Is this legal ...

[lopxtc]

Okay I know that car repair places cannot perform work on your car without first telling you what they are doing and giving an estimate. Even then you still have to "authorize" them to do the work ... so how does this pertain to paintball ...


I sent me tank to PMI to get fixed and they finally sent it back. I was gone when UPS came and instead of a package I get a UPS slip saying $50.00 is owed COD ...

Is it legal for a paintball company to perform work without letting a person know that there will be a charge for the work performed?

Please let me know.

Aaron

[BajaBoy]

jeez i wouldnt think so, call up pmi give them a couple words... and if they dont send it to you for free be like put my old stuff in and i want it back Now

[Kevmaster]

legal? probably not.

i would call PMI and ask what the work was and why they didnt contact you. tell them you are letting the tank be returned to them and that as far as you see it, they still have not completed their end of the bargin. most likly they will reship it without the COD fee...however it may be that the work had to be done for the tank to work....

[Grasshopper]

Originally posted by Kevmaster
legal? probably not.

i would call PMI and ask what the work was and why they didnt contact you. tell them you are letting the tank be returned to them and that as far as you see it, they still have not completed their end of the bargin. most likly they will reship it without the COD fee...however it may be that the work had to be done for the tank to work....
But, shouldn't that have to get your confirmation before they charge you? Heck, they could charge you $100, because they had to do this, and then that. I think they should have called and confirmed before charging you. I'd call them back, and get things straightend out. Most of the time, they will just ship it to you without the COD fee.

[Paintchucker]

I have always had good service out of PMI(pure energy). I got a tank once that the gauge was defective. Called them and they sent me a new one, no charge.

I assumed that you talked to someone before you just sent it in? Don't remember PMI specifically, but most places use an RMA system (Return Materials Authorization) and would have talked to you about what the problem was and issued you a # to put on the box to ship it back to them?????

There is probably an "implied contract" in there somewhere that was made when you sent it back to them to be fixed...

They fixed it and sent it back to you. They probably charged you what they charge everyone. Is it an old tank, or is it in warranty???

If you have never done this type of thing before, you always, always ask if there is a charge and how much it will cost before you send it... BTW, I have been burned on that with a computer once, so it happens all over.

[lopxtc]

Yes the tank was sent in with an RA# ... the tank is a born on year 02 tank which should have still been under their warranty.

No where on their site is there an "Implied" consent to repairs when they discuss their warranty.

They tried to help over the phone, but each round of help was taking about 3 weeks ... so I just requested an RA# to send it in.

Either way they should have made contact to tell me that there was going to be a charge ... how was I supposed to know how much it would cost me when UPS arrives otherwise.

Aaron

[Evil Bob]

Yes, they are required by law to inform you of any labour requirements/costs that were not previously agreed upon before the work is performed, this falls under the consumer protection act. This is to give you, the consumer, the option to say "no" and not have the work performed without being fleeced by hidden charges.

What should have happened is a PMI tech should have first inspected the product for damage/deficiencies, and then performed any necessary warranty repairs (usually cost free since it's under warranty), anything outside what PMI consider normal warrany repairs, should have been brought to your attention before said repairs were affected, IE. yes, they should have contacted you before doing something they were going to charge you for.

-Evil Bob

[BTAutoMag]

i would go to the cop shop and ask them. you could have a lwasuit:) thatd be funsettle for a free shocker 03, maxflo and freak

[lopxtc]

LOL ... I just want my tank back.

Aaron


Originally posted by BTAutoMag
i would go to the cop shop and ask them. you could have a lwasuit:) thatd be funsettle for a free shocker 03, maxflo and freak

[lopxtc]

Hey would love to hear from Tom or any of the AGD techs about this.

Aaron

[BTAutoMag]

Originally posted by lopxtc
LOL ... I just want my tank back.

Aaron



or a shocker 03:D

[Kevmaster]

i would call PMI and talk to them....find out what their story is first before you get mad

[lopxtc]

Oh thats the plan :)
Go straight to the head of tech support, or the highest person I can find in the company.

If that doesnt work, talk to the State AG's office about fraud :)

Aaron

[PzYcO]

Originally posted by BTAutoMag
i would go to the cop shop and ask them. you could have a lwasuit:) thatd be funsettle for a free shocker 03, maxflo and freak

your thinking of smartparts there bud. :p hehe

[dansim]

Originally posted by PzYcO


your thinking of smartparts there bud. :p hehe

thank god you pointed that out i was like wtf is he rambling on about, hes in the wrong company lol

[shartley]

I would say that even if it wasn’t the law, it is a good idea. I NEVER do extra work on a marker project that was not talked about first with the customer without verifying with them that they want the work done, or can afford it. Sometimes the customer might not think it is worth the money and better to just stop the project. And that is THEIR choice.

Most states do require the shop to verify before proceeding or billing for work, unless a blanket authorization is given covering any and all work that may need to be done, but I don’t know for sure what every state requires.

[BTAutoMag]

i just got my trombone back from the shop, they were removing dents. every dent i wanted out they left in and instead refitted the slide, i didnt even know my slide didnt fit:confused: some people are real putzes

[lopxtc]

Okay a follow-up ...

Talked with their tech support today and they say that the $50 charge is due to the regulator itself being damaged and them having to replace it with a brand new 03 regulator. Mind you this was a 02 tank with an 02 regulator.

I complained that isnt the warranty supposed to cover the regulator? The person on the other end then asked if I had disassembled the reg from the bottle, which I hadnt. He then said that the problem appeared to be that the threads of the burst disks may have cross threaded and this was causing them to burst when filled. He asked if I have ever removed the burst disks, to which I replied yes because their tech had sent me a new disk and instructed me to remove the old one and replace the new one.

Finally they said that if I could produce a receipt they would cover half the costs of the repair and my cost would be $25.00. I replied that I didnt have a recipt to which he then said he was sorry and that I would have to pay the full $50.00. I mentioned that I had returned the tank for warranty work to the regulator, which was what they replaced, and that ultimately in the end they did work that they wanted to charge for without first contacting me to verify that I wanted this done.

Ultimately in the end they agreed to cover half the cost and that I would be responsible for $25.00 for the repair. I probably could have pushed the issue more seeing as how the damage they say caused the need for replacement was due to my following the instruction of their tech.

While I feel the company itself fumbled the ball on this one their tech that I talked with, Brian, handled the situation professionally.

So I am out $25.00, but I have a newer model regulator which would have cost more then that I am willing to bet.


Aaron