Airfree tire woes

trikefast <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Mikael Seierup said:

Quoted message said:

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a
bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Not trying to be a smartass but can't you get someone else to call then?

Tried that. My friend Alex tried on my behalf to call the 800 number - it does not appear to work
from here. Either way, Airfree certainly knows my concern in this matter. I might add that when I
was interested in purchase, Airfree responded to email within a few hours. Now that I am simply
trying to get my money back (as Hugh agreed to do long ago), Airfree does not respond to multiple
email requests that the money be sent. To me this indicates a lack of desire on their part to
behave honourably. Sigh. It is just too much trouble to pursue this any more.

E-mail is not faultless. I lost a friend(sic)in part becuase his e-mail account wasn't getting
my messages. I sent 'em, he never got 'em. Where might you be calling from that the 800#
doesn't function?

rorschandt

rorschandt <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

trikefast <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Mikael Seierup said:

> P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a
> bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Not trying to be a smartass but can't you get someone else to call then?

Tried that. My friend Alex tried on my behalf to call the 800 number - it does not appear to work
from here. Either way, Airfree certainly knows my concern in this matter. I might add that when I
was interested in purchase, Airfree responded to email within a few hours. Now that I am simply
trying to get my money back (as Hugh agreed to do long ago), Airfree does not respond to multiple
email requests that the money be sent. To me this indicates a lack of desire on their part to
behave honourably. Sigh. It is just too much trouble to pursue this any more.

E-mail is not faultless. I lost a friend(sic)in part becuase his e-mail account wasn't getting my
messages. I sent 'em, he never got 'em. Where might you be calling from that the 800# doesn't
function?

rorschandt

For the helluva it, I just called the number, and got a recorded message from "Hugh at Airfree
tire". Apparently the number works.

"trikefast" skrev

Quoted message said:

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a bike
accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Not trying to be a smartass but can't you get someone else to call then?

Regards Mikael

"Mikael Seierup" <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

"trikefast" skrev

Quoted message said:

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a
bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Not trying to be a smartass but can't you get someone else to call then?

Regards Mikael

probably an 800 number. I'll call for you, if you want.

rorschandt

Mikael Seierup said:

Quoted message said:

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a
bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Not trying to be a smartass but can't you get someone else to call then?

Tried that. My friend Alex tried on my behalf to call the 800 number - it does not appear to work
from here. Either way, Airfree certainly knows my concern in this matter. I might add that when I
was interested in purchase, Airfree responded to email within a few hours. Now that I am simply
trying to get my money back (as Hugh agreed to do long ago), Airfree does not respond to multiple
email requests that the money be sent. To me this indicates a lack of desire on their part to behave
honourably. Sigh. It is just too much trouble to pursue this any more.

"trikefast" skrev...

Quoted message said:

Tried that. My friend Alex tried on my behalf to call the 800 number - it does not appear to work
from here. Either way, Airfree certainly knows my concern in this matter. I might add that when I
was interested in purchase, Airfree responded to email within a few hours. Now that I am simply
trying to get my money back (as Hugh agreed to do long ago), Airfree does not respond to multiple
email requests that the money be sent. To me this indicates a lack of desire on their part to
behave honourably. Sigh. It is just too much trouble to pursue this any more.

Well other people have reported getting refunds these last few days, so maybe you shouldn't abandon
all hope yet.

Regards Mikael

You purchased on a Visa card and the product was not delivered. Here in the US, you call the card
issuer and have the charge taken off.

Is it different where you live?

"trikefast" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

At the urging of my friend Alex who lurks in this group, I would like to relay my problems in
dealing with Airfree Tire Corp.

In early December I ordered a pair of 'openroad' tires. I was told that

they

Quoted message said:

would be sent within a day or so. My visa card was charged at that time. After waiting almost
three months, I emailed Hugh at Airfree and requested a refund. He said he would send it right
away. Now four months after the original order I have no tires, no refund, and I get no responses
to my repeated emails to Airfree.

If I lived in the US I would consider small claims court. As it is, I can only warn others about
my experience, and suspect that I will not see my money again.

