Scathing review of RSeat products and service

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In March 2014 I purchased the RSeat RS Formula cockpit and the RS T3L triple monitor stand. I have had such a terrible time dealing with this company that I'm at a loss as to what to do next, so here is a summary of my experiences.

RSeat's special promotion at the time promised shipping on 17/03/14. It was shipped 27/03/14.

I bought them off the RSeat Australia website paying with Australian dollars, and the website makes no mention of the fact that it ships directly from Bulgaria, meaning a massive unexpected import tax on arrival. (RSeat have since put disclaimers on their website making it clear it is shipped directly from Bulgaria)

The packaging was abysmal. Absolutely terrible. The monitor stand parts were completely loose in the box with no protection. Obviously heavy metal parts in a box on a long journey led to significant chipping of the black coating and bent several critical parts. I had to improvise with panel beating skills just to get them to assemble. A monitor still doesn't sit straight on the bent edge. The cockpit box packaging consisted of one very thin layer of bubble wrap. That's it. It had only minor damage but frankly it's a miracle it was not worse. I've read several stories of badly damaged goods on arrival.

The quality control of the manufacturing was shocking. The fibreglass shell attached to the metal frame was a full 10mm offline. This meant the steering wheel stand bolt holes wouldn't physically line up so I had to file away about 5mm of fibreglass so it would fit.

The two front feet of the RS Formula cockpit were missing. It is currently being propped up by books.

The pre-drilled holes for the steering wheel didn't line up. The triangle Fanatec pattern was drilled rotated 120 degrees, so the holes only line up with the steering wheel facing away from you. Handy.

Lastly and by far the worst is the service. After emailing the list of complaints, I asked if I could be shipped the two missing feet and a free Buttkicker as compensation as it simply isn't economical to return it. They agreed. Initially I thought maybe they were interested in servicing their customers. Man was I wrong. After countless emails asking for updates on shipping, I have received three replies all promising to ship them next week. It is now December, 8 months later. 8. Months. Later. Still no sign of the missing feet and Buttkicker. No tracking. No replies. Nothing. They simply have ignored me and left me with damaged products being held up by books.

I've never had such a shocking time with a company's products and service as I have with RSeat. I really don't know what to do next. I don't really know anything about Bulgaria's consumer laws or authority. I can't return the products because shipping privately is massively expensive. And they probably wouldn't even refund my money.

I highly recommend you don't go near this company.


UPDATE:

After informing Mihail of my bad reviews and strong support in the sim-racing community, also aided by tonosity's generous support, Mihail has finally come to the party. I have been given a $300 compensation instead of the Buttkicker, and I have a tracking number for the missing front feet. Too little too late as far as I'm concerned, but at least he put it right. Thanks guys.
 
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Mate it really shouldn't matter what Bulgarias laws are as they have an Australian website therefore they are governed by Australian consumer laws. Get in contact with The ACCC and put in a complaint. If RSEAT are legitimately registered as an operating business in Australia then the ACCC will follow it up.
 
Wow, I really feel for you man, that sounds terrible and would make me so angry. Thanks for letting the community know.

You didn't by chance happen to pay with PayPal did you? If so they may be able to help you out.
 
I'll be another Aussie who will boycott their products until you get proper customer service if not compensation. Thanks for sharing such an unfortunate experience with one pretty well-known and recognisable sim racing brand. Should share your experience on other forums as well to warn others.

Just out of curiosity, how much import tax did you get charged? Is there import tax charge for overseas purchase of over $1K?
 
Cheers guys. Paypal can't help because I didn't lodge a claim until after the 3 month period was up.

I contacted ACCC but they can't help because they aren't an Australian registered company. Their website is quite deceptive in that regard.

