Complaint Review: James Cheng FreedomC.com - Chino California

The Short Story (see long version below):

I bought a wheelchair carrier from James Cheng at wheelswheel.com, freedomc.com, ebay seller: yong1817, Yahoo ID gr18787.  The Electric Lift they sent me was rated for 400lbs but is very flimsy and bent under the weight of my 300lb wheelchair after driving the chair onto it just twice.  James also sent me the wrong wench and refused to replace it, making the electric lift virtually unusable.  He also refused to exchange or refund the cost of the defective lift.  He later changed his website to say 'no refunds' but I have a picture of how it originally looked before he covered his tracks.  This was blatant false advertising because this lift cannot hold a 300lb chair let alone the 400lbs it's supposedly rated for.  There are also poor construction issues throughout, such as, locking pins that don't fit and holes that don't line up.  All and all, this electric lift is unusable, unsafe and I feel like James took advantage of me and ripped me off.  I told him the weight of my chair beforehand and insisted the TT07C could handle it.  But his electric lift is poorly constructed out of cheap materials.  

>>His answer when he heard the lift was bending - "just don't use it."  
>>His answer when he realized he sent me the wrong wench - "it's no big deal"

James could care less that I'm out $350 and doesn't seem the least bit concerned that his negligence has left me with no way to use my wheelchair.  As a result, I had to cancel an important trip later this month because I have no way to get there with my wheelchair.  All this has caused undue stress that has detrimentally affected my health; that's the simple reality of my condition and James' actions.  One of the last things he said to me was 'I can't lose money on this!'  But apparently it's ok for a disabled customer on a fixed income to lose money, right James?  I'm so glad your profit margin was left intact at the expense of my health and wellbeing.  I can't vouch for how James treats other people, but for my experience, he doesn't seem to take much pride in his work, nor is he an honorable man, at least not judging by his customer service with me.  

Bottom line - think twice before buying an Electric Scooter Lift from James Cheng.  You might be better off buying something of better quality from a more reputable seller.  You get what you pay for.   

Here's a video link showing one of the problems this report discusses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bIIEyQH18k  

And here's a link to 4 pictures:  1) shows the wrong wench James sent, 2) shows the bent lift platform, 3) shows his original website listing, 4) shows how he changed his website after refusing to give me a refund or exchange.  Here's the link:  http://picasaweb.google.com/Electric.Lift.TT07

And here's a list of the models they sell:

Electric Lift 350 TT07
Electric Lift 400  TT-07
Electric Lift 350 M07-TT07
ELECTRIC LIFT  TT07C
ELECTRIC LIFT  TT07E
Swing-Away Electric Lift-400 TT07D
Swing-Away Electric Lift-350 TT07D-M07D
Swing-Away Electric-Lift TT07G


The Long Story:

I was looking for a car mounted scooter carrier for my electric wheelchair so I could put my wheelchair on it for transport and increase my mobility options.  I did a lot of investigating and found a company on ebay that also happened to be local.  The prices were good too - about half what everyone else charges.  Well, now I know why.

During many back and forth email and phone conversations with James Cheng, I explained to him that my electric wheelchair is heavy duty and much more substantial than the average power chair.  I email him detailed specs and specifically told him the dimensions of my chair and that it weighed 300lbs.  I got the impression James never read any of the materials I sent him, and initially, there were several models I was considering.  But I wanted James to look over my chair's specs and suggest the best one.  James seemed to think they'd all work fine; it was just a matter of my own personal preference.  But the more we talked, and the more questions I asked, James changed his mind and recommended I buy his Electric Lift model TT07C.  I wondered why it took him so long to come to that conclusion given we'd been talking for about a month at this point.  I was trying to save enough money and James didn't always respond to my emails so the whole process took a long time.  I figured maybe he wasn't paying attention at first and I felt lucky that he finally recommended the right model for me.  But he's also Chinese and speaks broken English so there were some translation issues too.  He didn't always seem to grasp what I was saying.  This is a statement of fact, not a judgment.

James said Electric Lift model TT07C was discontinued and on clearance so the price was even better than what I originally intended to spend on ebay.  Being on a limited budget, this was very appealing.  The lift platform was wider than James' standard model and he convinced me this was better for me and my heavy duty electric wheelchair.  He kept saying "Nobody wants this model."  Boy, I sure feel stupid for not wondering why nobody wants it.  But James kept insisting it was the best one for me and even talked me out of buying a newer model.  He seemed like a nice guy so I trusted his word - apparently this was a big mistake.

I worked out the payment details with James and sent him a money order for the TT07C.  At first, I wanted to go pick it up and save on shipping but it was a lot farther away than I originally thought.  It's hard for me to get around because I'm disabled, which was the whole point behind buying the electric wheelchair carrier to begin with.  But James convinced me to just ship the TT07C directly to me.  Everything sounded good and James seemed like a nice man who was willing to take care of his customers.  But all that was about to change once James got his money from me.

