I hate to sound naive, but is there even an obscure artist named Palo Uber?? Please tell me yes, please!

 

As far as I can tell, "obscure" just means "no one's ever heard of him".

There's no BBB file on them, which highly surprises me.

 

Well, no one can seem to find any books by him or about him, no one's found anyone in the contemporary art community that's ever heard of him, and all of the places where his art is displayed are cafes/restaurants where artists can pay to display their work. There's also the "Stanford Gallery", but it's got the same phone number as Palo Uber Mini, and the owner of Palo Uber London (Carol's) full name is Carol Stanford-Cummings, so draw your own conclusions.

If you read the "artist's biography" on the Palo Uber site (not the PU Mini site), you'll find that there's not a single verifiable fact anywhere in it. It says that he went to school, but not where or when. It says that he's the child of an artist and an architect, but doesn't give their names, it mentioned that his work has been purchased/displayed by large corporations and discerning collectors, but again fails to mention any names.

I'l let you draw your own conclusions, but it's pretty obvious.

As for his art, it looks vaguely like what a less-talented Mark Rothko might have produced fifty years ago, so it's not particularly cutting-edge or novel, considering that PU is supposedly "one of the greatest living expressionists".

 

That's pretty generous. I thought it looked more like thinned-down paint thrown at a wet canvas.

...and I *like* art.

 

Please, that should be expressionists. BIG difference.

I started a thread a while back to fill in the facts about his life. Please feel free to contribute: Palo Uber, legendary artist

 

I did, awhile back. I bought the lugs in December of last year, right after taking delivery of the car.

 

Sorry - typo on my part - thanks for the correction, and I'll edit my post. As you said, there's a huge difference between the impressionists and expressionists.

 

My question is: Even if all the BS is true about his art, WHAT qualifies him to create and manufacture hi tech parts for cars? Are they trying to compare him to Leonardo da Vinci? Absurd....

 

I cannot believe Passat actually asked to find an unsatisified Palo Uber customer in that thread

Pretty ironic right now

 

I see the thread on the PU wing was closed down. I guess the originator of that thread had a form of melt-down and cursed some of the other posters over their feelings about PU. Well, I wanted to add something over there, so I guess I'll add it here, by quoting Rally's post from there for context. It actually has to do with the lugs and the latest PU customer relations fiasco, as you will see in the following post.

 

From a post to the UBER WING thread, which has now been closed down....

I was a happy customer for a few minutes , but Palo Uber has just done about everything possible to drive me the other way . The issues I left in the quote above I can comment on from experience.

1. I have had multiple sets of rusty lugs . The first set rusted and PU replaced them. The replacement set then rusted too . They offered a replacement with a different type of lug altogether, which I accepted, as it was represented to be a locking variety (similar to the ones that had rusted, except solid, rather than hollow in the center). However, that part was a lie (that the replacement lugs would also require a key to install and remove; pure BS), so I returned them for credit. That credit was agreed to, in writing via e-mail , and was supposed to be placed on my credit card days ago; PU keeps insisting the made the credit to my card, but today I found out I not only DO NOT have the promised credit, but they charged me again instead !!! So, now I am fighting not just for a credit for the returned lugs, but also an erroneous charge (they charged me for something I returned, rather than issuing me a credit). :impatient They claim it is a simple error (that is what the card issuer claims PU told them, as PU has not even so much as bothered to answer my e-mails about this latest insult) , but they have made so many blunders and errors already you have to wonder if this was just a simple mistake or an intentional act.

2. I have one of their CF scoops. I like it and so far no problems. I just dread having one though, based on the experiences I have already had with PU.

3. I have one of their antennas. So far no problem, but again I wonder is this the calm before the storm.

4. While they try to seem customer friendly , they have done everything to sabotage that image . They accused me (FALSELY) of using air tools on their lugs (never happened), in order to make it out to be my fault that the lugs rusted . They have traded e-mails with me over weeks/months where they say one thing and then misconstrue what was stated, resulting in endless e-mails to clarify matters . I think this charge instead of a credit has to be intentional, so customers with complaints just give up ; it is very effective, but I am not going to allow these unfriendly folks to win at their game of lying and frustrating . This latest episode, a promised credit for a returned item (which I have proof they received earlier this week) that not only was NOT put on my credit card, but was put through as an additional charge, added insult to injury. :impatient

I stood up for these clowns against all the folks here who said I didn't know these cats for the sub-humans they really are; I found out the hard way.

