I've ordered from Suncoast before. The website can be a bit clunky. If you hit "keep shopping" after adding a part to your cart sometimes it takes you back the the car selector page, which is annoying because you have to click thru several things to get back where you were.

The UI works, but it definitely could be better. If I were Suncoast I'd take this as an opportunity to improve the UI. With a good UI these sorts of cart error should be few and far between.

But when they happen... since it costs more to get a new customer than it does to keep an existing one: the idea of customer pays for return shipping, Suncoast pays to ship replacement part out is what I would have done.

 

While I understand that fair is fair, I think Suncoast may be making a business mistake here.

One thing I am pretty certain is that Suncoast's actions on this thread is NOT winning them any business. I don't know about you, but I feel more comfortable dealing with businesses that take care of me, even when I make mistakes. Heck, some companies accept returns if I just don't like the product! These are the companies I enjoy dealing with. These are the companies that I return to. These are the companies that I refer to others.

Regardless of the size of your business or the budget, if you want to be competitive, you will sometimes need to suck it up because you ultimately NEED 100% customer satisfaction.

The sad part is that this has been aired out in the open when it could have been resolved privately and maybe OP would have had a much more pleasant thread about their experience.

 

Suncoast = Best price hands down but to lose a customer for $10??? That is ridiculous regardless who made the mistake.

My opinion.

 

Most any successful business puts customer satisfaction above all else.

Matt

 

Yep, if I was running a business, and a customer got confused because of a confusing website, and then tried to get clarity online, at the same time giving the company a chance to demonstrate a "above and beyond" stance by taking care of the shipping costs, I would just take care of it and show up in the spirit of customer service, NOT argue with him and haggle over $10.

 

Agreed. The $10 isn't worth customer dissatisfaction. The OP seems to be reasonable here (and a good customer of Suncoast). At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who made the mistake, the customer should not be penalized. Great customer service will make the margin back up to Suncoast very quickly with the OP.

 

Hey Suncoast . . . . Take this problem off line and settle it.

I tend to think you'll make it up in no time based on the 'tend to be on the high side' shipping fees you guys charge in the first place. Your customer service has always been IMHO first class so do the right thing.

 

There is another dealer that has lower pricing than Suncoast.

 

+1

Ken

 

Thanks for the info folks, I'll call you on Monday Rick. Thanks guys for the input, have a great weekend.

 

+1 I am pretty disappointed in the way this was handled by Suncoast in terms of customer service and doing the right thing as a business. Who knows how many customers "ordered the wrong part" and shipping was not in full responsibility of the buyer. Suncoast's response on a public forum with thousands of users should never be one of a defensive stance as that is a huge turnoff for potential customers. On the other hand, had Suncoast taken full accountability for being even a bit misleading on the website, then that would have won even more new customers for less than $10. It is a wakeup call to be aware of what you order, but it should be more of a wakeup call for Suncoast to correct their misleading upsale methods and for potential customers that may encounter customer service issues like this should there be a honest mistake.

I recently ordered a performance exhaust system for my wife's 3-series also through a "wholesale" website. The box arrived with a small hole in it, but it looked like all the parts were there. I took a picture just in case. When i had it installed by the local indie shop that I trust, they indicated that a bracket was missing. I didn't want to delay the install, so I payed the $36 for the part and informed the BMW parts folks. They reviewed the issue including my attached photo of the hole upon delivery and said they would send me a check for reimbursement. They swallowed the $36, but now I am a customer for life. If I find a part elsewhere for a little cheaper, i would still order from this place because I know they are all about customer service and doing the right thing. It doesn't seem Suncoast has acted in the same manner. Unfortunate.

 

@ Suncoast...Whatever happened has already happened. But the biggest mistake would be for Suncoast to drag this out even further than necessary by asking the forum members to vote. I would venture to guess you do not have one unsatisfied customer now, you have a few more that are hesitant to do business with you in the future.

I fully understand Suncoast do not want to just bend over and fix every customer problem. But we're looking at a whole lot of grey instead of black and white here.

At the end of the day. You're a profit making enterprise that NEEDS customers. You had a good reputation, why blow it all up now?

 

One suggestion for Suncoast... perhaps they should adopt a graduated scale for returns on orders where mistakes have been made. A problem which escalates regarding a $10 part versus a $1500 part should be dealt with in totally different ways.

My suggestion would be to adopt a policy where any part which is incorrectly ordered that costs less than say $50 can be restocked for free with the customer covering return shipping and suncoast covering shipping of replacement part. For items with a value less than say $10 all fees should be waived as well as shipping fees. This removes the dissatisfaction which started this thread in the first place. Since it's easy to get upset over a small price item being mishandled by a vendor. Higher price items should receive more scrutiny on both ends. I know as a customer of SunCoast I am very careful when ordering high dollar items, but tend to just click away when ordering lower cost items.

 

Also, interesting that they are telling him to wait until Monday to resolve this. I'd correct it quick and move on.

 

+1. The site is pretty clunky and seems to be oriented more towards directing you to upsale items than having a logical flow through. Ui and navigation could be improved.