Manufacturer, Retailer, Survey and Consumer Feedback - Soul Wheels - A different perspective....

So I have read about wheels on this forum for about a year. I finally decided that I would buy a set of Soul wheels. I contacted Sean and told him what I wanted which was a set of 3.0 SL wheels with the 3.5 blade spokes and RED hubs. He told me $530 and he would let me know when they were ready so I could pay.

Five weeks later he sends me an invoice and I pay within the hour. A week after I paid for the wheel set, he shipped them. When they arrived, the were 3.0 SL with BLACK hubs. I contacted Sean and all he had to say was that it was overlooked and sorry. Now he won't return my emails.

If I pay for custom wheels with Red hubs, I don't think it is acceptable for him to send Black hubs and just say sorry. This is like ordering a Red car and the dealership giving you a black one and taking your money and saying sorry.

I am sure many will call me a troll or note my low post count, but I can gladly provide the emails between Sean and myself for any doubters.

You say he hasn't returned your emails. How long has it been without hearing from him? I have done business with Sean and he has been excellent at returning emails and his customer service has been nothing but amazing. It's possible that if it has been a while that something is going on. I know there was a two week period when he did not return emails but it was because he was at the Taipei bike show and he did inform me of this beforehand (we were in the middle of a transaction at the time).

Did you pay extra for the red hubs?

He sent me the email about the hubs being overlooked and sorry, and I replied within 5 minutes of getting the email. That was 25 hours ago. Yes I paid for the 3.0sl so I could get red hubs. I could have gotten black hubs in the 3.0. I even paid extra to have the spokes for a 3.0 put in the 3.0sl hub.

Are you seriously upset about it taking more than 25hrs to get a response?

I am not saying that he shouldn't take care of it, but you do realize he is on the opposite side of the world, and he is indeed the CEO essentially for Soul bikes. Every dealing I've ever had with him has been spot on.

Be a little more patient, I am sure he'll get back to you.

From a practical standpoint, how would you like to resolve this? Given shipping costs and transit times, I don't think that I'd want to send them back/be without them. I mean, I would be pissed about receiving neon green hubs, but I don't think that black hubs are going to look out of place on any bike.

lol 25 hours ago?

christ man have some patience. hes running an entire buisness, he doesnt sit around all day at his computer

I am sure many will call me a troll or note my low post count, but I can gladly provide the emails between Sean and myself for any doubters.


He sent me the email about the hubs being overlooked and sorry, and I replied within 5 minutes of getting the email. That was 25 hours ago. Yes I paid for the 3.0sl so I could get red hubs. I could have gotten black hubs in the 3.0. I even paid extra to have the spokes for a 3.0 put in the 3.0sl hub.
No, we will call you a troll for being obtuse, and thinking that not getting a response the same day is bad service.

He gets a lot of emails every day. Even if you replied within 5 minutes, there's no guarantee that he saw the email during his "email time" since right after he sent you the first email, he probably went on to another 70 waiting for him in his inbox. Give him a day or two to work through the log of emails. His reputation for customer service is well deserved. Give him a chance to make good.

neneboricua

If he's running a business, that's his problem. His business should be doing what he is paid to do.

I know he is on the other side of the world but the last I checked there were still work days over there and I would think that he would work in a 24 hour time span.

As for the solution, that is what I wanted to work out with him. I pro me that him saying sorry isn't the solution. I paid too much and waited too long for him to think sorry is the answer.

This is a great looking set of black wheels but that isn't what I paid for.

...

It took 5 weeks just to get an invoice and now you're upset that 25 hours have passed between emails?

Don't be an idiot.

25 hours! Woah, dude I can't believe you didn't post this thread after waiting for 12 hours. You are truly a man of patience.

When I dealt with Sean, I slowly realized that he probably set a certain time aside every day to answer emails as all of his replies came at the same time every day (even if I replied 5 minutes after receiving a reply from him).

You say his business should be doing what he is paid to do.....that's what he does....builds and sells wheels. His job is not to sit by his computer and return emails all day. If he did that, you would not have any wheels in the first place.

I bet your face will be red when he replies shortly with an answer.

That being said if I was in your place, I wouldn't bother sending them back. I'd ask for a refund for the extra you paid for the red hub, maybe a t-shirt or something, and go out and enjoy the new wheels (They are amazing BTW)

It took 5 weeks just to get an invoice and now you're upset that 25 hours have passed between emails?

