ComplaintsforAFE Power

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2017, I purchased a Cold Air Intake system from AFE Power at a ******************* OFF ROAD Convention Expo. The event was called *************** OffRoad Expo. I purchased this from the venders of AFE. When I purchased it I was not made aware by the business that this particular Intake filter for my vehicle (2016 ****** Tundra TRDPro) was not California emissions legal. Without that information being revealed to me, I purchased this part directly from them and had it installed in my vehicle. I DID NOT keep my original intake system because I was never going to use it. Well, this year 2024, is the very first year that my truck needs to get a CA Emissions test, previous years I never had to do it as the vehicle was purchased brand new. However, the Smog Check shop informed me that the vehicle would not pass with the AfterMarket Intake as it is illegal and not CA approved. I contacted AFE and *******************, the supervisor, informed me that they could not do anything about it because there is a fineprint disclaimer on their website about these systems not being CA legal. I reminded her that I purchased this part in person and not online and I was not provided any information about it not being legal. She refused to help me and she said there's nothing they can do. I feel that as a legitimate business they have a duty to let their customers know that their products are not CA legal. How is that even possible for them to do. Shouldn't that be against the law to even sell CA illegal parts to CA residents? Unfortunately now I cant get my vehicle smogged without first having to replace the intake system with original parts which will cost me a lot of money to do so. Had they made it clear I would at the very least have kept my original parts for when the CA emissions smog were to be due. To be honest had I known it was not CA approved I would have avoided a $400+ expense entirely.

  Business response

  08/14/2024

  The customer stated he purchased the intake system from an expo that we attended in 2017. The disclaimer that the customer references is listed on our website, however, I advised him that the disclaimer is also printed in our manual/instructions guide that is included in the box for all items that do not hold a CARB exemption. We make every attempt to let CA residence know that certain items do not hold an exemption. I've attached the file for your review. Page 2 advises the customer to keep their stock parts for future use and page 3 mentions the disclaimer. Had he wanted to return this within the return policy he could've, and we would've provided a full refund. It is now 8 years after the purchase took place and we can no longer refund as the item has been installed and is outside the 30 days for return. Full details of our return policy are listed on our website, under FAQs.

  I did empathize with the customer and for the inconvenience we did offer the customer a replacement filter and a cleaning kit for the inconvenience. He denied it as he stated he will no longer purchase from us. Please let me know if you need additional information. 

  Customer response

  08/14/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  No disclaimer or any verbal notification about what she claims was given to me at the time of purchase. 

  Business response

  08/15/2024

  The guidelines for the California ****************** are printed in the instructions guide, which you can find attached. On page 2, we advise to keep the stock parts and on page 3, we list the non-exemption for **********. We are based in ********** and sell throughout the ** and to other countries. We put this disclaimer in multiple locations for our customers to be aware of California guidelines.

  Had the customer read this portion of the instruction guide and decided he did not want the item we could've returned the item for a full refund within the timeline of our return policy. This item was purchased 8 years ago, it is well beyond our scope of refunding.

  Our website states that all products that have been installed and are over the 30-day return period are non-refundable.

  afepower.com/terms-and-conditions

  NON-RETURNABLE ITEMS
  Products not purchased directly from aFe POWER (online or by phone)
  Products that have been installed, tampered with, or modified
  Custom Build Your Own Filters
  Apparel
  Products past 30 days of the delivery date
  Any non-defective electronics that have been installed
  For parts used on "race" vehicles
  All items labeled Closeout, Overstock, or Extra Savings

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Passenger side header leaks. Eight shops have looked at it. Continues to leak. No resolution offered by afe. Zero communication or offer to help.

  Business response

  04/08/2024

  Hello, 

  We have been in contact with Mr. ********************** Our VP of Exhaust Products has been in contact with the customer and offered to replace the system. The customer expressed his appreciation for us reaching out in a timelier manner and overall is satisfied that we have a resolution. 

  We have advised that these are being produced and we are currently scheduled to have these ready to ship within 2 weeks. 