The purchase was about $2300 which resulted in a tax bill of about $600
 
i had a rseat evo also quality left a lot to be desired sold it after a year.. would never buy anything off them again after asking for a replacement seat cover because it was made too small and exposed bare fibre glass on the seat because they couldn't be bothered to paint the whole seat past the cover edges. they wanted another 200 quids
 
i would leave a very bad review on their web site ,and would leave a new one every day until they respond
 
I have been fighting with them for 11 months to get a new red body shell for my rSeat F1, they are pathetic. They say they are shipping the replacement and nothing.

I have sent around 30 emails. If you post on there Facebook page they immediately delete the post.

They are worthless.
 
Okay...after just placing an order for such a chassis and stand this last weekend, I'm nervous. And you're right: Any post referring to this thread gets deleted or is disallowed by rseat on their Facebook page...
 
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I ordered and received one of these back in April and I have been satisfied. I have recently tried to contact them to purchase a second pedal mount so I can easily switch between two pedal sets and have not heard back yet. That was just a few days ago though.
 
Well... It's a comfort to hear something positive from someone who's made purchases through the U.S. distributor. K1LLD0z3R: Do you have a sense of where their distribution point/offices is located in the U.S.?

Regardless of country, it's a shame that their customer service and shipment standards can suck so badly. Because, otherwise, they seem to have a high-quality, innovative, well-designed product line. They certainly go on and on about all the facets of their quality (particularly, of construction) within their literature... Doesn't sound like the rubber's meeting the road. Loss of that kind of traction could easily spin them out of the sim-hardware race!
 
It's unsurprising to see others have had the same experience. I feel your pain guys.

So I had another look at their Australian website. They've added a disclaimer to make it clear it is shipped from Europe. This disclaimer didn't exist when I made the purchase. It's possible my ACCC complaint led to them being made to add this disclaimer, but who knows.

Tonosity, I don't know the deal with the US, but I'd check that it's not shipped directly from Europe. If so you may also be liable for import tax, but I don't know the US system. If your products arrive in good condition with a satisfactory manufacturing standard you'll be fine. God help you if it goes pear shaped though. Sorry to put a dampener on something that is supposed to be an exciting purchase, but you're better to know. All the best with it mate.
 
tonosity
Well... It's a comfort to hear something positive from someone who's made purchases through the U.S. distributor. K1LLD0z3R: Do you have a sense of where their distribution point/offices is located in the U.S.?
Click to expand...


Mine shipped from Bulgaria. It came quite well packaged with no damaged and delivered to my door. Which was a bit surprising as the thing weighs about a hundred pounds.

I hope it all goes well and everyone else can get their issues resolved.
 
I placed the order for the chassis on Friday, and just received an email notice of the UPS shipment, with a tracking number. (Tuesday)..so, fingers crossed!

I ordered the same 3L monitor stand a day later. Hopefully, they have the stand in-stock, as well. And that I'll receive my shipment notification for that tomorrow.

Regarding the stand: I decided against the larger 3XL stand for reasons of space. (Still deciding on the best location in the house to put the "simpit.") So, 32" monitors, max. However, I've read they're more reasonable, given high refresh rates (=> 100hz) and resolution (1080p) are, currently, more readily available in TVs 32" and under. Plus, I think three of them is enough to give sufficent screen real estate. Therefore, fidelity trumps size, when big is big enough. Of course, "big" is subjective.

So, reality check...do you disagree with any of that? Or does anyone else? BTW, which monitors did you choose?

Lastly, I'm hoping (since the stands are designed for Rseat's chassis) that the monitors can be set close up to the base unit of the steering wheel. The closer I can position the monitors to the driver, the more valid the fidelity vs. size assertion is--I think. So, anyway, how do you like the way the stand and chassis integrate?
 
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I did not buy the monitor stands. I needed mine mobile so I found some caster wheels to mount underneath and now I can move it in front of the TV to race and easily move it out of the way when I'm done. :)
 
I see. So, a single-monitor setup...sounds practical, and it likely does the job very well.

After re-reading your original post, I'm guessing you sent the stand back for a refund? If so, did they process that in a timely manner?
 
