Turbo s wheel poll- faulty or perfect

[bevo]

Thomas has been catching alot of crap from everyone on the forums. I'm making this poll for people who are on the fence about purchasing the turbo s wheel. Let's see how many people have had problems compared to those who haven't.
I have had no problems at all. Everything came on the same day, and it has all worked perfect since recieving it. I will certainly buy a high end shifter from fanatec when they release one.

 

[eSZee]

How would this change anything? The fact is that those who do have problems, have to go through hell in order to get any kind of service.

 

[bevo]

It won't change anything, no polls do. I would just like to see what the percentage of people on GTP forums is, that has received bad products or support. It seems like everything you read is negative, but when it works it is a great product.

We keep hearing a less then 10% failure rate from Thomas, maybe this poll can help to either verify that, or dismiss it from another source then Thomas. If people are not sure whether to buy or not because of being afraid of faulty devices this poll could help. If someone has gotten a working product or received good service they might be more likely to hit on one of the poll responses, then they are to actually write out a lengthy post explaining that everything works as it should.

I myself have had no trouble getting a reply from thomas or armin within a few days regarding any questions or problems I have had. All anyone hears about are the bad experiences because people are much more likely to write about that. This will be easier for people with good experiences to make their voice heard.

 

[versapak]

Support from Fanatec is slooooooooooooow.

That is frustrating as hell, but that being said...

They are very easy to deal with, and do work with you to get your problem taken care of. It just takes a lot of patience. Admittedly I have very little of said patience, and have certainly voiced my frustration, but when all is said and done I have felt satisfied with the outcome.

 

[bumer]

My gt3rs wheel is one of those defective wheels and it's probably irreparable and I just have to accept it as it is.
Although I have to live with my defective wheel, I can't say anything bad about customer service. Armin has always been pretty quick in his responses in my case.

 

[chromatic9]

All still working here.

I'm using G25 pedals though and my impression from reading other forums is the Clubsport pedals are often faulty on delivery and some of the plastic standard pedals don't last too long.

 

[LearnersPermit]

I have been using my Turbo S with regular plastic pedals since late October then early November I purchased the Club Sport Pedals and I haven't had a single problem with the wheel, regular pedals nor the CS pedals. So I am 100% satisfied with my purchases and with the Customer service from Armin, since I broke the H shifter and the guy sent me a new one in 2 days, plus the new one is softer while shifting.

Now I am just waiting for the CS H shifter news to be truly happy.

 

[eSZee]

My gt3rs wheel is one of those defective wheels and it's probably irreparable and I just have to accept it as it is.
Although I have to live with my defective wheel, I can't say anything bad about customer service. Armin has always been pretty quick in his responses in my case.

Can you not return it for a refund or a replacement?

 

[bumer]

Can you not return it for a refund or a replacement?

Sending it to germany costs almost a half of the price of the wheel. It's better to buy another gt3rs in this case. I fixed one of the problems, but even this keeps coming back. As I have taken the wheel apart, they probably won't refund it anyway.

 

[Yoritomo79]

I'd be interested in seeing more entries in here. As someone who has had every issue resolved within a reasonable amount of time and been on the receiving end of good customer service I don't think they're getting a fair shake.

 

[bevo]

I'm really surprised more people haven't took part in the poll. Maybe there just isn't that many GTPers who purchased one.

 

[Raitziger]

Sending it to germany costs almost a half of the price of the wheel.

Irrelevant. Fanatec pays mail costs.

 

[bumer]

Irrelevant. Fanatec pays mail costs.

They never told me that

 

[versapak]

Irrelevant. Fanatec pays mail costs.

For repair/exchange, not for returns.

 

[MrDrWatson]

My wheel, clubsport edition, is working perfectly. I have it since the middle of December and I've used it with all systems (x360, pc and ps3). Reading all the complaints in the forums and waiting for the wheel to arrive was nerve shattering but when I got the package, everything was properly secure and well packaged. I mounted it to a Wheel Stand Pro (had to fix it with 2 screws) and it feels solid. Overall a great product, better than a g27 imho.
As a side note, I prefer to use the wheel with the ps3 and the pc, it seems to me the x360 games weren't designed for a 900 wheel. Forza 3 and 2 are great but the others....meh. GT4 is great!