  Best regards, 

  ************** 

  Customer response

  04/09/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

• Initial Complaint

  04/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I ordered a set of shorty headers for my 2020 ram 1500 12/19/2023 and didnt receive them until 2/1/2024 when I received them they were defective they leak in multiple places, so I contacted Afe power about the warranty and they asked for proof and I sent them multiple pictures and videos and they come to the same conclusion as me and the shop that they are in deed defective, so therefore ************************** Lead Technical Support Specialist said he put a ticket in for them to be made on February 26 and time went by and on march the 11th I asked for an update and he said they were working on one side and should ship the following week I didnt hear anything back I messaged on march the 19th for an update and he said he will advise and its now April the 3rd and I have not heard anything back or received the replacements, and all I want is for the lies to stop and my truck to be fixed I have been very understanding and its to the point where I feel I need to take further action.

  Business response

  04/05/2024

  Hello, 

  The replacement order was created back on February 23rd for the replacement part however we had some manufacturing issues, and this caused some delays on production. We do take responsibility for not being more transparent with the time frame. Our sales manager, **** ************** has spoken to ****************** over the phone and communicated the rework/redesign on the part that is needed. We are currently scheduled to have the part completed, inspected, and ready to ship by April 12th. 

  We will actively keep up with the production and make sure we hit the current timeline. 

  Regards, 

  *******************

  Customer Service Manager

• Initial Complaint

  09/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I spoke with a person named "****" @ ************************************ via telephone after being requesting a specific RAM TRX CAI intake tube+components without air filters. **** informed me that the only way was to purchase the tube itself without the filters was a special order and it would take more time to ship. I informed him i would pay the $161 instead of the full price of product with filters as i had already purchased filters from *** couple of months ago #*********. So after speaking with ****, i said yes to ordering intake separately from filters and i would agreed to pay $175 total. Order #SO768037. The order arrived without the clamps/silicon fitments/etc. that is required to actually USE THE INTAKE TUBE! I emailed **** 09/29 and he indicated he said that he told me this was the case and provided a new quote for $128 more to get those additional components in order for this Intake to be complete. This indicates BOTH quotes are ~similar to the price for the entire kit that i told him in the first place that was unnecessary as i already have the Filters. I need to speak with someone from *** who can discuss this issue with me instead of this person **** who keeps being dishonest or just not intelligent enough about customer communication to prevent this issue to go any farther and issue the remaining parts needed at a logical discount or full refund including shipping with prepaid return label. I enjoy the *** product line, just not enjoying the customer service issues and blatant ignorance of the back office taking orders. i wish to end this issue with both sides in good standing.

  Business response

  10/02/2023

  Hello, 
  
  After reviewing all of the information I do agree that we handled this sale incorrectly. To resolve this matter, I would like to offer the customer the necessary hardware needed to complete his installation of the tube at no additional costs. 

  Please follow-up with urgency so that we can close this out as quickly as possible. 

  Best regards, 

  ************** 

  Customer response

  10/02/2023

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Please reach out to me at *************** to resolve and i appreciate your time and support.

   

  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Seller selling item not in stock

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Unfortunately there are times when we receive a spike in demand for the products we manufacture, and there can be a delay in shipping until we can build more. We state this on every page of the website at the header. Upon receiving the order, we immediately communicated the timeframe needed to have the product available, with the option of keeping the order, or helping with a cancellation and voiding the payment. Customer optioned to cancel, and his affirm loan was voided the same day 8/2 and never captured. Constant communication of the status was given to this customer, and we understand the frustration when a product is backordered. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a coupe parts for my build which totaled over $2K. The catback exhaust I had professionally installed did not align well at the exhaust tips. Looked nothing like their advertisement on the exhaust. I emailed their support team within 24 hrs of the exhaust being installed. After waiting several weeks, I called and emailed until I was finally informed they were waiting on new tips to be approved to be sent out. This was almost 2-months ago and I have been ghosted on all of my communication attempts. It's a real shame as I was excited to use aFe products for my build but it seems once the check clears, I am no longer important.

  Business response

  01/13/2023

  Unfortunately the support ticket that was created was accidently closed, and the customer did have to reach back out to us. There is a way to adjust the exhaust tips to better align them, and the customer has been contacted by our Director of Exhaust to help with that. We have done a fresh install, taken pictures and are shooting a video to help with the information needed to align the tips for a perfect installation. We apologize for the lack of communication, and are better reviewing our internal processes to ensure this will not happen in the future. 

