Simulation 1 CDN Store

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BODHI85

BODHI85

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Toronto, ON
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bodhisattva_85
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BODHI85
Hi, I have a question for people that may have done business with them before. This is a store that is apparently the only official fanatec/frex retailer in Canada.

I was wondering if they are legit. They are cash only and expect full payment upfront on preorders. Also is it possible to negotiate the price down with them?

I'm looking to order the CSR Elite wheel from them.
 
I dont have any experience with them, but cash only upfront throws up an immediate red flag. cash only means someone doesnt want a paper trail. check them under the better business beaurow first. or whatever canadas version is called. i would never give that kind of money upfront in cash even from a reputable business though, thats a crappy business model and a situation where you could easily be scammed. dont be scammed just because your emotions tell you to buy an elite.
 
Do you have a link?

BODHI85
Hi, I have a question for people that may have done business with them before. This is a store that is apparently the only official fanatec/frex retailer in Canada.
Click to expand...
 
I bought a set of Clubsports from them and they seemed to be good to deal with.
Here is their website www.simulation1.ca

I have not had any problems with the pedal set, But I have called for information and help with my wheel which I did not buy from them and they helped me out.

The guy I dealt with his name is Teddy Oh
 
Firstly....Simulation 1 is not an authorized dealer. They were when Fanatec dipped into the authorized re-seller idea awhile back but technically it's misleading for them to claim they are anymore.

Secondly....they're overpriced. It's cheaper to buy it directly from Fanatec even with duties and taxes on shipping....especially so if you have to get it shipped from Sim1.

Thirdly....they absolutely will not negotiate prices. Last year I went there to buy an Obutto Cockpit as they're one of two dealers in Canada that sell it. The other dealer is out in BC and sold it for $489 CDN with shipping included. I live in Ontario so with it coming from BC I don't have to pay any taxes on it. I called Sim1 asking if they would basically price match the other vendor and sell it to me for $489 taxes in (it was listed for $489 on their site) The guy told me to come to the shop and would have to talk to the owner but said he didn't see an issue with him doing that. So I drive all the way out to this place (45 min drive).....wait half an hour for the guy to show and all for nothing......when I asked he absolutely wouldn't do it......he insisted on $489 plus 13% tax. I asked him why he couldn't when the guy in BC was selling for the same price WITH SHIPPING included ( likely a $70 or more expense) do clearly there must be some wiggle room for him to sell it for less and still make money. Told me that's the price and then proceeds to type up the bill. I said don't bother.....I'll give my business to the other guy and left. Went to my car, ordered from the other guy right from my phone and had an Obutto delivered 3 days later for $489 CDN all in.

I wouldn't be ANYTHING from Sim1.
 
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I tried match pricing for the G27 which amazon was selling at $290 (including taxes and shipping). Sim 1 was selling at $300 plus tax. They wouldn't budge on the price.

I actually preordered yesterday for the csr elite. He said the wheel should come in this week and their upcoming March stock is starting to sell out since Fanatec stock is sold out till June.

Let's see if I'm an idiot for paying first. I'll let you guys know.

The person I'm dealing with is also Teddy Oh. He's the owner and seems like a straight up guy. Runs a garage in the back for his racing team. He even showed me the frex set up they had in the back.
 
Good luck to you. From the price tag on their page, I don't think there's any significant difference in ordering directly from Fanatec than from Simulation 1.
 
thehawk05
I wouldn't be ANYTHING from Sim1.
Click to expand...

Give the guy some slack, he's clearly not out to screw people over or make a fortune, he's gotta make some money back somewhere (he's presumably got $1000's of dollars in inventory sitting around). I haven't even seen that site until now and it seems like he's just a good guy with a passion for sims trying to make a couple of bucks.

Not saying what you did was wrong but at the end of the day he's more or less a hobbyist retailer, probably lucky to break even.
 
Got my CSR Elite wheel yesterday. It is really a great piece of technology. Connected it to my Fanatec wheelstand v2 and clubsports pedals and started playing Forza 4 right away.

I did, however have some problems with the thumbstick and Teddy exchanged the wheel without any fuss.

I can't recommend Simulation 1 enough and will definitely go back later this year for the clubsport shifter.

Here are some shots of my friend playing in my man cave/room.

I have no idea how to post pics. Here' a link.http://www.flickr.com/photos/78389204@N08/7012589395/in/photostream/
 
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My reply got deleted??

I bought a csl seat from them , he sent it in , maybe 98% of the nuts & bolts were rusted or starting to at the very least. , and was missing some of the crucial part to complete the assembly , the box looked flimsy like if it had been laying around in a garage or shed for few months.

I returned the package at my expense and told them to replace it with a new seat.
Instead they re-shipped the same exact box i had shipped written RMA all over it but now some of the parts had moved and got scuffed the rig. They did in fact sent me new nuts & bolts... but they were also rusted


Im now claiming this to paypal
and in the end i will have ended up paying almost 100$ of my pocket for shipping this crap in and out!



Here's fanatec's email responding to me
thank you for your inquiry.

Just for information:

Simulation1 is no official Fanatec-retailer, even he is selling our products in Canada.



Anyway, I don´t know the Terms and Conditions of Simulation1 regarding a refund, but I will contact them to sort out the problem.



As soon as I´ve received feedback, I will let you know.



Best Regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen



he's not even a REAL FANATEC RESELLER! beware guys!!!!

do business in person when dealing with them inspect the content as for me LESSON LEARNED!
never again!
 
