[Kamakiri]

What experiences have others had in dealing with Mad Ram Truck Accessories? I ordered a set of Could Rider grills from them and I'm getting a little nervous.

First they quoted me a shipped-to-my-door price of $122.79 which I agreed to pay. Now they want an additional $41.85 to fill the order and they're a little fuzzy (it seems to me) on just exactly why.

To further complicate this transaction, per Mad Ram's instructions I had to use eBay's "PayPal" system to place the order. So I signed up with PayPal and placed the order using my credit card through PayPal. When Mad Ram decided they needed more $$ from me they issued a refund back through PayPal for my initial $122.79 and said I could reorder at the higher price if I wanted to. While that may seem like a good idea at first, PayPal wants a 3% fee for handling the refund transaction! This actually pisses me off a lot more than the sudden price increase. :evil:

My disappointment with Mad Ram is based on the premise that in business prices may change without warning but once both parties have agreed to a price it is always good form, good business (and in some caes legally binding) to honor that agreement. My experience with Mad Ram suggests the caveat that although Mad Ram may quote you a price and you may agree to pay the price and even commit your funds to the transaction you still may not get your stuff at the agreed upon price.

I don't know what to think about this PayPal deal. Is PayPal a popular thing? Do many other posters here use it? I realize 3% of $122.79 is no big deal moneywise but it's the principle of the matter. If this were a typical credit card transaction the merchant would simply run a credit back through on the card and it would cost me nothing.

For the record, I refused the PayPal refund so Mad Ram still has my money. I am offering to mail Mad Ram a check for the increase so I can get my grills and put the whole affair behind me.

I'll post further developments.

K

 

[Newfnut]

[quote:64409bf9df="Kamakiri"]For the record, I refused the PayPal refund so Mad Ram still has my money. I am offering to mail Mad Ram a check for the increase so I can get my grills and put the whole affair behind me.K[/quote:64409bf9df]

Sorry to hear about your mishap,

I saw Mad Ram post an appology and ensures that everyone will be fully refunded. So I'm sure you don't have to worry about that aspect.

Buttt I feel this still isn't enough. This is not the consumer's fault that their brokers are asking more. If they really are in the customer service business they would swallow the extra shipping costs on current orders and advertise their new rates. IMHO that's customer service!!!
Anyway, there are a couple of other places listed in other threads besides this retailer that do take VISA & M/C that I'm sure are willing to keep their customers happy... Who knows they might even have better prices :wink:

Keep us posted on Mad Ram's Refund...

 

[isketerol]

I asked them to bill me the increased cost. I can understand that they misunderstood the shipping. They gave us the option of getting a refund, which is fair. I paid the increase by PayPal. I am confident I will have the grills in a reasonable time.

 

[Kamakiri]

Latest Update - Mad Ram has apologised for the inconvenience, etc. but stands by the price increase. O.K.

Mad Ram has also offered to increase the amount of the refund transaction through PayPal to cover the cost of the PayPal fee. Problem with that is then my money is tied up in my PayPal account. I don't want money in my PayPal account. I don't even want a PayPal account.

I'm waiting to hear back from Mad Ram with a commitment to follow through on this order and get me my Cloud Rider grills at an agreed upon price. If they can't make that commitment then we'll discuss a better way to handle the credit/refund process.

By the way, I will give Mad Ram credit for quickly reading my email and responding right away even though it was after 9PM (EDT) on a Saturday.

K

 

[pedsflightrn]

I would give Paypal a call or e-mail related to this refund of money. The transaction fee is only supposed to charged when you are actually selling something, not when you are getting a refund. You should be returned your full amount with no Paypal fee and it should not have to sit in your account. It should be refunded directly to your credit card.

 

[zozohead]

I use PayPal pretty frequently and don't have an account with them per se. All of my transactions come directly out of my checking account, and refunds go directly into my checking account. (I'm like you, I don't want money sitting there idle just in case I may want to buy something.) I think you have to be a "verified" member to do this, but that only means that you give them your checking account information to include the banks routing number. Also, any PayPal charges on any of my transactions have been absorbed by whatever vendor that I was dealing with. Of course I'm paying them as part of shipping and handling, but it's never been a mark-up listed separately.

The prices quoted for the CloudRider grills are different every time they quote them. Maybe a new thread is in order to solicit feedback from forum members on the prices they were quoted. That in itself has kept me from dealing with them.

A set of the aforementioned grills sold on Ebay for $103 a couple of days ago. I'm gonna watch for future listings there.

 

[Jonathan Babiak]

[quote:57b66b5f7b="Kamakiri"]Latest Update - Mad Ram has apologised for the inconvenience, etc. but stands by the price increase. O.K. <cut>K[/quote:57b66b5f7b]

That's great. Does that mean that they aren't going to raise the price again, or are they just telling you that they mean it when they say that the price went up after you placed your order and paid? You might want to check with them to find out if this really is the price or if they can ask you for more money later to get the item delivered.

