How long should you wait for a refund from VADIM?

[jturkel]

Well, in light of recent events, I have finally decided to share my eventful story about the lovely (cough cough) Vadim. I just sorted through ALL of my emails, PMs, and paypal transactions since January to make this 100% accurate. For the lazy, here is the brief summary. Vadim was offering a new year/winter special on his C32 headers. Here is the original advertising thread: *** VRP Headers/ECU Winter Special for C32/C320 - SLK32/SLK320 *** Headers would be 799 + shipping. I was told that it would take approximately two weeks for them to be made, coated (2500F coating), and shipped out. Ok….thats reasonable. Two weeks? I can wait. So I waited. About two weeks later, I asked how they were going and told I would be receiving them shortly. Two weeks later they still hadn’t shipped. Never received any tracking numbers. My headers kept getting delayed further and further. Finally, on March 13th, 6 weeks later, I received them via USPS. Took them out. Terrible quality headers. See pictures below. I called Vadim and got no response. Two days later, Vadim got back to me after I left a voicemail and I told him how terrible they were and that I will not accept these. This was unfortunate for me as I was getting my car dyno tuned on March 21st. LET was flying in from Chicago and I wouldn’t be able to tune with headers on as I had planned. DAMN. Anyway, Vadim said no problem and to ship them back and he’ll take a look. So I spent about 50-60 shipping them back on March 16th. I didn’t hear back about the headers until April 3. He apologized, saying they should never have left as they were “unfinished on the inlet side and the coaters did not bake them.” He offered me a new set, but I turned them down and kindly asked for a refund. He said that’s fine, and told me to give him a couple days to clear sales and to send me the money. Sure, I said. Well days turned into weeks, turned into more weeks. PMs, Emails…..nothing. NO payment. Just more and more excuses (see timeline below). After threatening to post up my experience with him on mbworld via PM, he called me and told me that we should resolve this like “gentlemen”. I then finally received a PARTIAL refund at the end of May after this episode. Then two more in June. Then one more in July. Never received compensation for shipping back an unfinished product, which IMO, should be on his tab. Bottom line: bad experience. And I received an unfinished product. Took much longer than anticipated to receive headers. Took much too long to receive a refund. And only received it after threads. Received payment in small partial “payments.” And never paid me back for shipping. Could be worse for me. I know there are more worse experiences than mine. Luckily, I got most of my money back and am not in as bad as a situation as others have been or currently are. Vadim seems to know his stuff. He was a pioneer on most (if not all) of the C32 stuff. But he cannot run a business and cannot be trusted. TIMELINE: Payment sent Jan 30 for 824.00 (799 for headers + shipping). Feb 12: told that the following week they are going to coaters (for 2500F coat) and should be ready that week for shipment. Feb21: another email sent to him asking for tracking number and when it will be shipped Feb22: told me that two of three local coaters closed and its taking a while. Should be done shortly and he will personally check on them. Feb26: told that he has them and I should have them the middle of the following week Mar2: asked for tracking number AGAIN Mar3: told he is packing them and will get me tracking number as soon as shipped Mar 7 – no responses from VADIM to emails, PMs, no tracking number, no headers Mar13 – finally received headers. Not ceramic coated (spray paint instead). Terrible quality. Tried calling both numbers at shop (VRP at time) but got no response. Mar15 – spoke with Vadim. Mar16 – shipped back – 50-60 bucks to ship March21 – LET Dyno Tune April 3 – received apology from Vadim saying that headers should have never left as they were unfinished on the inlet side and the coaters did not bake them. He offered to make a new set. April 4 – I said no thanks. I do not want headers at this point. I asked for a refund for 799 and what he would consider reasonable for having to pay for shipping them back April 6- Told me to give him a couple days to clear sales through paypal and will then give me a refund April 14 – no refund yet. Told that it should be that week April 20 – still no refund. Told he is still waiting for more funds to clear. Overseas sales apparently “tied up”. Told I would receive a partial credit later that day April 26 – still no refund. It has now been nearly 3 weeks since being told I would receive a refund. Apparently, according to Vadim, a sale fell through and couldn’t send me anything yet May 29th – receive first payment – 300 minus paypal fees June 4 – second payment – 200 minus paypal fees June 26th – third payment – 200 minus paypal fees Jul 11 – fourth payment – 100 minus paypal - Four payments add up to 800 minus fees. Never reimbursed for shipping back an unfinished product and now, the pictures:

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[efivefiveamg]

They look good to me

[Zod]

good god...those headers do not look good.
Well at least you got your $$$ . I have lost hope
I do not mean to be nasty, but money is no joke and you can not play around with peoples money.

so now it has got me thinking.....does not seem like any of the vendors on here are any good at all (360, Code3, MHP, VRP/Vadim, and there is an other tunner who I have yet to see any good info, or results from, aside from a few cover ups)

that's like 6!!!!