 

[gatorchad]

I didn't vote because I don't see a response that applies. I currently have an issue with my clubsport brake pedal load cell sensor. I've had an email exchange with Fanatec support, but haven't gotten the issue resolved yet. It's been a week (as of 2/2/10).

 

[Racer XO]

My wheel and CSP's have been working great so far, no complaints at all so far I am a very satisfied customer just wish we could get the Clubsport shifter soon.

 

[Gabkicks]

My wheel still works, but i think something in it is broken... and the pedals are failing me, but i used dxtweak to make it still playable... been a few weeks and no reply from tech support.

 

[eSZee]

For repair/exchange, not for returns.

that's ridiculous. So if I'm not happy with the product, it's my fault? I either have to get another one or pay lots of money to not own it anymore?

 

[versapak]

that's ridiculous. So if I'm not happy with the product, it's my fault? I either have to get another one or pay lots of money to not own it anymore?

Yep.

I wouldn't say it is unreasonable though.

Even at a local retail store you will often run into restocking fees if you try to return certain things. If you were essentially just trying an item out, then it isn't unreasonable to be charged for it.

 

[eSZee]

But he has a faulty wheel. I understand if it was working fine and he just didn't like it, but his is pretty much broken. Just tell them to send you a new one since it's free. And if that one is bad again, you obviously wouldn't want a replacement again.

 

[versapak]

But he has a faulty wheel. I understand if it was working fine and he just didn't like it, but his is pretty much broken. Just tell them to send you a new one since it's free. And if that one is bad again, you obviously wouldn't want a replacement again.

Yeah, I understood that he had a faulty one, and Fanatec will eat the expense to get him a working one. Very few companies will eat the expense on a return though.

 

[Frizbe]

I choose the last option although I am in the process of exchanging emails with Armin about my faulty pedals nothing has been officially resolved. He has offered the adapters or CSP for $50 off as a solution if I could get a video showing the problem but it has been about a week since I sent him the video and no reply, it also took about two weeks to get an initial response from him and then another two before I got everything together for the video. So since I work customer service as well I feel like I am being reasonable as long as he gets back to me within a week and a half.

I'm still more than happy overall though.

 

[Delphic Reason]

This pole is largely flawed. It leaves out the most basic option that would change the outcome dramatically. The problem with Fanatec (currently) is customer service, not fawlty wheel/pedal sets. My wheel works fine, but I've had to wait months for simple replies to questions. I had to wait months for a part because Armin "forgot" to send it. My old roommate is still waiting on a shifter cable he ordered as part of his "pre-order". No replies back either.

 

[Yoritomo79]

Male to male PS/2 cable can be found at any computer supply store or ordered from monoprice for under 2 bucks. When a company is based in another country it's sometimes good to take initiative.

I can't name many companies where I expect the sort of service people are faulting fanatec for "not" having. We have a squeaky wheel mentality here in the US that works fine when the customer service is impersonal, which in most cases around here that's the case.

It doesn't work out the same way when the company is as involved in the community as fanatec is.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Male to male PS/2 cable can be found at any computer supply store or ordered from monoprice for under 2 bucks. When a company is based in another country it's sometimes good to take initiative.

Wrong...

The majority of these people who should just "take initiative" have already paid for a product. It's just taking months to reach them due to Fanatec's error. In regards to the shifter cables/G25 adapters, these things were part of the order. I am not buying a part that I should already have, just because Fanatec can't get it together to send it.

I have talked to no less than 6 people thus far, that have not received something because someone at Fanatec "forgot" to send something. Then it has taken them months to rectify it because of lack of communication between Fanatec and the consumer.

 

[Yoritomo79]

Wrong...

