What the hell is happening with Fanatec?
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
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➡️️Fanatec:
EU/UK: fanatec.com/eu-en/?...
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AUS: fanatec.com/au-en/?...
JP: fanatec.com/ja-en/?...
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➡️️MOZA mozaracing.com/?ref=pjqD6gRng...
➡️️HYMO www.tracktitan.io/acc-setups?... - Hry
Spent all their money on marketing and bs partnerships instead of production and logistics
This ☝️
THIS! It's ridiculous and pathetic.
Not exactly... As far as I know they still are small company with few employees.
Yea but their presence is that of something a whole lot more major than a small company with a few employees. AKA they’ve spent a TON on getting their name plastered all over every website and race track wall
This 100%. Not trying to defend them at all here, but I truly wonder what would happen if they upscaled their workforce for such a niche product line, only to have to make massive cuts when sales lull. It doesn't help that they also received a massive amount of sales during and shortly after COVID. I think until sim racing gear is mainstream (fingers crossed lol), I don't know how much sustainable growth they can have in terms of logistics and production capacity. No doubt there is room for improvement, but it's going to be a business game trying to deal with a large influx of customers.
Most of their issues could be fixed with communication.
A wait isn’t a problem if it’s communicated beforehand.
with communication you an also cancel orders and make their waiting time someone else's problem.
Yes, managing your customer's expectations by reaching out can smooth out most situations.
It’s not going to end well, they’re going to to have so many chargebacks that they’re going to be seriously at risk just from the fines and fees, let alone the risk of losing their merchant accounts.
That’s not even the threat they face from European and Australian consumer protection laws, and lawsuits from the US and Canada.
They could also try not telling lies. My 10 week old order is for items that apparently are in stock according to the website. Clearly that is not true.
Thank you for bringing this to light. Fanatec has been a nightmare since BF.
Since before, when they changed warehouses
What is bf
Black Friday is an excuse. They’re still selling on the price of 4-7 day shipping. This is criminal negligence.
@@ocram2912 Since before that. I had customer service issues in 2019 - items going missing, no reply to emails, just random invoices sent out with no details of what was being sent or when. And their rep was pretty much garbage then already, I think they only survived this long because of pandemic purchasing. They can just get in the bin.
Honestly, CZcamsrs should deactivate their affiliate links to Fanatec till all problems solved.
Biggest fail for me was that they urged people to add another item to their basket on checkout during Black Friday as it had a nice discount. But when they did add it there was a pricing error on their website which meant the discount was calculated twice. Then they sent people an email two weeks later saying they canceled their entire order because of this pricing error and basically accusing the customer of bad intentions for ordering this way. So these people had their entire order canceled with multiple items included, they lost the BF discount this way and to add injury to insult they offered a 10% discount on one specific wheelrim.
Yes, but at least they made it a general 10% Discount in the end. It’s not limited on Wheels anymore. But you are right with anything else you said.
Ha! I didn't get a bonus item that i was supposed to get on offer. I emailed them and am still waiting for a reply...
@@Lacktausch Probably due to the backlash :D
@@misterdog7exactly. It seems backlash is the only thing that gets a response from them.
One thing you need to add. They mark the Warranty status way too soon. In my case, they marked the warranty as starting a day after I placed my order. Product didn’t actually ship until a few weeks later and it took a month to receive. So people are loosing probably up to a month of warranty for each item. I am still waiting on a resolve.
My warranty started on the end of november but still I didn’t receive anything
Tells you everything about this scammy company
If you are in the EU, then by EU law if you buy an item online the warranty starts on the day you receive it.
Same down here in Australia @@The_Mup
@@The_Mup That's true, but the website still lists the purchase date (even for pre-orders wtf) as the day for the warranty. Sure if you make a claim then the date of the delivery counts, but still a lot of people might see the date on the website and think the warranty has run out
they should have never "pre-sold" the clubsport dd + without having the sony license in hand, period. That's a clear indication of how they prefer to do business.
Yep. That’s like some trying to sell you a house, that they do not own , yet.
How else would they get HUGE interest-free loans from us, the consumers??
Can only imagine how many sales they have lost recently and will continue to lose in the future due to there bad business practices.
I for one was considering buying from them a few months ago but so glad I didn't . What put me off back then was there poor reputation on delivery and customer service and that's only got worse since.
Shit show of a company.
@@theonlyegg so true. I can see them Hibbing hands together. I’m so glad I didn’t drop around £1800 on Black Friday. I almost bought Wrc CSL elite wheel, the 15nm Ps5 wheel base, v2 pedals, sequential shifter.
@@grahamkelly8662OMG, then you would also have been stuck with a Wheel that doesn’t even support the full torque of the base! The WRC Wheel just supports up to 8Nm. If you meant the CSL one. Regardless of the QR attached, btw.
People actually received used devices...their facebook page and Reddit is filled with people complaining about that as well. It's incredible how bad they felt....
Omg, wtf are they doing
Can you please point me towards these posts. I have a case built up against them as it happened to me and require evidence of this happening amongst other people since they don’t respond to any messages.
