So, I have been searching for the rest of the stillen ureathane Kit to complete my front lip that I had purchased over last summer. You all know how incomplete that kit looks without the sides and rears installed. Anyway, I phone up my sales rep to place the order to finish off the kit. 432usd. During the phone conversation, he informs me that he's going to offer free shipping to the lower 48 as part of me being a loyal customer. Great!!! I have only purchased 2 things from stillen in the past, but I'm good with saving 48usd. Who's not??? I figure that my order is complete and should be arriving at my us zip by the end of the week. So.... forward ~30 hours...


I get this e-mail...
"On Monday morning we had a company wide meeting. Management decided for a very limited time offer we are will paid for shipping on selected products. Your order was one of the selected to be eligible for free shipping, but at the same time there is a slight increase in Stillen products. As of Monday here is the new price vs. the old price.

108252 $127.65 $120

108253 $127.65 $120

108216 $102.12 $96

108217 $102.12 $96

You can choose to paid for the shipping $48.81 or you can take an advantage of our offer price increase+9.95 for insurance/handling $37.48. Please let me know what to do"

Basically, the price has gone up to cover the loss of shipping costs. Furthermore, the website still has the OLD pricing.

I complain to the rep, his manager, and the customer service manager. No-one will hear my complaint. I expect better from a company that has the reputation of Stillen. I expect that the price I pay is 432usd with free shipping. Not this "new price" that is not advertised anywhere on their website.

Very Shady. You've lost me as a customer for life.
Other companies sell the same product and most times its cheaper.

 

here's my response:
I have to say that I'm not too happy about this __sales rep name withheld___. I was told over the phone with you that the total for parts was going to be 432usd. 120/side and 96/rear. Now your company wants to charge me an extra 37.54. 27.54 just for the parts. I'm sorry, but you should have mentioned the extra charges to the product and shipping insurance during the orginal phone conversation. Which you did not. The Web site pricing still reflects the pricing that you quoted me. This leaves me to wonder what is going on here?
Further more, your follow up e-mail did not get created until more than 24 hours after I hung up the phone with you. Based on these circumstances, I feel that you should honor the pricing that we agreed upon. 120/side and 96 each for the rears. __sales rep name withheld___, you quoted me free shipping in the lower 48 and I firmly believe that you need to honor that as well. I will of course pay for the insurance as I believe that is a smart thing to do. You stated that "because I kept Stillen in the forefront and had been a customer for years, Stillen would offer me free shippng." I thought that was great. Then I get an e-mail stating that almost every single customer will recieve free shipping with some excpetions.
The "senior sales manager" was rude with me on the phone, cut off every point that I made, didnot allow me to get most of my points out before cutting me off mid sentence and stating things like "this is a speculative conversation" or "you can have it at the new price or not at all", or something to the effect of "I'm cutting this conversation off because your points are not valid." Then there's my favourite "petrol prices have gone up and that neccisates a cost increase in our urethane product." Fine, why is it not then updated on your website as of this writing (11/07/07 @ 11:15am). He had no answer to that other than "it's a work in progress." Well, then you need to honor the prices posted.
I expect to see a charge of 432usd plus 9.95 for insurance appearing on my credit card.
I expect that Steve Millen will recieve a copy of this e-mail and will respond in a timely manner and I hope that an equitable soultion can be worked out

did I loose my mind over 28 for parts or is it the principle of the whole thing?

 

hell no dude..thats false advertisement in aspects i think. Its like they were saying oh here you go then thought about it and said well we need that money back i'll give you 10 dollars off on your 430+dollar order. i would flip my script too who cares if its only 28 dollars extra in parts the fact is you were lied too by a company and companys should honor their word even if it was a 5 dollar increase

 

No, I agree with you 1000%. They need to honor what they told you on the phone.

I'm still in that the manager said, "you can have it at the new price or not at all", or something to the effect.

Maybe call back one more time and ask for a different manager. Be calm. Be courteous. Kill em' with kindness as they say. Usually works for me.

 

I talked to this "senior sales manager" first. I use that term loosely as I have been treated and talked to by drunken whinos with more courtesy.

I did call back and tried to talk to the "Customer Service Manager". He took the side of his manager (no big surprise there) and told me that I need to get a price reduction through Steve Millen Himself.
He "sympthasizes with" my position, but there is nothing that he can do. The price is the price.
I'd like to be the first to call B.S. On stillen and the crap they are trying to pull here.

yeah, cold day in hell.

