4/5

posted May-15-2012

I ordered a set of o2 sensor extensions for my Trans Am. The website does not have a method to type in search terms. I only found the product by clicking several pages of links. They had the best price, but not necessarily the best practices. My only choice for payment was PayPal. I received an email stating payment was received, but I had already received a confirmation from PayPal. Though the product was sent in a timely manner, I did not receive a shipment notification or tracking info. This company is almost, but not quite there. A few easy, minor changes like inserting a search box into the home page and providing tracking info would make each transaction 5 stars.

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4/5

posted May-15-2012

I purchased a new remote start at ABC Warehouse and had it installed by one of their professionals. The advertisements say if you buy a remote start there the installation is free, but that's only if you buy one of the cheapest models that doesn't have door lock/unlock capabilities. I'd expect the products with that feature to be pricier, but they charged an extra $40 to install them on top of the initial price!

As for the remote start and the install I am quite pleased. Even though I chose their second cheapest model I have yet to find the limit of the range. I've started it through a window and across a filled parking lot from 200 yards several times. I've started it inside a hospital through many walls and thick concrete when my vehicle was parked in an adjacent parking garage. It's been three years since the install and I have not had any problems with the starting unit or the vehicle. My only want is that I wish the battery in the key fob lasted longer. Other than that I wish I had done it years sooner.

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5/5

posted May-15-2012

I can't believe what a low price I received on new Magnaflow catalytic converters for my 4runner. A set of two was a full $80 less than the next cheapest competitor and the prices only went up from there. Even eBay sellers were a lot more. No Limit Speed shipped the next day and provided tracking info with the shipping confirmation email. I couldn't be happier with this little known company.

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2/5

posted Apr-11-2012

I ordered the UltraGauge as a cheaper alternative to the ScanGauge. The company shipped the next day and provided tracking info. The item was very professionally packaged. The price currently on the website is after a $9 rebate (how they came up with $9 exactly is beyond me). Redeeming the rebate was a tiresome process. To redeem it online I had to be logged into my account, which timed out 3-4 times as I gathered info. And every time I was timed out I had to re-enter very detailed information about my vehicle to include a couple dozen numbers the gauge put out after first initializing. The whole process could be simplified if there were more time available before timing out, providing the option of saving info before submitting or just not making logging into an account a requirement.

Normally I don't rate a product in the reviews I write because a good or bad product doesn't usually reflect on the company, but this is their only product and it is made to their specifications. To be clear, I can't compare it to ScanGauge since I don't own one. I wanted a gauge to get an accurate speed since I have large tires that throw off my speedometer and also to get real-time MPG estimates. With the speed reading, there is no way to calibrate or adjust the reading to compensate for my larger tires. The UltraGauge showed a speed of about 2% below what my speedometer read even though with the larger tires I was actually travelling about 6% faster than what the speedo read.

As for the MPG, I never kept the device on long enough to tailor it to record MPG because it kept beeping at me every minute or two that I had a trouble code. Even when my dash wasn't throwing a code, the UltraGauge shows pending codes. And I found no way to stop the constant alerts. And I'm not exaggerating on the frequency of alerts. I know I have a trouble code. I don't need to be beeped at for the same code more than once. I have a $13 code puller I bought from eBay if I want to know why my check engine light is on.

Until I get the trouble code taken care of the UltraGauge is useless to me. With all the customization they tout on the website you'd think there would be an option to ignore all trouble codes, or better yet just ignore specific ones. At least let me turn off the beeping! Beyond the problems already mentioned, the final improvement I can think of is to make the shape and size fit into a standard DIN-sized stereo opening. Ever since replacing my double DIN factory stereo I've had a gaping hole where I imagine a ScanGauge would have fit nicely. As I said before, I can't say the ScanGauge would be any better, but I still can't recommend the UltraGauge.

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2/5

posted Apr-11-2012

What can I say? GoDaddy is the biggest, but that doesn't make them the best. I only own a few domains, but I generally purchase them from Godaddy and transfer to another host at a later date. I transferred all my domains when they supported SOPA. The fact that they reversed their stance when tens of thousands of customers started bailing out only proves that they value money above all else, to include political principles.