@@Invin_cibles I saw one in fanatec owner group (FB) with scratches on the DD base and opened seal
Were they really used tho? If the previous buyer returned it within 14 days and just unpacked it but didn‘t really used it, it‘s still considered a new product in Germany. And as Fanatec is german and the shop is a German shop, they are not doing something wrong. It’s still weird tho
Thats not fanetec it the places people are buying from Amazon , Ebay, outlet stores.
Never known for quality after-sales support, Fanatec is facing an ever-increasing and improving universe of competitive products. Rightly or not, Fanatec is demonstrating to the SR community that they really don't much give a damn about their customers.
Depends of ur luck. I had great support all the time, many people complains. Maybe they don't have enough people to maintain support well...
If it really were a company with great support, it would never depend on luck. It would just be great @@FirssenSimracing
They use to be great about it. When I first started buying fanatec I dealt with the CEO in some of the emails and orders. Use to have as good as you could have without phone support. Not like that now though.
@@FirssenSimracingThats not an excuse. Fanatec have been around since the late 90s. They should have their shit together by now.
Typical German customer service.
FANATEC have had loads of problems way before any warehouse change or the latest Black Friday fiasco, their shoddy Customer Service goes back for years. They've always had an awful reputation, it's just getting magnified now due to the massive blow-up on their sales post-cov!d.
My friend had an hilarious situation with fanatec. he bought a steering wheel, and after two months of silence, he got that + clubsport pedals. LOL They eventually found out about their mistake and tried to get them back..I don't think they did
I wouldn't be surprised if Fanatec will file for bankruptcy. They are a company in bad health. They lost a big chunck of the market to Chinese companies, who didn't had problems with chip shortages. Their shares have tanked, and they probably reduced staff and servicing to compensate losses. Fanatec does all the things a company in bad shape does.
@@MrMikap74 Maybe, but I get the feeling they are still selling a fair amount of product though. (If not, then why are they constantly out of product?)
@@rogerwennstrom6677 At the moment in all 4 regions (EU, Japan, Aus, US) only the Podium dd2 is sold out, mainly caused by their BF offer (799 euro). And they reason their wheelbases were sold out in the past year's was mainly caused by chip shortages and warehouse problems, not due extremely high demand. If fanatec was in a good shape, why would to sell the CLS DD in extremely low priced Ready-to-race bundle? Why would they offer so many products for give away prices at BF?
@@rogerwennstrom6677 Fanatec has 4 regions (EU, US, AUS, JAP). In EU only the Podium DD 1 is sold out and in US the DD2 is sold out. In Aus the CLS DD 5 NM is sold out and in Japan everything is available. If Fanatec is in such a good shape, and the demand is so high, why would they offer the CLS DD in an extremely low priced bundle? Or why would they offer so many products for give away prices at BF (799 euro for Podium DD2 for example), knowing they have warehouse problems? Fanatec isn't the undisputed marketleader in the midrange/ high-end segment any more. They have to compete against Asetek and Chinese brands like Simagic, Cammus and Moza.
Choosing to get a new warehouse, choosing to accept preorders on a product you do not have certifications for, choosing to run a black Friday sale when you KNOW you have supply chain issues, not prioritizing customer support staff, its all corporate greed mixed with incompetence. THEY ARE STILL ACCEPTING MONEY, WHILE THEY KNOW THEY CANNOT SEND OUT THE PRODUCT. It's that simple. Want to not be called scammers? do what you say you are going to do! Want to protect your brand name? Completely stop accepting new peoples money, until you can give all the old people, whose money you already took, the products they paid for. It really is that simple.
It’s a shell of a company with no customer service and no logistics department but above all the stopped caring for their customers.
People forgot where Fanatec came from....and how they used to be 10 years ago, they are practically.....the same company, a small cottage homegrown company that lucked into the "mainstream" due to the pandemic, they spent what they earned into sponsoring stuff like real motorsport and fancy esports events, and never invested into better inventory systems, community communications or diversify their supply chain.... I remember in one of their esport events they were talking about taking apart the race rigs because they need the chips for customer's DD1 orders.....
So klein ist das Unternehmen auch nicht, der Mutterkonzern ist immerhin ein Aktienkonzern. Ich zögere derzeit noch bei Fanatec zu bestellen.
I'm so happy Fanatec have had delivery challenges. That made me cancel my CSDD+ order (upgrade from CSLDD 8Nm, partially to get the new QR2), and instead I placed an order for an Asetek Invicta base + round wheel. Absolutely blown away by how good this wheel base is! So so solid, incredibly detailed yet smooth feedback, and finally a rock solid quick release that is super simple to use. Reckon I will be getting a set of Invicta pedals too, and selling all my Fanatec gear.
👍🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁Asetek.....its a new track record!!!!
@@SIMRIG412 those are good brands also u cant go wrong
I went with a Simagic alpha ultimate but I definitely understand. Sell the rest of that Fanatec gear and not only will you not have to deal with Fanatec support you will likely say goodbye to RMAs and dealing with customer support period!
And I was just a few days from ordering GT DD Pro bundle and the Mclaren wheel - approx. 1000 EUR. No way am I ordering anything now.