When the lift arrived, I had a friend unpack it for me and he noticed the mesh metal on the bottom was easily bending just by touch alone as he removed it from the box.  This was immediately a concern since it had to support a 300lb heavy duty electric wheelchair.  Well, we put the lift platform on the ground and my friend wheeled my electric wheelchair onto the platform - he wasn't sitting in it, he just used the joystick to angle it onto the lift.  Well, as suspected, the lift platform was very flimsy and visibly bent and buckled under the weight of my chair.    

Again, here's a youtube video line shoeing the problem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bIIEyQH18k

And the link to the 4 pictures:   
http://picasaweb.google.com/Electric.Lift.TT07

Both my friend and I thought this bending was very dangerous, particularly if I'm driving with my wheelchair on the platform and I hit bumps or potholes.  The added torque of my wheelchair bouncing on this flimsy platform is an accident waiting to happen.  My electric wheelchair could easily break through the mesh, or even fall off the carrier and cause an accident or kill someone.  It clearly isn't safe and it clearly can't support the weight of my chair.

I emailed James about the problem within 24hrs of the lift being delivered.  He emailed back and said not to worry, that if I don't think it's safe, then don't use it.  Then he wanted me to email him pictures so he could show the people at his warehouse.  I thought this was odd since James told me several times he was the only person who worked in his warehouse.  So who was he going to show the pictures to - himself??  And then his email went on to say that since the lift was on clearance, there was no refunds or exchanges.  James made no mention of this before and neither did his website.  A couple weeks later, he changed his website to say he gave no refunds on clearance items.  But since I was looking at his lifts for over a month, I still have a copy of what his website looked like before he changed it and it said nothing about no refunds or exchanges on the product page itself.  James changed that after the fact to cover his tracks and I have the pictures to prove it. (see the links above and at the end of this report)

I was very confused by James' solution to the bending problem - "Just don't use it."  What about the money I spent?  What about my mobility?  How am I supposed to transport my electric wheelchair?  What did I spend my money on anyway??  Or did James think I should just give him $350 for nothing?

For James, the solution was simple -- don't use it -- but I was out $350 with nothing to show for it and no way to travel with my electric wheelchair.

I decided to go ahead and do the youtube video since that shows the problem more clearly than pictures.   And I hoped seeing the problem would make James understand he needed to do more than just say, 'don't use it.'  I thought maybe there was a translation problem and the video would show the issue better than I could explain it.

I emailed James the youtube link and explained the carrier platform is permanently warped after only rolling my chair onto it a few times.  It hasn't even been used in a real world setting or mounted to my car and already it's bent.  Clearly this is not safe.  I explained to James in my email that the platform frame itself seemed sturdy, the problem was with the mesh metal part which would easily break with repeated bending every time my chair rolls onto it.  Or the mesh would collapse outright with my chair on it during transport.  I think more cross supports need to be welded onto the frame to support the mesh.  Or a heavier gage mesh should have been used.  In any case, James' Electric Lift is unusable as it is.

I emailed James several times about the video and he never answered me.  Finally, he got back to me and said his warehouse said it was normal.  Well, first off - what warehouse?  He keeps telling me he's a 1 man operation and then he keeps talking about the mythic warehouse people.  It's just another inconsistency that makes me question his integrity; especially when you see the facts below about who owns his websites.

So, knowing that James sees no problem and apparently doesn't care, I try to make the best of it and salvage something for my money.  My friend comes back over and tries to assemble the carrier for me.  Well, it doesn't take long before we realize the wench doesn't line up the way it should and can't be mounted to the carrier properly.  I call James to question him about it and again he says, 'no problem.'   He freely admits they sent me the wrong wench but does not offer to send a replacement.  Instead, he tells me all I have to do is rewire the wench and detach the safety guard and throw it away.  

HUH?!?!  Really James?? This is your idea of customer service?? The safety guard is there for a reason James - SAFETY!  And I'm not an electrician.  I shouldn't have to rewire the wench because you screwed up and sent me the wrong wench.

In trying to setup the carrier, my friend also notices the safety pin that is supposed to lock the carrier upright doesn't line up right with the locking pin, so there's no way to safely lock the platform when not in use.  And there are other mounting holes that don't like up either.  Between that and being sent the wrong wench, it's quickly becoming clear that this is a shoddy piece of equipment and virtually useless.  Clearly it was manufactured with zero quality control and zero care or pride.  It would seem they just slapped this thing together which just confirms my suspicion that it's not safe to use and can't hold my 300lb chair.  To call this thing a piece of junk is being far too kind.