Peter (Rans Rocket)

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a bike
accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

rorschandt said:

Quoted message said:

E-mail is not faultless. I lost a friend(sic)in part becuase his e-mail account wasn't getting my
messages. I sent 'em, he never got 'em. Where might you be calling from that the 800# doesn't
function?

rorschandt

For the helluva it, I just called the number, and got a recorded message from "Hugh at Airfree
tire". Apparently the number works.

800 numbers often have a region from which calls are accepted, and another region from which calls
are excepted. My company, for instance, accepts calls from the US and Canada, but nowhere else.

trikefast already said he doesn't live in the US. You should have left a message for Hugh to refund
his money 😉

The gentleman who started this thread was refunded on the 16th. He made a request to cancel his
order on Jan 30th. On the Feb 1 Air Free replied and said that Air Free would perform a chargeback
and did so on its regularly scheduled day to issue refunds.

Peter (Rans Rocket) needs to check his records and issue a retraction and an apology to me
and Air Free.

I noticed the threads got very long about the Open Road tires before anyone actually called me.
Prediciting the death of a business or speculation without knowing the reality doesn't reflect well
upon the fine folks I have met here and these posts are indexed by the search engines so what is
written here will be around for a very long time. My name "Hugh Waters" has been bantered about with
very little knowledge of the truth and I find that to be an irresponsible use of this technology and
it has the possibility to hurt my name and the business for which I am not the only principle.

Several recent posts in my defense are the kind of things that can really make a person feel good.
To know that in your dealings with people that you have left a positive impression on them, so much
to the point that even though they are almost complete strangers, will jump to defend you is a
feeling that almost can't be described. To those I say Bravo, but if the curiously truth and
knowledge deprived posts had never occured in the first place....

Official Air Free Statement "A few customers were billed for Open Road tires they ordered. These
orders occurred between Dec 1 and Dec 20. Refunds have been made to all these customers who
indicated that they wanted to do such. Our inability to deliver the product came from a material
substitution we had not approved so we asked that product not be shipped. Since the material
substitution was a breach of contract we became free to explore other manufacturing possibilites.
New manufacturing has become a reality and soon Air Free will be in a position to make a more lucid
statement."

Oh yes, I'm gonna make some tires. I have nothing else to do and apparently I now have
soemthing to prove.

Hugh

"Melisa Johns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You purchased on a Visa card and the product was not delivered. Here in

the

Quoted message said:

US, you call the card issuer and have the charge taken off.

Is it different where you live?

"trikefast" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

At the urging of my friend Alex who lurks in this group, I would like to relay my problems in
dealing with Airfree Tire Corp.

In early December I ordered a pair of 'openroad' tires. I was told that

they

Quoted message said:

would be sent within a day or so. My visa card was charged at that time. After waiting almost
three months, I emailed Hugh at Airfree and

requested

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a refund. He said he would send it right away. Now four months after the original order I have
no tires, no refund, and I get no responses to my repeated emails to Airfree.

If I lived in the US I would consider small claims court. As it is, I

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

only warn others about my experience, and suspect that I will not see my money again.

Peter (Rans Rocket)

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email -

neurological

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

damage following a bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

You have been telling people that the Open Roads will be ready any day now for over a year, that is
what is hurting your name. I could see a month or maybe even two month delay but a year is
ridiculous.

John

"Hugh waters" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The gentleman who started this thread was refunded on the 16th. He made a request to cancel his
order on Jan 30th. On the Feb 1 Air Free replied and said that Air Free would perform a chargeback
and did so on its regularly scheduled day to issue refunds.

Peter (Rans Rocket) needs to check his records and issue a retraction and

an

Quoted message said:

apology to me and Air Free.

I noticed the threads got very long about the Open Road tires before

anyone

Quoted message said:

actually called me. Prediciting the death of a business or speculation without knowing the reality
doesn't reflect well upon the fine folks I

have

Quoted message said:

met here and these posts are indexed by the search engines so what is written here will be around
for a very long time. My name "Hugh Waters"

has

Quoted message said:

been bantered about with very little knowledge of the truth and I find

that

Quoted message said:

to be an irresponsible use of this technology and it has the possibility

to

Quoted message said:

hurt my name and the business for which I am not the only principle.

