Huge Price Change on Recent Purchase

[nebulabass]

I bought a POF-5 pistol (MP5 variant) a couple of weeks ago for $1400. The other day I found out that the price was reduced to about $1100. I emailed the company asking if I would get a rebate or something to make up for missing the sale price. The guy basically said they are not going back and offering refunds on previous orders.
Now I have serious buyers remorse for paying the extra $300 because I ordered it a couple of weeks too early. I thought the company could at least give me a gift card or something since I have bought several other things from them. I am thinking that I should not do business with this company again. What do you think about this situation?

 

[J-Bar]

You learned a lesson that cost $300. You learned never to buy from them again. I have learned lessons that cost much more. Enjoy your new firearm and shoot the hell out of it.

 

[Ru4real]

A couple weeks ago you thought the pistol was worth $1400. Forget about it. My opinion, of course.

 

[nebulabass]

I had my eye on this firearm for about a month before finally deciding to buy it. Maybe I should have known that the price was too high on it. If the price came down $100 instead of $300 it would not bother me so much.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Just wait until the housing market busts. Then you may consider yourself lucky.

 

[Hartkopf]

You win some you lose some. I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[jrmiddleton425]

I bought a POF-5 pistol (MP5 variant) a couple of weeks ago for $1400. The other day I found out that the price was reduced to about $1100. I emailed the company asking if I would get a rebate or something to make up for missing the sale price. The guy basically said they are not going back and offering refunds on previous orders.
Now I have serious buyers remorse for paying the extra $300 because I ordered it a couple of weeks too early. I thought the company could at least give me a gift card or something since I have bought several other things from them. I am thinking that I should not do business with this company again. What do you think about this situation?

If you had NEVER FOUND OUT about the price drop, would you continue to buy from them?

It would be nice if they gave you a price guarantee, but you should not expect one.

 

[reddog81]

If the price went from $1,100 to $1,400 would you be offering to send them a check?

 

[nebulabass]

jrmiddleton425, it wouldn't bother me so much if it happened maybe six months or a year from now. But it happened in 2 and a half weeks.

 

[nebulabass]

I just looked at my records. I have spent a lot of money with this company over the years. I bought several firearms and accessories from them. I think I would do something for a good customer if I was in the business.

 

[.308 Norma]

I think I would do something for a good customer if I was in the business.

I agree with you. I mean for heck sakes, a couple of years ago I bought one of those "jump starters" from Costco for $89.95, and two weeks later I saw they were on sale for $69.95.
It ticked me off, and I was telling our son-in-law about it. He advised me to just take the receipt back to Costco. He said they'd make good on it, and they did - they refunded me $20.00. And that was Costco! I'd think a company selling guns would be at least as decent about price changes as Costco.
On the other hand, as someone else posted - you thought it was worth $1400 when you bought it, so you probably shouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[Hartkopf]

You could dollar cost average and buy another one at the new low price.

 

[slowr1der]

I see both sides of this. As consumer, I hate stuff like this. It always leaves me feeling ripped off. Sometimes it bugs me more than I should.

However, as a business owner, there is no way I could go back and refund every customer that purchased an item prior to me having a sale. The other thing to keep in mind, is sometimes the cost goes down allowing the dealer to lower the price or have a sale. They may have paid more for the one they sold you, than the inventory they are purchasing now. Often times a manufacturer will lower the dealer cost, or offer a special sale to the dealer to try to move inventory.

Since this is about the a POF, we know this is Atlantic. I have no idea what they are paying for the POF's, so I don't know what the situation is. While not always the cheapest, they really a pretty good company to deal with. I know the owner, and while not buying from them, I've deal with him several times on other things. I really don't think they are out trying to take advantage of you.

I do know many dealers bought the Century MKE's and paid more at dealer pricing than they are currently selling for. Century had massive price drops, which led to the price dropping significantly. This didn't help the dealers that had already bought them at a higher dealer price than the current retail price. There is no way those dealers could go back and refund the difference on guns they'd already sold prior to the price drops.

 

[Ignition Override]

nebulabass:

Because you found the gun worth buying when the transaction took place, my only questions are :

--do you enjoy owning/shooting it ?

Would the act of shooting it actually be more enjoyable if you had paid $300 less? Today it is still the same gun, is it not?

