WEST MARINE PRICES - WHAT A RIP-OFF
TPP Alexandra Filia
Has anybody ordered anything from West Marine in the past couple
of weeks? I called them today, only to find out that their 1996
prices are now in effect. I says "Great, how come I have not
received your 1996 catalogue yet, with the new prices". They
say "Oh we are sorry but the catalogue won't be ready until the
end of February. But do not worry our prices have only changed by
a dollar or two" To make a long story short, I was looking at
their Dry Bunk product, listed in the catalogue for $11.95. The
"1996" price is $14.95 or 25% higher.
For those of you interested, none of their competititors have
"1996" pricing yet. Way to go West Marine, always one step
ahead from the competition.
Alexandra
s/v NIKIA
Greg Jackson
West has a great catalog and great service, but their prices have never
been the best. Their policy of price matching fixes the issue of prices.
As long as you can find an item in another current catalog, you can get
the other price. Most recently I called to order some electronics. On a
$1200 item, the sales person said she had great news, the item was on
sale $50 off the catalog price. I told her that Defender was $160 off
the catalog price. No questions, no complaints, I just got the Defender
price but retained the West Marine option of returning the item w/o a
restocking fee if I didn't like what it looked like when it arrived.
I will certainly agree, if you don't continue to comparision shop, you
will get screwed. Perhaps the worst is E&B. It seems they will not tell
you if an item is on sale. The price you get from E&B (at least 2 years
ago) depends on the catalog you order from. If it's on sale in a summer
flyer, but you don't mention the catalog #, you will not get the sale
price!
GTJ
Pierre Bellavance
unbelievable service. And they also have a best price guarantee... Try
them!!
Pierre
ava...@ibm.net
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> From: pbe...@cam.org (Pierre Bellavance)
> Newsgroups: rec.boats
> Subject: Re: WEST MARINE PRICES - WHAT A RIP-OFF
> Date: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 01:33:02 GMT
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help were very good, their inventory stunk. WARNING: I've also found some of
their store prices higher than their own catalog. If you catch this, they
will match the catalog prices (!!) or any competitors that's better, so it
pays to price compare catalogs before shopping there.
Peggie Hall
currently in effect. All you need to do is show the proof the
lower price...even if you've already bought it, they'll refund the
difference. They always have...and they always will.
Paul Mullin
writes:
>They may be more expensive most of the time, but they give
>unbelievable service. And they also have a best price guarantee... Try
>them!!
>
>Pierre
>
within walking distance of my slip. They have always been the best for
service and selection. There is never any discussion about a
return...if you don't want it, they take it back. The service, the
nice big stores, the big, informative catalog, all the help in the
stores, and so on all cost money to provide. If you don't need what
they provide, go get it cheaper somewhere else. Just don't bitch about
West...nobody does it better overall.
Paul
Anthony Severdia
writes:
Paul:
Very well said! I've rarely been disappointed but must observe
that the Long Beach store is DIMINUTIVE compared to the ones up here,
namely: South San Francisco and Sausalito. There is another in Alameda
which looks large but I've not shopped there.
Anthony
Jon
what I need, they'll quickly have it shipped in.
I also buy just about everything from West and have also been quite
satisfied. About the only time I'd think of buying something else
where would be from a place like Defender's who are good on price and
who are out of state so I'd not pay sales tax on a big ticket item.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay (Coyote Point)
<snip>
Steve Weingart
I'll second Peggie's comment! I've walked into a WM store to pick up a 6v
lantern battery that I needed. It was priced $3 more than at the Home Depot
down the street that happened to be all out of them. I casually mentioned
this to the sales person, noting that I didn't have it in writing, and
commenting something to the effect of "Oh, well. What's 3 bucks on a boat?".
She said "No problem", picked up the phone, called Home Depot, verified the
price and gave me the $3 off. The interesting point was that they lost money
on that deal, the quan purchasing price difference between Home Depot and WM
made the Home depot price cheaper than what West pays.
The manager gave me a piece of glass cloth gratis when I needed a foot of 3"
glass tape to patch our dinghy.
They don't even give me a hard time when I walk in, browse for 15 min, pick
up every free boating paper, and don't buy anything (then again, by this
time, they *know* I'll be back ;-)
Heck, I like the place so much, I bought stock ;-)
And, they'll take *anything* back.