Several recent posts in my defense are the kind of things that can really make a person feel good.
To know that in your dealings with people that

you

Quoted message said:

have left a positive impression on them, so much to the point that even though they are almost
complete strangers, will jump to defend you is a feeling that almost can't be described. To those
I say Bravo, but if the curiously truth and knowledge deprived posts had never occured in the

first

Quoted message said:

place....

Official Air Free Statement "A few customers were billed for Open Road tires they ordered. These

orders

Quoted message said:

occurred between Dec 1 and Dec 20. Refunds have been made to all these customers who indicated
that they wanted to do such. Our inability to deliver the product came from a material
substitution we had not approved

so

Quoted message said:

we asked that product not be shipped. Since the material substitution was

a

Quoted message said:

breach of contract we became free to explore other manufacturing possibilites. New manufacturing
has become a reality and soon Air Free

will

Quoted message said:

be in a position to make a more lucid statement."

Oh yes, I'm gonna make some tires. I have nothing else to do and

apparently

Quoted message said:

I now have soemthing to prove.

Hugh

"Melisa Johns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You purchased on a Visa card and the product was not delivered. Here in

the

Quoted message said:

US, you call the card issuer and have the charge taken off.

Is it different where you live?

"trikefast" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

At the urging of my friend Alex who lurks in this group, I would like

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

relay my problems in dealing with Airfree Tire Corp.

In early December I ordered a pair of 'openroad' tires. I was told

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

they

Quoted message said:

would be sent within a day or so. My visa card was charged at that

time.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

After waiting almost three months, I emailed Hugh at Airfree and

requested

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a refund. He said he would send it right away. Now four months after

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

original order I have no tires, no refund, and I get no responses to

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

repeated emails to Airfree.

If I lived in the US I would consider small claims court. As it is, I

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

only warn others about my experience, and suspect that I will not see

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

money again.

Peter (Rans Rocket)

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email -

neurological

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

damage following a bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

All I saw a few months ago were people getting frustrated with the lack of Emails being answered and
you having been on the News Group daily announcing and then defending your product...I thought it
great having a Manufacturer being sooo open and responsive on this NG and I think everyone else was
happy as all heck you gave soo much of your time to answer questions....then you stopped showing up
and there was this deafening silence on your end. When people are faced with a non-responsive
business, they get anxious and this leads to frustration and the frustration leaks out all over the
place. You have to also understand that several companies making bents and bent accessories went
Glug and took customers $$ with them....so Not being (as) available as you were a few months ago
probably made these people more nervous.

I (personally) would send out an Email to all my customers (on the day I 1st realized) there was
going to be a shipping delay. Keeping your customers well informed keeps them calmer and makes them
feel they are involved. Shutting customers out just makes them feel uneasy.

I also noticed that the 1st time you addressed all these Negative posts came Only after one person
used the evil term (Court Action). It would have been better to start answering people long before
this evil term appeared. It implies that you (only) react when the term Court Action appears and
that ALL the earlier posts (asking for answers) were being ignored. Perhaps the timing of your reply
today (after) the term appeared was merely a coincidence...don't know but I hope not.

All these negative posts most likely damaged to your company and your own reputation. I myself
backed away from ordering some tires after reading all the unhappy customers venting their
frustration on this NG.... But I also had trouble deciding whether to buy Velocity or CR-18 rims and
till I figured that one out...no tires got ordered.

You will have to do some major damage control and EARN back the customers you lost and restore your
good name....it may take a while, but it will be worth it. Getting your wagons in a circle and
firing back at lost customers is not the best way to go right now...it takes up too much time. Best
route is to produce the best damn Air Free Tires you can and THAT will make you and your company
real popular, real fast. Again though, as you point out, when people in the future go looking for
info on your company via search engines they may see all these negative posts and shy away from your
company...which is unfortunate but that issue is now in the past since you have reappeared and
explained your situation.

People do understand that businesses have problems and can be fairly sympathetic...(when you keep
them informed). When you shut your customers out...they start to think they have been $$ screwed and
they panic.

