company up to a point and like someone else said they would just list it as an unresolved complaint. There is no charge for this from the BBB by the way. :)

As for you, as the non-lawyer mentioned it is really up to you how far you go. If you have a friend who is a lawyer have him draw up some form letter stating everything you will do beyond the BBB should he not help you resolve the quality issues with their products in good faith. Then, should he not respond, go to town. Here are some options:

- We already covered the BBB option
- Contact the local newspaper in the area where his corporate HQ's are located. Most states have an online database with corporate registrations and the HQ for a corporation is public record. See if they can help resolve the issue with you as negative publicity kills a company
- Contact your states attorney general and his. Send a letter (or call) every few weeks until you get some form of closure from them
- Take him to small claims court in your area and if possible, his area. Once you have judgements in your favor then you have some legal system support for any claims you have against them
- See if you have any friends that can run a credit check against the company. Sometimes that gives you some ammo to your in any informal conversations with the fraudster

No matter how far you go... good luck. My learning with fraud came from a company called Vacations Digest.
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Thank you thats very helpful. Im just at my wits ends with these people. I mean they claim they have a life time warranty. You would think they would honor that instead of screw so many people over. I mean how much can some HID kits cost them. Clearly they are made in china and mass produced. Id imagine it costs them around $25 a kit to produce. But they would rather screw a customer over and lose potential customers then honor their claims... Its just sad. Frankly the only good customer service that exists any more is Cory at Carpro and autogeek of course.
 
Sorry to hear about your situation. Good luck. Hopefully things work out.

Why not spend the money and retro a set of projectors. You will be glad in the long run.
 
The Guz said:
Sorry to hear about your situation. Good luck. Hopefully things work out.

Why not spend the money and retro a set of projectors. You will be glad in the long run.
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I actually planned on doing that but i didnt want to put broken HID in them. It def is a future project of mine soon as i get working HID. If this doesnt get resolve and they end up winning im going to go with morimoto mini stage 3 kit.
 
Thanks for the new vendor. What I am actually looking for are the whole lamp assembly, not just the LEDs. Basically looking for the Laramie or Sport lamp modules.
 
I had a similar problem with crappy electronic parts and contacted VISA. They worked with me an when I told them I had shipped all the product back to the store that sold them to me VISA reversed the charge.

And it had been almost a year since the original order had been placed.
 
Lints said:
I'm no lawyer but the actions you decide to take will be based on how much compensation you think you can get. If you take them to small claims court, and they only award you $200, well how much is it going to cost you in fees, and in time spent, to actually get that amount? Is it worth it? Probably not. However, if the kit cost you $1000 then maybe that's a different story.


I've been screwed on a few different occasions, a mechanic who cut my ebrake cables and installed control arms upside down (didn't get any compensation for the ebrake, but they paid to have the control arm fixed). Also had a powder coater completely ruin a full set of wheels. In both cases, there was a decision to be made about how much action I take versus how much compensation I receive.


Carefully evaluate your options. Some courses of action will have added, unforeseen costs that will reduce your overall result.



Really my best piece of advise is to have a cool head. Overreacting to the situation and yelling and screaming over the phone will not help you solve this (not saying you have done this, just saying). And carefully evaluate your course of action before you do something that is going to be a waste of time and money.



Good luck! It sucks getting screwed, trust me, I know. You can learn from it!
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This is very good advice - unfortunately!
 
swanicyouth said:
This is why I can't be bothered with most "mods". I have sympathy for what the OP is going through, but IMHO most of these reverse engineered types of parts are garbage.

I see this on BMW forums all the time. Guy spends like 8 grand or whatever for a supercharger for S54 inline 6. Motor has constant CEL issues and then blows up. Now guy gets mad at supercharger company.

But, in reality your modifying a system that was meant to work one way - another way.

All I can say is if you want HID or LED lights that work reliably and will be covered by a reliable warranty, then buy a vehicle that comes with those lights from the factory.
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How true these words ring! :props:

2 rules to live by

  1. Aftermarket Mods = Problems
  2. China = Junk
 
BobbyG said:
How true these words ring! :props:

2 rules to live by

  1. Aftermarket Mods = Problems
  2. China = Junk
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Bobby,

I'm such a hypocrite. You can't trust anything I say. After I posted that - been looking at getting some Rogue Diablos:

unajeduj.jpg


Sorry for thread jack OP.
 
builthatch said:
2. do a chargeback, if you used a CC and didn't already mention it (sorry if so)
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OP did you try this??

also, mods are fine, it's just a matter of risk/reward. the milder the mods, the less risk for hassle. the more questionable the quality, aggressiveness or appropriateness, the greater the potential for issues.

my career is based on the love of cars and aftermarket performance and accessories. there are hundreds of thousands of people that are part of SEMA who are in the same position. to knock upgrading or improving cars on a wholesale basis is silly.
 
