PSA: Stay away from Chicway.shop for ordering EUC

[kitemi]

Hi All, 

Hoping my $ 1600.00 mistake helps someone avoid a similar expensive error. 

To provide some context for this thread...

I originally ordered a Gotway Msuper X from chicway.shop (on April 14th 2021) based on a recommendation, however after realizing that this was an advanced model not suitable for a younger rider I proceeded to cancel the order on the chicway site which is what started my 4 month ordeal.

Basically the shop shipped the product even though the cancellation was sent on their messaging system within 1 hr of ordering. After 3 days of trying various ways of communicating with the vendor (without any luck) I finally got a response from Jason Wheeler (Apparently the store owner on Skype) that since the product was shipped the best option for me to get a refund was to decline shipment.

I promptly declined the FedEx shipment and have been waiting for a refund for the past 3 months at this point, with very little help from Jason Wheeler (if that is his real name)

I can go into details of what all the issues have been but the cliff notes version is that 

1.      Chicway shop has no US presence at all and most likely a similar situation everywhere around the world – I interpreted shipping from US to mean maybe they have some presence but that was a severe mistake on my part. They only stock items at a warehouse and ship from there 

2.      Based on my experience basically no customer service and if you do run into a problem you might never have any recourse

3.      Not even sure if you had a bad product where you would return since it seems they cannot even handle a return shipment. 

4.      Extremely poor website workflows especially if you run into an issue

 

My recommendation buyer beware – they might be cheaper than a lot of other places but you get what you paid for and for me I think peace of mind is more important.  I will keep this thread updated based on the outcome of this case but would strongly recommend people not purchasing from Chicaway based on my experience to date.

 

My intent is not to air this in public but after 3 months of trying really hard to resolve and not being able to do this I figured at least if I can help someone else avoid such a situation it was worth the effort.

 

Thanks

Jay

 

Edited July 17, 2021 by kitemi

[PourUC]

Isn't this only a PSA for first time buyers.

I would argue all that matters for most people here is that they actually send the wheel when they said they would. I personally wouldn't be trying to cancel an order

[KPul]

1 hour ago, PourUC said:

Isn't this only a PSA for first time buyers.

I would argue all that matters for most people here is that they actually send the wheel when they said they would. I personally wouldn't be trying to cancel an order

What makes you think a shop that cant process a canceled order would be able to do much else? This store has proven criminal in many ways. Available to read on this forum.

[null]

Chicway is a China based seller with its perks (low price) and benefits (sloppy service). Applies for all of AliExpress.

News at 11 etc.

[KPul]

9 minutes ago, null said:

Chicway is a China based seller with its perks (low price) and benefits (sloppy service). Applies for all of AliExpress.

News at 11 etc.

They lie to your face and sometimes dont even send the order after months of waiting. Thats not "sloppy". Thats breach of contract i.e. criminal.

 

Perhaps you missed the news

[null]

50 minutes ago, KPul said:

Perhaps you missed the news

No, it’s not really news. I’ve done my homework regarding those shops years ago.

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by null

[KPul]

2 minutes ago, null said:

No, I’ve done my homework regarding those shops years ago.

ok - I usually prefer news that are up do date.

[PourUC]

4 hours ago, KPul said:

What makes you think a shop that cant process a canceled order would be able to do much else? This store has proven criminal in many ways. Available to read on this forum.

Because the post I just read says they shipped the product...

Damn man... you need to take a chill pill. I am replying to THIS post. Not every single post that may exist on the internet in regards to this shop.

[KPul]

2 hours ago, PourUC said:

Because the post I just read says they shipped the product...

Damn man... you need to take a chill pill. I am replying to THIS post. Not every single post that may exist on the internet in regards to this shop.

You waved him off cus the store managed to send a wheel that he seemingly clearly and timely communicated that he didnt want. Then they seem to have failed to manage the return of the original payment. But of course you are free to think they did a good job. Its all relative I guess. Keep chillin.

[PourUC]

4 minutes ago, KPul said:

You waved him off cus the store managed to send a wheel that he seemingly clearly and timely communicated that he didnt want. Then they seem to have failed to manage the return of the original payment. But of course you are free to think they did a good job. Its all relative I guess. Keep chillin.

Are we reading the same post. Dude, re-read it. I didn't wave him off.

I asked why should people avoid a store completely simply because the return process has been bad... WITH the poster also saying that they SENT the wheel when many people right now are just struggling to find wheels in stock.

So I say again, take a chill pill.