Oh Yeah As for saying Peter (RANS Rocket), should issue a retraction and Grovel, this of course is
up to Peter if he does so or not. I personally would NEVER make such a request of a customer (who)
did have enough faith in your company and in you to have made the original purchase. Calling Peter
out this way on a public Forum rubs me the wrong way.

Anyway...hope everything gets smoothed out for you and your business and keep Lurking here Hugh as
it will be far better if you address customer concerns here and via Off List Emails (when) they
1st happen.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------

"Hugh waters" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The gentleman who started this thread was refunded on the 16th. He made a request to cancel his
order on Jan 30th. On the Feb 1 Air Free replied and said that Air Free would perform a chargeback
and did so on its regularly scheduled day to issue refunds.

Peter (Rans Rocket) needs to check his records and issue a retraction and

an

Quoted message said:

apology to me and Air Free.

I noticed the threads got very long about the Open Road tires before

anyone

Quoted message said:

actually called me. Prediciting the death of a business or speculation without knowing the reality
doesn't reflect well upon the fine folks I

have

Quoted message said:

met here and these posts are indexed by the search engines so what is written here will be around
for a very long time. My name "Hugh Waters"

has

Quoted message said:

been bantered about with very little knowledge of the truth and I find

that

Quoted message said:

to be an irresponsible use of this technology and it has the possibility

to

Quoted message said:

hurt my name and the business for which I am not the only principle.

Several recent posts in my defense are the kind of things that can really make a person feel good.
To know that in your dealings with people that

you

Quoted message said:

have left a positive impression on them, so much to the point that even though they are almost
complete strangers, will jump to defend you is a feeling that almost can't be described. To those
I say Bravo, but if the curiously truth and knowledge deprived posts had never occured in the

first

Quoted message said:

place....

Official Air Free Statement "A few customers were billed for Open Road tires they ordered. These

orders

Quoted message said:

occurred between Dec 1 and Dec 20. Refunds have been made to all these customers who indicated
that they wanted to do such. Our inability to deliver the product came from a material
substitution we had not approved

so

Quoted message said:

we asked that product not be shipped. Since the material substitution was

a

Quoted message said:

breach of contract we became free to explore other manufacturing possibilites. New manufacturing
has become a reality and soon Air Free

will

Quoted message said:

be in a position to make a more lucid statement."

Oh yes, I'm gonna make some tires. I have nothing else to do and

apparently

Quoted message said:

I now have soemthing to prove.

Hugh

"Melisa Johns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You purchased on a Visa card and the product was not delivered. Here in

the

Quoted message said:

US, you call the card issuer and have the charge taken off.

Is it different where you live?

"trikefast" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

At the urging of my friend Alex who lurks in this group, I would like

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

relay my problems in dealing with Airfree Tire Corp.

In early December I ordered a pair of 'openroad' tires. I was told

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

they

Quoted message said:

would be sent within a day or so. My visa card was charged at that

time.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

After waiting almost three months, I emailed Hugh at Airfree and

requested

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a refund. He said he would send it right away. Now four months after

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

original order I have no tires, no refund, and I get no responses to

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

repeated emails to Airfree.

If I lived in the US I would consider small claims court. As it is, I

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

only warn others about my experience, and suspect that I will not see

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

money again.

Peter (Rans Rocket)

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email -

neurological

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

damage following a bike accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Hugh at Airfree just sent me email (I assume he reads this newsgroup) to the effect that he sent me
a refund via Visa some time ago. I have not received it yet, but will take him at his word.

Thanks to all for your responses to this problem.

Thanks, Peter (Rans Rocket)

I would contact your visa card company...better bet for getting your money back...

trikefast wrote in message <[email hidden]>...

Hello,

At the urging of my friend Alex who lurks in this group, I would like to relay my problems in
dealing with Airfree Tire Corp.

In early December I ordered a pair of 'openroad' tires. I was told that they would be sent within a
day or so. My visa card was charged at that time. After waiting almost three months, I emailed Hugh
at Airfree and requested a refund. He said he would send it right away. Now four months after the
original order I have no tires, no refund, and I get no responses to my repeated emails to Airfree.

