Christopher M.
Yelp
I was looking for a caster for a mid-century Eames office chair. The owner said she had a collector friend who had them and after speaking to her collector friend on the phone, she ordered a set and told me the price would be $20.
The following Thursday night (the night before Good Friday) we got a message on our machine saying they were in. We were out to Seattle for Easter and returned on Sunday eveing.
I went to the store on Monday, and it was closed. I then returned to the store on Saturday, and she told me that it was sent back because "it was there for a week". Surprised, I asked, "Can you get it back in?" She said, "It was a $20 sale," Meaning, I'm guessing, that it wasn't worth her time to reorder (not seeing the potential in maintaining a repeat customer). I then said, "Can you give me the collector's number and I can pick it up from him?" She said, "He doesn't like working that way." I'm presuming that : 1. She didn't want him knowing the profit she was making (perhaps he had given it to her for nothing), or 2. She didn't want me getting things through her supplier at a discounted cost.
I then told her, "You had told us the price was $20. We were willing to pay up to $50." At that point, she popped up and said, "You're willing to pay $50? Alright, I'll order it from him." I then said, "Price gauging. That's not a great way to do business, ma'am." I walked out . I will never walk in again. I will let every consumer advocate group know about what had happened.