[Daley1]

This needs to be highlighted and i thank the original poster. We should avoid these shops with their crap service ,flogging old wheels and not returning money. What kind of dodgy businessman tells the buyer that they will ship the article 1/2 way around the world and then decline it, and then they can seek a refund????I say good on you for outing a problem seller and helping less forewarned members of the community.

[Lex Smith]

I'm guessing the online ordering system is in a different work stream to the 'messaging and customer service' work stream hence the order still being dispatched despite buyer remorse being communicated within an hour.

Or maybe they chose to ignore the cancellation in the hope that the buyer would suck up their mistake and take the product with it already being 'in transit'.

I personally would never do business with a China based company for anything much over $100 and always treat such purchases as a gamble i.e. have already consoled myself that I may see no return on investment.  I've had a couple of costly experiences with China based companies.  Anybody that is willing to do so deserves their mark up as far as I'm concerned :-)

I hope your refund comes through eventually - sometimes a bit of bad publicity will speed things up.

[CarlW]

When I first got the notion to purchase an EUC I found this forum and asked a lot of questions not only about what to buy, but who to buy it from.  From what I could tell there were very few options in terms of resellers here in North America.  The general consensus at the time was that Ewheels and EUCO were at the top of many peoples list.  The first thing I did, since neither company listed a phone number was to request their phone number.  Both companies quickly provided a number to reach them.  I occasionally placed a call or asked a question in an email.  At first both companies had a similar response time, but as I got closer to narrowing down my options it was very clear to me which company had the man power, organization, and consistency to earn my business.  From initial contact, product advice, keeping me updated on freight delays, alerting me to final payment and shipping issues, to follow up questions once my EUC arrived, response time was always professional and prompt from Ewheels.  That type service does not happen by accident.  I can never be completely sure about the level of warranty coverage and long term support I might receive, but i feel like my chances are fairly high given my past experience with them.  

I would conclude the only reason one would avoid recommended resellers in your own area and instead opt for overseas options is an attempt to reduce the cost of the initial purchase or current availability issues.  In my mind this seems short sighted.  With a product that seems to have more than its share of design miscalculations, poor quality control, and manufacturing defects, product support seems really important.  I can not picture how an overseas company is going to excel at support or be held accountable if they fail to do so.  

At the end of the day making purchases with a credit card should provide an abundance of consumer protection.  If you are getting any kind of run around to the agreed upon terms, challenge the charge immediately.  I've never been screwed over in a online transaction because I do my homework and understand my rights when making purchases using credit cards.

             

[KPul]

2 hours ago, CarlW said:

...

             

I agree with you and I just wanted to add one reason for why one might not buy local (without taking any side). It is in the, perhaps not so very uncommon, situation where you know that your local seller doesnt have the latest version, but the Chinese seller at least say they do. Buying "old" might not be an option. So wait for local to get it, or wait for Chinese to deliver?

 

Again, I agree with what you wrote and just wanted to add a factor.

[KPul]

18 hours ago, PourUC said:

Isn't this only a PSA for first time buyers.

I would argue all that matters for most people here is that they actually send the wheel when they said they would. I personally wouldn't be trying to cancel an order

I.e. OP seems (to you) like a first time buyer. "most people here" (according to you) are not and you would NEVER do what he did.

9 hours ago, PourUC said:

I asked why should people avoid a store completely simply because the return process has been bad... 

No you didnt.

9 hours ago, PourUC said:

Are we reading the same post. Dude, re-read it. I didn't wave him off.

I think you took too many chill pills 

[PourUC]

8 minutes ago, KPul said:

I.e. OP seems (to you) like a first time buyer. "most people here" (according to you) are not and you would NEVER do what he did.

No you didnt.

I think you took too many chill pills 

"Isn't this only a PSA for first time buyers.

I would argue all that matters for most people here is that they actually send the wheel when they said they would. I personally wouldn't be trying to cancel an order"

Err... I think I did.

1) First Time Buyer, as in... bought a wheel, but then decided to change it. Meaning he hasn't spent that much time looking at wheels. If you are not a first time buyer and already have a wheel, the chances are high that you won't cancel an order.

2) I still said it's a PSA, just not for the entire community.

3) Correct, I never would. I have returned ONE thing in my entire life. A Motherboard that was faulty on arrival. I have never cancelled an order EVER.

[Lex Smith]

5 hours ago, CarlW said:

 

At the end of the day making purchases with a credit card should provide an abundance of consumer protection.  If you are getting any kind of run around to the agreed upon terms, challenge the charge immediately.  I've never been screwed over in a online transaction because I do my homework and understand my rights when making purchases using credit cards.

