Hello.
Sorry, I couldn't find the right thread to post this in, so I posted it here. If I'm wrong, please move it or tell me where to mark it.

Heads up, rotary community. I wanted to share my recent experience with J-Spec Garage so you don't fall into the same trap. I placed an order for a RaceOnly pulley kit and belts (standard items they claim to stock or ship regularly). Everything went through, payment was cleared. Then, out of nowhere, I received an email claiming they "made a mistake" in calculating shipping from Australia. The kicker? They are demanding an extra $250.00 USD on top of the already paid order. Their excuse? "Rising oil prices." In 2026. For a small box of pulleys and belts. When I pointed out that a professional business should honor their checkout price and fix their own system errors, they basically said: "Pay up or we cancel." It seems J-Spec Garage has no problem holding customers hostage over their own incompetence. If they can't manage a simple shipping calculator or stock their items as advertised, they shouldn't be in business. Bottom line: Watch out for hidden fees. They will take your money and then demand more for "oil prices" once you're already committed.

 

JSpec notes on their page that RaceOnly orders may ship from Australia. They do NOT however mention cost differences, only delivery time impacts.

All carriers are, in fact, passing on oil surcharges on their base rates right now. Especially on international shipments.

DHL - who RaceOnly uses from Australia to US -- has a 41% rate surcharge right now.

The rate I paid for a RaceOnly shipment (from RaceOnly direct) prior to this whole Iran debacle, for an even smaller box than a pulley kit, was $115. With a 41% surcharge, you're looking at $160.

Then there are tariffs. Currently 15%. On a pulley kit, that is about $70.

That is a total of about $230... so what they are asking for makes total sense. That TRULY is what that package is going to cost to get delivered to you.

Consider yourself lucky that they use DHL which only charges a modest tariff fee of a few dollars. Other carriers charge $50 or even more just to process it.

Welcome to the real world of what even a "small package" ACTUALLY costs to get Stateside in our current political environment.

I do this **** for a living in a multi-billion dollar company, and even I can't keep it straight from one day to the next what international inbound shipments are actually going to cost to land Stateside from one day tobthe next. I sure as **** don't blame some webstore for not getting it right.

And ain't no "professional business" going to eat $250 on an order they MAYBE make $50 profit on.

Should they make it ABUNDANTLY clear that it is possible your order will come from Oz and cost a fortune to be delivered if not coming from their stateside inventory? Yeah. Of course they should.

But they gave you the opportunity to pay the balance due and, if not, offered to provide an immediate full refund. That is NOT, in any way, "holding your money hostage". They didn't threaten to keep 25% as a cancellation fee or something if you didn't pay up. And, presumably, they didnt even wait too long sitting on your money to tell you about the "mistake".

The ultimate outcome was no different than if they had just immediately cancelled your order with a simple "Sorry, out of stock" excuse. Which is probably what they should have done rather than proposing a $200 shipping charge, however realistic it may be.

Take your refund and buy from RaceOnly direct. Just don't be too surprised when it costs about the same.

 

It's not about the surcharges and all the other stuff you mentioned. I placed an order for which I paid the price stated on the website, and then, bam, I get a letter saying I have to pay extra. If this had been stated on the website upfront, I wouldn't have minded, but since these are hidden fees, it's outrageous. If this kind of behavior is normal for you, then fine, but where I live, it's unacceptable; for that kind of thing, we'd send you for a walk in the woods. Yes, I'd be much happier buying direct because there are no hidden fees; everything is listed right away when filling out the form. I chose this store because it's in the US, and delivery was expected to be easier than having to deal with it from Australia. I've ordered $15,000 worth of parts from different stores over the past two months, and this is the first bunch of clowns that has given me such a surprise. But if this is normal for you, then everything is clear.

 

Well as the owner of Jspec-Garage you're leaving out the fact that your account was also flagged for possible fraud. Your name on your email, your billing name and address (a second, different name, being in the United Kingdom) and asking to ship to yet a third name in the USA raised fraud alerts on our end. And now your profile on here says you are in the Ukraine....

You also were cursing and very rude in your emails when we simply attempted to rectify the issue. As @Sigma a pointed out, raising costs being as unpredictable as they are, we immediately contacted you within hours of your order being placed. When you became rude and belligerent, it became clear that you were likely an international scammer. You attempted to blackmail us in your emails to us and when we refused, you continued.

We've also notified raceonly about your behavior and put them on notice that you will likely attempt to scam them. Within a few hours we refunded all of your money (if it was your money to begin with) and cancelled the order.

I've been part of the rotary community for 25+ years and you're on here with 5 posts. While I appreciate your frustration with the issue, we have small margins on these items and we stock a good bit in the USA of popular colors and items.

 

Do you guys often deal with scammers ordering RX-7 parts, or is that just your go-to excuse whenever you’re confronted? How many times a year do you actually have to play detective? And while we’re at it, how many people ask you about belt sizes for FFE underdrive pulleys? Maybe you should try using your brain for once instead of spewing this nonsense. It’s none of your damn business where I’m shipping my parts or whose name is on the package. The payment went through—that’s a legally binding transaction. I’ve been using this card for five years with over $30k in purchases from US vendors, and you’re the first ones to have a 'problem.' So, what, is everyone else a moron, and you’re the only 'vigilante' in the industry? Wake up. Maybe if you focused more on actual business than on paranoid fantasies, things would be running smoothly. Don’t talk to me about 'being polite.' I was being incredibly patient considering you tried to bait-and-switch me for an extra $250. You refused to honor the transaction, so don’t expect a shred of respect from me. I’m calling you out for what you are: either incompetent or scammers. Listen up, kid: once an order is placed, your logistical failures are your problem, not the customer’s. I’ve ordered from TurboSource, Z1, CZP—the list goes on—and not one of them has ever tried to shake me down for 'extra shipping fees' after the fact. You really thought you were the smartest guys in the room, expecting me to subsidize your overhead? It’s real convenient, isn’t it? The second a customer holds you accountable, you play the 'fraud' card because you can’t handle a simple transaction. Did you even finish school? Google the definition of 'extortion.' I wasn’t blackmailing you; I was demanding you fulfill the contract you signed the moment you accepted my payment. You’re utterly delusional, and I’m making it my mission to ensure no one else in the community gets scammed by you. By the way, I’ve already notified RaceOnly about their partners. You might want to learn that in this industry, reputation is everything—and it takes exactly one person to destroy it. I don’t care how long you’ve been in business or what your 'membership' status is. I ordered from your site specifically to avoid dealing with Australian shipping, based on the price you advertised. If you have hidden fees, put them in bold letters on your landing page. It’s not rocket science. You’re nothing but glorified middlemen. I understand wanting to make a profit, but there’s a difference between business and a shakedown. Even my five-year-old son knows that when you give your word, you stick to it. I’m just trying to build my car, not play games with amateur grifters.

 

@Jonny Ketswill

@twinturbopete is a well respected and honest member of this community. And his concerns about fraud are legit. As are the costs. Go buy the parts somewhere else if you like but your accusations don't hold up.

Closing this thread. Do not continue it.

 

Sigh... Got this in a PM. What a ******* idiot...