Don't be an idiot.

Not sure name calling is the most adult thing to do.

After the wait, I expected to get what I ordered.

Wow, this is over the top.. Even by BF standards.


Some people are just terrible customers. This guy is one of them.

25 hours! Woah, dude I can't believe you didn't post this thread after waiting for 12 hours. You are truly a man of patience.

When I dealt with Sean, I slowly realized that he probably set a certain time aside every day to answer emails as all of his replies came at the same time every day (even if I replied 5 minutes after receiving a reply from him).

You say his business should be doing what he is paid to do.....that's what he does....builds and sells wheels. His job is not to sit by his computer and return emails all day. If he did that, you would not have any wheels in the first place.

I bet your face will be red when he replies shortly with an answer.

That being said if I was in your place, I wouldn't bother sending them back. I'd ask for a refund for the extra you paid for the red hub, maybe a t-shirt or something, and go out and enjoy the new wheels (They are amazing BTW)

I am sure you are right about him answering emails daily. I am not patient, but I do think I should get what I pay for. His business is building custom wheels, but mine aren't what I ordered. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, I have asked him for solutions.

Not sure name calling is the most adult thing to do.

After the wait, I expected to get what I ordered.

Adult? Really? You have no room to speak about such things.

I've dealt with Sean before and he's a stand up guy. I'm sure he'll take care of your issue. Although i agree with others that not receiving a reply in 25 hours is nothing to complain about. Don't forget that he builds the wheels himself and answers all of the emails personally. Give him time and he'll get back to you.

After the wait, I expected to get what I ordered.

we understand that, and it's a totally legitimate complaint. what's not, however, is that he hasn't replied within 25 hours. even if he normally sets aside time for emails every day, sometimes business emergencies disrupt people's normal schedules. give the man some time.

Not sure name calling is the most adult thing to do.

After the wait, I expected to get what I ordered.

I understand the frustration of waiting as long as you did and getting the wrong hubs. I would be hugely disappointed also. Give him another day and see what his response is. From a couple of emails I had with him and everything I've read, he is a stand up guy, but stretched thin. I'd be suprised if this wasn't resolved to your satisfaction.

If he's running a business, that's his problem. His business should be doing what he is paid to do.

I know he is on the other side of the world but the last I checked there were still work days over there and I would think that he would work in a 24 hour time span.

As for the solution, that is what I wanted to work out with him. I pro me that him saying sorry isn't the solution. I paid too much and waited too long for him to think sorry is the answer.

This is a great looking set of black wheels but that isn't what I paid for.

oh look, another self important Dbag

oh look, another self important Dbag

Oh look, a classy guy here!

It is important to get what you pay for.

Do you want a tissue ?

I agree. Truly a "different" perspective. Different as in "unreasonable".

Sean is cool people. He's going to totally address the issue.
But something tells me, you still won't be happy.

Just please be sure you come back and tell us how he rectifies the
situation and give him his due credit when he does (notice I said "when").

:)

(Note: I am "not" a Soul Wheelset owner.)








Oh look, a classy guy here!

It is important to get what you pay for.

With all due respect, it's also important to be sapient & rational.

;)





[Oh, and ibtl]

Oh look, a classy guy here!

It is important to get what you pay for.

You sling mud at a respected independent builder after 25 hours of not emailing you. Anything you have to say about class is irrelevant.

I can understand your situation. But I have sent emails and sometimes it will take several days to get a reply. Each time he has informed me that he was sorry because they are swamped with so many new orders. He is a good guy. Don't be hasty and judge too quickly. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding and everything will get taken care of.

I agree. Truly a "different" perspective. Different as in "unreasonable".

Sean is cool people. He's going to totally address the issue.
But something tells me, you still won't be happy.

Just please be sure you come back and tell us how he rectifies the
situation and give him his due credit when he does (notice I said "when").

:)

(Note: I am "not" a Soul Wheelset owner.)

I am more than willing to give him the credit if he makes it right. I am unhappy because when I told him they were wrong, he didn't offer anything but " sorry ".

Not sure name calling is the most adult thing to do.

After the wait, I expected to get what I ordered.

I don't think that throwing a temper tantrum and trying to defame his business with your first post ever is the most adult thing to do either.

Was his first response within 24 hours? Oh yeah...

You sling mud at a respected independent builder after 25 hours of not emailing you. Anything you have to say about class is irrelevant.