 

[E-Devil]

Here is another thread about this topic.
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2651&highlight=

 

[Kamakiri]

Here' the latest on my Mad Ram and PayPal situation. The revised price for a set of Cloud Rider grills in black powder coat is $164.64USD and includes shipping and handling. I decided to use the PayPal system to pay the increase as it seemed to work OK for Mad Ram to get my money.

Mad Ram has promised me I will get my merchandise in the 4 to 6 week time frame I requested (in an age of instant gratification I'm trying to be reasonable.)

Now we wait to see how Mad Ram performs. I will again give Mad Ram credit for reading email and responding throughout the weekend, even on a Sunday. That is a "Good Customer Relations" thing.

We can, however, debate (as is being done in another thread) the business practice of raising prices after the sale. Mad Ram, like any other business, must make decisions that they feel is in their best interest in both the near term and long term view. As a business owner I know this is not always an easy thing. In this case it appears Mad Ram was hit with an unexpected increase of $41.85 times 13 orders for a total of over $500. They decided it was not good for them to absorb this in the near term and they are willing to take their chances with whatever the consequences may be in the long term by insisting that those who placed their orders pony up the additional $$. Only time will tell if this business decision will have any real impact on Mad Ram. Apparently 12 of the 13 orders involved agreed to the increase so initial analysis might suggest it was a good near term decision (from Mad Ram's perspective) - 92% of the orders were retained and profit margins were saved. The long term analysis will be more difficult. This "event" has generated some negative publicity in this forum at least. Of special interest would be to poll the 12 customers involved after the merchandise is recieved and query on satisfaction, would you buy from Mad Ram again, etc.

As an aside, it may be that the manufacturer (Cloud Rider) has had a hand in this and is getting by unscathed. Perhaps some of the criticism should be directed at them?

Thanks to those who responded with PayPal comments. Mad Ram apparently tried to issue my refund via credit card and therefore I had to have a PayPal account set up to recieve credit card payments. Hopefully this is a moot point now. I can see the benefit of the PayPal system for private party transactions - takes the fear of getting paid for stuff you sell at places like eBay, etc. But it seems awkward for transactions with established merchants. I bought around $800 of accessories for my E from H and A and used my credit card on their site with no problem - secure, encrypted, etc.... PayPal seems like a cumbersome middleman to me.

Sorry this was so long. I tend to ramble......

K

 

[isketerol]

I agree MadRam has been very pleasant and professional about this. I am one of the 12 who continued with the order, and I am pleased so many other did as well.

 

[jimzigg]

i decided to cancel my order with mad ram and good thing i did because all should know that you can get the stainless grille for about $7USD cheaper direct from cloud rider. you can visit the cloud rider site and either email or call them for info. far as mad ram i did receive a timely refund but the fact is that an agreed upon price was accepted and prepayment made. the order should have executed at the understood terms. but the fact i saved $7USD and dont have to deal with backing out of the deal with mad ram as buyer worked out for me now.

 

[meanelvis]

7usd shipped? madram's price includes shipping. just need the clarification here

my reason for asking is, you usually wont see a manufacturer undercut their distributor's price-- in fact, if a manufacturer is lucky enough to be able to sell direct, they usually mark it up above the suggested retail. that's been my experience anyways. (i work for a manu. company, and my search for thule racks online verified).

 

[Kamakiri]

When I first checked the Cloud Rider site I got the distinct impression they only sold through their distributors. Not so? I'm sticking with my game plan and giving Mad Ram the opportunity but I am curious just the same.

K

 

[isketerol]

My understanding is the same as Kamakiri's, and my game plan as well.

 

[Aether]

You *can* order* direct from Cloud Rider and there prices *are* cheaper.

Quoting:

#20-912LP (Black powder coat finish;
provision for license plate; NO block heater hole)
[$123.14 + $26.25 shipping Canadian]

After exchange rate conversion, total charged to my credit card was ~ $110 USD.

I believe the stainless steel version is cheaper than the powdercoat version that I ordered which is sent out to have the powdercoat treatment applied and takes a few extra days.

-A

 

[jimzigg]

yes, the price was $7USD cheaper with shipping direct from cloud rider. obviously depends on the exch rate at time or purchase but i was charged around $140 canadian. they appear to be undercutting mad ram substantially, good thing.

 

[TheLusciousHellcat]

Now that Cloud Rider is selling direct, and cheaply, and there's no futzing with this MadRam or Paypal, I'm intrigued.

I'd go with the black powder for my Lucy.

BUT ---

I want to hear how this is working for someone who lives in Hell, er, I mean, Texas, here with me. If this screen doesn't allow proper cooling for Lucy, who also has her air conditioning running, then I will not be getting it.

So when someone has an idea of how it's running in HOT weather, please do let me know.

Thanks!

 

[burnt-O]

I think what Mad Ram did was outrageous! Cancelling my order AFTER I received confirmation? Well, I'm glad they did because I just ordered mine from Cloud Rider and they were friendly, cheap (103.72 USD for SS), and fast (TWO DAYS!).