Engine & Transmission World review: scam 44

These clowns have had 99 BBB complaints since June '09. Shameless. But they have this hilarious message on their website: "Be aware of brokers that pretend to be actual salvage yards. Companies that do not have an actual yard with a full inventory are brokers, and they are simply up-selling you for a larger profit. These brokers sell you a marked up part, then they scour the internet and purchase the cheapest low quality parts and purchase them for next to nothing. They then proceed to send that part to you. They do NO testing, NO cleaning, and provide NO documentation."
There's nothing wrong with brokering - all recyclers do it - but these guys are idiots for giving a warning then doing the exact same thing!

Good for you. I am fortunate that I got the yelling before I gave them a dime. The sales represenative got very upset because I caught him in a lie. I hope people research them before making a purchase from them, I hope they get them shut down.

In an earlier post dated 12/05/2010 we aired our grievences with Engine and Transmission World. After spending more money to try and use what they sent us the engine did fail. E and T was conntacted successfully and have promised us a full refund once the engine is returned to them. We will let you know.

I was searching for a 1999 Mitsubishi Galant ES engine online and happened to run across this website called SW Engines. The first result that turned up was an engine which had 23, 132 miles on it and was priced at 1, 145.00 with free shipping and a three year warranty(parts and labor). I called the 800 number provided and when I was connected with the dude in the parts department, I asked him about the warranty. I told him that I would like to see that I had this three year warranty in writing before I purchased this part. He stated that when I receive my invoice(basically after I purchased it, then I would have this "warranty" in writing). THEN I asked him, what kind of engine is this. And he gets a damn attitude and says it's a used engine...I'm like no ###. I know its a used engine, but what kind of engine with 23, 000 miles sales for 1100 dollars? My mechanic called two different places and one place he called he found an engine with 70, 000 miles on it and it cost more than this engine so I'm very curious about what kind of engine this is. I get pissed because I'm already stressed out about my car, so when I'm expected to spend over 1000.00 for a part, I expect a little more respect and sympathy then what I was given. This dude insulted my intelligence and I just hung up the phone after I told him that I didn't like his attitude. Which brings me to this site to do some background search on these people. I'm so glad I did because they won't be getting a dime from me. I hope you get your money back man. I'm a woman and I've been jerked around so much by mechanics these last few months everytime I even think about putting my car in the hands of another mechanic I always do my research to make sure what they're doing is really nescessary and I'm not just giving my hard earned money away...DO NOT use these guys, they are shady. All I had to do was talk to them on the phone to figure that out...

I ordered a transmission for a 99 ford ranger, and the shaft in the bell housing was stuck in backwards and my mechanic friend and I couldn't get it out. I called to have them send another transmission and this time the housing on the tapered end was missing entirely! When I called back, they said take the housing off the first one and use it. Before we installed it, I put all new seals in it, a new fluid filter, and a new main gasket. We got it all hooked up and it wouldn't go into any gear at all, not even fwd or reverse! And all the fluid is shooting out an air vent in the top, and its making a grinding sound! So I called back again, and got my mechanic friend on the phone with them. He told them they were ripping us off! I talked to Dale Jones myself and he acted like it wasn't their problem! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE! I lost $750 just on the transmission alone! DON'T YOU BE NEXT!

I just got took by this company. My email is Karen_lopezsmith@yahoo.com. I guess I have lost my money because my tranmission was finally delivered after a month and would not work. I called and talked to Mr. Jones and was told my mechanic left it out in the rain because he got a gallon of water out of it. We have been hung up on, talked down too and still no working tranmission. BTW the tranmission would not move out of its tracks..YOU know the tested one I bought. was suppose to get one this week but did not ..Going to see a lawyer this week, going to card holder and Attorney General. With all of these complaint and the same one after another I dont see why Mr. Jones and his other crew can not be shut down and all money returned..Maybe take it from them and see how they feel. I am going to go else where BUT I will get my money back plus labor..Mr. Dale Jones and u can take that to the bank..Let contact our State Attorney General and Close them down..No More!

I completely agree with this complaint, because the EXACT same thing happened to me.

