I'm in a pickle with a hood.

[TrueBlue03]

Well guys....I just recently and unknowingly made the mistake of ordering a hood from hoods4sale (ebay name) more commonly known as Liberty Mustang Supply or CINCINATTI COMPOSITES before realizing what kind of negative publicity they have received over the years.

do a google search for "hoods4sale" and you will immediately see what i mean. Comments of crappy quality, they never fit right, crappily made latches and hinge mounts, horrible customer service, and on top of it....i've heard how they've either bought or stollen cervini's and some other companys' old fiberglass molds. So far they have not given me guff of any kind, but i dont know what to think.


THE PROBLEM is that i ordered the hood AND it is on its way here, but i dont want to even deal with trying to get it prepped, painted and fitted based on what i've heard from other people. I do not want the hood even if it looks ok because im worried of the latch part breaking or the screw holes for the hinges tearing out while on the highway at higher speeds. could hood pins help with this?

I have NOT paid for shipping yet. I'm supposed to pay for it when it gets here....so what do i do? even if it "looks" ok to me, i have no idea how to judge the quality of a fiberglass hood and im worried i will be stuck with something that no body shop will want to work with. What should i do....Refuse to accept it at the door and not pay shipping and then have my bank try to take back the money from him? If there is nothing visually wrong with it, how do i refuse to accept it and not pay for the freight shipping charge?

 

[mustangkid05]

well what kind of hood did you order?

 

[streetstang03]

whats their return policy?

 

[TrueBlue03]

i got a "cobra rr" hood....the 95 cobra r hood. much like steeda's or cervinis cowl hood.

their return policy is not really present, although, "fitment is guaranteed"....BUT that means absolutely nothing according to other customers. They say screw the customer and usually proceed to cuss you out (based on what i've read) and THEN i will have to pay the shipping cost back them if i keep it for a body shop to inspect, and it doesnt fit right.... shipping that thing back will cost an arm and a leg.

i really wasn't looking to have any body work done to begin with as i had a bunch saved up for performance and suspension mods, but then some worthless person had to key up the stang and slash the tires.

 

[Stus99GT]

I've heard of others having problems with them.

 

[Orange...]

I know nothing of this company, however.... not EVERYONE I am assuming has had a problem with them.
If it were me, I would take a look at the hood before you pay shipping, you might be suprised and it could be mint.
On the otherhand, if it is garbage, let ups (assuming they are delivering) take it and try delivery the next day, and in the meantime call them (for fastest response) explain to them the damage and request another (your call) or just say that you wish to try another supplier closer to you to have less possibility of damage in shipping (you might try this to keep them yourself in their good books to try to return it.)

Just what I would do. you might have a good experience from them, you never know...

 

[race-stang]

first of all, anyone who thinks you can buy ANY aftermarket hood and not have to do anything to make it fit is on crack. I just got my Cervinis 95 cobra r hood, and had to adjust the ***** out of the lath, both fenders, hood hinges, and the plastic cowl cover that has the washer nosels on it. The only issue you will probubly run into is the thing just being poorly made, or being too short or other things of that matter. if it looks like a$$, send it back to them and tell them you want a new one with free shipping. Keep sending it back until you get one that looks alright.

Im sick of companies trying to stick it up our a$$ evry time we have a problem. Keep complaining, I can assure you they will get tiered of hearing from you, and refund you most of your money if not all.

My two cents on the matter. good luck with it though. You never know, it could be fine.

(sorry for the rant)

 

[hotmustang331]

Just keep it, and use hood pins. You should NEVER EVER run an aftermarket hood without pins. Even some stock hoods have blown up. My hood was in horrable shape, but its alot better now. Not perfect because the body shop we took it to did us a crappy job...basically didnt do their job on purpose because the guy doing the work thought we didnt pay enough for a perfect job.

 

[Killa Klown]

I ordered one from them a few years ago. For the price I was paying, I knew I would probably be in for a lot of work on it. I was right, I used lots of body filler on it, but what aggravated me the most was the gel coat kept chipping off of it. Well just the other night I guess you can say I got rid of it for good. A long Friday night of working on the car and I forgot to put the hood pins back in, Went for a test run and BAM the hood flies up destroying it. I'm going to buy my next one from either Cervini's or H.O. Fiberglass. Good Luck to You

 

[TrueBlue03]

Just keep it, and use hood pins. You should NEVER EVER run an aftermarket hood without pins.

good point! thats what everyones been tellin me. but im a little bummed it may detract from my overall sleek, smooth look but if it will save a hood among other parts of my car i guess i should bite the bullet.

I ordered one from them a few years ago. For the price I was paying, I knew I would probably be in for a lot of work on it. I was right, I used lots of body filler on it, but what aggravated me the most was the gel coat kept chipping off of it. Well just the other night I guess you can say I got rid of it for good. A long Friday night of working on the car and I forgot to put the hood pins back in, Went for a test run and BAM the hood flies up destroying it. I'm going to buy my next one from either Cervini's or H.O. Fiberglass. Good Luck to You

damn, now thats the kind of response im used to seeing on other forums.

sorry to hear of that though. that sounds pretty crappy. did any other part of your car get hurt?







so can i just refuse to pay for shipping and not accept it? Because then i could try to get my original money back from him...but that process will take a little while...

 

[smith212121]

You can just refuse to pay the shipping and have it sent back, but then the seller with have to pay for the shipping both ways which might not help your chances of getting you money back without a big fight. If you dont feel like going through that hassle you can always pay the shipping and then try and sell it to someone else, on ebay, or wherever and try to break even then buy another one from somewhere else.