Even before that I didn't like GoDaddy as a company for all the objectifying commercials they put out. Do they really think men as a whole are so simple-minded that a half naked woman is going to cause someone to buy a domain name? A nudie magazine, yes. But a domain name? C'mon.

This review was modified by TyrisFlare on April 11 2012 07:33:17 PM

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4/5

posted Apr-11-2012

For certain items, Midway USA is the way to go. I have a wholesale account with them, but the discount they give to wholesalers isn't enough of a difference to make a profit so I only buy things for my personal use. So basically for the slightly lower prices I pay I have to place a larger minimum order than the general public to avoid a fee.

For my last order I bought, among other things, a 5-round magazine for my AR to make it legal for deer hunting in my state. Midway offered a brand of magazine that was nearly half the price of the cheapest one I found on cheaperthandirt.com. I tried to buy a folding hunting chair advertised for $18 that cost $29 at my local store. I added it to my cart and saw my shipping quote increase by $20. Even if it was shipping separately from another warehouse, $20 for a small, lightweight chair is ridiculous, so I bought elsewhere for that item. Midway had the cheapest price for an inflatable doe decoy (Miss November), even cheaper than eBay.

So do a little research. There are deals to be had on Midway USA. Plus they support the NRA and any shooter should love that! As for my experience with my orders, they ship the next day and provide tracking info.

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4/5

posted Apr-11-2012

It's been a while since I've ordered from Sierra Trading Post, but I still like looking through their catalog. When researching an item to find the cheapest price and STP comes up in my search, it seems like they're well below the competition (even lower than eBay). This isn't the norm, of course, but there are deals to be found. The last item I ordered was rash guard for kitesurfing, which they were selling new for about the price the used ones of the same brand were going for on eBay. Before that was a couple pairs of jeans, which didn't fit right so I returned them for a refund. They don't have the greatest return policy, but everything was handled professionally.

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5/5

posted Apr-11-2012

I heard about Texas Speed from their presence on the forum ls1tech.com. I ordered an off road Y pipe for my '99 Trans Am. Texas Speed's ORY is made of polished stainless steel and is cheaper than the competition which is often only made of aluminized steel. My order was placed on a Saturday and it was shipped Monday. I received tracking info plus a shipping confirmation from a real live employee (not just an auto-generated message). I was pleased with my transaction. I'm sure I'll keep TSP in mind if I ever decide to dump my Hooker exhaust and go with one of their custom true dual setups.

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3/5

posted Apr-11-2012

I've placed two orders with Mil-Mall for Hooah! buttons - one for myself and one for a buddy deployed to Afghanistan. For the one I ordered for myself, it seemed like the package arrived in a timely manner, but I'm not sure when it was shipped because I never received a shipping confirmation or any tracking info. The second one was wasn't shipped until three weeks after I placed my order. And one thing I found odd was the fact that my first order number was #18566, but the second which was placed months later was #687 (not 18687, just 687). Reminds me of when I got my first checking account and the lady at the bank started my first order of checks at #700 so it seemed like I had a checking account "for forever." Several little things make them seem like an inexperienced, unprofessional company, but I had a good experience overall. The items were received and their price is cheaper than hooahbutton.com. If I ever purchase any more Hooah! buttons and I'm not in a hurry, I'll most likely buy from Mil-Mall.

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2/5

posted Apr-11-2012

I have been buying and selling on eBay for over 10 years. I have over 1500 feedbacks and many more transactions under my belt between two IDs. I have watched eBay decay as a company over the years. Not that it was perfect to begin with. I don't do much selling anymore. The experience as an eBay seller is just too unpleasant to be worth it for me. The two single biggest mistakes made were making PayPal an eBay company and not allowing sellers to leave negative feedback for buyers. The one long term mistake is the consistent fee increases for sellers while doing little to nothing to increase customer volume.

If I got into the weeds on all the ways eBay could improve for both buyers and sellers this would turn into a page-long argument. Suffice it to say that I will continue to buy on eBay as long as the fee increases for sellers don't equate to higher prices as a buyer (which already can't be said for many items), but I will find another venue to sell any items I want to get rid of.