[220S]

Sorry you had to deal with all that. You probably came out okay compared to others.

As I mentioned in the other thread, the problem is that he may be a skilled tuner but he has no business plan and no credit or assets to back him up when things go wrong.

This kind of stuff says it all:

"He offered me a new set, but I turned them down and kindly asked for a refund. He said that’s fine, and told me to give him a couple days to clear sales and to send me the money."

"It has now been nearly 3 weeks since being told I would receive a refund. Apparently, according to Vadim, a sale fell through and couldn’t send me anything yet."

"Told he is still waiting for more funds to clear. Overseas sales apparently “tied up”. Told I would receive a partial credit later that day."

Guys like this have no money and live by the skin of their teeth. I'm not saying people shouldn't start up a business with what they have, but they need to be realistic and get some cash up front through loans, family members, private investors, or the SBA.

It's bad and I've seen it way too many times with small "entrepreneurs." No cash flow, no money to pay their own vendors, no money for food. Waiting for that "big sale" project to make it all well. In the meantime, they're always broke and scrambling.

We all know a business involves start up money, patience, commitment, skill, good timing and a bit of luck, and a real desire to develop a product and company for the long haul. And a realistic view of the world. Just ask the two guys who started AMG.

And hey, when we buy stuff on credit we have to show financial liability. So, when we order something up front, then we should be asking for the vendor's credit and financial statements.

[stallion8797]

If it makes you feel any better we had the exact same thing happen to us with a C320 customer's car. Month long delays and those crappy headers.

Now I'm not a professional welder (I pay someone for that), but the welds are even worse then what I can do.

We work on really small margins and have an ample cash flow. I don't understand how companies that are making 300-400% on products run out of money so easily? If budgeting is that bad get Quickbooks!


I voted for "Refund? This wasn't just a donation with hopes of winning a prize?"

[emoving]

Holy crapy welding Batman!

[bigben320e]

Terrible way to do business. Glad you at least got the majority of your money back.

The bulk of vendors around MBWorld certainly are not doing themselves favors with dealings as of late. This speaks to bigger problems.

[c32AMG-DTM]

Originally Posted by Zod

good god...those headers do not look good.
Well at least you got your $$$ . I have lost hope
I do not mean to be nasty, but money is no joke and you can not play around with peoples money.

so now it has got me thinking.....does not seem like any of the vendors on here are any good at all (360, Code3, MHP, VRP/Vadim, and there is an other tunner who I have yet to see any good info, or results from, aside from a few cover ups)

that's like 6!!!!

Well, not to go too far off-topic, but Kleemann is a sponsor of this forum; I can state without any reservations that Cory and Kleemann have been consistently terrific to deal with, no exceptions.

[RacerX0911]

those welds are terrible.

[jturkel]

Originally Posted by efivefiveamg

They look good to me

lol i know right?

Originally Posted by Zod

good god...those headers do not look good.
Well at least you got your $$$ . I have lost hope
I do not mean to be nasty, but money is no joke and you can not play around with peoples money.

so now it has got me thinking.....does not seem like any of the vendors on here are any good at all (360, Code3, MHP, VRP/Vadim, and there is an other tunner who I have yet to see any good info, or results from, aside from a few cover ups)

that's like 6!!!!

yah its pretty ridiculous. not gonna lie.

Originally Posted by 220S

Sorry you had to deal with all that. You probably came out okay compared to others.

As I mentioned in the other thread, the problem is that he may be a skilled tuner but he has no business plan and no credit or assets to back him up when things go wrong.

This kind of stuff says it all:

"He offered me a new set, but I turned them down and kindly asked for a refund. He said that’s fine, and told me to give him a couple days to clear sales and to send me the money."

"It has now been nearly 3 weeks since being told I would receive a refund. Apparently, according to Vadim, a sale fell through and couldn’t send me anything yet."

"Told he is still waiting for more funds to clear. Overseas sales apparently “tied up”. Told I would receive a partial credit later that day."