Word.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FRhyC3n46dA/SIjgxiw2CFI/AAAAAAAAAbs/y225skRHCKQ/s320/schools_out.gif

OMGosh! You know what this reminds me of? :lol:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV-8cOxznCI

I am sure you are right about him answering emails daily. I am not patient, but I do think I should get what I pay for. His business is building custom wheels, but mine aren't what I ordered. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, I have asked him for solutions.

After reading about Soul wheels on here an understanding how busy Shawn is + the fact that it is on the other side of the world. Why would you order them if you are so impatient? I ordered a set of 4.0's and I had to wait a few weeks and I didn't die waiting.

After reading about Soul wheels on here an understanding how busy Shawn is + the fact that it is on the other side of the world. Why would you order them if you are so impatient? I ordered a set of 4.0's and I had to wait a few weeks and I didn't die waiting.

I don't have any complaints about the wait time for the wheel set to be built, I knew that going into it. I have complaints about his response when I pointed out that the wheels weren't right.

I don't think that throwing a temper tantrum and trying to defame his business with your first post ever is the most adult thing to do either.

Was his first response within 24 hours? Oh yeah...

I guess you think his response of "sorry" should be good enough?

I am not patient
apparently.

go for a ride or something and burn off some steam.

I guess you think his response of "sorry" should be good enough?

IMO, yes. What else could you expect?
He "will" get you your red hubs or your money back.
He handles a lot of emails at one time.
He's always responded with quick, short emails.
That's his M.O..

IMO, yes. What else could you expect?
He "will" get you your red hubs or your money back.
He handles a lot of emails at one time.
He's always responded with quick, short emails.
That's his M.O..

I hope you are right. If he does, I will give him full credit. I just want what I paid for.

I hope you are right. If he does, I will give him full credit. I just want what I paid for.

My suggestion? Give him more than a day to work on it. :)
I don't have to wish you good luck because I know he'll fix things.

To OP, thanks for sharing. I appreciate you posting of your experience but please keep the story updated. To not let us know how this turns out would be a disservice to Soul and BF.

I also find a simple response of 'sorry' unacceptable. I am guessing this is not the first goofed order Soul has had and to not be be prepared with some kind of resolution policy is bad business. I'm assuming he will get back to you with some kind of proposal but he should have at least indicated that.

No, we will call you a troll for being obtuse, and thinking that not getting a response the same day is bad service.

Not getting a response within 24 hours IS bad service. Common, yes. but not acceptable.

I dealt with Sean and it was great. Service was promt, wheels were built quickly and shipped quickly as well. Not to mention the product itself is great. 25 hrs for a reply is nothing out of the ordinary for someone on the otherside of the world. Out of curiosity, see what time you sent him your last email and then use a converter to see what time it was in Singapore when he received it.

As for the wrong color, I would be pissed as fu*k too. Talk to sean and let him know how upset you are and I'm sure he will send you replacement parts and you can have an LBS replace them with your refund for the extra you paid for custom colors. Yes its ****ty, ill agree with you but as someone mentioned before, let's be practical...its not like you're going to ship the wheels back. I would hate to see a company get knocked because of a mistake.....think about all the mistakes that huge corporations make that go unnoticed because of their sheer size and volume of sales. Soul has had many, many, satisfied customers and that is apparent on this forum...mistakes happen, I would speak to him to see what works best for both parties in order to rectify the issue. He is well known for his customer service.

IMO, yes. What else could you expect?
He "will" get you your red hubs or your money back.
He handles a lot of emails at one time.
He's always responded with quick, short emails.
That's his M.O..

Oh and this.

My wheels, also 3.0 SL, came with red nipples instead of black. I didn't even bring it up, I was happy to have the wheels after a long wait, 2 months. I'm not complaining about the wait because I knew it would take a while. Also the rim plugs don't fit into the spoke holes, they are to small. Sean said they are looking into it and will give me a refund or send new plugs. Sean always replied to my emails in a professional manner.

To OP, I think you should get what you paid for and I agree that sorry isn't enough. If it was a little detail like in my case maybe... but hubs are very visible.

I would like to have my side of the story noted and clear the air a little here. The OP did order wheels with red hubs, but I did not note it on our wait list/ order list. We sent an invoice and DID NOT CHARGE for red hubs. OP paid invoice immediately and we sent the wheels out a week later.