I was very polite, never talked over anyone, and got treated like I was asking for an extra discount.
WTH????
Anyway, the sales rep had called me back today, but like most people, I have to work to pay for this crap. I'll call him back tomorrow and let everyone know what is happening.

 

if you really want the stuff, hang up on them and buy it through an independent dealer. you'll wind up paying the same price, but you'll at least have the satisfaction of telling them to stuff it and them feeling they've lost the sale because they're idiots.

 

I tried 3 dealers and no one will match the price. Not sport compact only, GA Preformance and one other one I don't remember right now.

I finished the order, but my butt hurts from the experience.

 

Hmmm....and two of us just asked blackonblack to get us a group deal on his subfrm. That's messed up- and your right it's all about principle.

 

so, I just got off the phone with their sales rep...
He informed me that Stillen doesn't really care what one guy posts on the internet. They are invoking the right to change prices to reflect current market.

Yeah... good... I don't care for Stealin anymore than they care for me.
Do what ever the hell you want and charge what you want... Your starting to live up to your name.

I had to pay the unadvertised prices if I want that product.
I paid... because I want that product. Whats a guy to do?

 

Not buy the product and keep your eyes out for a used one or one that wasn't installed.... or find another stillen dealer that's willing to match/beat the price (they're out there- just gotta find 'em.)

 

yea man, that's messed up. I'd be pissed. It's not a lot of money but just like everyone else said, the company should honor their word. You said the price has not yet been updated on the site and you ordered it by phone right? Did u try just ordering it offline? If the price there isn't changed yet, and then they try to tell u that u need to pay more then there's definitely a problem. That's why i would do.

 

i say that you should just happen to change your mind too and cancel your order. then call them back and order it again.....then cancel it one more time.

 

Well I just checked the site...and all prices are jacked up...now... so no more false advertising...just total BS promotions that are just a fib.... and to believe I thought I was gonna get a deal with free shipping

 

well...to someone on the east coast...I still see the free shipping vs increased prices still a plus... I was quoted $50 +- $60 for shipping...and the increased prices are only $30+-40

 

Here's the update for today...
I phoned their sales rep to find out why I haven't rec'd a tracking confirmation yet. As of Thursday, this order was finalized or so I thought. Stillen was unwilling to budge on their pricing (by honoring the original pricing) and I want the new product so I went ahead and had given the sales rep authorization to charge my credit card.

So Today...
Hey guy, why haven't I rec'd a tracking number for this product yet?
"Well, Jasen, ummmmm it seems that your order is on suspension."
What does that mean?
"Stillen will not finalize the order until and investigation takes place."
What kind of investigation I ask...
"I'm not sure" says the rep.
How long will this take?
Again, not sure.
There was more, but it's not really relevant at this point.
Fine then.... until Wednesday I will give them then I'm going to cancel, re-order online and see how that works out. If not, I'll use my wifes credit card..

I know that as a proprietor, they can have someone removed from the premises and refuse to do any business with said person. How does one go about banning an internet customer?
All I did was stand up for what I believe to be a business charging me incorrect prices.
I'm wondering if they are putting my order on permanent "investigation"?

 

You'd think they'd be smart enough as a business to swallow the marginal difference in pricing. This is not the first time I've heard of poor customer relations at Stillen.
It would be ideal to band together as a club and let them know as a group that this is unacceptable - lofty as that idea may sound.
It's just too easy to kick the little guy around. They could care less losing you as a customer. I'd want to look in to lodging a formal complaint with at least one of the bureaus if I were in your shoes.

 

^^^ As a way to hand it to a company(that appears to be) so large, I think that's the only thing that could possible work in this situation.. I'm really surprised at the way that this has happened..I ordered my kit off them a few months ago and had no problems..i can't believe they even suspended your order even after you agreed to go along with their BS..they should definitely suffer the consequences of doing something so pathetic.

 

yea, definitely go ahead and see if u can get the Better Business Bureau in on it.
my mom does it all the time with stuff she does and it always seems to work out.

 

Does anyone have a contact name/number for the BBB in Cali?
please pass it along.
thanks

 

Damn that's terrible. An extra couple of dollars made them lose a loyal customer, bad business.

 

yeah these guys really don't seem to know how to run a business at all..i know that this thread is gonna make me think twice before dealing with them again-and i'm sure the same can be said for everyone reading this-all that for what? $40? lol bunch of dumbasses

 

27 usd. was the difference in parts.

 

Wow man! thats crazy and i though about getting a lip kit for my maxima from them now iam not so sure! although my screen name is Stillengle lol but yea man i would defintely call up the BBB or even get a lawyer!