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tonosity
I see. So, a single-monitor setup...sounds practical, and it likely does the job very well.

After re-reading your original post, I'm guessing you sent the stand back for a refund? If so, did they process that in a timely manner?
Click to expand...

I ordered only the RS1 itself.
 
tonosity
Regarding the stand: I decided against the larger 3XL stand for reasons of space. (Still deciding on the best location in the house to put the "simpit.") So, 32" monitors, max. However, I've read they're more reasonable, given high refresh rates (=> 100hz) and resolution (1080p) are, currently, more readily available in TVs 32" and under. Plus, I think three of them is enough to give sufficent screen real estate. Therefore, fidelity trumps size, when big is big enough. Of course, "big" is subjective.

So, reality check...do you disagree with any of that? Or does anyone else? BTW, which monitors did you choose?
Click to expand...

Your wording is a bit confusing, but if tvs are a consideration, know that it's basically impossible to get aything above 60Hz in an lcd. Where monitors will do a native 120Hz, tvs will do software interpolation of frames which is not only useless, but detrimental, considering the lag it introduces.

I use 3 x 42" plasma tvs, but the general recommendation seems to be that 3 x 24" monitors is a good base line. 32 inch monitors? All the better I suppose.
 
Yeah, sorry. Monitors and TVs aren't synonyms, I know. Computer monitors--particularly large ones--are about twice as expensive. At least, from what I've experienced. In my studio I have four 30" Apple monitors paired up, used for another purpose. Those were expensive! But nice.

Anyway, I'll probably go with something like this: http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS32D85KTSR/ZA. I've just read that many people build their rigs with TVs.
 
Also, DVI connectivity may be a plus. Data running through a HDMI connection is heavily processed, with it's encryption functionality (to keep people from bootlegging high-def content). That, at least in principle, will slow the card to screen data rate. Anybody knowledgable about this?
 
Tonosity, The chassis and stand integration has flaws. The uprights on the stand aren't wider than the steering wheel stand, so you can only move them so close before they touch. It's close enough, but you don't have the freedom to move it right up to the back of the wheel.
 
Also, if you have any issues at all, lodge a claim with Paypal first. This will protect you. You'll get nowhere dealing with RSeat directly. That was my biggest mistake.
 
Okay...status report: I've been able to establish a connection with a representative named Mihail Gardevski (Have you had any dialog with him?). He's actually helpful and responsive! We'll see if this continues in time. I'm hoping for the best, and to be able to report good things, after all is said and done.

He assures me that the stand will allow close positioning. Do you know if you received V1 or V2 of the stand? BTW, I bought that stand because their literature states:

"RS STAND T3L V2 support screens up to 3x 32″. It’s design allow the user to place the monitors right in front of the wheel and give the perfect visibility for racing! The RS STAND T3L V2 is the perfect add on for the RS FORMULA and RS1 simulators and make your driving experience complete."

And I just found the stand's brochure, if you're interested: http://www.rseat.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/RSEAT-RS-stand-T3L-v1r-2013-2014.pdf. But it doesn't list all the important dimensions, such as the width of space between the legs. Mihail said he'd get those to me.
 
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tonosity
Okay...status report: I've been able to establish a connection with a representative named Mihail Gardevski (Have you had any dialog with him?). He's actually helpful and responsive! Or I'm being duped.
Click to expand...

When I was waiting for my order to ship I made an inquiry, he was the one who got right back to me with a tracking number.
 
Okay, good, thanks! Go Mihail!

BTW, Webbo, there are phone numbers at the bottom of the brochure. Maybe a phone call will be more effective than email? Worth a try. You need the get those books out of there, and have that chassis (that you paid so much for) complete. It's ridiculous they haven't made that right. I've asked Mihail to get in touch with the Austrailian distributor, to get your parts, and make things right. I'm trying to keep a happy thought that they'll react professionally.
 
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