Got some Hamann parts for my 545...thanks Attila (ats77)
08-22-2007, 02:35 AM
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I ordered the Hamann aluminum pedals, aluminum hand brake handle and some stickers from Hamann Germany through Attila (ats77). Thank you very much Attila for all your help.
I love the Hamann parts themselves and also Attila was great to deal with. However, there were some things that happened that made things frustrating and not the way I would have liked it to be.
Before I get into the details I would like to specifically mention that NONE of the problems were Attila's responsibility......he was great and I don't want it to seem like I am blaming him.
I will now go through the good and the bad and then post some pictures below:
THE GOOD:
-Attila is very helpful.
-Hamann is very professional with the quote and transaction process. It adds confidence to the whole process when there are official quotes etc. emailed to you before the payment is made.
-The Hamann aluminum pedals look great and are of high quality
-The Hamann aluminum hand brake handle looks and feels specially good with the HAMANN lettering on one side and the Hamann Pegasus on the other.
-The pedals and handle add a high tech modern and sporty look to the interior, and they contrast well with the black carpets/dash and the Auburn interior. They also go well with the ALU-Shadow trim in my car.
-The stickers make the outside of the car look sporty
And now for THE BAD:
Because I had only ordered the pedals, handle, and stickers the box in which they were shipped was VERY small, yet Hamann still sent it through a shipping/freight company instead of DHL/UPS/FEDEX or the Post. I have had boxes that were at least 10 to 15 times larger and heavier that this sent to me from Germany before through UPS Express and it has taken just over a day to get from Germany to the front door of my house. Yet because Hamann chose to use a shipping company (which I assume they use when they send larger items like body kits and exhausts) it caused some problems for me. Even the people working at the shipping company when I picked up the items were shocked at how small the box was and were wondering why it wasn't sent VIA another method.
When the items arrived at the shipping company in Los Angeles they called me and asked me if I had a customs broker who would clear the shipment. I told them that I don't, and that usually when I receive shipments from Germany and other places in Europe I just go to the shipping company and do the customs paperwork, pay the customs fee (if any), have the paperwork stamped by customs and pick up the parts all within an hour or two. However, I told them that I did not have time that day and the next couple of days, so I would have to do it the next week. They then told me that they could do all that stuff for me in-house and that they can call me when the paperwork is done so that I can pick up the parts. I got a call later that day asking me to fill out a power of attorney and fax it to them so that they could start the process. Being as suspicious as I am and knowing that there are no free lunches I specifically asked the lady if I was going to be charged anything for this and she said no.
After a few days passed I called them and they said it was still not ready. It took two and a half weeks from the time they first called me to tell me that the items had arrived until they were ready for me to pick up. A lady called me and said that I can go pick up my shipment and to be sure to take them a cashiers check or money order for $387. I could not believe my ears and asked them to repeat it....I had heard it right....$387. They faxed me a breakdown of the "fees" and out of the $387 the US Customs had only charged me a $10 fee, the rest was all charged by the shipping company for various fees. I was furious and asked to speak to the manager. I told him the woman's name that had told me that it was not going to cost me anything for them to do the paperwork. He told me that he will set her straight, but that there is nothing he could do for me other than knocking $25 off the fees.
The Hamann parts were not cheap to begin with, but with this fee and the fee I paid to do a bank wire transfer to Hamann's account the pedals, handle, and stickers ended up costing me WAY too much. I don't even want to think about the total it cost me because it still infuriates me.
Obviously I am not blaming Hamann for the shipping company's lies or mistakes. However, had Hamann used DHL/UPS/FedEx none of this would have happened. The only thing I would have had to do is pay the $10 US Customs fee.
So Attila, as I said above it was a pleasure dealing with you and I don't want this to seem like I am blaming you.......clearly I am not. However, maybe you could let Hamann know that for small and light shipments in small boxes it would be much better for them not to use the shipping company. As I said even the people working at the shipping company were surprised at why Hamann used them for shipping such a small and light box. I bought a Bang & Olufsen stereo system and two speakers from a company in Germany a few years ago and they sent it VIA UPS Express to my front door. There were 3 boxes, each one about the size of 15 of the boxes that Hamann sent me and they still arrived in about a day to my front door. I don't see why Hamann can't do that for small and medium size shipments.
