A sour customer service experience

Scenario:

You ask a supplier to match a competitor's price (which is ~ 10-15% cheaper). You receive an e-mail in reply indicating they have agreed, sure, no problem. And then 17 minutes after their first e-mail, they send you another e-mail, saying succinctly: they've changed their mind out of fairness to their customers, some of whom spend hundreds of dollars per month.

For about 15 minutes, I was giddy as a school girl. Then the second e-mail arrived . . . just as I was about to place my order. How very disappointing, to put it mildly. I feel I should spend more money with this company so I can get on their "deserves good treatment" list. I wonder how much it takes. A clearly outlined tier system might encourage me to spend more money.

The upshot of this is, I suppose, if you are the recipient of a good deal from some of the companies frequenting this forum, I suggest you take them up on it with haste! Also, be aware of those who willingly price match, and those who don't, and infer accordingly. I would also suggest that the type of behavior I experienced from the company is very unprofessional. The profit margin on the item I requested a price match on is probably quite high. A simple price match as that would have eaten into perhaps 1/3 of their profit per item (assuming a fairly standard profit margin of 40%, i.e. cost x 1.67 = final selling price).

What supplier did this? An email agreeing to a price match should have been binding for that transaction at least.

Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

its just a few bucks, i wouldnt stress over it. people change their minds...if youre not happy about it, just dont buy from them anymore. i doubt they were trying to juke you for a few bucks, im sure the fairness thing was genuine. i work retailing supplements, and i know if we give one person a special deal that we dont offer to the general public... someone inevitably hears about it and it turns into a giant whine-fest, which just results in problems for the business.


i also think part of building a loyal business-customer relationship, is being willing to pay a few extra bucks sometimes to support the business. i know i have a few set places i buy from, who i almost always get great deals & the lowest prices from... sometimes i find the items a 10-15% cheaper elsewhere, but i always pay the higher price to my prefered business because thats just part of having a loyal relationship with the business.

Loyalty runs both ways, ajnast4r: the company's loyalty to me, and my demonstrated (through repeated purchases, and gracefully-handled defective products) loyalty to the company. It's synergistic. A customer wanting to give you business is a supportive customer. If, due to constraints on income let's say, this customer spends more time surveying the price landscape and then explains that he could buy it cheaper elsewhere, but he really prefers to buy from someone he feels more comfortable with, here is a sign of customer loyalty that shouldn't be taken advantage of so egregiously. The owner of the company considered my request for the price-match (which was my first, ever) as a demonstration that I wasn't "supportive" of his company. Not only was that a myopic and incorrect appraisal of the facts, due to my very apparent desire to support the company (present and several times in the past), but it was highly insulting, and directed at me, personally by first name. That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It was also a very enlightening moment where I had to re-evaluate this person's character . . . about 170 degrees or so.

The real kicker here? The insulting, abrasive manner in which he withdrew his offer. That's not how a professional businessman comports himself.

Anyway, that's all the time I have to dedicate to this topic. I'm going to work on my crossword puzzle.

Edited for brevity.

Edited by johnmk, 11 February 2006 - 05:24 PM.

johnmk, is there some reason you will not name this company? If there is a problem with a supplier out there I for one would sure like to know about it.

It is really not fair to the readers of this forum to bring up this experience and refer to "some of the companies frequenting this forum", and then allow us to guess or wait with trepidation for a similar experience to find out just which supplier you are referring to.

Also, the supplier should have a chance to rebut.

I can guess that you are not talking about UN, because Steve has said he will always price match (although he doesn't give free shipping at any price point). But he is not too favorably disposed towards ImmInst right now, so maybe...

I don't think its fair to criticize a company for not giving you, and you only, a discount. Different companies have different prices. If they would have emailed you the first time telling you "no", would you have a complaint? The fact that they changed their minds in no way burdened you, except for your whole 17 minutes of exhilaration. So what? They have every right to change their minds if they think that their decisions may be detrimental to their business.

You haven't named the company, but don't try to harm anyone just because you are upset that they decided against giving you a discount. A discount is a favor, not a privilege.

The company's identity would be welcome for public mention if this 'event' were defined by something more than the private emotional reactions of johnmk's two 'verbal contract' receipts. Keep this kind of thing to yourself...if not, keep it between you and the person that offended you (ask for an apology?). This thread really serves no purpose other than to warn us that there's someone out there with a business degree that is also an asshole and I really don't think that would surprise much of anyone.

Edited by liplex, 13 February 2006 - 06:10 PM.

