Kriston

Just wanted to share some of my experiences with you all in regards to HRE's customer service.

This is NOT to bash HRE as I have owned a few of their wheels in the past and was pleased with them. However, my first "customer service" experience with them has been a roller coaster to say the least.

Back story - My Brother purchased a set of HRE FF01's for his Subaru BRZ from a dealer in Houston. As my brother is a pilot he travels quite a bit and chose to purchase the wheels from the US to save a few bucks compared to purchasing them here locally in Toronto. He learned that he was promoted and had to relocate shortly after. Being the awesome bro he is, he gave me the HRE wheels before he left.

I contacted HRE on here in October of 2013, and asked them if its possible for a swap out for the correct bolt pattern (these wheels were 5 x 100). The original guy that responded was pretty quick and said they will take care of it. Keep in mind the wheels are brand new in the box still.

He passed me onto a gentlemen named Greg @ HRE. Greg was great and offered me input on sizing recommendations etc. After a few email exchanges Greg advised that the wheels are on order and they will be here in January of 2014.

I had no issues in waiting as HRE was trying to help me out by switching the wheels out and I was made to believe everything was ok. So I waited for 3 months, I contacted Greg last week, he had asked me where I purchased the wheels from etc. So I told him where they were purchased.

Greg emails me back telling me they have no records of these wheels and will now need a proof of purchase to swap them out. This is where I got upset, I explained to Greg and HRE how I acquired these wheels, I had nothing to hide. If they needed a proof of purchase I could have asked for the receipt if my brother was still here in the country!

HRE strung me along for 3 months, I explained to him that I did not wish to run converters or modify the wheels in anyway, as I have a baby on the way and wanted to be safe. I even offered to ship the wheels back to him first, in their original packaging to show that they are indeed brand new in box.

In conclusion, I am a bit more upset at the fact that HRE could have asked me for this info upfront, instead of stringing me along and then sending me a snark email explaining how thieves sometimes try to send wheels back for exchanges. The wheels are brand new in the box with all hard ware etc! Im not looking to cheat anybody I just wanted to have the correct bolt pattern!

Again, I am not naïve to the fact that they were trying to help me out, I would have assumed for a company like HRE they can look into a simple swap out. Especially after spending 3K+ on a set of cast wheels.

I have learned my lesson, Never will I run HRE wheels on any of my cars, This is the last set.

To HRE - You have proven to me that brand loyalty and customer confidence is a thing of the past for you. for a company that preaches heritage, you are now building a heritage of a "big box" wheel manufacturer who can care less for the enthusiasts who help establish your brand over the last few decades.

callmiro

Changing bolt patterns and then returning without proof of purchase? I'm surprised they even took your call

Kriston

No no, I did not change any bolt patterns. I simply asked if they can swap the wheels out for a set with the correct bolt pattern. That's all.

I did not touch the wheels, they were sitting brand new in the box!

Autosport7

HRE is the manufacturer though, would the origin of purchase not be a better for this type of transaction? The dealer would then handle the transaction with HRE...? I really don't know, I am just thinking out loud at the moment.
GL either way.

noodleman

it's not unreasonable for them to ask for proof of purchase. It shouldn't be difficult to produce a receipt. I'm sure you can contact the original vendor to send you an electronic copy for HRE?

Kriston

You are right, this is something I am sure the Dealer may try to assist in. As mentioned during my initial post. I am located in Canada. The wheels were purchased in Houston.

I figured instead of sending the wheels back to the guys in Houston, I should contact HRE directly, since it would essentially be a simple swap out.

I wouldn't have had this bitter taste about HRE, had they just tell me upfront we need the following information in order to swap the wheels out. They simply told me it will be done, just hold tight for the new set to come in.

Had I known upfront I would have tried to obtain the bill of sale etc from my brother before relocating overseas!

Kriston

Hehehe you are right, it shouldn't be that hard, only issue is my brother who purchased these wheels is now located in the UAE!

Again I would have gladly provided the original receipt, should HRE had asked for it upfront. Don't make me wait for 3 months without a mention of any requirements then all of a sudden say we need this info.

Like I said before, I guess you can chalk it up to poor communication. At the end of the day its just wheels, but I can tell you based on this experience. I will not purchase another set of HRE wheels.

BAD430BENZ

since your brother purchased them from a middle man , the issue would lie between you and the middle man . i'm sure your brother has an email or a smart phone to quickly send you the receipt . I can see this from both sides but I think HRE is right in what they are telling you . maybe there was confusion in the conversation between you and Greg on the whole situation

HRE_Wheels

Hello Kris,

First off, we would like to apologize for this inconvenience. Unfortunately, a transaction of this type (an exchange for a $3,000 order) requires a receipt. This prerequisite is in place to protect both parties and is a common business practice.

We understand you are upset, and again, we do apologize, however we hope you can see this from our perspective as well. What you were asking us to do was difficult – even coming from such a great customer.

We are also sad to hear you will never run our wheels on your cars. We can only hope in time, you change your mind.

Thank you for being a loyal HRE customer.

Regards,
HRE Wheels

Kriston

Sorry but if HRE was professional enough to let me know this 3 months ago this story may have been different.