 

This e-mail came from Stillen sales manager Jeff Ricciardi today. I am told that the CEO is now involved in my "plight".

"As your sales manager Jeff stated "I can have this product at the new price or not at all."- I said this in my last e-mail to Stillen.

"I repeatedly told you that we could either provide the products at the new program – somewhat higher prices and free freight, or on the previous program with lower prices but you pay freight. You wanted the old price and paid freight. I absolutely did not make the statement you attribute to me and am baffled by this mischaracterization." Jeff the sales manager at Stillen.

uhhhhh. douche.

Also,
"I have no idea what you are referring to in terms of an “investigation" Jeff the sales manager...
As referenced in my previous email and numerous times in our phone conversation, you have two options if you wish to purchase these parts:
Option 1- Old prices, you pay all freight. This would satisfy your desire to get the internet pricing at the time you placed the order.
Option 2- New prices, we pay freight to your U.S. shipping address.

And when asked once again about why I should pay the inflated prices when I placed my order on Monday and the new prices didn't take effect on the internet site until Wednesday, He had NO ANSWER.
see what I'm dealing with?
As of right now, my sales rep is trying to talk to the ceo and see what is going on.
gawd... so much stress over 27.55 measly dollars.

 

if i were you i would just say screw it you get no money from me and yea it might be a nice kit but some times you gotta stand up for what you belive and and not get what you want. i am sure you could find another kit but you'd wind up getting a new front and costing a little bit more but some times its worth it so the company thats screwing you doesent get your hard earned cash

 

Wow I work retail. And I know one thing.

If a customer walks in and the price on a TV is wrong, and cheaper. They get that price. Otherwise is false advertising. As long as the sticker says that model number and everything matches up the store has no choice.

On top of that to the OP: I saw those prices aswell. I was ready to buy the sides and rears. But I had to wait for the money to flow in.

 

and you know I pointed that out to Stillen and their management... all they had to say was that there was a price change effective on Sunday and that changing their web prices was a "work in progress." I told them that I don't care what is happening, the price advertised is the price I should receive it for. They repeatedly told me that that was not an option in my case. I could have it for the inflated pricing with free shipping, or I could have it at the old pricing and I pay the shipping.

Well, that's not what my sales rep told me when I ordered the parts 1 week ago. Yes, I'm still fighting with them.

 

exactly....whats the big deal...(i know they secretly uped the prices to allow for the free shipping for the holiday season..but..thats how some marketing works..)....

 

In Canada, it is illegal to do a Temp. price increase to offset an offer of free shipping. I'm not sure about the U.S., but as I have stated before, it's all about the principle of it. I'm on the phone with my sales rep right now.....
cross my fingers...

 

You should cross post this on Zilvia, My350, G35driver, etc. You get my point.

 

I put it on torontomaxima.com. If you are a member on those boards, feel free to post the link so that other people can read the horror.

 

Well, Stillen finally met my demands. The CEO had to give approval. I was thinking of asking for a letter of apology from their "sales manager" Jeff Ricciardi, but that might be pushing it a little.

I got the product for the advertised price of 120/side and 96 for each rear valance. They also gave me free shipping.

Little guy +1
Stillen 0.

/end thread
/end rant

 

good job man ....definately succeded and it was all worth it in the end.
Now go get the missing links installed

 

Nice!

 

I forwarded your story to Consumerist.com

 

let the WORLD hear about this

 

Good for you. Now begs the question. Since you were victorious, will you ever buy from them again?

I bet between all the phone calls between the peasants, managers, and CEO, Stillen burned more than $27 worth of people's time. Lame.

 

I really doubt that I'll buy anything from them again. I'm in Canada, they only ship UPS, and they are pretty expensive. I might as well hand over my first born when the ups guy comes to the door to collect $ for duties and taxes etc...
When deciding on parts to buy, I usually check this forums group buy section first. I would rather support one of our vendors.

When I placed the first call (Nov. 5/07) I was asking the sales rep about a clutch for my maxima. He stated that an ACT clutch would be best for my application and quoted me something like 385us. Sorry, I rec'd an exedy clutch from one of our vendors for $178.

 

Yeah I fell victim to their price change too. I was a day late and they refused to honor the old price. They told me basically the same thing that they were going through an overdue price increase and as a result cannot honor the old price. I ended up buying it anyway before they ended up raising the price anymore.

Good job on getting your issue resolved, i'm too lazy to fight it anymore.

 

^ See they can treat u guys like crap b/c you'll take their ****