They sent me a rusty old engine without the CarFax, and when I called Allen requesting the CarFax, he outright refused to send it to me and even taunted me that there's nothing I can do about it. My mechanic told me that the engine looks like it has way more than the 32k miles that Engine and Transmission World advertised on their website and advised against installing that rusty piece of crap, so I sent it back to Engine and Transmission World, which cost me $520 in shipping fees since I did not have a business account with the carrier, and now not only are those thieves at EATW charging me the 25% restocking fee (about $400), they are also charging me their "cost" to ship it out that junk engine out to me in the first place (about $300), so all in all, I spent $1, 220 and all I got for it was 3 months worth of stress and frustration from dealing with those thieving ### at EATW. If you do business with them, you will get screwed over too. They'll be nice to you until they have your money, then they'll treat you like crap. You have been warned!

I ordered specificly an F22-a6 engine for my Honda, which they assured it would be. What came was an F22-a4 with a bent valve (they claim to run the engines before sending). After jumping through ridiculace hoops, they replaced the engine with an F22-a1 which was the opposite of what I wanted claiming that they don't differentiate between engines even when the invoice says otherwise. Finally, very poor customer service to finish the package. Avoid these guys.

This has been a nightmare come true.

I ordered an engine yesterday from this company because they were the only one who promised a Carfax and a compression check. I paid about 40% more than other companies were charging. After taking my credit card info they e-mailed me an order form where it states that under the Terms and Conditions No.7. All returned or cancelled orders are subject to a 25% handling and restocking fees plus customer assumes all shipping costs.

Now I understand a company charging a nominal fee for shipping a motor and having to restock the item because the customer decides he no longer wants the part. After all, this is time consuming, right? Especially a bulky item like an engine. With a forklift that could take all of 20 minutes each way... My motor was $1595 + a $295 3 year warranty. So 25% of $1595 is $398.50... Wow! OK, fair enough. In actuality, under the Terms and Conditions, ETW could send you a junk motor, your mechanic could charge you $1000 + to install it and another $500 to pull it again and then the customer is responsible for shipping the motor back and STILL incur the 25% fee... I better make sure that motor is what I want before it gets "handled". I called immediately after I e-mailed the SIGNED and Dated order and left a message for the salesman to call me back. After 20 minutes and no response I called again and after being passed around to 3 or 4 departments I asked a representative to get the compression check e-mailed and the Vin# on the CarFax over the phone. Well, the CarFax was supposedly on the engine itself and he was too busy to retrieve it but he assured me that someone would do it by the end of the day which was about 2 hours. Gee, the order form was sent immediately. Why was this small task suddenly so difficult. Oh, that's right, I was only spending $1890 total... there were much more important customers to tend to! That's when I decided to cancel the order and the nice salesman told me it would cost me 7% or $132.30... 30 MINUTES after I placed the order. Wow again! I asked the rep if I could wait for the CarFax and think about it over night. ETW rep, "No problem." I told the rep to not do anything with the motor until they heard from me again. At days end and no CarFax e-mailed I called to cancel the order, prepared to fork over the $132.30 and cut my losses rather than incurring the ominous 25% fee lurking in the background once the motor gets handled. Well, everyone except the order guy, who could only take your money and not able to give it back, was manning the phones. That's when I contacted my credit card Co. to handle the problem. A 3-way call was unproductive but we were assured that the motor would not be handled and that I would get a refund the next morning.

The next morning a 3-way call was placed to Allen Simmons who claims to be the highest man on the totem pole although Mark Dobrenko is the noted owner on the BBB site. Simmons immediately went into a long tirade about how impatient customers were and when I cut him off at the pass to tell him basically, "No CarFax, no engine order. You're too late." He raised his voice about how dare I speak over him and that I was going to be charged 25% of not only the cost of the engine but 25% of the warranty as well... Grand Total $472.50 and the motor never moved an inch. This charge may be unrecoverable because I signed the order although it WAS NOT what I agreed to.

After my credit card rep heard first hand the abuses of ETW through the 3-way call and his supervisor called ETW to confirm the unthinkable, the card co. immediately placed all the funds back onto my account through Mastercard and are opening an investigation into this matter. I also was advised to change my card # to avoid these seasoned thieves from burglarizing my account any further.

As stated in the above complaint ETW also operates as “Midwest City Auto salvage” & “SW engines Inc.”