 

I'll say it again. If you want these clowns to stop selling... then we need to stop buying.....

STOP BUYING!!!!!

 

Blackie, I would really consider filing a BBB complaint online, at least just to get it on the record. Somehow, PU has NO record with the BBB, not even a negative one, which floors me with all of the problems people have had.

 

That really sounds like the only choice left; just put them out of business by not patronizing them before anyone else becomes a victim. I wonder how the people behind this facade live with themselves; what were they thinking when they developed their business model and made this repeated false behavior (from their misrepresentations about quality, to their denegration of their competition, to their abuse of customers in both subtle and un-subtle ways) a part of their company culture?

I am sure they could make a reasonably good sounding case (at least to an unwitting 3rd party) that they went above and beyond to try to satisfy my order. Just from what they wrote into their e-mail replies I can see their defense forming. I'd be cast as unreasonable, demanding, threatening, and god only knows what else (unbalanced too, probably; you make someone out to be crazed and their complaints suddenly are dismissed). I could even be accused of accepting patronage from the competition to disparage PU (as I've heard that one out of them about others here more than once). If there wasn't such a long thread already, their other trick would be to make me out to be someone who never even purchased anything from them. Didn't you know that all you folks who rip them NEVER bought a single product?

Don't be surprised if this thread gets closed down too before much longer. What would it take? Oh, I suppose one of them or someone they plant here does exactly the same sort of profane post as what appeared on the UBER WING thread just to get people to stop talking about them. I think we need a PU victims club with our own grille badge and a permanent thread here on NAM about them and their documented antics (or one that replaces it each time PU tries to shut it down). I still have most, if not all, of their e-mails.

 

I think I will look into that, just as soon as I have my credit card statement that shows PU charged me rather than crediting me.

 

Wow....they charged you instead of crediting? That SUCKS I could see how that would be a simple error.....but the fact that they won't return emails is rough

 

Damn, I missed what was said to close that other thread down,
good job breaking it down rallymini

 

Rally:

Probably because of this thread, they returned today with this e-mail:

From: PaloUber [carol@palouber.com] Sent: Sat 10/6/2007 4:36 PM
To: Andrew Blackman
Cc:
Subject: CREDIT/REFUND
Attachments:

Mr. Blackman,

We have spoken to Visa via telephone regarding this matter. During our converstion with visa and after reviewing our global account they/we acknowledged this was simply an error which would be corrected. This has been corrected a credit issued.

A credit has been processed to: Visa (XXXX) $44.97, transaction #1579453962
A refund processed to: AMEX (XXXX) $44.97 transaction # 1579473159

Palo Uber London Co,

Still, they really are pitiful to have screwed this up on something so darn simple. Just based on how they have handled so many things, I'd sooner believe it was done on purpose, just to get some flaming e-mail back from me that they could use later as evidence that I am a loose screw. Also note how it was signed. As I said, they no longer personalize anything they write to me.

 

You can still read it; you just can't add any posts to it. At least that was what I found.

 

It is self protection. No individual needs to take personal responsibility, if problems continue.

 

nah they removed the problem posts and opened it back up

 

It was those "problem posts" that made it worth reading.

 

Protection? Are you talking in legal terms? Someone obviously at Palo Uber is responding from their e-mail address. Do you think everyone at PU would deny writing these replies? Probably NOT out of the realm of possibility with this company, just based on their past deep bag of tricks!

 

I simply meant that by not signing an e-mail, somebody wants to hide behind anonymity and and doesn't want to own up to taking personal responsibility.

 

Well, I just wrote my review on these lugs, so let's see if it gets posted. I think it is very fair, even if it essentially says, "I wouldn't buy these lugs, if I had it to do over again".