Please share your Wheel King Experiences

[RegalGTO]

I'm shopping for wheels from Wheel King. I like their selection & pricing. However I just got a response to an e-mail about ordering & payment terms. Having an education in marketing, placing a product for a willing customer shouldn't be inconvenient. On most websites you just have to right click to order, quanity, name & shipping address, and acceptable methods of payment. Done.

Here’s what Wheel King requires for CC customers:

“For credit card payments with postal or phone orders we will require a clear copy of the front and rear of your credit card as well as the card holders drivers license with a written authority from the cardholder that we can debit it for the amount of the sale. It can be either emailed or faxed. If faxing, PLEASE ENSURE you use the PHOTO RESOLUTION setting. Fax must be clear upon receipt and unless this setting is used, fax will generally be just all a blur. A normal landline phone number must also be included with the authority and handwriting the card number and expiry date is also advisable within the authority.”

While apparently they have sustained losses through fraudulent charges and want to protect themselves, I never provide this type of information unless entered into Verisign SSL Certificates with encryption or similar security. Simple e-mail or fax lacks protection protocols.

Please let me know your experiences with them. Wheel King seems like a sound operation, so I’m a little confused & disappointed by the whole matter.

[BAAADGTO]

Haven't dealt with them, but I wouldn't do that for any transaction. Do a search for them, may turn up some info.

[dmenace]

They are based in Australia, i think they are just making sure the CC details are not stolen etc.

Found this on their site:

Payment Options:

Due to being frauded in the past with credit card transactions, we would prefer payment by either a direct transfer into our bank account or I can give you a Visa card number to do a direct banking deposit or transfer funds into. Another option is Western Union international transfer.

If you wish to place a firm order, information can be sent by either fax or email. Please be sure to include your details for invoice including a mobile contact number and a delivery address that someone will be in attendance during normal business hours.

We will the then send you back detailed information including an order format invoice, FedEx consignment note copy and website tracking information links for freight with both direct deposit banking details.

Final option is to purchase items on our eBay account and pay by the PayPal process, however, due to commissions associated with eBay sales and PayPal payments, higher prices will be applicable. Please click on eBay logo for our eBay shop details.

[RegalGTO]

Haven't dealt with them, but I wouldn't do that for any transaction. Do a search for them, may turn up some info.

Those are my sentiments exactly.


They are based in Australia, i think they are just making sure the CC details are not stolen etc.

Found this on their site:

Yes, I had already read that on the WK website. I can appreciate WK taking every precaution from a reoccurence of fraud. With that said, it seems to me the solution is coming at the customer's expense via inadequate security & the added fees associated with other methods of wire transfers.

Also, there are millions of merchants around the world which don't have this level of requisites to make a purchase. I bought from JHP, used a CC, no problem. Therefore I posted here to ascertain who has had positive experiences with WK. Thanks!

[DAH GTO]

Screw that. I say find someone else to do business with. That's way too much effort for the customer.

[why2kmax]

I bought CV8-Z rims from Frank (wheel king) during their xmas special last year. They are site sponsors. Communication was excellent, wheels were packed and shipped quickly, they arrived on time, actually they arrived quite a bit sooner. They were in perfect condition. no scratches, no nicks no disappointment. They were double box packed so well I could have dropped them off the roof and they prob wouldnt have been damaged. I called them and paid by CC. Those policies above were not in place when I purchased. Theyve prob gotten burned and are trying to protect themselves. Granted, it does tilt the balance away from security on th buyers part. Your mileage may vary but I had nothing but a fantastic buying experience from them.

The only snafu was customs checked my order and charged an import tax of like $55 or something or they wouldnt release them. Had to fill out some forms for FED-EX and send them in with payment before they would release them.

Based on the above, Id buy through Paypal for a few xtra bucks. Its a bit safer maybe and you have some recourse through paypal and/or you CC if something goes wrong.

[RegalGTO]

Thanks for the feedback & PayPal certainly is another route to take. Perhaps I'll have to consider it as an alternative, albeit does increase the cost. I'm glad you rec'd topflight service, well, except for that customs fee.

I sent him an e-mail in response to his initial quote. In it I said great, can you give me a call. Here's the reply I rec'd in return:

"With all due respect, we don’t phone anyone. No longer a need. Everything that needs to be done can be done via email and that eliminates any confusion for both parties concerned."

Thus it would appear something has dramaticly changed from the time you ordered to now.

[thekingntb]

Yea it almost sounds like they got burned by someone, and are now watching there backs.. I don't know if I would go through that much trouble to just order wheels..