Dissapointed with Aerodyne

[e.a.hernandez 0]

I wake up this morning and see a Pilot 168 for about $1300 in Aerodyne's stock list. I inmideately bought it. Then I get a call to inform me that it was a glitch in the system and that they can't sell it for that price. I really appreciate their call and everything but I am very dissapointed as I really was expecting my pilot 168. I will not purchase a Pilot now but something else. Nothing wrong with the pilot or Aerodyne's products (I have a Smart reserve and jump a Triathlon 190) it just that I am pissed. Is it reasonable to be dissapointed? I guess this is one of those too good to be true instances...

blue ones

[PhreeZone 15]

It was a glitch in the system. Most vendors do not honor price glitches on their website. Amazon and others deal with this on a daily basis with the volume of products that they have and they NEVER honor the wrong price and cancel all orders. This is something that is abused everyday on "bargain seeking" websites.

If you seriously chose not to look at Aerodyne over this then you will be sorely disappointed in a lot of things with skydiving.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[SEREJumper 1]

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I guess this is one of those too good to be true instances...

If you were selling your Tri 190 in the classifieds and accidentally put $300 instead of $800, would you honor it if someone said they would buy it?

It happens, Aerodyne makes good stuff, don't rule them out over a glitch.

We're not fucking flying airplanes are we, no we're flying a glorified kite with no power and it should be flown like one! - Stratostar

[Hvance 0]

As has been said, this is a common nonoccurence, especially on larger sites. If it's a glitch or an obvious typo (e.g. 300 instead of 3000), companies never honor the incorrect price. Even great companies won't honor it if it was a good faith error.

I completely understand why you jumped on the deal, but usually if a deal looks too good to be true..you know the rest. If I saw a new TV in a store with a sticker for $30, I know it's a mistake.

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

[Beerlight 0]

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Is it reasonable to be dissapointed? I guess this is one of those too good to be true instances...

blue ones

Dissapointed, sure. Worth not buying a Pilot? NO.

Shit happens sometimes, and so do glitches.....

To "go somewhere else" because of a small glitch?

[jtnesbitt 0]

Dont cut off your nose to spite your face.

One other thing to consider is Pilots hold their value well, especially that size. I bought a 168 new for $1650 and sold it 1.5 years and 100 jumps later for $1450.

"If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

[mik 2]

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If you were selling your Tri 190 in the classifieds and accidentally put $300 instead of $800, would you honor it if someone said they would buy it?

Was the Pilot almost one third of the normal price (as this example suggests) or at such a discount as to be similar to a $30 tv (as another poster suggests)??

If not, I am with the original poster on this one - I would be pretty annoyed if a company that presumably has professional web staff and proactively offers goods for sale over the internet would not honour a price quoted. From a customer service perspective, if they had honoured the price I bet the OP would be a great ambassader for the company for years to come. As it is, I understand his frustration and in his position I would probably also consider taking my custom elsewhere. And telling everyone why and warning them not to trust the site.

But it seems the OP and I are in the minority

***********************************************
I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

[pilot-one 0]

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If you were selling your Tri 190 in the classifieds and accidentally put $300 instead of $800, would you honor it if someone said they would buy it?

Was the Pilot almost one third of the normal price (as this example suggests) or at such a discount as to be similar to a $30 tv (as another poster suggests)??

If not, I am with the original poster on this one - I would be pretty annoyed if a company that presumably has professional web staff and proactively offers goods for sale over the internet would not honour a price quoted. From a customer service perspective, if they had honoured the price I bet the OP would be a great ambassader for the company for years to come. As it is, I understand his frustration and in his position I would probably also consider taking my custom elsewhere. And telling everyone why and warning them not to trust the site.

But it seems the OP and I are in the minority

Very bizarre thoughts. Furthermore Aerodyne has an agreement with it's dealers not to undersell any of their products. I would suspect that no dealer would sell a new Pilot for $1300.00
Shit happens and nobody or no entity is perfect.
As the proud owner of 2 Pilot canopies all I can say is if you don't buy one you are cutting yourself very short.

[michaelmullins 77]

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I wake up this morning and see a Pilot 168 for about $1300 in Aerodyne's stock list. I inmideately bought it. Then I get a call to inform me that it was a glitch in the system and that they can't sell it for that price. I really appreciate their call and everything but I am very dissapointed as I really was expecting my pilot 168. I will not purchase a Pilot now but something else. Nothing wrong with the pilot or Aerodyne's products (I have a Smart reserve and jump a Triathlon 190) it just that I am pissed. Is it reasonable to be dissapointed? I guess this is one of those too good to be true instances...

blue ones

If you will send me a private email at [email protected] I believe I can fix your problem.

[BIGUN 1,053]

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Was the Pilot almost one third of the normal price (as this example suggests) or at such a discount as to be similar to a $30 tv (as another poster suggests)??

If not, I am with the original poster on this one - I would be pretty annoyed if a company that presumably has professional web staff and proactively offers goods for sale over the internet would not honour a price quoted. From a customer service perspective, if they had honoured the price I bet the OP would be a great ambassader for the company for years to come. As it is, I understand his frustration and in his position I would probably also consider taking my custom elsewhere. And telling everyone why and warning them not to trust the site.

But it seems the OP and I are in the minority

Please Google "Invitation to Treat."
Perhaps a great ambassador, but what if 100 people wanted the canopy at the same price and it was offered at a 30% loss.
Sometimes, (as is seen on here) the customer needs to be a great ambassador regarding quality of manufacturing and not just service.
Anyway, it looks like Mike is going to take care of it.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

Let's see if I have this right... You're pissed because you'll have to pay what the rest of us pay for a good canopy? This clearely was not a bait and switch ploy to steal your money or make you pay more than you wanted. Honest mistakes happen! Take the high road here and say "I'm dissapointed, but, I'll live"! Move on! Smile! (and all that shit) Keep your eyes open, good deals do come along.