 

[Matt's 03 GT]

You can just refuse to pay the shipping and have it sent back, but then the seller with have to pay for the shipping both ways which might not help your chances of getting you money back without a big fight. If you dont feel like going through that hassle you can always pay the shipping and then try and sell it to someone else, on ebay, or wherever and try to break even then buy another one from somewhere else.

That is the only responsible thing to do. I am sure shipping on a hood is not cheap, and if you try to stick the company with freight charges 2 ways you will be less likely to get any cooperation.

The reality is that you made a decision to buy and you now have buyers remorse. We all go through it. Trying to stick the company for your mistake is just . Man up, keep the hood and if it does not meet with your quality standards just sell it to someone else for a discount.

 

[Twisted]

Use 4 hood pins so you can lift it completely off the car. That way you don't have to worry about latches or hinges.

 

[deftsound]

Just keep it, and use hood pins. You should NEVER EVER run an aftermarket hood without pins. Even some stock hoods have blown up. My hood was in horrable shape, but its alot better now. Not perfect because the body shop we took it to did us a crappy job...basically didnt do their job on purpose because the guy doing the work thought we didnt pay enough for a perfect job.

+1, get a steeda FTW

 

[TrueBlue03]

That is the only responsible thing to do. I am sure shipping on a hood is not cheap, and if you try to stick the company with freight charges 2 ways you will be less likely to get any cooperation.

The reality is that you made a decision to buy and you now have buyers remorse. We all go through it. Trying to stick the company for your mistake is just . Man up, keep the hood and if it does not meet with your quality standards just sell it to someone else for a discount.

I realize that it is my fault technically for not fully researching the company's background. Although, maybe if you were aware of the full extent of their highly hostile business practices, you would better understand the situation.

they have been sued at least once or twice and have cussed customers out for asking too many questions and then later resort to full on insults on the customer's character. If a business wrote this to you, how would you assess the situation?


This is direct text from an email that was posted on a different forum. This guy posted some examples of the fine customer service. This man was a marine stationed in a different country. His ebay location stated "overseas" , and ignorantly, the customer service rep/phone operator attacked him when he questioned their feedback scores and the numerous complaints surrounding the company on several forums.



QUESTION:

Item: Fiberglass Ram Air Type 2 - Bolt-on Mustang Hood 05-07 (290038966870)
This message was sent while the listing was active.
**** is a potential buyer.

I have seen some bad stuff about your products recently on your feedback..... whats the deal? I am interested in purchasing a hood from you and I would like to know why so many people are unhappy with the 05-07 GT items. Please let me know.
_________________________________________________________________________________________


RESPONSE:

Subject: RE: Question for item #2900389XXXX - Fiberglass Ram Air Type 2 - Bolt-on Mustang Hood 05-07

yes we sell cheap knockoffs and our proud of it and so are our customers,
this is AMERICA ANS THE MAJORITY RULE HERE, KINDA A LIKE OUR FEEDBACK
RATING. GO BACK WHERE YOU FROM.

- hood4sale


Now you tell me...does that not sound just a little bit hostile?
Im pretty damn sure no too many people go through that kind of bullshi*tt in an average transaction.

check out these 8 pages of ranting:
http://www.corral.net/forums/showthread.php?t=273968&page=1
or this thread
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/2005-mustang-gt-tech/65579-dont-by-from-hoods4sale.html



I would like to at least warn other members on here of this company so that none of you get screwed over or caught up in their aggresive and hostile exchanges.

 

[Matt's 03 GT]

I understand exactly what you are saying, but I still believe that you agreed to buy something. By doing so you assured the business of a sale and they incurred cost (freight) to ship the item to you based on your order. If you refuse to accept an item that you previously ordered expect to pay the shipping from the supplier to you and from you to the supplier. I am sure this could run into a couple hundred dollars very quickly. If you are willing to do this based on some comments online then go for it.

Just accept the hood and if you are not comfortable with the quality sell it. If you don't choose to go down this road be prepared for a loss of whatever the freight is and move on.

The internet is full of people complaining. It is human nature to complain about a bad experience (typically 10X more than a good experience). You will be able to find bad experiences and bad contacts on the internet for most companies. Just realize that there may be 10X more people happy and quiet about their products.

Good luck in whatever you do and by all means show some pics of the hood. We may be all worked up over nothing!

 

[Matt's 03 GT]

About that communication... it sounds like someone was caught on a bad day and responded in writing (To their fault). While the tone is not very nice the conversation has nothing to do with the quality of their product. He was being facetious with the "Knock off" comment I am sure.

Matt

 

[TrueBlue03]

i wont even argue with you man. if you're not going to take the time to read the other information i've presented (forums, emails, complaints) then dont bother ignorantly and disrespectfully responding to my post.

the company has created MANY accounts at different time periods on corral, modular mustangs, and other forums who all claimed to be different people from different parts of the country, all endorsing these hoods and the company. Good thing many administrators are able to use IP addresses to monitor this sort of activity and stop it in its tracks.


AND i would not feel comfortable selling a hood that has been reported to fold in half on itself while doing 50mph+ AND i would certainly not want to be or even feel responsible for putting someone else through this deception.

by the way. freight will be around $150 and it should get here tomorrow. if i find anything wrong, im not signing. You COULD be right and nothing could be wrong with it, but seeing comments of how a hood managed to fold on itself while doing 50+ and a gel coat that wont stop chipping (because of improper curing methods) is disconcerting to say the least.

 

[TrueBlue03]

Hood arrived 10 min ago... completely trashed. whole passenger side of the box was crushed, crunched and ripped open with cracked fiberglass everywhere.

Even if it hadnt got damaged during shipping, it still looked horrid. Imagine a curved peice of plywood painted white by a todler, and then dropped off a second story building on its front right corner. Needless to say, I refused it, and wrote DAMAGED, chipped, dented and signed it with a big REFUSED. what a joke.