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DO NOT BUY FROM ZEUS - BAD SEALS - HORRIBLE SERVICE - BLAMES ME FOR THEIR BAD SEALS

15K views 194 replies 44 participants last post by  ENVIUS 
#1 ·
DO NOT BUY FROM ZEUS - BAD SEALS - HORRIBLE SERVICE - BLAMES ME FOR THEIR BAD SEALS

The worst experience ordering anything from anyone on this site or any place I have ever purchased anything from…I was referred to Zeus due to their “great customer service” and willingness to “go above and beyond” to resolve issues….well I have received nothing but hassle in trying to resolve my issue… If needed i will screen shot the entire text conversation....




I had originally spoke with Pat over the phone about some 72 spoke cross lace. I was quoted 1400 plus shipping. At the time I was still trying to decide what wheels I wanted and told him I would get back with them. When I was finally really to order I called and called and after almost a week of trying to contact them I was able to talk to Tami via text on 2/3/16 I told her I would like a set of their 56 fat spoke wires for my 66 Cadillac….she told me they would be 1600 plus shipping. I then said I assumed they would be close to the same as the 72s and asked for some other options since the 1600 plus shipping would be out of my range. She offered to come down to 1610 shipped. I agreed and thanked her. I asked how to pay and was told I needed to pay via wells fargo direct deposit. I explained that due to the previous history of wheel sellers on layitlow I would have to use PayPal for their buyer protection. She said that was fine and I paid half down (800.00$) via PayPal goods and services. I was told it would be a few weeks before they have a better idea on when they will be finished. On the 15[SUP]th[/SUP] I sent a text for a status update. All was good at this time. On the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] I text her to let her know I would be leaving for vacation on March 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] and needed to know if they would be done by then. Was told no and that they would check with me before sending. On the 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] I paid another 200.00. On 3/6 I asked if I could get an update when she had a chance…was sent a pic of the rims. On the 14[SUP]th[/SUP] I asked for another update. On the 15[SUP]th[/SUP] I was told they needed to re chrome one of the rims. I said that sucks and told her I would be sending the final 600.00 payment to pay off the wheels. Then remembered I agreed on 1610 and sent another 10$. This is where things starting going south. I told her that the 1610$ was paid in full and she came back with I owe her 29$ for PayPal fees. I argued this because she never told me I was responsible for PayPal fees. We went back and forth over the fees because I felt if she wanted me to pay the fees she would have told me in the beginning when she gave me her paypal address. She did not…She only wanted me to pay via Wells Fargo direct deposit…which is crazy to pay anyone online via direct deposit. I explained I have been using paypal for 15 years and only pay fees when I am SELLING items or when the seller I am buying from explains they want the fee covered. I offered to split the fees because calling this miscommunication by the both of us. This was still unacceptable….by this time I just want my rims…so I paid the fees on 3/17. On this same day I was sent a pic of the wheels complete minus the seal. Was told the need to be sealed and the wheels would ship the following Monday the 21[SUP]st[/SUP]. On 3/18 I sent another text asking if the wheels would ship on Monday…no reply…on 3/20 I sent the same text….3 hours later I get a replay that they just finished sealing them last night (3/19) ….wont ship until Wednesday 3/23….i was disappointed because I was hoping to have them for a show…then I was offered some other knockoffs