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[mik 2]

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Please Google "Invitation to Treat."

Yep... that would be English contract law, of no relevance whatsoever in the US where the OP lives (per the profile)

However, we could also Google "offer and acceptance" to try to understand the implications of a web site (presumably) accepting an offer of a payment following an invitation to treat.

When I studied law (a few years ago, admittedly so I have no idea of the lastest case law in England relating to web sites and automated payments) if an offer was made and accepted the contract was formed and if the seller tried to get out of the contract, they could be sued for breach of contract.

Of course, if the OP is in the US, this has little relevance to the issue he has. And I still think he was treated harshly.

***********************************************
I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

[BIGUN 1,053]

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Yep... that would be English contract law, of no relevance whatsoever in the US where the OP lives (per the profile)

In the US, it's called, "Invitation to Bargain"

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[e.a.hernandez 0]

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It happens, Aerodyne makes good stuff, don't rule them out over a glitch.

It is not all about the glitch. They did not do anything to fix the problem other than let me know the price was incorrect and send me somewhere (i.e. to some dealer that sells their products). They could have offered a reasonable discount. And no this was not just a typo in a Pilot 168 price listing; I am talking about every pilot canopy size group on the stock list having a lower and different from each other price.

[e.a.hernandez 0]

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If you seriously chose not to look at Aerodyne over this then you will be sorely disappointed in a lot of things with skydiving.

Being disappointed with a glitch does not imply a future disappointment with skydiving.

If you chose not to have service with AT&T because you bought a $20/month high speed internet package over their website that happened to be a glitch "...then you will be sorely disappointed in a lot of things..." with internet surfing. I don't think they go together.

[jaffo 0]

Dude,
I sincerely understand the disappointment you are feeling. I'd be disappointed also.

But come on!! You are better than to wine about this...

Ryder

Take chances, just do it with all the information to make good decisions!!

Muff Brother# 2706 Dudeist Skydiver# 121.5

[TiaDanger 0]

Whats wrong with this one? Its only 150 jumps old, and right near what you thought you were gonna pay for that new one...
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=96529;d=1

Or this one?
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=95886;d=1

Or this one? It only has 100 jumps!
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=93115;d=1

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

[Andy9o8 0]

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When I studied law (a few years ago, admittedly so I have no idea of the lastest case law in England relating to web sites and automated payments) if an offer was made and accepted the contract was formed and if the seller tried to get out of the contract, they could be sued for breach of contract.

True only to a point: an ostensible contract can be invalidated and/or rendered a nullity due to a lack of meeting of minds, under the Doctrine of Mistake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistake_(contract_law)

[Hvance 0]

If an error is made in good faith, the contract may not be enforceable.

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

[skypuppy 1]

Whether it's legal or not is not the question. I agree with the OP, it's too bad they wouldn't honor the price or at least try to work out a solution to the problem. That is what would be ethical and good customer service.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[Thanatos340 1]

I am still trying to grasp how They OWE you anything?

There was a Mistake on the website. You tried to buy it and they caught the mistake. No one lost anything.

How does that translate into them owing you a discount or anything else? I dont get it.

[davelepka 4]

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Whether it's legal or not is not the question. I agree with the OP, it's too bad they wouldn't honor the price or at least try to work out a solution to the problem. That is what would be ethical and good customer service.

How is it ethical for the OP to take advantage of a simple administrative error?

Ethical would have been calliing them and saying, "Hey, I just noticed that the web price on the Pilots is only $1300, is that right price, or is that an error?". I don't even know what the regular price of a Pilot is, but I have to imagine that it's at least $1800, and it's unreasonable for the OP to assume the they just knocked $500 of the price of a currently produced, very popular canopy.

Trying to take advatage of the error was unethical, and then holding it against Aerodyne in a public forum is just childish. This isn't a giant multi-national corporation like Walmart mis-marking the price of a $10 widget, it's a realtively small business that made an obvious and significant error in posting the price.

If he had been a stand-up guy, and reported the error, or at least inquired about the validity of the price, he might be entilted to a T-shirt for being a 'good guy'. For tyring to take advantage of the situation, and then I can only imagine his attitude when he was denied the purchase, I'm not the least bit surprised that he got what he deserved - nothing.

[davelepka 4]

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If you will send me a private email at [email protected] I believe I can fix your problem

There's a chance that you have some contacts at Aerodyne, and can get him the canopy for $1300. It could also be that you have a new or almost new Pilot you can sell the guy for $1300.

I'm really hoping that you're going to tell him to grow a pair and shut the fuck up, and you just wanted to do it over a private e-mail. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[jtnesbitt 0]

Another interesting point has been raised by this thread....


...that is, the squeaky wheel does get the oil. It looks like now, the OP is getting what he wants, or at least something comparable, whereas if he sucked it up like so many people had suggested, he would not.

There are many times in life when you get a "no" it just means you need to keep trying or try different methods. There is nothing wrong with thinking outside the box.

(Note: Before someone even tries to bring it up I am not talking safety with the above statement.)

"If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero

[DSE 3]

"Thinking outside the box" is commendable.
Vilifying a reputable manufacturer who may have made a mistake is not. Not everyone who has seen this thread will see whatever positive (or negative) result it incurs. They'll just read far enough to see "disappointed in XXXX."