But as I said before and I will say again, you tell me this 3 months AFTER the fact.

If you or Greg had requested this information upfront I would have gladly tried to get the proof of purchase for you.

Please don't try to tell the forum that this is hard for you to simply exchange the same set of wheels. They are not custom nor are they made to order. They are an off the shelf product.

Either way, just wanted to let the community know some of my headaches with HRE.

I have 4 great looking paper weights right now hey maybe HRE would be nice enough to send me some hub rings for the C63 since the ones I Have are not 66.5.

black lavender

HRE should have told you up front about requiring the receipt.

Your "dealer" should have records of the purchase and can EASILY find it

Why can't you return the wheels to the "dealer" since they are brand new?

Your "dealer" is more to blame than HRE.

You can always sell them on eBay, Craigslist, or other car forums.

sinape62

Request proof of receipt is not uncommon. Your receipt would verify their internal database birth records. If they took them back, HRE would have to prove to the next buyer that they are indeed HRE manufactured wheels instead of some replicas in look alike HRE boxes. My neighbor could buy those as he has a BRZ, how does he know they're HRE is you don't have a receipt? I think you could have been more forthcoming and explained the situation that you acquired them from your brother. I also agree that HRE entertained you even though you were not the original buyer and that they were bought through a distributor. I wouldn't be too hard on HRE. Like you said there were some communication gaps. It happens all the time on all businesses.

Jasonoff

Coles notes:

OP says: Hey I have these new wheels I'd like to swap out blah blah
HRE Schmengy says: Hey Greg, can you help this guy out?
Greg says: No problem man, we have you covered, new wheelse will be here in 3 months
.
.
. 3 months go by...
.
.
OP says: Hey Greg, just looking for a quick update on the wheels.
Greg says: No idea what you're talking about. We need proof of purchase to help you.

OP loses his shït.

If this info is legit, tsk tsk HRE...

Diabolis

The facts: (1) you are not the original purchaser of the wheels; (2) you - or rather the OP - didn't purchase them locally, so you can't go back to the dealer, and (3) you don't even have a receipt. It seems to me the only entity to blame here is you. Knowing that there is a somewhat convoluted story about how the wheels got to be in your possession, did it not occur to you that at the very least you could have explained your story to them at the beginning and perhaps asked if you needed the original receipt (like you would for pretty much any other purchase) to return/exchange them? If anything, HRE demonstrated good customer service by entertaining your idea for a swap in the first place (they were willing to accommodate you). How is any of this HRE's fault? Stop your whining and accept some responsibility for the situation. You could have asked your brother for the receipt, you could have asked him to get a copy from the dealer, or perhaps to try and deal with HRE on your behalf if his name is in their database (phone calls - ever from the UAE - and emails are pretty cheap nowadays).

zibby43

You definitely should have a receipt to do this exchange. This requirement does protect customers who have wheels stolen and also protects the manufacturer.

So the question becomes: Is it your fault to not think of the receipt issue 3 months ago? Or is it HRE's?

Jasonoff

Sounds like you didn't read my breakdown . I wouldn't have entertained the original offer either. However, if I did offer it, then back out later, shame on me...

Vise_

Yeah, sorry but I have to agree with the comments above. In a transaction like this the requirement for a receipt should be a no brainer. While it is unfortunate you were not informed up front HRE is just acting like any other legitimate business in requiring a receipt to assist in the exchange process.

Jasonoff

By not disclosing it up front he got hosed. That's what I gather as being the "actual" issue at hand here.

Kriston

Bingo!

Guys like i said before, Re-read my original post. I was totally upfront with HRE from the get-go I informed them how I acquired the wheels. I agree 100% with having a receipt for the exchange I am not arguing that.

What gets me is not disclosing this upfront! I would have GLADLY try to obtain it.

I walked into this whole deal knowing the bolt pattern was in-correct, I simply shot a quick message over to HRE to see if they can assist in the swap over. I understand the policy as I had mentioned before. Just wish we could have saved me the 3 month wait to tell me!

either-way, life moves on. No love lost, I will explore other options to fit the wheels if possible.

Jasonoff

In before someone says I know you and this is all a sham...

zibby43

Those are all fair points.

If it were me, I would've tried to get the receipt a few months ago, just to cover my butt, regardless of whether HRE told me they needed it.

Regardless, I can certainly sympathize with your frustration because in reality, the receipt is a technicality. Best of luck going forward man.

creaminz

Kriston!!!!!!! what's up man

Just sell those HREs and buy my HREs lol
https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...nditioned.html

natman316

i dont understand cant your brother email you a picture of the receipt or have the dealer pull up the record of the deal or something? Unless I'm missing something I dont see how it can be hard to find a proof of purchase or through a serial number or something

CPD SLK

I agree with the OP in that HRE should have asked for that crap in the beginning. Not 3 months later...either way, best of luck man! Tell ur brother to stay safe

Kriston

I asked for it, my brother has most of his stuff in storage as he relocated for work. Im going to see if I can dig it up somehow. If he remembers where he kept it (if he kept it)

He is going to contact the dealer to see if they can resend a receipt to us. If it doesn't work out, at least we gave it a shot.