Anyways.....here are some pictures:
This is the box that everything came in....I put my BMW key on it so that you can see how small the box is:
AND HERE ARE SOME PICTURE OF THE INSTALLED PARTS:
I love the Hamann parts themselves and also Attila was great to deal with. However, there were some things that happened that made things frustrating and not the way I would have liked it to be.
Before I get into the details I would like to specifically mention that NONE of the problems were Attila's responsibility......he was great and I don't want it to seem like I am blaming him.
I will now go through the good and the bad and then post some pictures below:
THE GOOD:
-Attila is very helpful.
-Hamann is very professional with the quote and transaction process. It adds confidence to the whole process when there are official quotes etc. emailed to you before the payment is made.
-The Hamann aluminum pedals look great and are of high quality
-The Hamann aluminum hand brake handle looks and feels specially good with the HAMANN lettering on one side and the Hamann Pegasus on the other.
-The pedals and handle add a high tech modern and sporty look to the interior, and they contrast well with the black carpets/dash and the Auburn interior. They also go well with the ALU-Shadow trim in my car.
-The stickers make the outside of the car look sporty
And now for THE BAD:
Because I had only ordered the pedals, handle, and stickers the box in which they were shipped was VERY small, yet Hamann still sent it through a shipping/freight company instead of DHL/UPS/FEDEX or the Post. I have had boxes that were at least 10 to 15 times larger and heavier that this sent to me from Germany before through UPS Express and it has taken just over a day to get from Germany to the front door of my house. Yet because Hamann chose to use a shipping company (which I assume they use when they send larger items like body kits and exhausts) it caused some problems for me. Even the people working at the shipping company when I picked up the items were shocked at how small the box was and were wondering why it wasn't sent VIA another method.
When the items arrived at the shipping company in Los Angeles they called me and asked me if I had a customs broker who would clear the shipment. I told them that I don't, and that usually when I receive shipments from Germany and other places in Europe I just go to the shipping company and do the customs paperwork, pay the customs fee (if any), have the paperwork stamped by customs and pick up the parts all within an hour or two. However, I told them that I did not have time that day and the next couple of days, so I would have to do it the next week. They then told me that they could do all that stuff for me in-house and that they can call me when the paperwork is done so that I can pick up the parts. I got a call later that day asking me to fill out a power of attorney and fax it to them so that they could start the process. Being as suspicious as I am and knowing that there are no free lunches I specifically asked the lady if I was going to be charged anything for this and she said no.
After a few days passed I called them and they said it was still not ready. It took two and a half weeks from the time they first called me to tell me that the items had arrived until they were ready for me to pick up. A lady called me and said that I can go pick up my shipment and to be sure to take them a cashiers check or money order for $387. I could not believe my ears and asked them to repeat it....I had heard it right....$387. They faxed me a breakdown of the "fees" and out of the $387 the US Customs had only charged me a $10 fee, the rest was all charged by the shipping company for various fees. I was furious and asked to speak to the manager. I told him the woman's name that had told me that it was not going to cost me anything for them to do the paperwork. He told me that he will set her straight, but that there is nothing he could do for me other than knocking $25 off the fees.
The Hamann parts were not cheap to begin with, but with this fee and the fee I paid to do a bank wire transfer to Hamann's account the pedals, handle, and stickers ended up costing me WAY too much. I don't even want to think about the total it cost me because it still infuriates me.
Obviously I am not blaming Hamann for the shipping company's lies or mistakes. However, had Hamann used DHL/UPS/FedEx none of this would have happened. The only thing I would have had to do is pay the $10 US Customs fee.