Sorry to be a party pooper....but all aftermarket HID's suck......for other drivers. The glare is so bad, it's blinding. Especially when it is raining. I don't believe for a minute that you can see any better with them. It's actually worse if you look at the top of the light beam down the road. The beam is either throwing straight up in the air or off to the sides of the road. I bought some for a previous car of mine and took them out after a week.

Sorry about getting screwed. Hopefully if you bought with a credit card, call the bank and they will get your money back for you more than likely.
 
swanicyouth said:
Bobby,

I'm such a hypocrite. You can't trust anything I say. After I posted that - been looking at getting some Rogue Diablos:

Sorry for thread jack OP.
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HAHA, no problem Steve!

After I agreed with you I started thinking of some of the aftermarket mods I've done through the years that actually worked pretty well. To be honest though, aftermarket products these days tend to be a crap shoot and I've had a boatload that plain old sucked!

I have a 1999 Dodge Dakota that could benefit greatly from brighter headlamps to away I went. I bought a pair of aftermarket lights for $250 and now I'm stuck with a pair of the coolest looking lights that are MOST USELESS if used at night.... :doh: :doh:
 
BobbyG said:
HAHA, no problem Steve!

After I agreed with you I started thinking of some of the aftermarket mods I've done through the years that actually worked pretty well. To be honest though, aftermarket products these days tend to be a crap shoot and I've had a boatload that plain old sucked!

I have a 1999 Dodge Dakota that could benefit greatly from brighter headlamps to away I went. I bought a pair of aftermarket lights for $250 and now I'm stuck with a pair of the coolest looking lights that are MOST USELESS if used at night.... :doh: :doh:
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i think a lot of it is taking the word of marketers or others and not necessarily thinking things through from a technical standpoint.

for instance...the latest generation of Wrangler is cursed with what is probably the worst forward lighting of any current production vehicle. the bulb design by default is flawed, the optics of the lights themselves are atrocious and worst of all, the JK employs a PWM process that severely hampers the feed voltage to the headlamps. it defies logic, but that's what they did.

my irrigation guy is a retired state trooper and was frustrated with the night lighting performance in his '07 Wrangler. he went to a local accessory shop and had them attempt to address it by installing an aftermarket plug and play HID kit. basically, they performed an illegal modification that performed worse than his original lights. they threw out a huge volume of light, but in all the wrong places. that's typical for this sort of plug and play HID installation. he still wasn't happy with the output, so he went back and they installed an ARB bull bar and PIAA driving lights. the lighting was now reasonable but even more illegal, as the lights are not DOT approved for anything other than off road auxiliary use.

he was over my house and he told me about all of this. i explained what it is that i do and that there is a very common solution out there, an AFTERMARKET solution that is legal and exponentially better in terms of performance than the original lights.

so, i installed a Susquehanna Motorsports JK harness (eliminates the PWM issues, provides the bulbs full power via relays and upgraded gauge wiring) and a set of Hella Vision Plus 7" conversion lamps. while the E-Code ones are superior, the SAE/DOT units are fantastic. for the bulbs, i chose the old Hella HPXB bulbs, which are also DOT-approved.

over the past two years, he has expressed to me several times how happy he is with this lighting setup. his wife feels safer, he feels safer, oncoming drivers are not being blinded and he's running a completely legal setup.

so, like i said before, mods can be a crusher but they can also be totally rewarding, safer and just plain old better than what the car came with from the factory.
 
Well the saga continues... To answer some of your questions I bought it with a debit card on a bank account that is no longer open.

They finally seemed to start complying. They told me to prove that i didnt use dielectric grease and then they would send me a new kit. So i did to no avail. Then they said i need to prove i was using a wiring harness to send me a new kit. So I did to no avail. So i reported them to the better business beareu. They replied back saying that they have tried to resolve the matter but i keep declining among several other lies... They then send me an email saying that they are more then happy to replace my kits (which turned into only the bulbs even though its noted that the ballast are bad as well) if i close my complaint on BBB. So i called the BBB and they told me its not that simple. I cant just close the complaint. I have to provide proof that the problem was resolved. So i asked Retro Solutions what they wanted me to do and they told me to tell the BBB that Retro Solutions sent me a replacement kit and that i made a false claim... They basically want me to lie to the BBB so i lose credibility and in turn cant make a new claim if they play more games and dont replace my kit... Can you believe this... Its like how much does one of these kits cost to make? $10? $20? Retro Solutions would rather save the $20 and have a customer share their experience with every one and lose future potential customers then they would just honor their warranty... I just cant believe how compromised and flawed this company is and the length they will go to save a buck... Its a shame...


In regards to some neg comments about HID's not to start a debate but no i wasnt running projectors and people flashed me all the time. The lights were very bright. I made plans to get projectors and install them but i didnt want to put in defective bulbs. My hope was that they would honor their warranty a year ago when this all started and id have a working kit and then install projectors. Unfortunately ive had to drive with 1 green 1 yellow 1 blue/green and one flickering purple bulb for over a year until they gave me the info to make a warranty claim. Soon as i get new HID's i will be retro fitting projectors into the housings.
 