  Customer response

  01/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 18****55, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Ordered an intake that wasn't listed as out of stock. Contact customer support because its almost been a month and no updates on my order. Customer support gets back to me 2 weeks later saying the part is on backorder and will be another 9 weeks till it will be in stock. Very shady business practice and practically no customer support. Some of their "guaranteed horsepower claims" seem to also be a scam as third party testers have found an actual horsepower decrease on some intakes as well as for the high sticker price the materials are insanely cheap.

  Business response

  01/05/2023

  Hello, 

  
  

  We apologize for any inconvenience in the experience you had with aFe Power. It is not a business practice to list stock on our website as our stock is based on demands and some items are built to order. I do apologize for the delay in our communication. With our closures in observance of the holidays around this time of year we did receive an influx of inquiries and orders that caused a delay in our response time. 

  
  

  Since our communication of the back order was sent out we have not received any word that you would like to cancel, until this complaint. I have processed the refund for the full amount. Depending on your banking institute please allow 3-5 business days for your funds to be available. 

  
  

  Should you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. 

  
  

  Kind regards, 

  ***** C. 

  Customer response

  01/06/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 18****95, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Faulty connector on intake system detected by BMW tech after spending over $3500 replacing parts left and right to the then discoverer it was the cheap quality MAF extension connector that was causing a CEL to come on. This started happening after last Winter. Obviously, electrical bits provided with the intake doesn’t do well with cold temps. When contacted AFE by phone to give all the information needed for support request. Someone then emailed me accusing me of filling out the wrong information when really it was the agent on the phone that mixed two files together…Anyhow, Michael who is really quick at blaming others has been wasting my time for a week instead of providing real support and mail out a $5 connector. I will remove this problematic product from my vehicle and will never buy again from AFE which does not stand behind their products and rather be rude to people who pay money to them.

  Business response

  10/14/2022

  Hello ***, 

  
  

  Thank you for taking the time to speak with me regarding your experience with us on October 13th with our tech support representative.

  
  

  On behalf of aFe Power, I would like to personally apologize for your inconvenience.

  
  

  We value our customers and I assure you that we will take the necessary steps to re-train our team on how to handle inquiries, such as yours to avoid future issues. 

  
  

  
  

  Kind regards,

  ***** ****

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased the AFE cold air intake as a Christmas present for my son. After the holidays we had it professionally installed. Since then the truck has a hard vibration when under a load going uphill or when accelerating. I have been trying to get AFE support since 2/7/22. On 2/24 I finally received an e-mail response asking me additional questions. I answered the question and have sent additional emails and have yet to receive a response.

  Business response

  03/22/2022

  Hello ******,

  Please review the following timeline pertaining to the case ID listed.

  Order received by us on 12/10/2021.

  Order shipped on the same day and delivered by 12/18 per tracking number: *********614

  https://www.fedex.com/fedextrack/?trknbr=*********614&trkqual=12022~*********614~FDEG

  The customer opened an inquiry on 02/07/22, per our return policy (https://afepower.com/contact) products older than 30 days from invoice date are Non-returnable, due to the state of the world and the new reality of shipping and material delays we extended our return policy to reflect 30 days after delivery of products. At the time that his concern was submitted, this was well beyond even our extended return allotment.

  Unfortunately, I am unsure as to why one of our team members didn’t get to his initial response until February 24^th, even with staffing concerns and a COVID outbreak I’ll admit this is a long turnaround. From February 24^th up until March 18^th we communicated warranty replacement options for him and he dismissed our attempts to help him. He started requesting a return which we explained our return policy and started to escalate the matter and made threats to take us to the BBB.

  I replied to him one last time on the 18^th of March that we couldn’t approve the return. He replied with threats.

  Due to his threat I decided to take it further for him and escalate (thoroughly investigate his concerns and the time frame it took for us to answer any inquiries) to see if there was anything at all we could do for him since we did drop the ball in our response time. I advised him to allow me sufficient time to further assist and as of Saturday 03/19, he has unsubscribed to our communications. See Below.

   

   

   

  Best regards,

   

  ***** ****

  Consumer Services Supervisor

  

   

  advanced FLOW engineering, inc.

   

  Business response

  03/23/2022

  This has been resolved already, even with us going against our policy which is stated clearly on our website. Hopefully we can close this out and move forward. 

  Customer response

  03/26/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 168**968, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  AFE has offered to accept a return. Unfortunately shipping cost is $100 to ship it back. By the time I pay for installation and removal due to poor performance, then another $100 in shipping, I’m not really getting a refund. I will have to keep it.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