Finally someone who did the work to talk to Fanatec properly. Thank you!
I got a bad feeling overall and decided to not order before new year, needless to say I'm confident this was the correct decision.
Same here, decided to delay my purchase to next year or the year after
I got my order and emails answered with no problem. Got my order within a week of order
Same im gonna wait for them to get through this rough period but im also really now leaning towards asetek but i heard they aren't much better at customer support i heard simucubes software is archaic and moza have a ton of long term qc issues so right now im gonna give it a few more months b4 i make my decision maybe ill wait all the way til the sim racing expo this November just to see who gets their shit together
I'm personally just going to put my money towards Thrustmaster or even Logitech. I don't need anything Fanatec level and with this added on top.. nah.
Ordered Dec. 11th, recieved everything on Jan. 2nd. (two seperate shipments, though it seemed to be on the delivery side and not Fanatec) It took longer than expected but it wasn't too bad. I'm in NA so that might explain why,
Not to mention the disaster that happened with the clubsport formula wheel 2.5x resulting in an oversell which led to terrible delivery times. Waiting for my order since the end of November
Same
Same..I put in a paypal claim. Fanatec have completely ghosted me. They're not even responding to Paypal.
Paypal have said they will refund me automatically if Fanatec don't respond by Jan 12th (and I bet they won't!)
I ordered on the 25th of November and i'm still wsiting too (germany)
Same here
Same this side, I am really stressed that the situation is so bad that they will ship it to the wrong address and i won't even be notified
you have an affiliate link with fanatec, but are making these critique videos. I think that's a solid move and transparent, no sarcasm. a lot less can be said of other channels that have affiliate links with fanatec
this channel has always been like this. :P
Thanks for your video, I would just add that they should expeditely, and this means in no less than 3 working days, refund the money to the people who wish so. Keeping people’s money and not delivering is indeed kind of a scam.
Thanks man for addressing this. You have a new sub.
Bought a shifter in November and so far nothing. It's ridiculous
PLEASE can you keep us posted about the Fanatec situation !? This would mean the world to a lot of viewers old and new 🙏
My own company has had issues for quite some time, namely getting hold of certain electronics from China. Either someone is buying a lot of chips in vast quantities or a lot of factories closed down over covid (I know of quite a few in the USA that shut up shop during that time).
We've had lead times go from 2 weeks to 3-6 months for several components.
That doesn't excuse Fanatec's abysmal lack of communication though.
It's nuts how busted the supply chain situation still is. We saw lead times for certain chipsets go up to 50 and then 100 weeks and they never really came back down. Trying to get network controller chips from Intel or Broadcom is still a mess.
the red sea situation also doesn't help, I know a lot of cargo was lost in that area months ago and even now. But yeah, this is not the first time fanatec has issues with logistics,.
I think the issue with Sony's delay in certification of Fanatec's bases is likely to have a lot to do with Sony's recent loss in the French Courts where it was ruled Sony had engaged in unfair and unclear practices regards PS4 accessory certification. This may be causing Sony Europe to task their inhouse lawyers to reassess their certification process to avoid future liability. While some may say its only France & related to the PS4 it is a large EU market & these wheelbases are compatible with both PS4 & PS5. These cases also have a tendency to spread to other jurisdictions or get noticed by the EU Commission & that would be very bad news for Sony.
That could be a reason or it could also be Fanatec not willing or being able to pay the licence fee anymore.
It's totally understandable and makes a lot of sense why the DD+ is being delayed. The problem is that Fanatec said it was going to be available on the 12th of December and was openly selling pre-orders as early as late October. They didn't communicate and tell everyone that the Sony situation was happening until a week ago, according to Reddit. They probably knew that things were going to be delayed, but they waited to tell people until after they closed their fiscal year-- that looks super scummy when you think about it.
@@808GT I'd say they are probably quite flush with cash from all of the sales but being unable to deliver some of them will be dampening that revenue a lot. I can't imagine anyone wants to pay Sony's licence fees (I wonder how much it is) but I reckon its not a lot compared to the overall profit margins.
@@Starmast3rmusic My understanding (I'm a qualified lawyer but not in France) is the ruling has come as a shock to Sony. They thought it was a winnable case. Its likely the Sony's PR people Fanatec were dealing with were telling them there was nothing to worry about & then boom all of a sudden the SHTF with the ruling & Sony have left everyone high & dry. It wouldn't surprise me if all of this, the French Court case, Sony's licencing issues and also Microsofts recent accessory licencing changes are all tied together. Its become a mess for the accessory manufacturers. And now sadly their customers too.
Well the ftc documents shown last year has some other shady things from Sony
A few weeks ago I was between a Fanatec DD ready2race and a Moza R5. Wasn't sure which way to go until I realised that with Moza I could buy it from a local UK retailer and get it delivered in 2 days, knowing exactly what I had to pay. With Fanatec it was a case of 1) having no clue when I will receive the items and 2) not really knowing how much I'd have to pay due to import duties. Needless to say I went with Moza and 2 days later I had my pack at home.
wish i would have done this, bought a fanatec in october and it took a month to ship and i had to pay 20% import duties
@@anfridge7844Where do you live? Country.