Well, I call James again, hoping to talk some sense into him but it's pretty clear he doesn't care about his customers, at least not this customer.  At first, he has no intention of giving me a refund.  But after much arguing, he says I can send it back for a partial refund.  Why a partial refund?  Because James is a business man and can't lose money on this deal.  But it's ok for a disabled customer on a fixed income to lose money, right?  By this point, I've lost all trust in James.  He has repeatedly minimized his mistakes and cavalierly dismissed all the problems with his lift as minor; the wrong wench, the bending, the pins that don't line up.  It's all inconsequential to him.  Or maybe he just knows he has me over a barrel because I paid with a money order and don't have someone like paypal or a credit card to back me up.  In any case, my history with James made it pretty clear to me that he'd make up any excuse to not refund the money once I send the lift back to him.  His website says 45% restocking fee, and James insists he won't refund any shipping even though he sent me the wrong wench.  So at best, I'd get $100 on a refund; that is, if James even keeps his word.  And apparently a replacement wench would also cost me out of pocket to return it to him and also to get the replacement.  I figure I'd better cut my losses before I get duped for more than I already did - fool me once, shame on you fool me twice....

My only other option is to ask James if I can arrange to come by and drop off the carrier for a cash refund.  I'm hoping my friend will help me and it's the only way to trust for sure I won't get screwed over.  At this point, I couldn't trust James to be a man of his word after the way he minimized all the issues with his carrier.  An honorable business man would have reshipped the right wench to me at the very least.  Well, as expected, James made all kinds of excuses why dropping off the carrier was a bad idea.  And meeting me at a halfway point was also out of the question.  Why is it he was willing to let me pick up the carrier when I wanted to buy it, and now suddenly dropping it off was a problem??  You do the math.

In a last ditch effort, I email James and tell him if he won't work with me on a refund then I have no choice but to post this rip-off report.  He calls me within 30min of getting the email and says:  my name is James.  Go ahead and post the report -- Blatantly thumbing his nose at me and saying f@#k you, I don't care that you're out $350.  For all I know, this guy will show up on my doorstep and do something crazy, but it's important to tell the truth so other people don't make my mistake.

Bottom line -- James sold me an Electric Lift I can't use and I'm out $350.  He said it was rated for 400lbs and that it could easily hold my chair, but it bends under the weight of my chair and could probably kill someone as a result.  He sold me a piece of junk and isn't honorable enough to do the right thing.  At first I wanted an exchange for a sturdier model but I no longer trust him or his products.  James has made it very clear I'm SOL and he won't do anything but keep the money I gave him.  I'm posting this here not because I expect James to do the right thing but because I thought other people should be aware of who they're doing business with.  And since I paid with a money order, posting here is my only outlet to tell my story.  o this day, James just doesn't get all the trouble he caused.  He probably blames me for everything, which pretty much says it all about his customer service and business sense.

Sorry James, but you should have done the right thing.  I shouldn't have to waste my time writing all this, but apparently, you just don't know any better.
 

FACTS:
    
Ebay seller  yong1817    [email protected]
Yahoo ID gr18787.  


Public "Whois" data confirming website owner.  Note the same last name "Cheng."  Is "James Cheng" and "Gong Cheng" the same person?  A family relation?  Or...?  
 
freedomc.com owned by:
GONG CHENG        [email protected]
5480 PHILADELPHIA ST #C 110
CHINO,  CA  91710   US
Tel. +1.6262752579


wheelswheel.com owned by:
GONG CHENG        [email protected]
1935 SOUTH BATSON AVE. #111
ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA  91748 US
Tel. +1.6262007226


Additional business info:

FreedomC / My Freedom / WheelsWheel

Phone: 01186-791-666-3257    (626)275-2579
Email: [email protected]
Website:FreedomC.com
Cal Pac International Inc
1214 Santa Anita Ave  
S El Monte CA 91733
USA


YouTube Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bIIEyQH18k  


Picture Gallery Link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Electric.Lift.TT07


Direct Links to individual pictures:

Wench pic:  http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5ntPMD4iekv0tqpwybaeQg?feat=directlink

This picture shows how the mounting holes on control box don't line up with wench holes because they sent the wrong wench and refused to replace it.  It also shows how the electrical posts on the wench are in wrong spot and hit the mounting box. If the power is connected, this will cause a shock when you touch the box.  


Bent platform:  
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ElJIRk3b2pjti8y8DpB83g?feat=directlink

These pictures show the bent platform after rolling my electric wheelchair onto it just twice.  Imagine how much it would bend if it was mounted on my car and my chair was bouncing up and down while driving during normal use.  This is very flimsy, unsafe and could cause an accident or kill someone.


Original Website:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iGLk-Y2Be9rUVyXmrsdWoQ?feat=directlink

The listing below shows the TT07C product listing before James changed it.  Notice, it says nothing about no refunds or exchanges, same as the model above.  James changed that after the fact to cover his tracks.


Changed Website:  
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GWMdR6QuUWoeyuVbQNBAFg?feat=directlink

Here's what James' website looks like after he changed it.  Notice the top listing still looks the same but the bottom one changed. Sorry James, but I'm not that stupid. And neither are the people reading this report.