with some chips…I thought cool they are trying to making it up to me….Then on 3/23 I was told that 1 rim is still not cured enough to send so tomorrow for sure on shipping….and that they would have to send the original knockoffs I requested…I said that’s fine…. On Thursday 3/24 I receive tracking information….So at this time the seal on the rims are cured enough to ship……..Awesome Im happy…all is well……The rims are delivered on 3/29….I take the rims and the white wall tires I ordered to my favorite tire man to have them mounted and balanced…..He mounts and balances 1 tire/rim….all good…the next tire/rim…wont hold air…the silicone squirts through the spokes!....We look at the seal on the other 2 and its dry…not tacky not wet….dry….attempt to mount and air up…same issue…..At this time 2 out of 4 rims WILL NOT HOLD AIR and squirt silicone through the spokes! I immediately call Tami…no answer….i call Pat..no answer…..i call again…and again….no answer….I send a text asking them explaining whats going on and to call me ASAP ......3 hours later I get a text from Tami….
“ Aaron first off I don’t even know how you got the rims already-delivery should have been on Thursday (2 days from now) These are custom hand built and sealed and I told you one was too wet for a box meaning an extra day before it could even go into a box. Yourtire guy should have been able to tell you of the were fully cured or not before mounting…unless they are not experienced with the type of wheel/ I double if there is going to be anything easy to this, so the only thing I can suggest is to send the 2 back for a redo- other than that send some pics so Pay can see if it might be something car can be fixed by phone and I will have him call you.”
I send pics of whats going on….Im finally able to talk to both of them over the phone where I was blamed for the situation….i was told I rushed them, and that I wanted to barter on the price, and then she brought up the paypal fees….we argued and I finally just asked to stop arguing and asked what they would do to fix this issue….i was told I could send them back and was told I had to pay return shipping. I did not agree with this because this is not my fault…So she blames fedex for too fast shipping, then my tire guy for not knowing, and me because I should know better….yet I was told on 3/19 that they would not ship until they are fully cured because they just finished sealing them. So by 3/24 since they were shipped I assumed they were cured…Add 5 days in shipping and they should be more than cured by then…..
During this time a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] rim failed to hold air….at this time I asked my tire guy to put tubes in the 3 rims that would not hold air…On 3/29 I asked Tami for compensation of 80$ for the cost of the tubes. I told her I think this is more than fair due to the cost I have already put into the wheels. ….She said she would run it by Pat……
On 3/31 I screwed up and dropped an adapter and messed the threads up and the chrome on the knockoff….I explained this to Tami and she was nice enough to send me a replacement….This is the one good thing that happened…..I thanked her and told her I appreciated her sending it…I was ready to pay
On 4/2 the crap hit the fan….while driving my caddy with wife and kids in the car on a busy Saturday morning the seal on the 1 tire out of the 4 that did not have an issue in the beginning completely failed….it was my passenger side front tire….luckily im a decent driver and was able to avoid an accident….i had to be towed home….i sent pics of being stuck on the side of the highway…pics of the wheel and the seal coming out of the rim while on the side of the highway…..i asked what we need t do about these…asked about the seal they used…..why is mine white and others black? No reply….then at almost 1 am my time I get an answer to the seal question and then “I thought you put tubes in…”