Which retailer did you get it from? I was wanting to go for the Moza R5 but their shipping price is horrendous. And did your parcel arrive fine? Any issues?
@@kawa2455 GT Omega, parcel was shipped the next day, arrived perfectly 24h later. No issues whatsover and tracking codes from day 1. I'd expect the same with overclockers, but I used GT Omega in the past, and it was like £5-10 cheaper.
@@brakozonhs1 uk
The more irritating thing, in my experience, is having received gear from Fanatec with faults. Then support will take at least 3-4 days (or longer) to reply to any emails. If you need a part... well, the cable I needed took over 3 weeks to get to me (after over 2 weeks of dealing with support emails). And of course that part didn't fix the issue, so I get to send my gear back. Taking bets on how long it takes to get back to me. I'm guessing 2 months. By the time they get my gear back to me I expect the warranty to be over.
they're making hand over fist, and have been. it's long past time for them to invest in a modern website, inventory management, the ability to charge at time of shipping, the ability to ship partial orders, and some experienced operations and customer service personal
Waaaay back in 2009, I tried to buy a Fanatec wheel and pedal set, which would supposedly ship right away. But, when I couldn't get any kind of shipping confirmation from them, I cancelled the order and bought a Logitech G27 instead, which I have been using ever since. Given Fanatec's ongoing QC and service issues over the years, I've always felt that I dodged a bullet by cancelling that order.
I literally just started my sim racing journey with a GT DD Pro, and it shipped without a power cord so I couldn't even use it when I got it!! Had to wait for it to ship out separately in the mail. What a pain in the ass.
Zen's Simwheels, these guys are doing a great job with the wheels and services!!
I saw their wheels at the sim racing expo 😍
Fanatec having bad customer service? My word, Im so shocked...
Great video man! Since placing my dd+ order on black Friday i've been wondering this exact thought daily.
This issue is not isolated, also here in the US takes forever to get items and email responses. No tracking information is available even after receiving the items. YOKE!
I live in SoCal about 45 mins from one of the warehouses, and it still took about three weeks for my QR2 base side attachment to show up
trust is everything when you lose your trust in a company the people will go some where else to buy their products. It's bad here in the U.S too.
It took 3 weeks for the order to change from processing to sent to warehouse. For 4 days now it is still in the same status. This is absurd.
Thanks for this, very helpful. My 2yo CSL DD just went pop - was looking at upgrading to a Clubsport DD as I love the Fanatec wheels - but given the new QRs required for the rims, new mount needed for the base, and all these other issues you've kindly highlighted - I've gone full in on Asetek now instead.
Hopefully Fanatec can sort themselves out and rebuild their reputation, more options for sim racing is better! But I can't risk dropping this sort of money on them right now.
Once again, thanks for your vid.
Cheers
2 months... I waited 103 days. Yes I'm not joking, Yes I counted each day, Yes I didn't give up on it. and YES thats INSANE!
That’s over 3 months wtf
I would have canceled the order..
Just cancel your order and look elsewhere, seriously. You're far from the only one who is waiting for your Fanatec order to show up.
I have it now it just took an era@@RoarS89
These kind of things happen more often then people know with big companies. I've witnessed it first hand. Logistics is the toughest part of running a business. Factories shut down and/or materials end up produced at other locations. Due to the regular location no longer making said part/parts for various reasons. Shipping issues with materials, important/export rules, etc. It gets crazy
If I gave my bosses at work answers like this CEO does I wouldn't be there much longer. Their systems and operating procedures really seem dated by 2024 standards
I was thinking about getting their entry level wheel. But might just hold off a bit. Thanks for the vid and info.
They saved me from spending $1500 on a damn BMW M4 steering wheel. I don't trust them to ship it and they're the only vendor that forces signature on delivery. I've struggled to get a tracking number in the past and that's ridiculous when I have to arrange to stay home the day it's supposed to deliver and it take an unknown amount of weeks to ship in the first place.
I am so glad that I got my CSL DD bundle and it has worked well... Fanatec may never recover from this mess.
Same. I'm super happy with the CSL DD, but I'm for sure going with something else next time.
I also got a CSL DD bundle recently.
I did have one issue with it, the locking mechanism for the shaft wasn't tightened properly with the C clamp. It was extremely loose, kept sliding out of its connection under use.
So I disassembled the shaft, inspected how it connects, was surprised to see it was literally just a USB C connector header tacked on at the back of a metal shaft.
EIther way, nothing seemed bent or anything so I put everything back together and paid attention to the fact the C Clamp requires 15 NM of torque, which it clearly was not.
Looking up online, I saw many reports of people being told by fanatec support to "Go buy a torque wrench and do it yourself". Bruh.
So I said fuck that, and just tightened the ever loving shit of that one shitty bolt. It works now, the shaft does not come loose anymore.
I was very close to opening a ticket and sending it back, potentially wasting a huge amount of money through postage since they do not do free shipping, in fact I had to pay for import duties, so the bundle came out $200 more total.
