Has anyone ever dealt with Helmet City?

[Papa_Complex]

I'm asking because I ordered a couple of pairs of Simpson crew shoes from them, that I can't find up here. That was on Nov. 5th, IIRC, with the email notification of the order arriving on the 7th. After a week I emailed them, to see why there had been no movement on the order (they claim a free 2 day delivery, through FedEx) at which time I was told they weren't in stock, but would be shipped at the end of the month.

So when the order was still shown as unfulfilled, on Dec. 2nd, I emailed them again. Now they're saying my order will ship Wednesday, to arrive on Dec. 21st.

It's a small order but I'm starting to get antsy about dealing with a company that (a) doesn't say that the item isn't in stock, (b) says 2 day shipping, without stating any difference when shipping to Canada, though there apparently is one, and (c) seems to be putting me off continually. Just wondering if this is par for the course or unusual, for this dealer?

[azoomm]

Nope, haven't ever dealt with them. Sounds suspect though.

On another note, Simpson is located just South of my track. Need me to stop by and ship you something?

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Nope, haven't ever dealt with them. Sounds suspect though.

On another note, Simpson is located just South of my track. Need me to stop by and ship you something?

Thanks for the offer. I need to see where this goes, first, but I may take you up on that

Reseller Ratings has them at 9.64, which is almost unheard of.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Helmet_City

When I used to visit friends in Charlotte, I came to really like the cheaper Simpson crew shoes. The soles ultimately crack on me, but they're damned comfortable while they last. They also pack down to nothing, for motorcycle trips.

http://simpsonraceproducts.com/produ...s_id=721&sort=

[askmrjesus]

I worked with them when they were doing distribution, (not sure if they still are).

Like a lot of small companies, they had problems maintaining stock levels, (lack of capital). Also keep in mind, that a lot of suppliers/distributors, will promise delivery of a certain item to a dealer, and then fail to meet their own deadlines, which makes the dealer look bad, even though it's not his fault.

Parts Unlimited used to do that shit all time. Customer wants a tire, Part's says no can do till June. June comes, Part's says, "Um, maybe August". Grrrrrrrrrr.....

I doubt Helmet City is trying to rip you off, but they should have been up front about the stock status.

JC

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Nope, haven't ever dealt with them. Sounds suspect though.

On another note, Simpson is located just South of my track. Need me to stop by and ship you something?

I could be wrong, but Simpson is likely tied to a distributor(s) and won't be able to sell retail as a result of their contract.

EDIT: OK, I'm wrong. Simpson sells direct as well. PC, I would call Simpson, and ask why Helmet City is delaying your order.

JC

[Papa_Complex]

I was going to buy directly from the Simpson website, for the same price (but paid shipping), but they only ship via UPS. My experiences with UPS have been very bad, due to distributors not having a clue which service to use when shipping to Canada, and I have to drive to the other side of the city for pick-up. Anyone who has driven in Toronto, knows why I don't want to do that. You can frequently get from Huntsville, AL to Birmingham, AL faster than you can get from Brampton to Scarborough.

What pisses me off is the lack of information.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

I could be wrong, but Simpson is likely tied to a distributor(s) and won't be able to sell retail as a result of their contract.

EDIT: OK, I'm wrong. Simpson sells direct as well. PC, I would call Simpson, and ask why Helmet City is delaying your order.

JC

I've walked in to their facility and bought stuff. So, I know they do it. Nice ninja edit. Actually, their facility here will make stuff to order without extra charge - so, if they don't have it in stock they break out the elves and make it for you. Neeto, huh?

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Nice ninja edit.

JC

[JARVIS518]

i have used them in the past for shields, they sent me the wrong one and i called them saying so. they overnighted me the right one with no questions asked and didnt ask for the other one back

[Papa_Complex]

A quick update:

On Monday, December 5 they emailed me, in response to my message, stating that my order would ship "Wednesday" and that I would have it by December 21. The order is still listed as "pending" on their website so I emailed them yesterday to ask which "Wednesday" they had meant, as two of them had already gone by.

I'm pissed. Good thing that I usually make a relatively small order before ever making a large one because, at this point, I'd never deal with them again.