Damn these guys are giving you the run around. You might have to take this one as a loss and just keep posting negative feedaback on them.

No need to get into a debate about HID's. We all know you said you are going to retro. I used to run HID's and was going to retro but I live in the city so there is plenty of light. I went with philips xtreme halogens and a halogen relay harness. Just another option for you until you finish your retro.
 
unbelivable! don't even think of complying. tell them once they've sent the replacement kit then and only then will you remove the complaint with BBB. intact, id just insist on a full refund. if they send you out another dodgy set you'll have to go through all of this again. get back in touch with the BBB and tell them exactly what retro solutions has suggested you do, preferably by sending them a copy of the email if you have it. theres no way they can let that slide.
 
Niblick said:
unbelivable! don't even think of complying. tell them once they've sent the replacement kit then and only then will you remove the complaint with BBB. intact, id just insist on a full refund. if they send you out another dodgy set you'll have to go through all of this again. get back in touch with the BBB and tell them exactly what retro solutions has suggested you do, preferably by sending them a copy of the email if you have it. theres no way they can let that slide.
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Thats what i said in my reply. I told them that i want a full refund as a replacement would not be feasible. I told the bbb what is going on and they urged me to contact the department of consumer affairs which i did but the lady was very rude and wouldnt listen to me until the bbb complaint was solved. In my reply on bbb i attached their email.

At this point i dont even care about the lights i already assume i wont get them or a refund back. So ive posted on a few other forums im part of to warn them. I was also thinking about this, I was thinking about making a website on wix and buying a domain name for 99 cents named www.retrosolutionsscam.com and linking it to the site. On the site i would have my story as well as links to all the negitive reviews on the internet. It would only cost me $10 but idk i think it would be worth it for what this company has done.
 
brondondolon said:
Well the saga continues... To answer some of your questions I bought it with a debit card on a bank account that is no longer open.

They finally seemed to start complying. They told me to prove that i didnt use dielectric grease and then they would send me a new kit. So i did to no avail. Then they said i need to prove i was using a wiring harness to send me a new kit. So I did to no avail. So i reported them to the better business beareu. They replied back saying that they have tried to resolve the matter but i keep declining among several other lies... They then send me an email saying that they are more then happy to replace my kits (which turned into only the bulbs even though its noted that the ballast are bad as well) if i close my complaint on BBB. So i called the BBB and they told me its not that simple. I cant just close the complaint. I have to provide proof that the problem was resolved. So i asked Retro Solutions what they wanted me to do and they told me to tell the BBB that Retro Solutions sent me a replacement kit and that i made a false claim... They basically want me to lie to the BBB so i lose credibility and in turn cant make a new claim if they play more games and dont replace my kit... Can you believe this... Its like how much does one of these kits cost to make? $10? $20? Retro Solutions would rather save the $20 and have a customer share their experience with every one and lose future potential customers then they would just honor their warranty... I just cant believe how compromised and flawed this company is and the length they will go to save a buck... Its a shame...


In regards to some neg comments about HID's not to start a debate but no i wasnt running projectors and people flashed me all the time. The lights were very bright. I made plans to get projectors and install them but i didnt want to put in defective bulbs. My hope was that they would honor their warranty a year ago when this all started and id have a working kit and then install projectors. Unfortunately ive had to drive with 1 green 1 yellow 1 blue/green and one flickering purple bulb for over a year until they gave me the info to make a warranty claim. Soon as i get new HID's i will be retro fitting projectors into the housings.
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You are using too many words with this company. You need to remain steadfast and high-maintenance with them. You want what you want, period.... and only then will you support their effort to close the BBB incident as resolved. At that point you be quiet and let them respond. Believe me..... no one likes silence during these discussions and they will be compelled to respond. The BBB would list the complaint as resolved once you inform them but the fact it is on record with the BBB web site covers future buyers who do their research. I would call them again and restart the conversation as if the previous conversations never happened. Seriously, it defies logic but it may work.

brondondolon said:
Thats what i said in my reply. I told them that i want a full refund as a replacement would not be feasible. I told the bbb what is going on and they urged me to contact the department of consumer affairs which i did but the lady was very rude and wouldnt listen to me until the bbb complaint was solved. In my reply on bbb i attached their email.

At this point i dont even care about the lights i already assume i wont get them or a refund back. So ive posted on a few other forums im part of to warn them. I was also thinking about this, I was thinking about making a website on wix and buying a domain name for 99 cents named www.retrosolutionsscam.com and linking it to the site. On the site i would have my story as well as links to all the negitive reviews on the internet. It would only cost me $10 but idk i think it would be worth it for what this company has done.
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I don't recommend the web site. They may be able to sue you from the state of their incorporation or in your state. Posting reviews on another web site that you do not own is less likely to be problematic for you.

Can You Be Sued If You Give A Bad Review On Yelp? - Forbes

Who Can Sue For Defamation | Digital Media Law Project
 
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