Import duties was not communicated up front, so I was very frustrated to have to pay for that to begin with, and then the clamp bs.
While the wheel works nicely now, it sure did leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'm hesitant to buy the power pack now.
The C Clamp has a very flawed design, as the tightness applies on one side of the shaft, which basically holds the wheel in by sheer friction. I'm guessing a very small angle is also causing it to stay put, which fair enough, but god damn is it not a proper solution for securing a shaft. A double sided clamp would have been a much smarter idea.
I've had my csl dd since June 23, then started going wrong, loads of disconnects and tried all fixed as per community, nothing. So start of Dec 23 I started contacting tech support. Nothing heard so far 😢
I had the DD GT Pro and contemplated switching to the DD+ for greater FFB and the QR2 standard. I figured it might be a launch disaster based on what I knew of the company so got the 8Nm supply instead, the 2.5X wheel, shifter and hand brake on BF and avoided anything “new”. Glad I did. I got my gear and the new generation troubles can work themselves out before I think about switching again.
My wheel from BF arrived early december, so it was pretty fine. However it was damaged. It was almost a month until the joke of a support acknowledged the issue and raised a RMA for me...
When I ordered my csl dd bundle there was a random $500 rebate in the cart when checking out. Placed order. They sent it. Sometimes a bad company isn't always a bad thing. lol
My Black Friday order took a month to arrive. It was a little longer than expected, but I am in Canada and was expecting it after 3 weeks. After 3 weeks I sent an email and they responded in 24 hours updating me on all the issues with their website and warehouse. Honestly besides them not letting me know of the issues ahead of time I couldnt have expected more. Just an anecdote but id say my experience was a 4/5 with this fanatec order.
Fellow Canadian here in BC, just curious do they ship it from the west coast east coast or Europe? Hoping after BF I can get it in a bit less time.
@@GumstonVancouver Island here. I ordered Jan 1 (knowing the inventory days would delay shipping). CSL DD 5nm WRC ready2race, clutch kit, and shifter. Over the past 6 days I’ve received 7 separate USPS tracking numbers. From the label creation notes looks like it’s shipping from California. Nothing has been received by USPS yet, so we’ll see how long it actually takes to ship..
At the end of the day, I wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer than expected for a new product, or any product.
Why I canceled my DD+ order has everything to do with the nonexistent communication and the fact that Fanatec had me pay the full order total despite not knowing when I’ll actually get the order. Had they properly communicated delays from the start or taken a percentage of the order total (like ~25%) at checkout, then the rest once it shipped, I truly, truly wouldn’t mind waiting. But these aren’t cheap products, and because of that, none of this is acceptable.
Yeah this whole pay then wait months bs is ridiculous.
I've ordered the formula x 2.5 steering wheel since the 24th November... By now I would have been able to walk all the way to their warehouse and pick it up directly twice... The blog said they will get back with the shipping on the 10th of January... Then I'll e-mail them if my order exists or I'll have to wait March for the restock
I feel for the ones caught in this drama. I would lose it if I had gotten ghosted on messages for my paid setup. I’d personally give up on fanatec by going with Logitech or some any other company so as long as they stand by their product and give good communication. Stay strong brothers 🍻
Had a nightmare ordering my Ready2Race CSL DD bundle with delivery times, then added to this with the Black Friday sale, Buying multiple items which included the Formula 2.5X rim, which was oversold and have been told that my entire order is now not being sent out until the Formula rim is back in stock which will be around march and then would have to wait for that to then be sent out and delivered.
Very simple = don't buy from a company that literally can't deliver.
Or offer reasonable queue time for customer support.
There are several alternatives.
Seriously, they just couldn't say no to new orders. That's what even Warren Buffet values the most in junior investors : integrity.
I posted this on another channel but saying it again here as it's relevant to the video. I purchased the Ready2Race CSL DD 5nm package in stock. Took a month to get my tracking number and a little over a week for the order to actually be delivered. The entire month I waited from what I read was my order just sitting in the warehouse. I ordered 2nd gen Audi TT car parts coming from New Jersey and they were here in 4 days with instant tracking number with no rush shipping. Crazy I can order car parts for a discontinued car with low stock or a whole engine and it takes 4 days to get here in Texas. Because it took so long to get my Fanatec order, I wish now I added the 8nm boost kit with it. If I knew ordering from Fanatec was a huge issue I would have gone to the Microcenter 40 minutes away and just picked up the Moza M5 or M9 package stuff they sell in the store. But I wanted Fanatec for all the wheels and accessories they have.
I just went through the black Friday sale nightmare. It took them an entire month to send me my order. Customer service sent me in circle.
I ordered the CSL DD with Mclaren gt3 wheel, csl pedals with loadcell upgrade, WRC rally wheel and the QR2 mounts. Order was placed on Nov 21st. I received the last package on Jan 4th. But my date for warranty is Nov 21st. I am real happy with the gear. I just wish I would have been told upfront that it might be 8 to 12 weeks to arrive. I bought some Win Wing flight sim gear from China and it arrived in less than 10 days. Fanatec needs to be firing some people.