I ordered an engine for my 2002 Toyota Corola. I got the engine and had to replace the oil pan because the one that came with the engine was damaged. The crankcase was full of sand. I cleaned it up and installed it in the car. It did run ok, but it would use 1 quart of oil per tank of fuel. I also purchased the 3 year 36, 000 mile warranty for $395. I did not drive the car much and it took a while to get some miles on it. I e-mailed them about the oil consummation, and they asked me if I had called them to activate my warranty. I figured that after I bought it, it would be in effect. I was wrong. So I am out of luck. I do not know who they paid to write those testimonials, but after what I have dealt with, and seen here, they won't be getting one from me. At least I got my engine, some folks never did, and it was what I ordered. If you are thinking about buying ANYTHING from these people, I would reconsider. I would NEVER EVER EVER use these people again!

I ordered an engine from got engines also known as engine transmission world (ETW). At the time of purchase I was told that for $1000.00 it would come with a 3yr warranty parts and labor. Now one year later the engine has given up on me it seems to have spun a connecting rod bearing. I have called a number of times today no one can find record of my warranty, I have left messages for Dale with no response. I briefly talked to a warranty paper work handler, she was rude and basically a [censored]. This engine left me stranded on the side of the road 3 hrs away from home and no one at sw engines gives a damn. If anyone is pending legal action and need witnesses or testimony let me know. Anything I can do to help so no one else gets ripped off by these guy. michaelsalazar12@yahoo.com

I purchased a replacement used Cummins diesel engine for my 2002 Dodge Pickup. I was impressed by the 3 year warranty and the attractive price ($2895/free shipping). The engine arrived on time and appeared to be as advertised. It was professionally installed and ran like new...for about 300 miles. Three connecting rods in the Number 6 cylinder blew and left me stranded by the side of the road. The installer runs a full service diesel shop so I had him tow it back to his shop. He suspects the internal oil pump went bad (allegedly covered by the warranty). When SWE refused to return my calls, I finally talked to the parts guy who gave me a number at EngineLast (their 'warranty' service). Never got a live person, only phone message service which never returned my calls. I contacted Discover and they initiated a claim. Within 20 minutes of the call to Discover I received a terse email from EngineLast informing me that since I never returned required warranty registration papers, I was not covered. I never received any documentation with the engine or instructions on how to register the warranty. I am hoping Discover follows through with my refund on the original cost of the engine. As it cost $2695 to have the engine professionally installed, I am already $5600 into this mess. IF the engine is repairable, the repairs will probably cost more than the original engine. It is clear that the warranty service has enough fine print to avoid responsibility and even if they did, the process of meeting the claim requirements would require additional shipping costs with no guarantee of justice. In the meantime, I am without my truck. These people need to be put out of business! leo.sabatini@gmail.com

... and the beat goes on. Like the previous reviewers, I am getting killed right now financially because of these scammers. My situation is almost exactly like the one above me, with a 5.4 liter V8 engine for an F-150. It was total garbage and failed after less than 2 weeks of use, and will not cost $1300 in parts + $1400 in labor to fix... tack that on to the original engine purchase and installation labor, and I have now spent MORE than if I would have bought a brand new engine + install from Ford for $6, 700 total, with full warranty covering labor too! After multiple days of being ignored by SWE, my father finally got a hold of Dale Jones, and he made up some lie about the warranty being void because I didn't call a number to activate it, as stipulated in the warranty. This is an obvious lie that they know I can easily check. I called the warranty company and they said they hadn't even written it yet. SWE said they don't send parts, so they'll just send a new engine. Great, I have to wait another 3 weeks for a piece of crap engine with no papers or way to find out if it's working, and shell out how much more for a rental car? I am just going to pay Ford to repair it, because the $2700 to do that is a better deal than waiting 3 weeks and spending $2000 for an install of a [censored] engine that may break down again at any time. What I'm most pissed about, is that I didn't do enough research before hand to find all this out, and that my hard earned money is totally wasted, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE STILL OPERATING!? Here is their supposed address... type it into Google and go to "street view", and take a look. It's basically a vacant lot with a sign: 25333 5th St, San Bernardino, CA 92410

Please, anyone, if you're reading this, don't make the same mistake as the rest of us have. kevin.martin77 @ yahoo . com

