No kidding...

[Ultradog MN]

I posted about the air compressor I got from my cousin.
I wanted to hook it up this weekend. So on Friday I went to my usual electrical supply outfit - (Viking Electric)
They had the 30 amp outlet but didn't have the plug in stock.
So I went to their main competitor across town (will leave them nameless).
They had all 3 items.
I figured about $70 so didn't ask the price - just got my debit card out and paid.
After I got home I looked at the invoice and went into shock. Then burst out laughing. I kid you not - Three Hundred Fifty Six Dollars and ninety nine cents.
So very I carefully left them in their boxes and returned them this morning.
It's not the fault of the guys at the City Desk but they did look rather guilty as I returned them.
After my shock on Friday I went to Amazon and ordered them.
45.04 with shipping.
They came this afternoon.
What can a guy do but laugh at such outlandishness - and check the invoice before you sign?

 

[Stan Coryell]

I'd expect $60 or $70 for a 6-50 receptacle, plug, and raised cover plate. Those prices are "don't come back again". I would have said something.

I have three Ford vehicles. My 2011 F150 needed transmission cooler lines. I'm feed up with the aftermarket being almost right so I went to the local Ford dealer and ordered them. When I went back to pick them up and ran into the service manager and explained I'd prefer to buy parts from them. I asked if he could get me below MSRP. His response was no problem! Now I get a little more than 20% off, less than Levitown or Lakeland. Filters and wiper blades are about half of Autozone or Advanced Auto. I just bought 2 rear brake rotors and they were $5 more than Advanced (Carquest Brand).

I buy my house paint at Sherwin Williams. Seven or Eight years ago, my wife and I stopped in for swatches and I also needed a gallon of primer (like kiltz). He rings it up and it's like $40. Hard pass, Kiltz is about $15. After a bit of a sales pitch (and me laughing), he says "how about $23?" Sold! My pricing is good at every Sherwin Williams I have ever been to. I typically get 20 - 25% off. It very good primer and I continue to buy it. High Hide or something like that, it goes on like regular paint.

I don't complain, I do speak up though. My rotors were a little bit more from Ford, but the filters are less. The primer is a bit more at Sherwin, but it covers and goes on much better. As long as it's fair I'll pay more for counter service. The prices you paid were way out of line. Like 5x.

 

[Non-farmer]

So I went to their main competitor across town (will leave them nameless).
They had all 3 items.
I figured about $70 so didn't ask the price - just got my debit card out and paid.
After I got home I looked at the invoice and went into in shock. Then burst out laughing. I kid you not - Three Hundred Fifty Six Dollars and ninety nine cents.

First - I say name them and shame them.

Second - I can't remember ever being rung up (yes, I'm old and use archaic sayings) and not being told what the amount owed was.

Third - I wouldn't have been able to unwittingly pay that much with my debit card anyway. It has a daily limit of $200 (I am paranoid and have had debit cards compromised by card skimmers in gas pumps), unless I call the bank and have them tweak that for a larger purchase, which I do in advance. But nowadays I always use a credit card for the cash back - not to mention the superior fraud protection compared to debit, which would have gone thru, even not knowing what the amount was. Hopefully, lesson learned with the only cost being a trip back to return the stuff, and this is the last time you pay for something without knowing how much

 

[Richard G.]

I posted about the air compressor I got from my cousin.
I wanted to hook it up this weekend. So on Friday I went to my usual electrical supply outfit - (Viking Electric)
They had the 30 amp outlet but didn't have the plug in stock.
So I went to their main competitor across town (will leave them nameless).
They had all 3 items.
I figured about $70 so didn't ask the price - just got my debit card out and paid.
After I got home I looked at the invoice and went into in shock. Then burst out laughing. I kid you not - Three Hundred Fifty Six Dollars and ninety nine cents.
So very I carefully left them in their boxes and returned them this morning.
It's not the fault of the guys at the City Desk but they did look rather guilty as I returned them.
After my shock on Friday I went to Amazon and ordered them.
They came this afternoon
45.04 with shipping.
They came this afternoon.
What can a guy do but laugh at such outlandishness - and check the invoice before you sign?