Guys like this have no money and live by the skin of their teeth. I'm not saying people shouldn't start up a business with what they have, but they need to be realistic and get some cash up front through loans, family members, private investors, or the SBA.

It's bad and I've seen it way too many times with small "entrepreneurs." No cash flow, no money to pay their own vendors, no money for food. Waiting for that "big sale" project to make it all well. In the meantime, they're always broke and scrambling.

We all know a business involves start up money, patience, commitment, skill, good timing and a bit of luck, and a real desire to develop a product and company for the long haul. And a realistic view of the world. Just ask the two guys who started AMG.

And hey, when we buy stuff on credit we have to show financial liability. So, when we order something up front, then we should be asking for the vendor's credit and financial statements.

yah, like i mentioned in my post, there are certainly worse stories out there. in light of recent events ,i just decided this would be a good time to post this and i'm glad that, outside of a little money lost and time, things are fine. just don't want anyone else going through this or risking losing much more money.

Originally Posted by stallion8797

If it makes you feel any better we had the exact same thing happen to us with a C320 customer's car. Month long delays and those crappy headers.

Now I'm not a professional welder (I pay someone for that), but the welds are even worse then what I can do.

We work on really small margins and have an ample cash flow. I don't understand how companies that are making 300-400% on products run out of money so easily? If budgeting is that bad get Quickbooks!


I voted for "Refund? This wasn't just a donation with hopes of winning a prize?"

yah. they're that bad.

Originally Posted by emoving

Holy crapy welding Batman!

haha!

Originally Posted by bigben320e

Terrible way to do business. Glad you at least got the majority of your money back.

The bulk of vendors around MBWorld certainly are not doing themselves favors with dealings as of late. This speaks to bigger problems.

yah me too. thats true. just important to increase everyone's awareness so other people aren't potentially screwed over

Originally Posted by RacerX0911

those welds are terrible.

yah. they're terribe. besides his claiming that the inlets were not done and the coating not baked, they just looked terrible all around. with the way they look on the inside, it would have impeded exhaust flow. i recollect an individual with an srt6 (same motor as C32) with these headers and he lost power. i believe it was -6whp and +4wtq lol.

[220S]

Originally Posted by emoving

Holy crapy welding Batman!

Yeah, they look like Dick Cheney's arteries.

[bodyguard]

My reason for posting "My experience with Vadim Fedordezyn" was not to try and force Vadim to pay me my money, (I went thru pay pal and my credit card, which are actively working on this matter) but to inform all the members here about the good "AND BAD" experiences we have with the people who solicit on this site. Only by doing this, are we able to make a more rational decision on who to give our business to and who not to. Let me state that I waited to the last possible day to put a complaint in to pay pal ( which is 45 days) giving Vadim enough time to straighten out this situation ( my personal feeling is that Vadim was stalling for the 45 day period to pass). It is one thing to say there are some type of delays in shipping, but this was not the case. I was given tracking numbers for headers that he said were sent, which when verified with UPS turned out to be a lie. I was also told the Air Box was " ALREADY SHIPPED " from Canada. It too, was NEVER sent. Once I verified I was lied to ( on numerous occasions ), the trust was gone and there was no need to give him any credibility. ( I understand how some members here are backing Vadim for thier past good experiences with him, I only wish I could have said the same ). Times change, sometimes people do too !

[emoving]

Originally Posted by 220S

Yeah, they look like Dick Cheney's arteries.

LOL

[jturkel]

Originally Posted by 220S

Yeah, they look like Dick Cheney's arteries.

haha. great comparison!

[emoving]

I would be scared to send him money at this point! Like I said before, Jerry and Eurocharged

[anerbe]

and I was reviewing stage 2 packages at this very moment - good timing!

seeing how a refund was processed thru "payments" and unrelated transactions, it gets me worried to drop a lump of coin to a company and worry if they would be able to reciprocate if the product goes south. It seems if sh*t would hit the fan, a company like this would bail and run.

[AMGSC]

Once again, you moderators are not being consistent. You didn't move bodyguard's thread from multiple sections until I requested it. Now you allow this thread to be in the W211 section when the OP owns a C32?

Looks cleary like you are protecting Powerchip and trying to sink Vadim. You need PC but Vadim is a direct competitor. It looks like Evosport wants to pry away Vadim's partnership with PC in order to get a larger share of PCs tuning.