Steve
O.K., so I have an opinion ;-) (and an interest too, since I bought the stock
;-)
Dan Ball
be being used as a way to randomize pricing. It's been my experience that
it's getting impossible to make a general statement that any store is more or
less expensive than any other. You have to identify the specific item
whose price you are comparing. I've found items at West that are 30% higher
than Boat/U.S. and vice versa. On big ticket items you can comparison
shop, but when you're loading up a shopping cart with a couple hundred
bucks worth of miscellaneous supplies it gets tougher unless you're willing
to do a lot of research before going shopping. At least with boating
supplies, the catalog stores introduce some degree of price stability.
Grocery, electronics, and home supply stores can juggle prices at will to keep
the competition and customers on their toes. "We'll match the competition's
price if you can catch us!"
Lyle Ryan
number?
S/V Malvern Flyer
Marine is definitely more expensive. For example. I bought three GFI AC
outlets at my local hardware store for the price of one of West Marine's. On
the other hand, I bought a Link 2000 battery monitor from them that was bad
from the factory, and West Marine, without hesitation, replaced the bad one
with a new one, with no questions. (Stated policy on Link 2000 is that you
need to return it to the manufacturer directly, costing you several weeks'
time). I also just bought a brand-new, in the box ceramic and bronze
head/pump for $60!! Because of their patience, helpfulness, outstanding
customer service, and the occasional bargain, I'll always look at West Marine
first. If I can, I'll buy at my hardware store, though. I don't think I'm a
complete fool.
One final note...There's a lot to be said for buying at a place that sells
stuff that is definitely marine-grade. I don't have a Defender store here,
but I know that if I buy at West Marine, I'll get something that was intended
for marine use. Try buying tinned copper wire at Radio Shack.
S/V "Malvern Flyer", a 1965 Pearson Vanguard
RWho42
Mullin ) writes:
>The service, the
>nice big stores, the big, informative catalog, all the help in the
>stores, and so on all cost money to provide. If you don't need what
>they provide, go get it cheaper somewhere else. Just don't bitch about
>West...nobody does it better overall.
I agree that good service and big inventory add to costs, but there is
another trend that I find a little disturbing. West is becoming the
distributor for many of the items they sell. Some products are available
*only* from West. I try to buy from my local chandlery whenever possible,
it is owned by a member of my yacht club, and he provides excellent
service. I tried to buy an autopilot from him, he found that West is the
US distributor, and he would have to by from them. His fear is that West
is trying to corner the market and if successful they will be able to
dictate whatever price they want.
West, like any other retailer, stocks and sells items at a profit. I
sometimes wonder if their selection is based on mark-up more than quality.
Practical Sailor rated the Henderson manual bigle pump higher than the
Whale, they are about the same retail price. West used to offer both, now
they only offer the Whale... do they make more money on the Whale?
I still like West, but I do more shopping now than I did before.
Randy Hough
Keith Diehl
> I personally like West Marine, but does anyone have the Defender phone
> number?
>
>
>>>>
Defender Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 820, 255 Main St., New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801-0820,
914-632-3001, FAX: 914-632-6544 defen...@aol.com, defe...@sailnet.com.
Keith Diehl -- Salt Lake City
http://www.xmission.com/~kdiehl
Larry Swift
>Amen to the above. I'm blessed with having the Long Beach, CA store
>within walking distance of my slip. They have always been the best for
>service and selection. There is never any discussion about a
And the St. Petersburg store stocks far more sailboat suff than our
local BOAT/US.
--
Larry Swift la...@pdn.paradyne.com
AT&T Paradyne, LG-133 Phone: (813) 530-8605
8545 - 126th Avenue, North FAX: (813) 532-5244
Largo, FL, 34649-2826 She's old and she's creaky, but she holds!
Peggie Hall
return anything for any reason within 30 days, Defender will not
allow returns of electronics for any reason--even if they arrive
in non-working condition right out of the box...it's up to you get
the mfr to swap it out or fix it. If you need to exchange or
return anything else, you'd better get it back to them within 10
days after they ship it (not after you get it), or you'll pay a
20% restocking fee.
