I bought a G-force ecu from Russell94TT for $550.00 last year. He was selling it in www.thepartstrader.com. So I called him, and asked why he's selling the unit and he said the ecu is not for his car (non-cali) and he's getting a PFC. Since he got jacked by buying the useless G-force ecu from the guy here in Cali. and he wants to get his money back. So, I bought the unit.

When the ecu came, stupid of me, I didn't try and install the unit if it'll work since I trusted his word that the ecu will work. During that time I was still collecting as much aftermarket parts as I could in able for my friend to install all of them at one time.

He installed the parts two weeks ago and when the time comes when all the parts are in and time for the engine to start. Results? No spark... BTW my friend used to work at Mazdatrix and he knows what he's doing. Anyhow, he diagnosed where the problem is coming from and the last thing he doubted was the ecu. He replaced it with the stock unit and it started right away. He did it one more time and the same thing happened. So we know that the ecu is piece of sh*t.

Since G-force closed long time ago, there's no way I can get help so I called Pettit Racing and talked to Jeff and told him about the ecu problem. He said even if the ecu is wrong it should start in anyway and if there is no spark, then it's a bad ecu in the beggining.

I guess I'm f**ked, because this guy is hiding from me. I made a deal for him, he pays me half back and we're even. That simple. I'm actually giving him a favor and I should get all of my money back. I know he loss money and got it back, but how about me.

Guys watch your back on this guy. I know this is between me and him but I got to warn you guys before you'll get f**ked. So Russell94TT, let's settle this and move on.

robert.

 

That's exactly why I never buy used parts anymore online. I got screwed over so many times and I just wanted a stock air box.
The first time I purchased one (off of this forum), I got some kind of funky Honda air box. I emailed the guy and told him, and he replied saying that he would send me back a refund and to not worry about sending it back. A month later I didn't receive the refund, and he didn't reply to my emails, so I filed a complaint with paypal, but they sent me something back stating that they couldn't give me my money back because they weren't responsible for the attributes of the product.
The second time I purchased one (again, off of this forum), I had a part missing from the air box, but luckily, the guy was an excellent seller and gave me my money back.
The third time I purchased one (off of this forum -- from someone reputible), it was in excellent condition. It was the right part!
I would very much recommend buying from someone that you know, otherwise there is a good chance that you will get screwed over. Lucky for me, I only lost $50. Sorry about your loss, 93blackr1.

 

I know Mister7, $550 is not something you just forget. These people that is getting pleasure doing this are not worth it to live. Plain and simple.

 

holy crap what the hell is going on...
every one is getting jacked.. this is the 4th post about getting ripped off this week

 

You got that right Mld>7...From now on, I rather spend my money wisely even if the price is way up and sure there will be no regrets. So for all you guys, don't buy from people you don't personally know. May be you'll save up some cash by buying from private individuals but the problem is not worth it when you don't get what you pay for. I suggest save some good amount of money and spend it and live in peace and you can sleep better as well.

 

I personally wouldn't buy something that cost more than $50 from someone that I don't know or having been on the forum for long. Once in a while, I see someone w/ 5 posts selling a $500+ part. Gotta wonder... If they are rotary enthusiast, I would think they are on this forum for a while. Also, check their old posting to see if anyone said anything bad about the seller.

 

When I swapped out my 14.5 pettit chip for my unlimited chip I was dumb and put it in backwards, it would crank but no spark. When I realized my mistake and turned the chip around it worked. I might suggest making sure the chip is in the right way, there is a little divot half-round cutout on the chip and a duplicate divot on the housing on the board

 

I know a whole lot of people not on the Forum due to the immaturity level of some members, who knows, maybe someone with low posts frequents the biglist and doesn't want to spam everyone on there.

 

alaskan7, I'll pass but thanks anyway.

 

You know ... Paypal sucks ***. It's convenient, but when there's a dispute they seem to make up rules. I actually got robbed of over $700 by Paypal because the recipient of something decided to say 4 months later that they never got the thing ... but somehow Paypal bent their rules (like the complaint filing policy) and basically bullshat me. Oh ... and here's a surprise (NOT!) -- it was dealing with a car person.

I'm sorry about your loss, I just had to get that off of my chest. I guess the best you can do is use it as a $550 paperweight, or perhaps a wheelstop.

 

IT DOES suck getting ripped off on line. Luckely, it hasn't happened to me....yet

There ARE several rules I go by, though. One being popularity of the person you are buying from. I'm not being stuck up or anything , but everyone here knows I'm good for everything, and if I ever sell something, it is always what I said it was and in the condition I said it was. Another rule is to NEVER buy a piece of used electronic equipement. There is a reason why special order electronics are sometimes not returnable at autoparts stores, and that is simply because they can easily get fried.

I've never had any experience with this, but can't any electronics shop take a look at it? At least one being in the automotive field? Diagnosis i usually in the area of $50, and if it costs between that up to $150, it may be worth fixing if it is repairable.

Either way, I hope something good comes out of this for ya.

 

Thanks guys for the support.

Flybye, I think I'll consider that and see if it's fixable. I don't really want to spend any more money on it but if it is repairable, why not. The question is, who will take a look at it and what is the guarantee if it's fixable? Anybody in So. Cal? Thanks again.