Let's not forget that Vadim was THE pioneer of performance mods for MBs. He WAS Evosport before he sold it! Start-up companies like LET which ALSO changed names like VRP to FD owes some of their success to what Vadim has contributed to the MB modding community. Many of the competitors products like Evosports, LET, VRP were all designed by Vadim or knock-offs of his design.

[Tech-Tune]

Originally Posted by AMGSC

Once again, you moderators are not being consistent. You didn't move bodyguard's thread from multiple sections until I requested it. Now you allow this thread to be in the W211 section when the OP owns a C32?

Looks cleary like you are protecting Powerchip and trying to sink Vadim. You need PC but Vadim is a direct competitor. It looks like Evosport wants to pry away Vadim's partnership with PC in order to get a larger share of PCs tuning.

Let's not forget that Vadim was THE pioneer of performance mods for MBs. He WAS Evosport before he sold it! Start-up companies like LET which ALSO changed names like VRP to FD owes some of their success to what Vadim has contributed to the MB modding community. Many of the competitors products like Evosports, LET, VRP were all designed by Vadim or knock-offs of his design.

Wow...

Days ago you complained about your year long saga and unrealistic tuning quote from a company whose failed to deliver.
You get so many members to show genuine concern for you, and now you turn around and promote him???

This is not a 360... this is a full 720.

I cant believe how much energy I wasted on you.
Good luck Robert... I believe your going to need A LOT of it.

[MRAMG1]

Originally Posted by AMGSC

Once again, you moderators are not being consistent. You didn't move bodyguard's thread from multiple sections until I requested it. Now you allow this thread to be in the W211 section when the OP owns a C32?

Looks cleary like you are protecting Powerchip and trying to sink Vadim. You need PC but Vadim is a direct competitor. It looks like Evosport wants to pry away Vadim's partnership with PC in order to get a larger share of PCs tuning.

Let's not forget that Vadim was THE pioneer of performance mods for MBs. He WAS Evosport before he sold it! Start-up companies like LET which ALSO changed names like VRP to FD owes some of their success to what Vadim has contributed to the MB modding community. Many of the competitors products like Evosports, LET, VRP were all designed by Vadim or knock-offs of his design.

You truly have a set of B-LLS on you

To bring up other companies that have no horse in this race really makes you out to be the worthless piece of flesh.

I guess you idea is, I was burnt by company X, so I want to burn ALL other companies.

Good luck

PS: Spend a few more grand on your never ending project for me for as they say "A fool and his money are soon departed"

[boohooramblers]

Originally Posted by AMGSC

....I will not post anymore until I post dyno numbers followed by drag times and speeds at Fontana this W/E.....

You started this, so stick to your previous statement (above) and let this play itself out.

[AMGSC]

Originally Posted by boohooramblers

You started this, so stick to your previous statement (above) and let this play itself out.

I was referring to my thread. I didn't mean this entire board.

[AMGSC]

Originally Posted by MRAMG1

To bring up other companies that have no horse in this race.

What'd I say? They have many horses in the race with Vadim and they both share the same tuner.

[IlliniE55]

It appears a significant number of individuals are owed money by Vadim – not just “C” class owners. This is an issue across all forums of MBWorld. But given the quick turnaround on your feelings for Vadim please do everyone a favor and pay him the $10,000 so he can make partial refunds to the real victims.

[AMGSC]

Originally Posted by IlliniE55

please do everyone a favor and pay him the $10,000 so he can make partial refunds to the real victims.

I must admit that was pretty funny! edit: I did'nt mean to the alledged victims...sorry.

[komp55]

Originally Posted by jturkel

I then finally received a PARTIAL refund at the end of May after this episode. Then two more in June. Then one more in July.

This explains why it took me so long (4 months) to get my refund from Vadim. Instead of repaying me at the time, he was paying you (and likely others as well).

Originally Posted by jturkel

Could be worse for me. I know there are more worse experiences than mine. Luckily, I got most of my money back and am not in as bad as a situation as others have been or currently are.

Same here. In fairness, I eventually did get repaid, and that's good thing, but it was an experience I don't wish on anyone. What made it even worse was that the merchandise involved in my situation had been ordered shortly before the Vadim / VRP split-up, and of course VRP totally disclaimed any responsibility even though their name was prominently featured in the "ad" I originally bought my stuff as a result of. Those are two vendors with whom I would never do business again.

Okay, I've come clean. Anyone else care to share?