You said that WM has all kinds of technical support, and good
advice in their catalog...is that the information you're using to
go to Defender to save a couple of $$?
jjloomis
>They may be more expensive most of the time, but they give
>unbelievable service. And they also have a best price guarantee... Try
>them!!
>Pierre
Roger that!
I have four cataloges that I normally order from and have never been
refused a price match from West when their price was higher. And
Pierre is absolutely correct when he says that no one else matches
their level of knowledge and service.
jerry loomis
Trikini
advertised prices which means bringing in a catalog or flyer. This is fine
for big ticket items that get on sale but for the nuts and bolts stuff
your generally out of luck.
Trikini
At West I was check out several items and commented that I had paid less
at E&B
but didn't feel like a trip across town. The checker immediately called
the local E&B
on the phone and check the prices giving me the lowest theirs or E &B.
Thats service and price matching.
tom....@sail.com
N> West, like any other retailer, stocks and sells items at a profit. I
N> sometimes wonder if their selection is based on mark-up more than
N> quality.
N> Practical Sailor rated the Henderson manual bigle pump higher than
N> the Whale, they are about the same retail price. West used to offer
N> both, now they only offer the Whale... do they make more money on
N> the Whale?
This leads to an important point that many folks haven't thought
about. Any chandlery is in business to make money. Companies buy ad space
in the West and BOAT/US and other catalogs, just as they would in a
magazine, but then the catalogs write "advertorials" or "infomercials"
comparing products elsewhere in their books. You'll notice that products
they do no carry are not rated, for this reason.
The testing guides in the catalogs are useful, but they should be
tempered by information from other sources, especially magazines and
newsletters which will be less biased.
I like both West and BOAT/US and have had excellent, knowledgeable
service from both, but keep in mind the intimate link between "editorial"
and "advertising" in their publications.
-- Tom Dove
Bernard Riegel, Jr.
If you dont shop around its your own fault and I'm tired of seeing
the same thing posted every day
GIVE IT A REST
Richard Dowling
better on some items. Let me relate an incident that I overheard in the
San Diego (Shelter Island) West store last week: While standing in the
book section trying to restrain myself I overheard a phone conversation
between a west employee and a customer who had purchased some kind of
electronics (which West sells at about cost from what I can see). The
customer was obviously having a problem with the unit, and installation
was a question. The West guy made several suggestions, including an
observation that the installer chosen (who was known to him) should be
able to make the unit work. He then, in mid sentance, said "but this is
West Marine, if it dosen't work we'll replace it with one that does".
That sort of unconditional support is worth a few bucks. I was frankly
shocked and pleased to hear the attitude of the West guy. They get my
vote for excellent customer service.
Smooth sailing.... Richard Dowling
Howard Robins
Howard
Fulton Richard
<la...@pdn.paradyne.com> writes:
>
>pmu...@ix.netcom.com (Paul Mullin ) wrote:
>>Amen to the above. I'm blessed with having the Long Beach, CA store
>>within walking distance of my slip. They have always been the best
for
>>service and selection. There is never any discussion about a
>
>And the St. Petersburg store stocks far more sailboat suff than our
>local BOAT/US.
>--
>Larry Swift la...@pdn.paradyne.com
>AT&T Paradyne, LG-133 Phone: (813) 530-8605
>8545 - 126th Avenue, North FAX: (813) 532-5244
>Largo, FL, 34649-2826 She's old and she's creaky, but she
holds!
^^^^^^
My wife would slug me if I said that!
(Just kidding, in case you hadn't guessed)
Rick
Jhartung
recently in the Tacoma, WA store and purchased a book "The '96 Trawler
guide. Even after protesting, I was charged $19.95 rather than the
publisher's printed cover price of $17.95. Next time I'll try the book
chains for what I need first.
Paul Brannon
OK. Let's Get some more information on this RIP-OFF! Did they hold a gun to your head
and MAKE you buy it???? Maybe instead of a gun they were weilding a winch handle or
something. Maybe you should have left it on the counter and spent several hours
searching the CHAIN stores for what you need. While you're at the chain store, you
might like to pick up some teak cleaner? Stainless bolts? 130ft Halyard? do you think
that the CHAIN store would even carry some anchor chain?
Why don't you spend some of you time tying a few anchors to yourself, jump overboard,
and see how fast you can untie yourself instead of flaming a very good store?
good luck.