The following is exact copy and paste from our conversation via text on 4/3/16
Me - i put tubes in the others but not that 1 because i didn't have any issues with it from the beginning. ..turns out i should have put a tube in it as well....but now since the silicone came off the rim i cant even put a tube in it.....i appreciate the adapter and knockoff. ..but Me - that really dont make up for all of this mess...i really think something should be done to make this right...ive bought multiple sets of chinas and never had this issue. ..ive bought 2 fully powder coated sets that the seal was fine on for years. ....there is no reason at all i should be responsible for the seal....i haven't bad mouthed you to anyone yet....im doing my best to keep my cool....but if something isnt done to make this right im going to lose my cool and go to layitlow, facebook, and wherever else i have to....i run multiple car groups on facebook. ...i am not a nobody in the lowrider world...people know who i am....and if have to go that route it wont be pretty.......so before it gets to that im asking you to please make this right....
Me - ive paid 1640 for the wheels with your fees....another 800 in tired...and another 60 for 3 tubes so far....
Me - i dont think i should have to spend another single cent or fix these myself. ....
Me - at this point i want part of my money back because i do not want to ship them back and trust you to reseal them
Me - if you refuse a partial refund i want a full refund minus the cost of the adapters and knockoffs if i have to send back.......and shipping is on you
Me - at this point the best thing for both of us is a partial refund. ....that seal coming off of the rim on a steering tire yesterday could have resulted in a bad accident. ...i had my wife and children in the car.....
Tami - Gee Aaron, in a court, I believe the way you are portraying the whole situation would stand as Blackmail.
Me - all im saying is i have not bad mouthed zeus to anyone because i hope you will make this right....i the customer have the right. ...im saying if you want to tell me to screw off then i will blast zeus to the moon and back.... BUT its easy for you guys to make this right....you have blamed me from the beginning and i am in no way responsible for the seal on these rims.....all i want is to be compensated for my inconvenience and expense of having to be towed home due to your faulty seals....
Me - we really need to talk over the phone and work this out...text is the worst way to do business
Tami - Now it's towing????? Still sounds like blackmail!!!! Ill stick to texting, so I have proof of our conversations.
Me - thats fine....court wont be involved lol...your responsible for the towing because your faulty seals let to me having to be towrd.....all you need to do is make this right....lets cut to the chase ...What will you do to make this right?
Me - i am in for 1640 for a set of wheels.....i would like to keep them...but they do not hold air which is no fault of my own....
Me - What is going on I'm wanting to talk and you're not replying
Tami - You were impatient from day 1 / wanting to know when your wheels would be ready: all because you just didn't trust us even though you were referred by Scott. I feel you're blaming us for your impatience....even though you started blowing up my phone at 6AM- I am finished communicating for the day becauseits Sunday.
Me - What time can we have a conversation on the phone tomorrow
Me - I want to settle this tomorrow I don't want to bother you guys anymore than I have to I just want this over with
Me - Just give me a time and I'll stop texting you for the day
Me - I guess you wouldn't feel the same way if this was $1,600 would you
Tami - As I said< We are only going to communicate by text because I don't trust you!!
Me - Text is unprofessional and it makes things come out completely wrong sometimes can be taken out of context we can even have a recorded conversation if you'd like I don't care I just want this over with honestly just easier for you to tell me what you like to do for me right now and we can make this over with and you can get it taken care of it tomorrow
Me - You are making me sound like the bad guy here when I'm the one who just got screwed out of $1640.... regardless if you think I was impatient from the beginning or any other thing you think about me from the beginning this is not my fault that the seals came apart I just want a resolution to it that's it I'm not asking for all of my money back just some of it
Me - Alright I guess I'll start talking to you at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. ...
4/4/16
Me - hello...i just got home from the tire shop....here is a pic that shows what happened to the seal on Saturday. ...
Me - clean and complete seperation from the rim
Me - I dont want to argue any more i just want to resolve this friendly and move on. I now have tubes in all 4 tires. ...they should be fine now...i paid 80$ to tube each one and 60$ for the tow home....If you would refund me those costs i would think thats fair at this point. ...i love the wheels ...i just wish all this woudnt have happened
Tami - We will mail you a money order this week.
Then I go on to ask for the money to be sent via paypal which she refuses. Then I ask for a tracking number for the proof of the money order being sent. She tells me there’s no tracking on stamped postage. I asked her to send 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class because of free tracking….and proof for both of us….she said no her MO receipt will be enough…..Then later than day she asked me to send the 1 wheel back that the silicone came off of…I explained that my tire guy took care of the wheel and I put a tube in it…I don’t trust them to fix anything at this point….That was the last thing I heard from them….they refuse to answer the phone or answer a text message……This whole thing is beyond ridiculous….Ive done some asking around and it turns out others have had issues with the seal on their rims……why is it that china rim dealers don’t have this issue….only the high end custom rims……All in all I really want is 140$ to cover my extra costs…..its not like im asking for a complete refund….i love the wheels….hate the customer service and attitude…..i am being blamed for their mistake….