The company's identity would be welcome for public mention if this 'event' were defined by something more than the private emotional reactions of johnmk's two 'verbal contract' receipts. Keep this kind of thing to yourself...if not, keep it between you and the person that offended you (ask for an apology?). This thread really serves no purpose other than to warn us that there's someone out there with a business degree that is also an asshole and I really don't think that would surprise much of anyone.

Actually, seeing the entire email exchange would be more illuminating, but might also be embarassing to the parties concerned.

An email is not a "verbal" contract. If there is an email in this situation, agreeing to a price match, then it is much more like a written contract than a verbal one (my opinion here and since I have a business degree, some may discount it). Having said that, I would still expect Any company, online or retail, to honor even a verbal agreement to a price match, or to any other kind of customer enhancment for a transaction. It is a matter of trust, which is especially important in online commerce because of its very nature. One of the main reasons I joined ImmInst was to learn about supplements and nootropics and to find the suppliers, the reputable suppliers who can be trusted, and I have not been disappointed.

This is a "supplier discussion" forum, it does not seem that anyone hesitates to specify "good" suppliers, why is there any hesitation to name a potentially "bad" supplier? Am I missing something here? Is there some rule I don't know about because I am new?

my opinion here and since I have a business degree, some may discount it

First off, I commend you for your sporting tone in light of my illmannered, bareassed remark. Good to see someone can hold their temper even in the face of direct offense these days. And no, I don't really mean it...just an old college stereotype.

If there is an email in this situation, agreeing to a price match, then it is much more like a written contract than a verbal one

Now, I believe, the question would be: is an e-mail "much more like" a contract, or *is* it a contract?

This is a "supplier discussion" forum, it does not seem that anyone hesitates to specify "good" suppliers, why is there any hesitation to name a potentially "bad" supplier? Am I missing something here? Is there some rule I don't know about because I am new?

I assume this is somewhat directed to the tenor of my last post. My feeling is that his postings are completely useless to this community as there is neither a mention of the offending supplier's identity nor truly a reason to do so as, now this is the crux, there is the questionable liability of the supplier to make good on his *e-mail offer* which was shortly *revoked by e-mail*. If johnmk wants to wax on about how guilty he feels for "this supplier just ~making him serve up his papers for court date" after his blather about being such a valued customer *then I might like to hear about it but, please, no silly ass "completely justifiable profit loss for supplier yet grievously missed savings for me" expense report rampble about an *anonymous* discount-turncoat *insinuated* as having a capricious customer service persona. So far as has been described by our victim, the supplier is in no way a "bad supplier"; a coarse PR man, but not a bad supplier. I'm making too much of this. Reading it all with an accent might have made it a bit more pleasant, for sure, seeing as I enjoyed typing it that way. [sfty]

What I'm getting to is... the supplier's identity should not be revealed.

Edited by liplex, 13 February 2006 - 09:27 PM.

Now, I believe, the question would be: is an e-mail "much more like" a contract, or *is* it a contract?

This would make an interesting topic in itself, but probably not in this forum.


I must excuse myself from this discussion. I believe that I have become aware of the supplier involved and I am not unbiased or absoultely certain.

Thank you for the interesting exchange of ideas and philosophy.

My goal in this thread? An anecdote, pretty trivial at that; I wanted a bit of feedback, I got that. Also, perhaps raising the topic of price matching might cause others to do a bit of shopping around. There are some good deals out there, do some digging. If you don't have a substantial income, you don't have to give up all your discretionary income to achieve your goals.

Lastly, I'm more moved to buy from those I don't perceive to be unremittingly arrogant. Being a smart businessman is one thing I respect. Being a jerk will relegate you to amoebic status, however. Want to change your mind on a price match? Sure. Go for it. Try doing it without insulting me though. A Better Business isn't one that operates like a drunk Ayn Rand.

Thats why we have these boards. I think there is way too much buddy buddy, 'lets all get along and never improve through competition' mentality in the nootropic world, as is evidenced to me by the severe dislike of this nootropik fella who simply seemed to want to raise awareness that these potentially impure supplements were not being tested by a third party, or in some cases even by the retail supplier!? Im new around here so im sure I dont have the full story, but that is what it looks like from what ive read in the past week.

Huh? Did he just...?



WTF


Please not again...

smells that way

Lay off the beans, Adam.

As always I'll take care of Adam don't worry guys....its my job. [lol]

Why is your status showing as -suspended- LifeMirage? Dear God, no, not you!

Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

Why is your status showing as -suspended- LifeMirage? Dear God, no, not you!

I am assuming you are being facetious since it is all over the boards, but if not, look here, here, or here. (probably other threads that have mentioned it too)