Is it possible to order fanatec products in Australia?
I ask because when I first decided to buy the GT DD pro bundle everything I wanted was listed 'out of stock' in AU. On the Japan site it was in stock so I ordered it from there instead, but when I tried to buy it it said 'we do not deliver to Australia'.
I thought OK, obviously there is no stock in Australia and they don't ship from overseas.
I waited a few weeks , did some research and decided on the following config...
Gran Turismo DD Pro Wheel Base (8 Nm)
CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2
QR1 Lite Wheel-Side (Simplified Quick Release Adapter)
I went back to the Australian site and all these were now listed as 'in stock'. Brilliant!. I put it all in my shopping basket and went to pay but guess what? It wouldn't let me. There was no field where I could type the name on the card! I only had card number/expiry date CSV. There is no card holder name field!
Naturally, the transaction was rejected because there was no card holder name. I asked the on-line tech support girl why this was happening and she said I had to contact my bank and arrange to link my card to a third party company that handles fanatec transactions . She gave no instructions on how to do this and I haven't found any on the fanatec site or wider web. Seems to me you just can't buy fanatec in australia but they pretend you can until the last moment.
WTF is going on? If it's impossible to buy fanatec gear in Australia why don't they just say so? What is the point of fanatec sponsoring motor sports down here if you can't but the product.
Confused, dissapointed, looking at the new logitech DD option instead.
Comments
It is probably the fault of the Fanatec site which sucks.
I made 3 purchases on their European site, after a couple of months.
The first time there was the Paypal icon, but it didn't work, so I used the credit card.
The second time my credit card icon was gone, but luckily PayPal worked. The third time the PayPal icon disappeared, but again I was able to use my credit card.
It takes a lot of patience when dealing with Fanatec. A lot of patience.
At the risk of stating the obvious, it may be worth double checking that you've cleared any cookies or browser cache before trying the Fanatec site again. Sometimes that can help clear up any weird behavior.
Wow. I've read that their product support etc is really slow and generally bad, but I've never dealt with a company that won't let customers buy their products because of poor web design and dismally ignorant on-line support. Amazing.
Trying it now.
Didn't work. Checkout still doesn't have a 'cardholder name field'.
Maybe that's a stupid question. Can you use Paypal in Australia? If possible, make an account and use Paypal.
Hi Andrew,
It seems to be normal that this part of the checkout doesn't have a name field. It sounds like the authentication issue that you're running into is something different, which is why the agent advised you to contact your bank. But please continue to communicate with us as well. I'm sure this can be sorted out. I am not aware of a general issue with placing orders on the AU website.
[Fanatec Community Manager]
I could do that, but I don't see why I would have to. I just want to use my card.
If the checkout page doesn't have a name field, how does anyone pay by credit card? It's impossible.
I shop on-line all the time and have never encountered this problem before. It's nuts.
Effectively...
The universe is sending you a message.
He sent it to me too, but I ignored it, unfortunately.
Can't you add your card to PayPal and use that to pay?
Just an alarm bell, faint, but it's ringing.
I have ordered stuff with no probs but not for ages now. I dont know, fanatec always seem to the two steps back with every one step forward they make. I think it is pretty obvious that the issues lie at the top of the food chain here.
OK, I've created a paypal account and will see if that works, Hopefully it will, but before I order....
I just want to check I'm buying the right stuff. I will be playing AC and ACC and maybe GT7 on the PS4 (eventually PS5) - no pc games. Here is what I'm going to order...
Gran Turismo DD Pro Wheel Base (8 Nm)
CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2 - I chose this wheel because the DD pro wheel has a narrow diameter like the logitech G29 and supposedly has a cheap feel. Plus the DD pro wheel is out of stock! The GT3 V2 looks like a better option and is supposedly completely compatible with PS games.
QR1 Lite Wheel-Side (Simplified Quick Release Adapter) - I don't intend to swap wheels so figure this is the best option.
CSL Pedals
Is this a good set-up? I did ask the on-line tech support girl and she said everything was just fine! My main naive concern (at that time) was that I couldn't see a PS button on the GT3 and explained to her that every PS controller has a PS button to tell the PS that this is the device that controls it - including my logitech G29 wheel! 'So is there a button on the Fanatec McLaren GT3 V2 wheel that did the same thing'?
She told me I would have to contact Logitech to confirm this.
Confidence in any sort of fanatec support completely gone, I researched and found that the x-box like button on the GT3 acts as the PS button, so that is no longer an issue. Will my above list work seamlessly on a PS4/PS5 or have I missed something? Any advice would be appreciated.
I have the same setup, other than the standard PSU and load cell brake. Everything works great, really like the McLaren wheel which I've modded with the SimMakerz paddle shifters. For me it's a big improvement over the standard shifter assembly.
The A,B,X,Y and XBOX buttons are just caps that can removed and replaced with something else if you want.
If you do play GT7 the toggle switches change and adjust the MFD and I have the analogue paddles set to look left & right.
Thanks! Feel much better about going ahead.
I was going to get the LC brake kit, but I have a NLR GT Lite cockpit and from what I've read the cockpit flexes too much with the LC.
I had the NLR GT Lite with CSL DD and CSL LC Pedals. The pedal set was just perfect. Maybe some movement on the plastic joints.
The big problem was the flex on the wheelbase. I chose GT Lite because of the space in the house, but after buying the CSL DD I realized that it was not good. Better than the desk but insufficient.
Doing some measurements and calculations I bought a GT Omega Titan, and it is just perfect. It's slightly larger than the GT-Lite, but with the wheels underneath I can move it easily, better than the GT-Lite.
Next Level Racing F-GT for the same price looks just as good. I recommend at least one of the two, as a minimum for CSL DD, DD Pro.
I plan on lowering the wheel down to 5 or 6 NM because I've heard that works ok. Maybe upgrade the cockpit and LC later.
Thanks for your input. I've taken it on-board.
On the contrary, you better keep it to the max. Nothing breaks, just some "scary" noise, but nothing special. Except that the station absorbs some of the FFB, so you really feel less, much less, the torque. With a solid seat the wheelbase feels more powerful.
It was also difficult to fold and move the cockpit. In reality I never folded it, I always just raised the pedals and lowered the backrest, but with the CSL DD it became a problem to do that too. DD really weighs a lot and unbalances the station. It all seemed unstable when I wasn't sitting inside. But it is solid enough to play at full strength.
Thanks again. I've ordered my original list from Fanatec and it will get here soon (I hope). If the NRL GT Lite can't handle it will consider upgrading.