294378 Thu Oct 09 17:54:05 -0700 2003 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1614298 Had a weird experience with Grateful Palate this week. I ordered their Bacon of the Month Club as a wedding gift for a friend. The club is $120 and the Shipping charge on their site was $75.97. Got a call today from Customer Service. Turns out, the actual shipping charge is $146.90. Customer Service told me their website was incorrect in tallying my shipping cost. The woman who I spoke with was sweet. She explained that the bacon must be sent out 2-day mail, each package is 3 Lbs, there are 12 shipments and the cost is between $10-$15 a package. All that said, $146 in shipping sounds just about right. Sure it's expensive, but it's bacon! So, here's the ?. Generally, I'm averse to doing business with company's that post incorrect costs. That said, this is a company I want to like and the Bacon of the Month Club makes a killer wedding gift So, any feedback from people who have done biz with the Grateful Palate? Thu Oct 09 17:54:05 -0700 2003 0 Mark M 1 1614305 Mark, many of their products are non-perishable and can be sent regular mail or UPS. I can't remember if the customer can choose what method to ship, but maybe you chose (and the web order site tallied) regular delivery? This is still GP's fault, as they should have the site set up to not offer regular shipping on items that require express. Thu Oct 09 18:31:15 -0700 2003 1614298 0 Sarnie 1 1614310 There is also an option to ship it all it once, which is what I did to avoid the heavy shipping charge. The products are excellent. My husband LOVES this gift. We are still eating through it. He loves ME because of it. Actually, there does seem to be a strong connection. He usually kisses me when he is making a fry-up. Also, he loves his t-shirt that says BACON. Thu Oct 09 19:13:48 -0700 2003 1614298 0 JudiAU 1 1614312 I have done business with them for years. They are wonderful people who search out interesting and mouth-watering products-and awesome wines. Thu Oct 09 19:37:51 -0700 2003 1614298 0 Michael Hafitz 1 1614396 I think they could have offered you something to make up for their mistake - even a $20 gift certificate towards future purchase - which would also benefit them because it encourages you to return to the site and spend more money. Fri Oct 10 10:19:01 -0700 2003 1614298 0 julesrules 1 1614435 If they made the mistake, they should eat it. So to speak. Any reputable company will stand behind their posted prices, otherwise, it's an illegal Bait and Switch. They should charge you the advertised price that you accepted (I hope you printed out your receipt) and learn from their own mistake. I have worked in mail order for different companies, and the policy at each company has always been to own up to the mistake and not make the customer pay for it. Not only is this good business, it's the only legal thing to do. I wouldn't want to buy from a company that would do anything else, no matter how good the product is. Fri Oct 10 13:04:15 -0700 2003 1614298 0 sgirl 2 1614461 I agree with you in theory & principle, but have found that companies seem to feel less liable for electronic communications - email and internet. It is unfortunate. Fri Oct 10 15:56:34 -0700 2003 1614435 0 julesrules 3 1614491 I'm responsible for CS for a very large website - and we sure take responsibility for anything that's incorrectly posted! Our tech people are only human, and occasionally (in a blue moon) a price is posted incorrectly. We always stand by that posted price, and then scramble to correct it asap! Not only is it a legal obligation, but it's the right thing to do. If we didn't, the bad word of mouth (like someone posting on a major website like Chowhound!) isn't worth the few bucks we'd save defending our right to be wrong. Online sales a billion dollar industry, and with more and more people clueing in to the ease of shopping online, we all have to keep to the same high standards in our online areas as we would in our brick and morter stores. There. I'll jump down off my soapbox now. ;) Fri Oct 10 17:51:56 -0700 2003 1614461 0 sgirl 1 1614463 Long time customer... never had a complaint. I have done a ton of business with them (mostly wine) and have zero complaints. They routinely go above and beyond the call of duty. For example, I purchased 15 cases of wine from them one summer and they kept the wine until weather conditions were cool enough to ship (at no extra charge). Fri Oct 10 16:02:48 -0700 2003 1614298 0 The Mad Scientist