I almost can't believe what I am reading, as I too have fallen victim to their scam. I ordered a V8 engine from swengines.com on Nov 29, 2012 for my 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee due mostly to their awesome "parts and labor" warranty, free shipping, and their very professional looking website. The motor arrived 2 weeks later and was very clean and painted nicely. The very first problem was they shipped the wrong version of the engine (with absolutely no paperwork) and my mechanic had to swap the intake from my old motor. Then we found out the water pump was bad, so we had to change that part as well. I should have stopped then and there, but after a complete engine install and nearly $1000 in labor, we fire up the engine and find it has significant valve train noise. So I spend more money to open up the engine and find out what is going on. We then discover the cam is bad! So I call SW engines and talked to Dale in the "parts" department. He offers to ship me another engine, but says that they do not cover labor. It is then that I decided to do some online research and found out that this company is a total scam! I so wish I had done my research before ordering this piece of junk engine. I am totally screwed on the labor charges and now have to pay more money to have this damaged motor uninstalled and shipped back. According to Dale, I have to pay the return shipping and a 25% restocking fee! And I still have a Jeep with no engine. I am calling Citibank today to dispute the charge and let them know about all of the claims against this company, which has operated under several different names. If anyone wants to file a class action lawsuit, I would be all for it. I am calling the BBB and anyone else I can think of to help stop these thieves. jmdruck@yahoo.com

Thank you guys for sharing your experiences, i was about to order an engine. I hope you all get your hard earned money back. Can you recommend a good engine site ?

Enough said! I'm just another victim; Experienced all of the above. I reported them to BBB, opened a case with the Attorney General, I called FTC and FBI field offices. I can't believe they're still allowed to operate.

So glad I checked out this site. Almost ordered a transmission from them. My gut told me to check into this company better before doing so. Sorry for all those who got taken advantage off. People like this will stand before God one day and have to deal with their abuse of others.

Where is this sw engines out of they don't list a state or address.i ordered an engine on 4-1-2013 and have not heard anything from them.i should have done my research before buying from them I kick myself in the rear end now, have called them on the status and they just flip you from person to person and never answer the phone.

UPDATE: I posted on November 28the. I seem to be one of the lucky few that found some resolution. But not from Southwest Engines/Engine & Transmission World. I bank with Bank of America and used my Visa check card to originally buy the engine. I contacted their fraud department and told them I was scammed by these people. I was able to provide them withe factual info they could substantiate about these crooks having been reported to the FBI, the US Attorney's office, and the CA state Attorney General. I provided documentation from the Ford dealership verifying the engine was unworkable and unfix-able, including costs I was to incur if I chose to buy another engine + labor. With all this data (especially from Ford), the bank refunded me the $3, 000 cost of the junk engine I bought. Bank of America contacted Southewest Engine's bank and gave them the opportunity to dispute my claim, and they couldn't. Hopefully more of you can do sometheing similar and force these criminals into the position where no bank will work withe them.

p.s.- to the previous poster about your address question, I mentioned this in my Nov. 28 post: "Here is their supposed address... type it into Google and go to "street view", and take a look. It's basically a vacant lot with a sign: 25333 5th St, San Bernardino, CA 92410"

... one more thing. They agreed to ship a 2nd engine, since the first one was defunct almost immediately, before any (phony) warranty could even be written. I said, OK ship it to Ford, knowing I had already filed my fraud claim. They shipped the second one (took another 2-3 weeks), and then I cancelled my check card Southwest Engines had on file. I then instructed my service manager at Ford to refuse to accept delivery off the truck when it arrived. That way, it gets shipped back to sender AT THEIR EXPENSE. So I was able to force them to eat probably $800 or so, plus avoid any B.S. restocking fee by canceling my check card. Not the type of justice I really wish for, but a little something.

So glad I found this information. I was just about ready to buy a used engine from swengines and then read all these complaints on here and on the BBB. Thank you all so much for sharing and allowing those like me to avoid being ripped off. One thing I would like to add to this is after reading these reviews I went back to the swengines site and as I was doing some reading on their F.A.Q. page my Avast antivirus popped up and said it had just blocked a Trojan Horse virus. If it isn't bad enough that they are ripping people off, you take the risk of getting your computer messed up by visiting their website. Be careful out there.

Wish I would have seen this before i bought a trany from them. only got 30, 000 miles out of it. It was suppose to have 44, 000 miles on it. Was thinking of calling them but what's the use. Sounds like a bad company to me.