I bought a 7.62x39 rifle in 2021, and about three weeks later, the US State Dept. said that applications for continuations of ammo importation from a 'certain country' would be ' subject to denial ' whenever the time periods expired.

Very quickly many of those rifles' retail prices dropped from about $1,400 to $1,000.

Although that event is quite different than a retailer distributor cutting their price.
.....no matter why a price is discounted, the gun is the same.

 

[Caplock]

Don't ever play the stock market.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I agree with you. I mean for heck sakes, a couple of years ago I bought one of those "jump starters" from Costco for $89.95, and two weeks later I saw they were on sale for $69.95.
It ticked me off, and I was telling our son-in-law about it. He advised me to just take the receipt back to Costco. He said they'd make good on it, and they did - they refunded me $20.00. And that was Costco! I'd think a company selling guns would be at least as decent about price changes as Costco.
On the other hand, as someone else posted - you thought it was worth $1400 when you bought it, so you probably shouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Love Some Costco!

 

[mjsdwash]

get over the "I want it and I deserve it, GImme Gimme!!" attitude and move on. Its not Walmart where the next level of management will just give in and kiss your ass. Sorry if that's rude, but the average person needs to hear it, and every rational person is thinking it.

 

[jrmiddleton425]

I just looked at my records. I have spent a lot of money with this company over the years. I bought several firearms and accessories from them. I think I would do something for a good customer if I was in the business.

OK...but if you WERE in the business, I might ask if you could refund a $100 lower regular price, within a week or two.

It wouldn't be fair of me, and it is not a realistic expectation in ANY WAY, to ask you to give me a $300 lower price just because I was unhappy I missed out on the sale that happened after I bought the item.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I bought a POF-5 pistol (MP5 variant) a couple of weeks ago for $1400. The other day I found out that the price was reduced to about $1100. I emailed the company asking if I would get a rebate or something to make up for missing the sale price. The guy basically said they are not going back and offering refunds on previous orders.
Now I have serious buyers remorse for paying the extra $300 because I ordered it a couple of weeks too early. I thought the company could at least give me a gift card or something since I have bought several other things from them. I am thinking that I should not do business with this company again. What do you think about this situation?

I know you’re just venting! we all have lost money doing foolish things. But remember, at the end of the day, you got a MP5 clone, and doing HK slaps and reliving Die Hard… “Now I have a Machine Gun, ho-ho-ho”

 

[Barbaroja]

Your being irrational expecting someone to give you back money because an item went on sale.

 

[nebulabass]

Thanks for the replies. I guess that happens with imported firearms. I guess I need to be more careful and watch the prices longer.

 

[LiveLife]

company ... basically said they are not going back and offering refunds on previous orders.

If that's company policy/practice, then that's their position.

I am thinking that I should not do business with this company again. What do you think about this situation?

I think you can do whatever you want to do and you can choose to do business with this company or not.

Why even ask THR about such a thing? If you are not happy with the company response, then "vent" on "Rate ... Retail Transactions" and move on with your life - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?forums/rate-private-and-retail-transactions.24/

He advised me to just take the receipt back to Costco. He said they'd make good on it, and they did - they refunded me $20.00.

BUT that's Costco's policy/practice and it's well known. Costco even said in an interview that such customer service/convenience is "factored" into their business model even though they do not make money on hot dogs/roast chickens and lose money on customer returns after sales/price drops (But they take their customers to town on toilet paper/pizza ... Yeah, Costco is like the largest pizza chain in the US and toilet paper is a consumable we use on a regular basis ).

 

[LiveLife]

Thanks for the replies. I guess that happens with imported firearms. I guess I need to be more careful and watch the prices longer.

You can also ask if they would put you on a mailing list (email notification) if/when items go on sale or experience price drops.

Many times during my life stores/businesses would let me know by email notification of sales or store manager would elect to give me the previous sales price to make a sale. Never hurts to ask.

 

[lightman]

You can't go back, so worry about the things that you can do something about, forget about it and enjoy your new toy.

 

[Demi-human]

I thought that was how buying stuff went?

I watch for months. I accept that this is the going rate for the item. When I decide to purchase it I only find it in stock at one above average priced place, and then it goes on sale.
And everyone and their brother who originally could have cared less about it get a smashing deal on it and the one accessory it needs, and then just throw it in the drawer.

You are not alone. I have paid extra, for less, and done more with it, my whole life. Hopefully I’m only halfway done.