             

Agree with this - the times I was screwed over was paying via money transfers (this was before the Internet - doesn't that sound weird?)  I did use an escrow company but they were in on the corruption so yeah I was burnt.  These days if a company refuses to accept a credit card payment then that's a definite red flag for me.

[Chriull]

1 hour ago, Lex Smith said:

These days if a company refuses to accept a credit card payment then that's a definite red flag for me.

As most "contracts" include sending "non functional wheels" back to china for repair/replacement and shipping costs are prohibitive this is imho the "best and strongest leverage" for the aliexpress/etc resellers to reach some compromise...

So a credit card can help in many "basic" cases but by far not always...

[The Fat Unicyclist]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:43 PM, Lex Smith said:

I personally would never do business with a China based company for anything much over $100 and always treat such purchases as a gamble i.e. have already consoled myself that I may see no return on investment.

I guess it's fortunate then that you have a local (NZ) EUC reseller that is one of the most awesome in the world!      

[Lex Smith]

3 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

I guess it's fortunate then that you have a local (NZ) EUC reseller that is one of the most awesome in the world!      

Yep!  You guys are awesome!  (And I know where you live if you ever aren't LOL)

I think the fact that you're into these yourself makes a big difference.  

Life time customer here 👍

[MattD]

I read a good quote the other day but not smart enough to post it. So to paraphrase;

It is unwise to pay too much but it is worse to pay too little. For if you pqy too much you may lose a little. But if you pay too little you may lose everything. The common law of business prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It cant be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it is wise to add some for the risk you run. And if you add some then you can afford something better.

[kitemi]

Just to update everyone - I had also posted this to Reddit. At this point I had pretty much resigned myself to writing off the USD $ 1600.00 - I usually do not frequent the reddit groups but when I did that today to my surprise the chicway guy has posted there....

He agrees that he got the product back but now is the surprising part he claims that my credit card company sent me a refund. This is clearly not the case  -  i am attaching a picture (with the confidential details removed) to show what my credit card company is stating 

communication from credit card

Basically chicway continued to tell paypal that they have not received the product resulting in the credit card company returning funds that they had held back from the seller back :-( 

Basically chicway used every dirty trick in the book to scam me

 

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by kitemi
added image

[Paul A]

Maybe contact Paypal with the details.

Paypal will refund the funds.

Paypal will strip Chicway of the Paypal service.

Paypal is the independent middle man providing the endorsement to merchants, and providing safety to purchasers.

That is what their commissions are for.  They verify business', have the power to reclaim monies from vendors, get paid for providing the assurance service.

 

[kitemi]

14 hours ago, Paul A said:

Maybe contact Paypal with the details.

Paypal will refund the funds.

Paypal will strip Chicway of the Paypal service.

Paypal is the independent middle man providing the endorsement to merchants, and providing safety to purchasers.

That is what their commissions are for.  They verify business', have the power to reclaim monies from vendors, get paid for providing the assurance service.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I did contact paypal and apparently since I filed my claim with the Credit card company first I need to pursue it through them. I have also reported the credit card company to the https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ and hopefully it will get addressed there but , I suspect part of the issue is that sellers/scammers like chicway are intimately familiar with all the possible loopholes and exploit them to the max for example

1. The seller knew that if I decline the package this will give them an advantage as they can claim that it was the buyers fault (I did not realize this until my credit card company mentioned that this is a very common tactic of sellers)

2. They understand that the credit card companies have strict operating guidelines and they exploited one of them wherein the delay in returns/communications was sufficient for the credit card company to rule in favor of the seller

3. With Paypal in the mix and the credit card company the chance for confusion in even higher and thus leads to a situation where the seller apparently can play one against the other.

4. Chicway also appears to have a lot of shills willing to defend it - I am guessing it is easy enough to create a bunch of throwaway accounts to defend them - when in reality I would venture a lot more people are getting scammed by them. 

5. I was debating whether to waste more time continuing the saga but figured if this even helps steer a few folks away from chicway I would have done my part for a better EUC experience so that's my primary motive though payback would be sweet :-)

One lesson learnt is that in such transactions it is better to reach out to Paypal first and not the credit card company like I did :-( 

[Paul A]

Perhaps send details to aliexpress.

Aliexpress as a trading platform would have an interest in protecting their reputation.

Copy and paste your post(s) and email it to aliexpress.