We have been duped also, the credit card company said not to worry about it. I just want to know what to do about the dead engine they sent to my mechanic, not paying to have it shipped back & I'm sure that's what they want. At first they said they would come and get it but I'm worried about the shipping and restocking fee. Can they come after us for that?

wish my husband would have read all this before he to was screwed its pitiful that people will scam hardworkers out of money

My dad was scammed as well. Paid for that extended warranty (ha) and two motors later...and a lot of debt to the mechanics in his town...he still has a car with no working motor. I have never aspired to have relatives involved in organized crime...until now. Would love to see justice for all the people who have been conned by these heartless individuals. I have spent hours on the phone with attorney generals office, county attorneys, police departments, etc. Sad part is that these guys can get away with it because no one can establish jurisdiction. They cross state lines, use places all over US to ship their parts, etc. I plan to keep up the fight.

I too was scammed by this business. Defective engine was sent to me and they will not take responsibility for the labor. They said my warranty was never activated. Since when do you have to activate a warranty? Now I've lost out on the engine & all of the labor because these people are nothing but thieves.

Wish I would have done my homework and checked this company dba SouthWest Engines. They are crooks and I am willing to contact every newsmedia if anyone wants to join me in a class action suit or has any ideas on what we can do please contact me .

Shame on you.I purchased an engine from this company operating under another name at the time of the sale back in June 2014. (they have changed their name several times) I actually called my credit card before the purchase to check for any red flags from this company. They said they didn't have any info, but was told should I have any problems with merchandise and or services not as described, please file a dispute. Well I paid $1900 for the engine and over $1000 to have the engine installed. It took a while to buy all the accessories for the engine, but I purchased a 3 year warranty so no worries right? Wrong, my mechanic finally assembled all parts on engine noting that 3 broken exhaust studs were in the delivered engine block that took a professional mechanic all day to remove. They cranked the engine with ZERO oil pressure as a result! Then tried again with a mechanical gauge to rule out the electric sender. Still ZERO. I called the warranty manager and he agreed to cover the replacement of the oil pump ($500 with labor). My mechanic faxed the manager the invoice and proceeded with the install. Just a note, I was never compensated for that repair. My mechanic started the engine and it had good oil pressure now, but now has multi-misfire. Now nearly out of money for this project I decided to take it to another mechanic for a second opinion. After bringing him up to speed, he ran a complete check on engine. Coils and injectors were perfect. Compression on #2 and #7 cylinders were low. He said it was valve train related and NOT a head gasket. This includes cam, lifters, pushrods and head valve assembly. it would cost $1100 for labor alone to tear down the engine. Parts and machining will be at least another $1000. The manager asked for invoices. He asked if I wanted to return or repair the engine. This company doesn't cover labor to pull and ship the engine back or to reinstall it when they send a replacement not to mention all the labor removing accessories. I didn't want another engine with a whole new set of problems. I asked for repair credit in the amount of the engine. They have't returned my calls or emails since. I gave them 10 days to respond. They have till tomorrow Friday Nov.7 2014. If I don't have a credit refund by then I will be filing with my attorney, BBB, my credit card, every review site I can find, local news fraud alerts, YouTube Review Channels and will be producing a documentary about internet fraud/ bait and switch engine sales shops. I agree with the opinion of many others that this company is a bait and switch company. They advertise that they check every engine for oil pressure and compression. Both of these inspections were not performed on the engine they delivered to my mechanic, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this review. Please do your research before you purchase from this company or else you might be out 1000s of dollars like me!

Please anyone that got scammed by this company call SOUTHWEST ENGINES attorney, this is how I got my money back. Believe me I stayed up many a nights and this took about 3 months before I got my money refunded. I was determined and got in touch with CNN, news company, media, BBB, Attorney General...but when I threated to go on CNN and invited Southwest Engines and their attorney to join me on satellite that is when I got heads to turn. This company that goes by many names should have been out of business a long time ago. I believe that someone is paying someone off to stay in business...this is my personal opinion. Why would the Attorney General allow this company that rips people off and has so many complaints to still operate a business? A company that HAS TO CHANGE NAMES TO STAY IN BUSINESS. Just because I got my money back does not mean I will go away. I want to see this scam artist out of business and pay back all the money that they took from innocent people. Please contact me for more information @ mhu@bellsouth.net . God Bless you all and together let's get this company out of business!