I think the problem is that they need to actually hire some people because their customer support is nonexistent
I bought a CSL Elite a few years ago and a Mclaren rim V2 as well, after seeing the support, the overall customer service i wont be ever buying anything from them again unless big things change, once my current gear give up ill be looking at another brand
I have the Porsche podium wheel and on the website it says it's compatible with the CSL base, but it isn't. Am I doing something wrong?
I ordered one (2 days ago) that was marked as "available" on the site and when I get my invoice it says August for a delivery date. The shipping initially said about 3 weeks, I would have never known August if I hadn't looked at the invoice they mailed. It was "handed over to the warehouse" the day after ordering. Not sure what to count on at this point.
Even if fanatec raised the bar years ago, now is a best time for other companies to slingshot to treetops!
I got burnt by them like many thousands of us and went straight to other company like I should in the beginning.
Im just mad that they ruined a chance to use BF discounts elsewhere as it takes them months to announce something what should take a day or two and mad that they hold our money as hostage.
Official announcement should sound like - PEOPLE CANCELL YOUR ORDERS NOW!
Im glad this happened. I originally ordered a DD1/QR2/shifter/handbrake/BMW V2/Formula 2.5. Only the formula wheel, shifter, and handbrake ever shipped. So I ordered a Simucube and VNM pedals instead.
Thanks for your video covering this matter it may kick Fanatec into doing similar. Something from them explaining the problems instead of the silence we are getting would help calm the situation down and kept customer support.
Glad I took the decision on my Thrustmaster TGTII and TLCMs.
I remember, I ordered my CSL DD back at the end of August, only to receive it at the end of November, with having to wait 20-25 days just to get a customer support reply, also had my package go back to warehouse and then take another 20 days to be sent back. Now I don't mind waiting times, but saying it will take 4-5 days to ship and I ordered it as a gift for someone it took 3.5 monthss, that is just awful. Just more transparency on the waiting times on the website would be very very helpful and would fix half the problem.
I'm really glad that I was able to get all the stuff I ordered on Black Friday. The shipping was irritating with me getting notifications that the delivery days changed several times only to end up arriving the original quoted day. I guess amazon spoiled me because I have zero patience for shipping shenanigans anymore. I can't imagine how angry I would be if I was one of the people that are currently getting hosed.
Worst thing is being a customer for about 10 years, now having spent well over 1k on new gear, and it's still not here well over a month after ordering. Now I want to cancel it and go for a Moza wheel, but even refunds take months. Good you made the video, more people should know about this.
Call your credit card company and charge it back. If you still haven’t received your order then I’m sure they’ll back you up.
I finally got my Black Friday order today, and I'm in the states. When it comes time for a new base, I'm going to go with another company unless Fanatec can get their issues worked out.
I bought a GT DD pro in Nov and when it arrived it lasted 45 minutes before popping and smoke pouring out the back. So I had to RMA it, which wasn't a great process, with very little communication. But they eventually replaced it with a brand new one and brand new power supply and all is working now. It was a pretty rough experience, but I'm happy at the moment and enjoying the product
Timely vid. I was only looking up what fanatec rig bits to buy today. Just assumed the website says what it means and 4-7 days later toys arrive
Thanks for the vid, like you mentioned, all they had to do was post on social media saying what was going on and the failure to that is very disappointing. Anyway, I'll still wait patiently for my Clubsport +!
Not centered in Europe. It’s worldwide. And where have you got end February for DD+ from?
Such a mess and I feel horrible for those waiting for their gear. I have a DD Formula base and other gear from them that I bought years ago just because I want the PlayStation comparability option, but I'm dreading the day things stop working and will definitely be going with another company that should hopefully have some PS compatibility DD bases by then
Emails not getting answered by Fanatec is nothing new. I experienced that a number of times when I was in their ecosystem. Eventually I got tired of the quality and communication issues and got out of that ecosystem.
Today I canceled my order for the DD+. I had already canceled my order for the QR2 and the formula wheel and now I have to sell the CSL pedals. I didn’t mind waiting but I just dread ever having to deal with them if I ever need to RMA.
Oh hell naw. Just bought a CSL DD 5 nm a few days ago and did not know about this. Might have to return mine! Thanks for letting me know about this!
I got mine during the black friday sale and had no issues.
@@JZStudiosonlinesame. Ordered during BF and everything arrived fine. There are lots of people who have messed up orders, but most orders still processed just fine.
@@JZStudiosonline Ok, well that's good to hear. I've heard that most people w/o issues don't say anything, but the people w/ issues do say something. I guess I'll have to wait my package out and see what happens. Sucks because I am going back to uni in 2 weeks tho.
@@lordorion8657 I mean, I've been getting their sales promo emails for "Buy the thing now and it'll ship in a couple months!" I'm also in the US and it probably varies by product range.
Thats bullshit spewed by people that bought Fanatec Gear. You can read daily complaints on any social media that has topics about fanatec@@lordorion8657
The vid comes perfectly on time, I ordered a full set (wheel, wheel base, pedals) just 3 days ago. Everything should be in stock and sent in 4-7 days according to the product page. I know I didn’t get such a good deal as on BF but back then I just couldn’t place an order….