 
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#3 ·
This is the first time we hear anything bad about Zeus WW.

but from the pics it does look like the tire shop screwed up the seals.

Not many tire shops know how to mount wire wheels.
 
#4 ·
i am no rookie lol...i have owned several sets of wire wheels....including a set i bought from the infamous JD who ripped dozens of people off.....even a set of homeboyz wire wheels.....talk about way back in 2005 .....ive never ever had to deal with this....and have used the same tire shop and same tire man for 16 years now...they are the only ones in my area that is trust with my vehicles.
 
#11 ·
Zeus seem like they make decent quality wheels overall and I realize shit happens sometimes, so I wouldn't personally condemn all their wheels as trash from this one incident.

But that seal for sure looks like it didn't adhere properly. I say that as the thread here on layitlow on how to reseal leaking wire's with the GE silicone, shows people having a hard time getting the old seals off on even really old wheels! The ones that do come off clean like that are early failures. Some of those in that thread seem to have to go nuts with a wire wheel on a drill to get the old seal off, it is not good when it peels off easily.

I thought when a tire shop damaged it they usually just sliced into it causing a leak on some spokes, this looks like it peeled off completely and too easily. IDK, I've haven't had wires very long and change tires myself on my Harbor Freight changer and take care not to damage them, so not sure what it looks like when a shop screws up.
 
#18 ·
the fact that the silicone is coming through the nipples like that means it was FAR from cured. I've mounted tires after 2 days of curing without issues. Maybe they used a shitty seal or sealed them up and boxed them right after. Hoping you would get them a few days later and they would be cured by then. especially when she says “ Aaron first off I don’t even know how you got the rims already-delivery should have been on Thursday (2 days from now) These are custom hand built and sealed and I told you one was too wet for a box meaning an extra day before it could even go into a box."

Either way if they sealed the last one on the 19th and shipped them on the 24th and you got them on the 29th that's PLENTY of time for the seal to cure. Sounds like they didn't get sealed until right before they shipped, or bad seal material. Either way they weren't dry, shouldn't be your fault, unless you sealed them.
 
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#22 ·
Just take the lost, businesses like that know how far "word of mouth" goes. Not talking to a customer on the phone is the first sign of bad business. You also tried to work with them, multiple times. Dont worry, the lowrider community isnt that big, this post will hurt them bad. I would rather buy a set of chinas and know my shit will hold air for awhile. A good business would have rather made no money on this order, than to get negative feedback.
 
#29 ·
then say it....answer my texts....you had a chance to avoid all of this but you never sent the money order you said you would send on the 4th.......i can post the screen shots of the entire conversation if you would like....ive got nothing to hide...i said everything exactly how i said and how you said it......i would love to end all of this....but you refuse to complete your end that you agreed to.....
 
#26 ·
To me it looks obvious that the silicone wasn't completely cured and/or the barrel was oily and didn't allow it to stick. Easy enough to grab 5 tubes of silicone and do it right but why was it not an option for zues to pick up return shipping to fix the problem and refund the tire installation fees?

Those 60 spokes look good but I'm just going to wait for now.
 
#27 ·
Always 2 sides to a story. People are going to judge before they hear both sides :facepalm:

I'm not gonna be the cheerleader and say my Zeus wheels sealed just fine so everything's OK. All I know is mine had black seals and Aaron's had white. Maybe that's a factor idk. But I'd still give Tami a chance to respond. She didn't run away with a bunch of peoples money, disappear and not try to make it right, so she's not JD and she's also trying to help the lowrider community by building USA wheels. If it was easy there would be more than 4 people doing it. Seal issues can be fixed and they can continue to put out amazing wheels. They need feedback to fix issues not shut down!! McDonald's doesn't need bulldozed because they forgot one of your mcnuggets.

Also Aaron, I know from experience you can be held to lible for telling people to not buy from them and monetarily hurt their business, if they can prove it and want to sue. Using words like beware of are more appropriate for feedback and won't hold up in court. Just something to think about before you do your best to put someone out of business.
 
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