This review was modified by TyrisFlare on April 11 2012 05:25:31 PM

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5/5

posted Mar-18-2012

Note: the name of the company is Davidson's and only the website URL is galleryofguns.com. The staff at Davidson's is very helpful. I received personal attention to set up my account. Not only did I receive a shipping confirmation with tracking info, but I received a real email from a sales rep to let me know my item shipped. I was very pleased with the transaction.

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1/5

posted Mar-17-2012

I honestly don't know how Carfax is still in business and they can still afford all the advertising they do. They charge $35 for a single report and $45 for five reports! If someone is smart enough to get a full VIN check when buying a used car, why aren't they smart enough to comparison shop for VIN history providers? A quick search reveals at least three competitors with lower prices (checkthatvin.com, autocheck.com and instavin.com) I don't know what they charge dealerships, but Carfax is and has always been the most expensive in the industry for individuals.

AutoCheck is raising its prices almost as fast, but at least they still offer unlimited VIN checks for a certain number of days. The last time I shopped for a used car I searched 26 VIN reports using AutoCheck. That would cost me over $200 with Carfax. The unlimited reports service allowed me to identify a used car dealer that was listing cars with rebuilt titles and not telling consumers (Joe Ross Used Cars). Had I had a finite number of VIN checks I certainly wouldn't have wasted any more on investigating after the seller didn't tell me about the rebuilt title on the first car I contacted him about. And had I driven to the dealership (over 200 miles away) and asked for a free VIN report, which Carfax gave as a reason they don't offer unlimited reports, I would have wasted a day and spent a lot of money on gas.

When I emailed Carfax customer service to ask why they no longer offer an unlimited report option, I will give them credit for answering my email the next day, but the reason they gave is flawed. Bottom line, this review is to warn consumers before getting a raw deal, and Carfax gives a raw deal.

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4/5

posted Mar-17-2012

I found a gaming computer mouse on nobetterdeal.com that was reduced in price because it was an "open & resealed box" item. To me (and to many others after researching websites), open box means just that. The box was opened. The packaging might show wear. The item was handled. The price I paid was good for a nearly new item that's just been handled out of the box and put back, but it was about what I could have paid for a used one on eBay. And what I got was a used mouse. There were several small marks and signs of use. Most telling was the fact that I pulled the software disc out of the CD sleeve and there was a coat of dust on it. As if someone set it on their computer desk after installing and there it sat for weeks before they put it back in the sleeve to return everything.

Apparently NoBetterDeal goes even further with their definition of Open Box to say that accessories might be missing, but the item is tested for functionality. I don't think they did a very good test because the button to change the DPI didn't work. Their definition of the item condition should have been posted on the item page itself. I shouldn't have had to go searching for it after the fact. And I find it a little deceiving when any seller has their own custom definition for an item condition, like when a seller lists a used CD as like new but the fine print says it only plays like new and in reality it has fine scratches.

The only reason I'm giving such a high rating is because they shipped quickly, provided tracking and because of the customer service after I reported my issue. My emails were answered quickly. They offered to send a prepaid shipping label and give me a refund or I could accept a 15% partial refund. I opted for the partial refund so I could send the mouse back to the manufacturer to fix the DPI button.

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2/5

posted Mar-14-2012

I placed an order for a used CD. I received a shipping confirmation email with no tracking number. A week later I received an email saying they were unable to fulfill my order. How can they send a shipment confirmation when the item wasn't actually shipped? I received a refund, but they still showed poor business practices.

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1/5

posted Mar-14-2012

There's your warning. 'an eBay company'

The other negative reviews for half.com seem to be from buyers. As a seller, it seems that buyers have the better deal, but I wouldn't trust them either way. I used to sell higher-priced, out-of-print CDs through them. With one particular transaction, the buyer claimed he never received the CD, so I sent another. Then he filed a claim through Half.com saying he never received the second one. I sent customer service the receipts for mailing the packages, but USPS only prints the zip code on the receipt and that's not good enough for half.com (as if it's really plausible that I'd be sending another CD-weight package to someone else in the same zip code a day after the customer placed the order). Half.com didn't just refund the customer after he lied, they also REMOVED MONEY FROM MY DEPOSIT ACCOUNT without my permission. I've never bought or sold an item with them since. I wouldn't trust them again with any account information after their underhanded tactics.

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