Herbert Graf wrote:

> I don't understand WHY people are SO defensive about online retailers
> HIDING THEIR S/H prices? Can you give me ONE good reason that justifies
> why I can't know the S/H price until the company already has my credit
> card number? Please, I'd like to know.

I don't know about "people". I know about me... I'm not defensive. I just
think that you move and shake your arguments around... 

You say you're pissed about companies that hide their shipping cost. I
would be, too, but my life is too short, so I just skip them right away, if
I feel they are not honest about it. 

You cite this fog light episode as an example. But apparently they did not
hide their final price; they gave it to you on request. So it's an example
for what exactly? 

You still call it a rip-off. I don't see any rip-off here (they told you
how much they would charge you up front -- on request, but still up front),
and you didn't either: you bought from them. Calling the least expensive
vendor you found of an item a ripper-offer? Sounds odd to me, and
apparently not only to me.

They cost half the price of another retailer, which you do /not/ call a
ripper-offer, which you're fine with -- yet you didn't buy from them.
Sounds again strange to me. 

You call it a rip-off when the price structure of an order is closer to the
actual cost structure (with a per-order price plus item prices), but don't
call it a rip-off when you're charged a fixed per-item price, as usual with
normal retailers. There are many good reasons why one could call /this/ a
rip-off, using your same arguments.

Then you turn around and say it's all about the perception customers have
of them. That's nice of you to be so concerned about the well-being of a
ripper-offer :), but that's then not about ripping off, that's about
marketing. A whole different story.

OTOH, you didn't feel "ripped off" enough to not buy from them. Apparently
their business model (which includes the pricing strategy) suits you better
than their competitors' models. Still you classify them as "ripper-offers".
Maybe you have a "ripper-offer" mind set? :)

You told them about your perception, and they agreed with you. They didn't
change their price structure, but they published it better, improved their
customer service. Another good reason for me not to classify them as
"ripper-offers".



The main reason probably why "people" don't understand your complaints is
in this question (cited from a previous post of mine, not yet answered by
you):

> Herbet Graf wrote:
>> What their margin is? No idea, don't care, to me the price of the item
>> with shipping was reasonable, so I'm happy. When I received the package
>> I didn't even look at the postmarked price.
> 
> So, why don't you apply the same thought to the fog light retailer you
> bought from? From what I understand, they had the best price/service
> combo you found, you found the total price (including per-order price)
> reasonable -- but you are not happy. What's the difference? Why did you
> look here at the postmarked price (which really has not much to do with
> the per-order price)?

Your position as stated in this quote is what most people think. This seems
to include you. But WRT this one online seller, you seem to think
differently. It seems that nobody can really follow why exactly you think
differently about this one and call them a rip-off.

Gerhard

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