Yep, That is why I use Amazon for a lot of things.

 

[Fawteen]

I've never been ambushed by the invoice but I have - distressingly often - declined to buy an item when told the price. Usually politely, occasionally questioning the seller's sanity.

 

[Aaron SEIA]

Would have been $40 at Menards and you'd have had it the same day.
AaronSEIA

 

[jimg.allentown]

I'd expect $60 or $70 for a 6-50 receptacle, plug, and raised cover plate. Those prices are "don't come back again". I would have said something.

I have three Ford vehicles. My 2011 F150 needed transmission cooler lines. I'm feed up with the aftermarket being almost right so I went to the local Ford dealer and ordered them. When I went back to pick them up and ran into the service manager and explained I'd prefer to buy parts from them. I asked if he could get me below MSRP. His response was no problem! Now I get a little more than 20% off, less than Levitown or Lakeland. Filters and wiper blades are about half of Autozone or Advanced Auto. I just bought 2 rear brake rotors and they were $5 more than Advanced (Carquest Brand).

I buy my house paint at Sherwin Williams. Seven or Eight years ago, my wife and I stopped in for swatches and I also needed a gallon of primer (like kiltz). He rings it up and it's like $40. Hard pass, Kiltz is about $15. After a bit of a sales pitch (and me laughing), he says "how about $23?" Sold! My pricing is good at every Sherwin Williams I have ever been to. I typically get 20 - 25% off. It very good primer and I continue to buy it. High Hide or something like that, it goes on like regular paint.

I don't complain, I do speak up though. My rotors were a little bit more from Ford, but the filters are less. The primer is a bit more at Sherwin, but it covers and goes on much better. As long as it's fair I'll pay more for counter service. The prices you paid were way out of line. Like 5x.

I decided to replace the front brakes and rotors on my Explorer.
Auto Zone --- $94 each plus tax.
Rock Auto --- $54 for TWO delivered to my door including tax and shipping.
Advance --- usually higher than Auto Zone.

I would gladly do business with the local businesses, but I am NOT willing to be ripped of at 400% of the price.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

I decided to replace the front brakes and rotors on my Explorer.
Auto Zone --- $94 each plus tax.
Rock Auto --- $54 for TWO delivered to my door including tax and shipping.
Advance --- usually higher than Auto Zone.

I would gladly do business with the local businesses, but I am NOT willing to be ripped of at 400% of the price.

RA is my go to place too unless it is an emergency need.

 

[jimg.allentown]

RA is my go to place too unless it is an emergency need.

There are some things I will always buy locally because of the warranties. Alternators and starters are two things that cannot wait long when they fail. AutoZone has a lifetime replacement warranty on both of those items as well as brake shoes/pads. Pay once and have replacements forever.

 

[matthies]

There are some things I will always buy locally because of the warranties. Alternators and starters are two things that cannot wait long when they fail. AutoZone has a lifetime replacement warranty on both of those items as well as brake shoes/pads. Pay once and have replacements forever.

Around here places replace once, then to back at buying another. So not really forever replacements.

 

[jimg.allentown]

Around here places replace once, then to back at buying another. So not really forever replacements.

So far, I'm on my third alternator and I lost track of how many sets of brake pads.

 

[Stan Coryell]

I decided to replace the front brakes and rotors on my Explorer.
Auto Zone --- $94 each plus tax.
Rock Auto --- $54 for TWO delivered to my door including tax and shipping.
Advance --- usually higher than Auto Zone.

I would gladly do business with the local businesses, but I am NOT willing to be ripped of at 400% of the price.

I just checked RA. My price delivered Friday is $145. My experience with RA is that they won't show up for usually 7 days and the packages are destroyed. The dealership is usually next morning if not in stock. RA warranties and returns are a pain. I went through a warranty for a blower motor resistor that they threw in a box with an alternator and no packing. It took two weeks to get a replacement, which showed up broken because of bad packaging. The next one came from the dealership. $60 vs $40. Was it worth the aggravation to save $20?

Do you really expect to get 140k miles out of $17 rotors?