I just wanted to share an experience I had with Ecklers. On June 1 I get an email from Ecklers showing an advertisement for slashed prices up to 50% off. I had been looking for an exhaust part for a while and they had the part I had been looking for at a great price so I ordered the part with no problem.
Part # 25-121348-1 1986-1990 Corvette Rear Exhaust Y Pipe. $135.00 and some change.
I had ordered from them several times before with no issues. In the meantime I am getting nearer to when I think I might be ready for this part so I contact the sales department inquiring as to when they think it might ship. I am told they are expecting towards the end of August. That sounds good considering that is the estimated tome I will be ready for it.
I reach out to sales again, maybe two weeks later asking if there is an update on the shipping date and am told that they have got no update and it remains as is.
On August 4, yesterday, I contact sales again and ask if there is any change and am told that the item is temporarily discontinued and that my order has been cancelled. To say I was not happy is stretching it. I decide to call and speak with someone to get an explanation for why the order is cancelled. She had no answer for that so I asked her why, if the item is discontinued, the item is still listed as AVAILABLE - ALLOW ADDITIONAL TIME FOR DELIVERY
I am told that she doesn’t think I am able to purchase the item if it is discontinued but does not sound too sure about anything. She suggests that I go back and try to purchase the item again and see if the order goes through. I tell her that I really don't want to do that because it will mean that I have to go back and cancel that order myself.
I go back and order the item and sure enough I am able to purchase the item that supposedly is discontinued. I get a confirmation email and I also check with my bank and there is also a pre-auth for $282.09 from Ecklers. So I was able to purchase an item that is discontinued.
I contact sales again and tell her that I was able to purchase the item and her response was, and I quote, "hmmmm, interesting". I tell her I want to speak with a supervisor and she tells me to hold on. I am glad I wasn't holding my breath because I wouldn't be here posting this if I had. I was on hold for seventeen minutes so I don't know what they were working on but when the supervisor got back, the tone in her voice convinced me that she wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. I start to ask her a question and she was having no part of that at all. She constantly spoke over me and pretty much told me that I was SOL concerning my order and that they reserve the right to cancel an order at any time with no contact to the customer. I sak her if I would have been contacted concerning this if I had not been corresponding with them and she tells me that they are not required to contact a customer in this matter.
I think they did not want to honor the original purchase price and instead found a way to force me to re-purchase the exact same item at the current price of $259.99. Sounds petty, huh? I can think of no rational reason why I was treated this way. Mind you,during our conversation, at no time did I give her any reason to be so rude to me. She also tells me that she is aware of the issue with still being able to purchase the item and that they are getting that fixed so that the item can not be purchased.
Today, I go the web site and lo and behold I was able to purchase the item still.
Ecklers lost me as a customer and I will never purchase another item from this outfit, and all of their emails now go directly to my TRASH folder.
I went to Corvette Central and purchased the item that they have in stock.