The majority of these people who should just "take initiative" have already paid for a product. It's just taking months to reach them due to Fanatec's error. In regards to the shifter cables/G25 adapters, these things were part of the order. I am not buying a part that I should already have, just because Fanatec can't get it together to send it.

I must have been confusing you with another poster who has a friend waiting for a shifter cable because he wants to install his wheel in a cockpit setup and the 1.5 foot stock shifter cable just won't reach.



Don't say majority when it appears according to this poll so far that it's definitely not a majority of people who purchased the wheel.

What I see happening is Fanatec not having a consistent front for customer service. Using e-mail and a horrible forum setup on the 911wheel blog leads to the disparate methods people are using to get support. This plus their involvement with the communities who use their product has led to people posting technical support issues on a myriad of forums and blogs and actually getting answers and issues resolved. This has led to more people making more noise in more places in hopes that one of their posts will resolve an issue.

That and the PWTS didn't ship with a manual in the box. I doubt they'll ever do that again.

 

[Delphic Reason]

I must have been confusing you with another poster who has a friend waiting for a shifter cable because he wants to install his wheel in a cockpit setup and the 1.5 foot stock shifter cable just won't reach.

Whoa there, buddy. He actually did end up buying the aforementioned cable, due to Fanatec insisting it was sent, realizing it actually wasn't, then forgetting to send it once they had that figured out. Furthermore, there is absolutely NO reason he, or anyone, should have to go buy something in a store that they have already ordered and been promised delivery of. To suggest such is asinine, and only fosters this kind of business practice.

Don't say majority when it appears according to this poll so far that it's definitely not a majority of people who purchased the wheel.

As I said, the poll leaves out quite a few options. Thus, the poll is not really telling us much that we don't already know, or anything at all regarding customer service.

What I see happening is Fanatec not having a consistent front for customer service. Using e-mail and a horrible forum setup on the 911wheel blog leads to the disparate methods people are using to get support. This plus their involvement with the communities who use their product has led to people posting technical support issues on a myriad of forums and blogs and actually getting answers and issues resolved. This has led to more people making more noise in more places in hopes that one of their posts will resolve an issue.

That and the PWTS didn't ship with a manual in the box. I doubt they'll ever do that again.

Unfortunately, none of the methods given to contact them tends to yield results, for most people. Their system is definitely a huge (i.e. MASSIVE) part of the problem. Yet, there's a lot of mismanagement that has made things this way.

As many others have said, they should have had a proper system set up prior to launch. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

Now, don't get me wrong... The reason I am upset at all is because I love my PWTS. It's a fantastic wheel and offers what no other wheel on the market can. It bothers me when good products get pushed aside due to issues that should have been taken care of much earlier on. As it is, I love my wheel, but I dread anything going wrong with it. I've had a less than ideal experience with Fanatec, and so far, everyone I know that has purchased anything from them has had a very similar experience. An experience that has been echoed time and time again on these and many other forums.

 

[bevo]

This pole is largely flawed. It leaves out the most basic option that would change the outcome dramatically. The problem with Fanatec (currently) is customer service, not fawlty wheel/pedal sets. My wheel works fine, but I've had to wait months for simple replies to questions. I had to wait months for a part because Armin "forgot" to send it. My old roommate is still waiting on a shifter cable he ordered as part of his "pre-order". No replies back either.

Go ahead and add the option to pick "haven't recieved everything I ordered in a reasonable time, or parts were missing" or however you want to word it.
I too have not received a part that was suppose to come with my wheel I ordered 15 months ago. When the wheels were announced there was suppose to be a 2gig flash drive come with it. After I placed the order the flash drive was removed, but armin told me they would send me one and I haven't heard anything about it since. I really don't care, but they shouldn't have listed that if they didn't plan on sending them, or they should have dropped the price 10$ or given us early pre order people 10 or so store credit.

I feel like that is being a bit siily, but really it's not. If you go to buy something and it doesn't come with everything that was listed, then someone either screwed up, or you should get a partial or full refund.

 

[Raitziger]

Lets say they sold 2500 wheels and 20% have been having trouble. That is 500 cases for around ten people