I got mine 5 days after Christmas, not disappointed in the slight but was when the shipping was delayed, that being said its mind boggling to think the only part they need to crack is shipping but this should not be that hard, they also should be more open on lead times
We’re lucky in Australia. We still have to deal with overseas after sales support via email, but as far as the retail side goes it’s pretty smooth. All the stock is shipped to a local warehouse and orders are sent from there and will only take a week if they’re in stock. The website for our region has stock levels that reflect what’s actually here in the country, so if it’s sold out or on back order, the information is accurate. Although, ordering a bundle requires three separate items (wheel, base, pedals) sent on three separate shipping labels for some weird reason, so we might get three different deliveries on three different days. It’ll be more if your order has magnetic shifters and a quick release.
I think Fanatec should switch to doing what basically every other wheel manufacturer does and instead go for general retail for delivery. Sell it in brick and mortar shops! Let people be able to drive to a local retailer and buy what they want off the shelf, and go back to that same shop if they have a warranty issue, need a refund, or exchange if purchased item is DOA. This would take a huge amount of pressure off its supply chain because they would be distributing to a hundred retailers rather than a hundred thousand individual end users.
I’d like to see this suggestion make its way to the ear of the boss-man. Fanatec might take a hit on the bottom line if it switches to wholesale, so it could do that, or continue on the current trajectory and rely on its product being desirable enough for people see past the problems forever.
Good to hear this. I'm also in Oz and really want to pull the trigger on the Mclaren ready to race bundle as it seems to be the best option for both PC and Xbox connectivity at this price point. No doubt I'll keep procrastinating though!
I ordered QR2 parts on the Aus site and still waiting for any news since November when I ordered them. The 'available date' on the website keeps getting further into the future. Don't see how it's any different to the situation in Europe. Maybe if the parts were already in the warehouse in Aus (presumably older parts) then you might luck into something getting delivered quickly...
They tried charging me nearly £50 for a replacement load cell for my v3’s, over half of which the cost was shipping and a “handling fee”, So I bought vrs pedals.
I get you man. They tried to charge me 30€ for a cable.... Freaking hot wired that shit myself. Since then i bought only moza stuff. Happy as ever.
I've seen the same situation with a single QR screw. The screw itself: 3 euro. Plus a 10 euro handling fee and 20 euro for shipping.
Cammus is the same, still waiting for my C5 bundle which was ordered on 18 December 2023 (order status is still "processing" ), they also don't respond to emails.
Thanks for bringing this to the public. I have a BF order waiting on the f1 2.5x wheel. I do not mind waiting, but the lag of communication does not build up any trust at the moment. Also, no clear status in the order overview is not what you expect from such a company. 3 years ago, I ordered my first set. Back then, I thought it was a bit messy website. Currently, it is still the same. Slow site responses, no order status info, what product is in backorder, and when will my stuff get sent. And when I receive my order, God, please let it work....
Just for balance I got my BF order before Christmas and all was okay. However I did put in that order the first morning the discounts started.
I can only imagine the backlog, but as long as they send out in the order they were received least they won't be doing the dirty on their customers. In hindsight ideally they should have limited the stock or warned yes you can get it at a discount but may take many months to fulfil.
I think I was reading somewhere that it was primarily European orders that were having issues. I ordered mine in December and I got it relatively quickly, but I’m in the US.
Was going to order a csl dd bundle tonight. It says ready to ship on all the items. Should I stay away?
Yeah im currently going through the pain. I can assure you guys when you get the automated email saying expect a response in 2 - 3 buisness days DO NOT BELEIVE it. it took 3 customer support tickets and 3 weeks to get an email that my voucher would be emailed to me (cancelled order due to delays) in 2 - 3 buisness days. That was 2 weeks ago.... Sent another support ticket yesterday, my hopes are lower than a limbo champion with a broken back.
They make orders in advice. Now they have the money and can pay for manufacturing new units . All that is pushed to us, customers. Not a great idea to make business. Clearly it works now like crowdfunding.
this is incredibly common throught all types of industry, and not even touching in JIT.
I feel like they have the habit of selling more than what they can and the lack of communication is intentional to buy them time. Then when cant deliver, they pass the blame on something else.
Ordered mine on Dec. 22nd with the csl wheel knowing it was gonna take until Jan. 11th to at least get shipped. Didn't ship on the 11th or 12th so I'm hoping this next week it does. Doesn't seem likely though.
Well this was a great time for my CSL DD wheelbase to brick itself... sent in my support ticket yesterday. Let's see how long it takes.
Mine smoked two weeks ago. Sent in email the next day. Got response in 7 days, RMA in 4 more days, and return label last night. I'm ok with that timeframe, relative to all they have going on. Now, how long till I have a working unit back in my hands.....................
@@DerekCross118 this gives me some hope at least! Hope you come right soon.
My condolences in these difficult times. Hopefully you'll get it replaced before summer.