So Attila, as I said above it was a pleasure dealing with you and I don't want this to seem like I am blaming you.......clearly I am not. However, maybe you could let Hamann know that for small and light shipments in small boxes it would be much better for them not to use the shipping company. As I said even the people working at the shipping company were surprised at why Hamann used them for shipping such a small and light box. I bought a Bang & Olufsen stereo system and two speakers from a company in Germany a few years ago and they sent it VIA UPS Express to my front door. There were 3 boxes, each one about the size of 15 of the boxes that Hamann sent me and they still arrived in about a day to my front door. I don't see why Hamann can't do that for small and medium size shipments.
Anyways.....here are some pictures:
This is the box that everything came in....I put my BMW key on it so that you can see how small the box is:
AND HERE ARE SOME PICTURE OF THE INSTALLED PARTS:
08-22-2007, 06:04 AM
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My Ride: 2007 E63 M6: Silverstone Metallic... Fully loaded2005 DINAN5 (545i): Jet Black... Fully loaded1955 Chevy: Custom
Wow! Looks great rodybmw 
your choice of color combo for your interior is first class (brushed silver trims, auburn leather, & Hamann accessories) 
I'm wondering if there are shop in the states that have the Hamann accessories (hand brakes, etc.) in stock... I would hate to experience similar unexpected complication that you did.
your choice of color combo for your interior is first class (brushed silver trims, auburn leather, & Hamann accessories) I'm wondering if there are shop in the states that have the Hamann accessories (hand brakes, etc.) in stock... I would hate to experience similar unexpected complication that you did.
08-22-2007, 07:31 AM
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My Ride: 2005 530i Silver Gray/ Gray Leather. SP,PP
Originally Posted by Fedcaper' post='461327' date='Aug 22 2007, 10:28 AM
The customs process is the reason why I did not buy my Hamann parts direct from Germany...too much headache.
Mods looks really good
08-22-2007, 09:14 AM
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My Ride: Jan 2006 E63 650i Sport
.
Options:
Sport version (includes: sport-seats, sport-suspension, M-Sport steering wheel, Anthracite headliner, Shaddow Line), Saphire Black, Black Dakota Leather, Anthracite Maple Wood trim, Steptronic Auto, Xenons, NAV-Professional with Voice Control, TV, CD-Changer, Bluetooth, Logic7, Head-up Display, Comfort Access, Seat Heating front, Auto Dimming & Folding Mirrors, Extended Auto Air Conditioning, PDC.
.
Mods:
Spacers 5mm front & 15mm rear
.
Wheels:
20" Alpina Softline (Classic) with Dunlop Sport Maxx non-RFT (255/35/20 & 285/30/20)
Those mods really complement the existing colour scheme at materials - great choice
Sorry to hear about the shipping issues.
Sorry to hear about the shipping issues.
08-22-2007, 10:17 AM
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Thanks for all the complements everyone. The Hamann parts look great.
The frustrating part is that I could have easily done all the paperwork and Customs clearance myself, like I have done at least three or four time in the last 4 years when getting shipments of furniture and other home accessories from Germany. It just takes a couple of hours of my time and a bit of running around between the shipping company, customs, and the actual warehouse where the items are stored. Usually there is even a customs officer at the shipping company so you can take care of everything at the same place and then just drive to the warehouse. So I could have easily done it myself and picked up everything the same day instead of waiting more than 2 weeks and having to pay their almost $400 fee, which they did not mention at the beginning (they just led me to believe it was a free service).
Well I have learned my lesson now, even if I did end up paying almost two thirds of the price of all the Hamann parts as a fee to the shipping company.
The frustrating part is that I could have easily done all the paperwork and Customs clearance myself, like I have done at least three or four time in the last 4 years when getting shipments of furniture and other home accessories from Germany. It just takes a couple of hours of my time and a bit of running around between the shipping company, customs, and the actual warehouse where the items are stored. Usually there is even a customs officer at the shipping company so you can take care of everything at the same place and then just drive to the warehouse. So I could have easily done it myself and picked up everything the same day instead of waiting more than 2 weeks and having to pay their almost $400 fee, which they did not mention at the beginning (they just led me to believe it was a free service).
Well I have learned my lesson now, even if I did end up paying almost two thirds of the price of all the Hamann parts as a fee to the shipping company.