I'm finding out now that pretty much they do the ole shell game when you call for warranty and customer service sucks but then again that's why we have attorneys so they can make the big bucks but at the end of the day all of these ### do is change the name of the company and start all over. I suggest we all find a central location to bring all of the tranny's and engines to then load them all on a dump trunk and drive them to their headquarters but then again their headquarters has an address of one of those rent an office/conference room. It's my fault for not doing do diligence before ordering from these ### buckets. That's ok I'm going to be up in their neck of the woods soon so I guess I'll make a personal appearance and of course drop the tranny on someones desk...as for the attorney generals doing anything it will take an act of congress to get them off of their butts too especially with all of the bureaucratic red tape...my guess is as always these people will be able to continue to screw the consumer until it's time to hide behind their shell company and start all over again...2005 Mercedes Benz S500 Tranny $1, 775 DEAD! Only had it 5 months...

We also bought a transmission from Southwest Transmission in Tulsa Ok. They sent us a defective transmission that they knew wasn't any good and refused to honor the warranty.They lied and said it was the mechanics fault because he didn't install it properly.We spent 720 dollars on the transmission and 400 dollars to have it installed. This company is being ran by a bunch of lying, rude thieves. We called them repeatedly and couldn't get anything but the run around and more lies.We never received any documentation with the engine or any instructions about the warranty. This kind of fraud needs to be investigated and we intend to file complaints with every available agency! These cut throat b@stards should be tarred and feathered and run out of town. Southwest Tran.refused to send me another transmission or give us back our money. AVOID THIS COMPANY'S SCAMS! THEY ARE JUST A BUNCH OF RIP OFF ARTISTS WHO OR OUT TO TAKE YOUR MONEY.

did not read comment board wish i had would never buy from again. said low miles 75000 miles got a 92000 miles on motor from sommers auto salt lake city ut.. auto. i called them they said they did not know you were looking for a lo mile motor but this one has 92000 on it not there warehouse. said tested/ took 12 inch cheater bar to get out spark plugs and oil pump cracked changed every gasket and seal had too put in oil pump we own a 12 person shop per warranty we spent 2100 dollars for motor and trans. trans no rev or low. from pick a part turner or 97392 says we have to farm out for service only got about 150 miles and only 60 days if we had sent back right away i was not going to pay shipping and stocking fee not are problem they lied .if the motor / trans had 75000 miles on would not have had problems they would have been less work .

Engine and transmission world sold me an engine clamming it only had 13 thousand miles when the engine arrived my certified mechanic looked the engine over and said it had more than 100 thousand miles and was pretty much junk. sent the motor back first they said they had not received it when i emailed the signed in good order receipt they said my money would be refunded. called again after 6 days and was told it was refunded that day. have waited another week still know refund. now i cannot get anyone to answer or return my calls

$3030 for eng they never sent and cannot get contact with.. scam

I really wish I had read these complaints before I gave these shysters my credit card. I purchased a " grade a1 transmission " for a 2002 forester. It was advertised as having around 65k miles on it for 1130$. They shipped it out and it arrived at my mechanics shop within a week. I was working out of town when it arrived but my wife called and said that the mechanics would not install it for a variety of faults. It showed up, as another person mentioned, on its side on a broken pallet. The neutral switch was bent as if the tranny was dropped on its side. Oil cooler pipe was bent badly, dipstick tube was bent so that the dipstick was stuck in side. Oil pan looked like someone drove over a large round rock at least once and the pan was sealed with a nasty permatex job I guess because it was too warped for a gasket. And the worst of all is that some genius cut the wire harness with a large cable cutter nice and tidy right at the body of the tranny so the pan would have to be removed and all the wires replaced. I called the warranty dept. and was sent an email link to file a claim which I did including the issues in writing and photos. I hear nothing from the company but a shipper calls me a few days after to tell me they will pick up the tranny in a few days. In the meantime my mechanics are pulling this thing out of their shop and putting it back every day for about a week(bless their hearts) until the shipper showed up. In the shippers email he specified that the unit was securely attached to the pallet( which again was broken), so I brought an impact driver and some screws to the shop and repaired the pallet and put a bunch of screws in the straps,

It has now been 3 weeks since the unit shipped and Iv'e called the warranty department at least 3 times. The sevice rep has told me on those occasions that when the unit is confirmed received in the shop they will issue a refund. I have at least as many calls into the aforementioned Dale Jones without any response. When I read the first submission on this thread and saw how many different agencies this poor guy has contacted I could have cried. If only I had known. I would wonder how this company is still in business but I'm pretty sure it's simply because they're making so much money and doing so much volume that they don't care if a percentage of their product is crap. They use their testimonials to suck you in and since it's all online you're powerless to do anything about it. Sure wish I wasn't 12 states away. Stay away from these people.