STCorp
Low usage - only about 250 hours on engine. Lying in Wilmington, NC.
$12,000. Email to STC...@aol.com or call (910) 313-1568 and leave a
message for John.
Peter Rimmel
: Beware that Defender sometimes charges MUCH more for shipping than the
: others. I compared a spool of wire... Boat US 4 bucks, Defender
: nearly $20!
If all you are ordering is a spool of wire, I can see why the price is
high. What type of Wire? Electrical? They are not electrical suppliers
of any great note. You will do better to get that item from an
Electrical supplier. You don't buy sailcloth at mom & Pop fabric stores,
now, do you?
--
\_\_\__\__\__\ -.-.
Have Fun! 73, dah-di-dah \ \ \| \ \ \ --.-
|X|
Peter Rimmel |X|
k8...@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us |X|
K8UNP@N4HHP.#HWDFL.FL.USA.NOAM (packet) _______|X|______
NBetter105
the defender cat. if you have a problem west marine will take the item
back . defender will simply tell you to talk directly with the
manufacturer.
Thomas Kranz
prices, and have a no questions asked return policy (in my experience).
Gary Segal
West Marine will CHEERFULLY refund your money without hastles, and that is a
very important consideration. This past July I purchased an antenna mount
and stainless steel extension column at WM in order to install a gps
transducer. I was never happy with the installation because the mount kept
slipping due to the weight of the extension and finally in Dec. decided to
install the transducer a different way. When I explained the problem to the
WM manager he refunded my money for the the mount and pole- even though I
had misplaced my original receipt! This type of customer service makes me
wonder why I should purchase marine supplies elsewhere.
Regards, gs
Gary Segal, MD; Dept. of Medicine, UCI/VAMC, 5901 E. 7th Street, Long Beach,
CA 90822; Voice: (310) 494-5484; gse...@orion.oac.uci.edu
"AYMATAI"
George Diveky
>West Marine will CHEERFULLY refund your money without hastles, and that is a
>very important consideration <...snip snip... > This type of customer service makes me
>wonder why I should purchase marine supplies elsewhere.
I agree. I have had better, prompter service from WM than from most Canadian
chandlers, all through the mail. Consultation with and informed advice from WM staff on
the phone, their refund and exchange policy and (once) a *we sent you the wrong cheek
block for your topping lift! Keep it, we'll rush the right one to you at our expense in
time to meet your mast-stepping schedule* ... well, all this makes the only marginally
higher cost of things (exchange, duty and shipping included) worthwhile to me.
Terry Hoppenjans
>
> I agree that West Marine is a good supplier, since they WILL match any
> prices, and have a no questions asked return policy (in my experience).
I have also bought a few items from West Marine and in general have been
satisfied. However, when I tried to return some Hobie Sunglasses that
broke in the first month, I found they have a "many question asked
return policy" and they did not refund my purchase. I will limit what I
bur from them in the future and how I buy it ( only American Express
with Buyer protection, etc...).
Terry Hoppenjans (404) 705-2601
Atlanta GA
h...@atlanta.dg.com
martinis
merchandise and are willing to give advice on how to use.never have had a
question on returns. there pricing is competitive with the locals,most
times better.I shop at their seattle and anacortes stores.I like catalog
shoping but not for marine harware.BIG JOHN
surf1div1
says...
West Marine? Aren't they stealing there exchange/refund policy from
Nordstrom's? All jokes aside, I've been the abuser of many electronic
items like dual Loran/fishfinders by impulse, Garmin Gps drops into pools
to "test" there waterproofness, and other items purchased from West
Marine. Yes I kept purchasing itemes there after all these years(read
Loran to GPS) because of there policy- I have a 12' inflatable that I take
out to the Channel Is.("YOU'RE TAKING THAT DINGY WHERE?") and as a result
of my channel crossing's I subject my electronic's to a lot of water abuse
as a result of the conditions out there. You could call me a R/D man for
inflatable use and electronics. I've never had any problem with West
Marine- I don't know about the guy with the glasses, but I suspect without
being there that maybe either the clerk at that store had a bad hair day,
or the post did. They will take back anything , even if it's been over the
manufactures warranty period. And no, I don't work for them, I just
believe that when a store does me right(and in this day and age that's
more the exception) I support them.... my .02.
>
>
>