If I lived in the US I would consider small claims court. As it is, I can only warn others about my
experience, and suspect that I will not see my money again.

Peter (Rans Rocket)

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a bike
accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Paul Bruneau said:

800 numbers often have a region from which calls are accepted, and another region from which calls
are excepted. My company, for instance, accepts calls from the US and Canada, but nowhere else.

But you can usually call that number from outside the region - it just won't be free. When I call
800 numbers in the US from Japan I first get a message that says "this is not a toll free call, hang
up now or you will be charged."

Ken Kobayashi [email hidden] solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jppersonalOpen ↗

Ken Kobayashi said:

Paul Bruneau said:

800 numbers often have a region from which calls are accepted, and another region from which calls
are excepted. My company, for instance, accepts calls from the US and Canada, but nowhere else.

But you can usually call that number from outside the region - it just won't be free. When I call
800 numbers in the US from Japan I first get a message that says "this is not a toll free call,
hang up now or you will be charged."

that is a great way to do it. But when I have called them, I get an error only.

"Hugh waters" <[email hidden]> wrote........

Our inability to

Quoted message said:

deliver the product came from a material substitution we had not approved so we asked that product
not be shipped. Since the material substitution was a breach of contract we became free to explore
other manufacturing possibilites. New manufacturing has become a reality and soon Air Free will be
in a position to make a more lucid statement."

Oh yes, I'm gonna make some tires. I have nothing else to do and apparently I now have soemthing
to prove.

Hugh

Good news Hugh. I had hoped that a mfg problem had come up. I recieved my charge back about a month
ago and hoped that things had not gone bad. I really want those tires. That high density material is
the heart of your tire and has to be right. Please post as soon as you have tires so I can re-order.

Still hangin' in there,

Tom Balmer Goatbiker/V2

Joshua Goldberg said:

All I saw a few months ago were people getting frustrated with the lack of Emails being answered
and you having been on the News Group daily announcing and then defending your product...I thought
it great having a Manufacturer being sooo open and responsive on this NG and I think everyone else
was happy as all heck you gave soo much of your time to answer questions....then you stopped
showing up and there was this deafening silence on your end. When people are faced with a
non-responsive business, they get anxious and this leads to frustration and the frustration leaks
out all over the place. You have to also understand that several companies making bents and bent
accessories went Glug and took customers $$ with them....so Not being (as) available as you were a
few months ago probably made these people more nervous.

Thanks for taking the time to write out what a lot of us believe. I have had a few contacts with
Hugh via e-mail and believe him to be a stand-up guy .

As a small biz owner myself I understand the pressures he was feeling but his silence did him a
disservice.

I'll order once they are SHIPPING.

trikefast said:

Hello,

At the urging of my friend Alex who lurks in this group, I would like to relay my problems in
dealing with Airfree Tire Corp.

In early December I ordered a pair of 'openroad' tires. I was told that they would be sent within
a day or so. My visa card was charged at that time. After waiting almost three months, I emailed
Hugh at Airfree and requested a refund. He said he would send it right away. Now four months after
the original order I have no tires, no refund, and I get no responses to my repeated emails to
Airfree.

If I lived in the US I would consider small claims court. As it is, I can only warn others about
my experience, and suspect that I will not see my money again.

Peter (Rans Rocket)

P.S. Please do not suggest I call Airfree rather than email - neurological damage following a bike
accident makes speaking on the phone almost impossible.

Turn it over to State and U.S. Atty General as Mail an/or credit card Fraud. That's what you "pay"
taxes for, n'est ce pas?

Ken Kobayashi said:

...

Quoted message said:

But you can usually call that number from outside the region - it just won't be free. When I call
800 numbers in the US from Japan I first get a message that says "this is not a toll free call,
hang up now or you will be charged."

Ahhh, another torpedo "down the throat" of the Kobayashi Maru.

Was ticked off by deal gone sour some years ago. Served papers on parties with escape clause:
reimburse for all expenses including service of papers or be sued for treble damages PLUS expenses.

Received Money Order [not company check] for full amount three days after receiving "Receipt Of
Delivery" notification.

To paraphrase "Tony the Tiger," works G-R-E-A-T!!