I guess the admins don't want to turn this into a thrashing thread. But I think as consumers, we have the right to voice our displeasure with retailers and share our experiences with others. This is a forum after all.

I found my experience with them to be somewhat uneven. They are really good at responding to emails if you have any questions about buying. It can be a bit uneasy to buy since they only accept cash upfront including preorders but they do accept credit or paypal if you order online. I picked up my wheel set from in store and the packages looked to be in proper condition. When my Elite had a defect on one of the buttons, they were quick to replace.

My displeasure is if you have any problems. When buying, they strongly sell you with their 1 year in store warranty and tell you if you have any problems you can go straight to them. But this isn't the case. When I had problems on multiple occasions with my wheel. I contacted them and the happy sales attitude when buying went immediately to a don't bother me, go talk to Fanatec attitude, which really soured me from buying from them again.
 
The fact is they are LESS expensive than Fanatec.com for canadian customers.
From Fanatec.com, a CSL is 299$ + 129$ + customs fee + TAV => more than 550$
From Simulation1.ca, a CSL is 379$ + 29$ shipping + 53$ HST = 462$
 
We apologize that you had problem with your wheel.
FYI we WERE official Fanatec reseller until they've canceled their reseller program also now we offer 2 year warranty as same as Fanatec HQ.
Im surprised that someone on our staff recommended to go to Fanatec directly for problem with your wheel.
we sincerely apologize for misunderstanding.
For future reference, if there is problem with your wheel, we would be happy to help you get your wheel up and running again.
Thank you for sharing your experience with members of the forum and we appreciate your criticism and honesty.
We will work hard to make your experience with us in the future more pleasurable.
Thank you again and look forward to hear from you.

Teddy
Simulation1.ca


BODHI85
I guess the admins don't want to turn this into a thrashing thread. But I think as consumers, we have the right to voice our displeasure with retailers and share our experiences with others. This is a forum after all.

I found my experience with them to be somewhat uneven. They are really good at responding to emails if you have any questions about buying. It can be a bit uneasy to buy since they only accept cash upfront including preorders but they do accept credit or paypal if you order online. I picked up my wheel set from in store and the packages looked to be in proper condition. When my Elite had a defect on one of the buttons, they were quick to replace.

My displeasure is if you have any problems. When buying, they strongly sell you with their 1 year in store warranty and tell you if you have any problems you can go straight to them. But this isn't the case. When I had problems on multiple occasions with my wheel. I contacted them and the happy sales attitude when buying went immediately to a don't bother me, go talk to Fanatec attitude, which really soured me from buying from them again.
Click to expand...
 
I'd like to also point out some other things I find a bit perplexing about Simulation1.

Firstly, Simulation1 charges Ontario HST to all customers, regardless of where the package is being sent. Why the heck do I have to pay Ontario taxes out in Alberta? The response from Simulation1 is that all sales are "point of sale" (in other words all sales are made as if they were purchased at their store). Somebody chime in here if they're in the know, but I have never comes across such practices after spending thousands at multitudes of online Canadian dealers. I could be wrong about this, and I hate to think it, but it sounds like a penny skimming practice to me.

Secondly, why am I forced to use PayPal for online purchases? Why can I not just use my credit card straight up like any other online retailer?

Thirdly, why are prices advertised as Canadian and then charged as American once you're in the PayPal checkout page? Now I have to pay PayPal's and/or my credit card exchange fee?

I don't even care about the higher prices compared to other dealers. Retailers can charge whatever they want. But what's up with all these other weird pricing policies? I'm forced to use PayPal, then I have to pay in American dollars (after the product is advertised in Canadian dollars, incurring an exchange fee) and then on top of that I have to pay a tax rate outside of my own province (on a purchase made in American dollars). Is this not a bit strange?

I'm sorry but this stuff needs explaining. I decided to pursue this publicly because I feel emails will get me no further after my exchange with Simulation1 a few months ago.
 
Just want to share my experience with Simulation1 as well.

Awhile ago I e-mailed Simulation1 sales/support inquiring if products are in stock as I am about to purchase them. You know how some online store will mark product in stock and once you do the purchase you get a notification that product is back ordered and they say sorry.....but you get billed. Anyway that wasn't the case, I just wanted to confirm if product is indeed in stock. They were actually quick in replying to my inquiry but I got offended by the way they answered me. I may be sensitive but that's the way I am. Their reply was (not the exact words but close enough) that they DO HAVE indicated that product is in stock. When I read the email I was like... ok... I'm dumb for not understanding that in stock means in stock. They could have just said product is in stock and thank you. So me being sensitive and easily offended decided to take my business somewhere else:) This cost me $350 more for shipping and brokerage/tax from Fanatec US for a $1200 clubsport set. In the end Simulation1 would have still been the cheaper option plus you get a local two year warranty.

Morale of the story Pride is more expensive than ever.
 
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Just joining in to express my satisfaction in my personal dealings with Simulation1. I am fortunately close enough to drive to the outlet, and did so to buy my Obutto Revolution. No issues at all. I found Teddy Oh a pleasure to deal with. He has all manner of sim racing gear - Logitech, Thrustmaster, Fanatec, Obutto, button boxes, shift indicators - you name it.
I cant speak for others from out of province / country about payment methods and shipping costs, other than to say that these issues also exist with other suppliers. After looking at other suppliers in the US or overseas (some don't even ship to Canada), it was just nice to see one in Canada (no customs hassles).
Simulation1 is a REAL place all - I for one, am happy to have done business with them.

Regards,
Dave
 

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