OP is not responsible to check the invoice but we want to make it clear again that we did not charge for the red hubs, and because there was nothing noted when we sent the invoice, we assumed everything was fine. Personally I feel that if red hubs were the deal breaker, surely this would have not gone unnoticed when we sent the invoice?

I have been sick with a very bad fever for a week now, it's 9.45pm here and I still have to clear some shipments that arrived the last few days.

It's not an excuse I know. I just wish there's some perspective in this matter. We try to stay lean so that we can create a good product at a very respectable pricepoint for everyone. Sometimes this doesn't work out because life gets in the way. I try to reply to e-mails first thing in the morning, if you checked the time stamp you will note that most e-mails are answered at 6am.... that's when I get up and that's the first thing I do. With this fever, it hasn't been easy, I'm constantly playing catch up, but hopefully after this weekend things will get back to normal.

Again I apologise to the OP for the error in the order, I will try to make it right but hope that on the flip side the mistake is not taken as a sign for being unreasonable. :love:

I would like to have my side of the story noted and clear the air a little here. The OP did order wheels with red hubs, but I did not note it on our wait list/ order list. We sent an invoice and DID NOT CHARGE for red hubs. OP paid invoice immediately and we sent the wheels out a week later.

OP is not responsible to check the invoice but we want to make it clear again that we did not charge for the red hubs, and because there was nothing noted when we sent the invoice, we assumed everything was fine. Personally I feel that if red hubs were the deal breaker, surely this would have not gone unnoticed when we sent the invoice?

I have been sick with a very bad fever for a week now, it's 9.45pm here and I still have to clear some shipments that arrived the last few days.

It's not an excuse I know. I just wish there's some perspective in this matter. We try to stay lean so that we can create a good product at a very respectable pricepoint for everyone. Sometimes this doesn't work out because life gets in the way. I try to reply to e-mails first thing in the morning, if you checked the time stamp you will note that most e-mails are answered at 6am.... that's when I get up and that's the first thing I do. With this fever, it hasn't been easy, I'm constantly playing catch up, but hopefully after this weekend things will get back to normal.

Again I apologise to the OP for the error in the order, I will try to make it right but hope that on the flip side the mistake is not taken as a sign for being unreasonable. :love:

I was waiting for this.

btw, I'm also going to take this opportunity to ***** out a pic of my bike that just finished yesterday with Soul wheels being one of the highlights :)

http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae60/kkeefedout/DSC02987.jpg

I would like to have my side of the story noted and clear the air a little here. The OP did order wheels with red hubs, but I did not note it on our wait list/ order list. We sent an invoice and DID NOT CHARGE for red hubs. OP paid invoice immediately and we sent the wheels out a week later.

Again I apologise to the OP for the error in the order, I will try to make it right but hope that on the flip side the mistake is not taken as a sign for being unreasonable. :love:

Wow. I wish more companies were as responsive and honest as you are. Also thanks for participating in this forum. I know we all appreciate it.

One interesting thing the OP left out is the invoice he paid was less than the price he expected.

Not getting a response within 24 hours IS bad service. Common, yes. but not acceptable.

I believe OP "did" get a response within 24 hours.
It's the follow up he's waiting for.

One interesting thing the OP left out is the invoice he paid was less than the price he expected.

The invoice that I recieved was $10 less than the price he originally quoted. It was all in the emails between he and I. There was never a breakdown given as to what the red hubs would cost.

As of now, I have heard back from Sean, but he has not offered any solution other than me sending the wheels back and me paying to ship them.

He pretty much told the same story I did, and he really hasn't tried to make it right...

Wow, all this over a little color? I vote you take the $10 you saved and buy yourself some nail polish of exactly the red tinge (and gloss) you want to match the rest of your bike, paint the hubs yourself with it and then go out and ride the hell out of them. I doubt the 3 extra grams because of the nail polish are going to affect your speed in the slightest.

Update:

Shipping the wheels back would cost $100+.

Sean didn't send me the wheels I ordered, but to save $100 or more in shipping, I told Sean that I would keep the wheels.

I also told him that since it was his fault the wheels were not built correctly and I am keeping the wheels, that it is his up to him to do what he thinks is appropriate for sending me something other than what i ordered

I have not heard back from him......

What do you want from him for sending you a wheelset with different colored hubs?

What do you want from him for sending you a wheelset with different colored hubs?

I didn't ask for anything, but one would think that he would want to do something to make up for not sending a customer what he ordered. Even if it is small. It's just hard to think it is right for a customer to not get what they order and think that is alright.