I placed order and it was shipped in 4 days and arrived at my place in 3-4 days from shipping. Europe based. Order was placed on 15.12(Friday late evening) and arrived on 22.12
Loyal customer for four years. Have owned every wheelbase from CSL Elite PS4 to the DD2. Failed orders around Black Friday, multiple refund delays, including currently still awaiting an RMA refund since November with a signed delivery confirmation at their US warehouse! No response for nearly two months on status, and this is a US customer!
Sold it all over the holidays and switched to SIMAGIC. Been very happy so far. Crazy how quickly it all went sour, I never thought I’d leave their ecosystem.
Same here but glad I did. I love the alpha u and the sequential shifter. I’ll be selling my Heusinkveld sprints and grabbing the p1000 pedals soon. I got so tired of doing the RMA dance with Fanatec. Email them. Wait 24 hours for a response. Email them back. Wait 24 hours for a response. You better hope you have a short conversation because if not it would probably take a whole month and that was long before any of this. I just don’t understand how you can grow a business offering more and more products without spending anything on the customer service side of that business and expect anything else other than the issues that have been plaguing them. It’s irresponsible and just plain bad business.
I received my black friday order on december 1st. I agree that communication is an issue. Not sending out tracking numbers, not clearly labelling preorder items that depend on third parties etc.
Really sucks because they make a decent product that has a better track record compatibility wise than the competition.
I ordered on Dec 25th 2023, never heard anything but it was processing no shipping numbers or anything- but it arrived over 3 days last week. On one day I got a hub, on tuesday I got almost everything else, thursday I got the base QR. So they seem to be shipping now
ordered qr2 wheel side in december with a ship date of jan 17th I go and look and it says available yet mine hasnt shipped
Had this situation took about 5 weeks for the packages form BF to show up tracking did show up till 5 days befor delivery
When i purchased my wheel (november) the thing that took time Was getting the parcel moving. The delivery Was a few days
not sure if it is normal, my wheelbase came with QR2 only, never gave the downgrade option. Untill they ship QR2 adaptors, I'm stuck with a paperweigth.
"Future Steering Wheels and Wheel Bases will come with QR2 by default, with the option to select an appropriate QR1 accessory (available during the transition period)."
I made my first sim gear order from Fanatec on black Friday not knowing the situation until afterwards. It took about 1.5 weeks from time of order to receive my tracking numbers which came in over a span of 3 days. Another 1.5 weeks passed before any of the items started to move at all. Another 1.5 weeks later items slowly started to trickle in 1 or 2 items at a time over a span of 2 weeks ish..
Thanks for sharing this, was thinking about getting a DD Pro bundle to play GT7 and other sims on PC on the side, but if their logistics are a nightmare atm I’ll just wait longer to see if they resolve the issues or check if there’s alternatives.
They've always been like this. Don't expect them to change anytime soon.
I just went with the Logitech Pro. No risk.
Here in Australia i purchased a GT DD Pro on the 29/12/2023, the order was passed onto the warehouse the following Monday (even though the website said no orders would be processed in the first week of January). Everything shipped on Tuesday (with tracking) and everything arrived by 8/1/2024 (the next Tuesday). I installed the drivers and software and everything worked without any issue,. It was practically plug and play. The (dreaded) QR1 Lite is a tight fit, the wheel base is completely silent in operation and the pedals are without issue other than needing to drill extra holes into the GT Omega ART wheel plate and acquire nuts/bolts from the local hardware store (~$15).
TLDR: It might be that the Australian warehouse doesn't have as many orders to process, but my first experience with Fanatec was a flawless one (so far). I am very happy with my new GT DD Pro
I ordered during BF week and got products in around 3 weeks, not too bad (UK order). Wrapped up under the Christmas tree for another couple of weeks or so and then finally got to use them once rig was built up. CSL DD lasted 2 hours before a puff of smoke and burning smell and it switched itself off. Quick Google on this and it seems it's a common fault, possibly one component that needs to be swapped out so why are they shipping products with known likely faults...
You’re entitled to a refund via consumer rights if they do not respond in due time. If it’s paypal it’s even easier
@@Invin_cibles Yeah I will go that route if I have to but really just want a working wheel resolved in a reasonable period of time rather than waiting weeks for emails to be responded to, etc.
Man that sucks. Previous issues like this with Fanatec is why I went with a Simagic setup.
@@Jpilgrim30 Yeah it does. I chased them on day 7 of no reply and got a response asking some questions about the circumstances of when it died and confirming that a RMA email would follow shortly. Still waiting for that to show up so will have to chase that up too next week.
@@nickb997.1 they won’t reply. They’re knowingly taking cash flow from customer knowing they can’t deliver. At worst they’ll file for bankruptcy and keep the money as ‘salary’. They’ve lost 80% of their value in the last two years too.
I have one experience with fanatec. I bought the csl clutch kit. It took about 2 weeks, which I thought was a bit slow, but it got delivered 2 days earlier than expected.
This I think was down to the courier company. I bought the pedals new from a private seller. Cheaper and got here in a couple of days.
I couldn’t find a used/new clutch kit for sale 2nd hand.
All this negative press puts me off going all in with fanatec gear.
I like the pedals, I didn’t like having to spend more money on the usb adapter. Going forward, I’ll probably get that cammus wheel tbh.