Customer service wrote back eventually (did not answer phones, etc), promising a replacement. Time passed. I was travelling for business, so I wasn't in a huge rush.

I wrote back, asking about the replacement. Was again promised it would come. Then I wrote a couple more times, with no response. At that point I wrote some more letters, and looked up my options... it was past the point where I could leave negative feedback or get a refund through Amazon.com. The customer service guy at Amazon said my best bet was trying to get a refund through my credit card company, apparently Amazon isn't interested in pressuring it's associated vendors to live up to their promises (to send me a replacement).

My feeling is that the vendor intentionally let the clock run out. I am guessing that their 5% negative feedback would be much higher if the timeframe for leaving feedback was extended. Are they in the business of sending out crappy products and then pushing the clock to avoid having to deal with returns?

Judge for yourself, the full correspondence is below:

Dec 2010:

I was told I would receive a replacement for a defective item. I never received that replacement, and I have not received responses to my latest inquiries.

From my perspective, it looks like I was strung along until the timeframe ended for an Amazon refund. There is a history of our correspondence below. Please let me know if you are interested in addressing this issue before I publicize my opinion that this was a fraudulent transaction. Please don't underestimate how tenacious I may get in the interest of protecting the public from scams; besides, having clear evidence of being ripped off gives me something interesting to talk about on social sites, Youtube, Ripoffreport.com, etc.

I would like a replacement or refund, and I will not pay to ship you the defective product.

Thank you,

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Correspondence history:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(mid November)

Hi Dan,

Any news?

I suppose I need to give them a deadline.

If I haven't received the replacement unit by December 5 I will take action. I'm not sure what action is available, given the time frame, but I'll start with attempting negative feedback, comments at Amazon, etc.

I apologize for getting more aggressive, but I understand sometimes there needs to be incentive for action.

Thank you,

xxxx

From: Big T Products
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 9:43 AM
To:xxxxx
Subject: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item

xxx, I'm sorry if this was not received yet. I just emailed the warehouse to see what is going on as it should have been there for you by now as they told me! I should hear back Today or Monday the latest. My apologies!
Dan

On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 5:29 PM, xxx e-mail address removed]> wrote:

Any news Daniel?

Thanks,

xxx

From: Big T Products [mailto:[e-mail address removed]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 10:55 AM
To: xxx
Subject: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item

Hey xxx, Thank you for the email. I will contact the warehouse and let them know, should just take a day or so to get things rolling. Thanks!
Daniel

On Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 5:05 PM, xxx <[e-mail address removed]> wrote:

Hi Dan,

I am home for about a week if you guys want to ship out that replacement cover. I'm happy to send the original holy one back to you, if you want to pay for shipping.

Thank you,

xxx

Order ID 002-4953478-3151409:
1 of Waterproof SUV Cover Size EP-U3 fits up to 17' [ASIN: B002DUSHWI]

From: Big T Products [mailto:[e-mail address removed]]
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 8:35 AM
To: xxx
Subject: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong itemxxx

Hi xxx, I'll get this going and see if the warehouse wants it back or what not. It'll probably take a couple days before a new one is shipped out. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Regards,
Dan

On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 6:02 PM, xxx <[e-mail address removed]> wrote:

Hi Dan,

A replacement can be shipped any time, as my wife should be able to receive shipments. No rush.

I am copying her on this letter.

If you would like the original defective unit returned, please enclose prepaid shipping label.

Thanks for your attention to this problem,

xxx

From: Big T Products [mailto:[e-mail address removed]]
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 11:56 AM
To: xxx
Subject: Re: Amazon customer inquiry: Received Damaged, Defective, or Wrong item xxx

Hi xxx, I'm sorry for the trouble. I have sent this information and email over to the manufacturer's warehouse. When will you be home for us to send you a new shipment? We can get one out to you within one week, as normally it only takes 4-9 days via UPS. Please let me know if you want us to wait for you to return from your trip or try to send one out to you now before you leave. Regards,
Dan

On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 5:37 PM, xxx <[e-mail address removed]> wrote:

Order ID 002-4953478-3151409:
1 of Waterproof SUV Cover Size EP-U3 fits up to 17' [ASIN: B002DUSHWI] ------------- Begin message ------------- Hello,
I received an SUV cover with 2 holes in it!
I sent photos along with a reply to your customer service email, have not heard anything.
I tried calling your customer service number, per your email, and it said it was disconnected with no new number. I am leaving town for a month, so I have no choice but to use the cover, at least until I return home.
I assume the cover will wear out prematurely, since it already has 2 holes in it! Please let me know of any ideas you have on how to address this issue before I leave feedback, etc.
Thanks,
xxx order id 002-495378-3151409
------------- End message ------------- For Your Information: To help arbitrate disputes and preserve trust and safety, we retain all messages buyers and sellers send through Amazon.com for two years. This includes your response to the message above. Amazon.com uses filtering technology to protect buyers and sellers from possible fraud. Messages that fail this filtering will not be transmitted. We want you to buy with confidence anytime you purchase products on Amazon.com. Learn more about Safe Online Shopping ( ) and our safe buying guarantee ( ).

--
Big T Products Support Team

For Your Information: To help arbitrate disputes and preserve trust and safety, we retain all messages buyers and sellers send through Amazon.com for two years. This includes your response to the message above. Amazon.com uses filtering technology to protect buyers and sellers from possible fraud. Messages that fail this filtering will not be transmitted. We want you to buy with confidence anytime you purchase products on Amazon.com. Learn more about Safe Online Shopping ( ) and our safe buying guarantee ( ).

Hello,

I am not very happy with my purchase. I opened the product today and found 2 small holes in the SUV cover! They are not large holes, but I'm guessing that once a hole exists it is much more likely to tear into a giant hole. I am leaving town for a month and am not terribly interested in sending the cover back and waiting another month with no cover on my truck.

Also I was not happy about the timeline:

July 1 I ordered.

July 6 I got a note saying the product shipped.

July 22 I finally got the product.

Is 3 weeks a normal turnaround time for an order?

I am attaching photos of the holes. It is obvious that the cover is brand new, and I am sure that it did not rub against anything sharp. I think from the photo you can see that the holes are not clean cuts.

Thanks for your time,

xxx