 

G-Force is not closed. I talked to them recently. Do a search for them on Altavista. If you open up the ECU and give me some of the #'s I can tell you if it really is a G-Force Chip inside. I have one and made sure it was legit when I got it. All the #"s matched the ones that G-Force gave me.

 

OK, neverming hehe. They have shut down. Anyway....if you open up the box and give me some #'s I can tell you if it really was a G-Force chip. Then maybe you can pick up a Stock Unit and just transfer the chips. That would be the best thing to do. A stocker usually sells for $100. The chips just pop right off and can be transfered.

 

Well, Flybye, mostly we trust you cuz we know where you live!

 

Sorry about the big $$$ loss man. Losing a penny is still a loss in my book if you wanted something in return that you'd expected to see. You're right about buying used items online, it's pretty risky. I took a chance and bought a used R1 spoiler for $100 plus S & H, total= $150 thru the Partstrader.com site. The guy said it was in mint condition, it came to me as said "Mint Condition". I called him up and thank the guy. Very good transaction. Now not all people are truthful, there's some shady people out there scamming for your hard earned $$$, but there are good people also that are selling it for their loss and your gain. Do some homework like everyone else said and get all their info.

 

badass7,

I'll post it when I get a chance to open it. Thanks.

 

tlmuas, I know not all of them (private seller) are bad, of course I always give every single person a benefit of a doubt and I always give chances (depends). I just learned that I just have to be careful next time.

 

Never ever buy something off the web from someone you don,t know
that also applies in everyday life.
It'S just common sense.

I don,t even understand the girl who bought me 4 concert tickets over the web... sending me money and then wishing I'll just send her the tickets, that's dumb. Luckily for her, I'm honnest.

All these horror stories on the web, it get disapointing

 

93blackr1,

Your new ECU is on the way.

I may have just been lucky but I have spent thousands on this forum. I've got full suspension, HKS Ti exhaust, rotor housings, and a complete TO4e turbo kit and that's just a sample. All my new stuff I get from Jason or Mike at the store.

I do try and talk to the guy on the phone (good Number), and look at post count. I do get where they got the part from and call the vendor if the deal sounds too good, found out a fake one time.

If I'm selling I try and talk to the buyer and ship ASAP. I know how I feel about waiting for a part.

Later, Jeff

 

93blackr1,

I am sympathetic to your plight, but it is possible that the seller thought it was a good ECU and sold it to you. It has been a long time since you bought it, so I am not sure how much responsibility he has for it not working. Surely, he could have known it was bad and sold it, but that is not necessarily what happened. If I sold something I thought was good and the buyer contacted me a year later and said it was bad, I would have to question whether it was bad when I sent it or if they buyer damaged it somehow. It doesn't sound like you have done anything to damage it, but how would the seller know? I think your offer to split the loss is somewhat reasonable, but would you want to be liable for a part you sold a year ago?

I am not trying to flame you or be a jerk, but I think there is some limit to a seller's responsibility, and you might just have learned an expensive lesson. The lesson is: to the extent possible, verify the operation of a part you buy as soon as you can so that you have some reasonable recourse if it doesn't work.

I would definitely open it up and verify the chip orientation (perhaps it is reversed or came loose in shipping). Also, if you find that it isn't a G-force chip, you could be more sure of the malice of the seller. Ideally, you can just reseat the chip and it works, or get a stock ECU to transfer the chip (and socketed daughter-board?) to.

I've had pretty good luck buying and selling parts on the internet. It is nice to buy and sell with people who are well known and have a reputation to protect in the community, but I have also bought and sold with unknowns and never been burned. I did almost buy a set of stock turbos from someone (name: Sae) on ThePartsTrader, but I insisted on using an escrow service and when I called him a few weeks later to find out what the delay was, he said that the turbos got smashed under a car (total BS, I'm sure). That was the closest I've come to being ripped off. I guess I've been pretty lucky overall.

-Max

 

JeffShoots,

I can't wait for it. We just drained the radiatior and engine block with 100% Sierra coolant last night and refill with Evans NPG+ coolant. Basically, I'm just waiting for the unit and I'll post some results when it is done and some sounds on the Greddy TR-Evolution full race exhaust, sounds really good. BTW, I bet you can't wait for the AEM EMS. I'll get that when I move to single turbo set-up like you. Thanks again.

Max,

I just have to be careful next time. Anyhow, I'll open the (G-force) computer and verify the numbers on it. I'm not sure which side to open and which chip to look for. Thanks.

Robert.

 

Have any of you ever used escrow.com? It takes a little longer to get your stuff and you have to pay them a fee, but if you don't get what the seller claims you send it back and they return your money.

 

That sucks! Hope things work out for you. Altho electronic items can be tricky, I pretty much decided to keep my PFC for this reason. The only way I wld suggest buying an electronic piece is if you can examine it in person on their vehicle OR if you know the person to be trust worthy i.e. maybe you met him in person at a show or meet. Hopefully it will be as simple as switching a chip to get it goin.
Gdluck!

 

ive been ripped off by a guy when i was trying to buy some computer equipment over the net. i never received the parts, however, the seller said he sent them. I sent a complaint to paypal and received my entire payment back within a week. So, no complaints about paypal from me!