Club Champion Orlando can't offer 50% off deal

[sirparalot]

I just called my local Club Champion here in Orlando to book a full bag fitting and take advantage of the 50% deal running through 1/31/17. I was informed by Rob at the location that the deal was still going on but since the next available appointment they had was Feb 3rd that they would not offer the 50% discount since the fitting would occur after the 1/31 end date of the promotion. I offered to pay now and was told no it was the date of the fitting that determined the price and not the day I booked the fitting?!?! Completely disappointed in that answer. I am glad business is good for the location here..maybe its too good because I feel like the answer I got was not about delivering a quality service or wanting to build the business. Am I wrong in thinking that they should be honoring the discounted price as long as I book before Jan 31st advertised deal deadline??? I looked on the website to see if I could find deal redemption rules but could not. I did send en email through their website to ask if they would honor the deal. Hopefully they will do the right thing at a corporate level.

[wcbjr]

What happens if you get fitted into equipment that turns out to cost more than your initial payment?

[golfunderpar18]

Googled to find this advertisement. Based on their ad the 50% off is for "fittings booked and completed between November 1 2016 and January 31 2017". This is in line with their response so not sure how you can be disappointed. Similar to "while supplies last" -- you go towards the end of the sale period and you'll likely be out of luck. Looks clear to me.

 

https://clubchampiongolf.com/locations/custom-golf-club-fitting-orlando-fl

[rawdog]

My thoughts would be that they have a promotion going in January to help bring people in during a slow period.

 

They have less of a problem filling their sheets after 1/31, or else they would extend the promotion into February. Maybe they think they don't have an issue filling spots in February, so they don't offer the promotion (or maybe they offer another, lesser promotion, I don't know).

 

Even by letting you pay ahead, they've essentially received half the revenue they expected to received for that February time slot.

[TPG1971]

Pretty cut and dry. Did you even read the fine print?

[BrianB]

They do this deal every year, and this is always how it works. It's a national deal. Thing is, January isn't really a slow period in Orlando. Unlike most of the rest of the country, January has great golfing weather. So no incentive for them to extend it, there.

[sirparalot]

Googled to find this advertisement. Based on their ad the 50% off is for "fittings booked and completed between November 1 2016 and January 31 2017". This is in line with their response so not sure how you can be disappointed. Similar to "while supplies last" -- you go towards the end of the sale period and you'll likely be out of luck. Looks clear to me.

 

https://clubchampion...ting-orlando-fl

 

Thanks I couldnt find that on their website. I am fine with following the rules and am willing to pay them and be fit within the promotion time frame. Unfortunately they cannot meet that obligation. This is not a product that may go out of stock due to a vendor supply issue that they cannot control. This is a service that they provide in house without needing the support of an outside entity. I think 2 weeks out from the end of the promo is not unreasonable to expect to be able to take advantage of it. If I called on 1/31 then maybe I would be thinking otherwise but I offered to pay today and be fit today. They couldn't make it work. I am in the retail services industry and have been for over 23 years. I can tell you that if a promotion cannot be honored due to an in house issue then I eat it every time and take care of my customer who met the promotional timeline. If a vendor created my issue I can tell you that more often than not I get the vendor to extend the promotion or foot the bill because we entered into the promotion together and share a responsibility to honor it and benefit from the revenue the promotion generates. I guess I just believe in accountability and customer service more than others. There are many options to be fit here in Orlando they are far from the only or best game in town but I chose to give them an opportunity based upon a great promotion and some good comments from the WRX community. I have already heard from several other local WRX members about great fitters in town that would appreciate my business.

[rawdog]

Next time I go into a busy bar at happy hour and all the bar stools are full, can I come back after happy hour and ask for the cheaper prices?

 

The product that went out of stock was the time slot in January.

[golfunderpar18]

why should they extend their service 2 weeks outside of the end of the promo for you? If you had of called in November I am sure you wouldn't be in the same position. Their ad was clear.

It is aligned to a product that goes out of stock - time slots for fitting are limited to their hours of operation and to the # of fitters/bays they have available.

Again the fine print is very clear -- "booked and completed" which means you needed your fitting completed by January 31st.

I side with the vendor in this case but that's just my opinion.

[robrey85]

You good sir, are high off your a** if you think that they should accommodate you.

[BlkNGld]

Googled to find this advertisement. Based on their ad the 50% off is for "fittings booked and completed between November 1 2016 and January 31 2017". This is in line with their response so not sure how you can be disappointed. Similar to "while supplies last" -- you go towards the end of the sale period and you'll likely be out of luck. Looks clear to me.

 

https://clubchampion...ting-orlando-fl

 

Thanks I couldnt find that on their website. I am fine with following the rules and am willing to pay them and be fit within the promotion time frame. Unfortunately they cannot meet that obligation. This is not a product that may go out of stock due to a vendor supply issue that they cannot control. This is a service that they provide in house without needing the support of an outside entity. I think 2 weeks out from the end of the promo is not unreasonable to expect to be able to take advantage of it. If I called on 1/31 then maybe I would be thinking otherwise but I offered to pay today and be fit today. They couldn't make it work. I am in the retail services industry and have been for over 23 years. I can tell you that if a promotion cannot be honored due to an in house issue then I eat it every time and take care of my customer who met the promotional timeline. If a vendor created my issue I can tell you that more often than not I get the vendor to extend the promotion or foot the bill because we entered into the promotion together and share a responsibility to honor it and benefit from the revenue the promotion generates. I guess I just believe in accountability and customer service more than others. There are many options to be fit here in Orlando they are far from the only or best game in town but I chose to give them an opportunity based upon a great promotion and some good comments from the WRX community. I have already heard from several other local WRX members about great fitters in town that would appreciate my business.

 

There is no "obligation" on their part. The offer is for a finite number of appointments, and the terms are clearly stated.

 

You might have better luck if you asked to be called should they get a cancellation.

[BrianB]

What happens if you get fitted into equipment that turns out to cost more than your initial payment?

Equipment costs are separate at Club Champion. The fitting payment only covers the fitting.

[sirparalot]

Next time I go into a busy bar at happy hour and all the bar stools are full, can I come back after happy hour and ask for the cheaper prices?

 

The product that went out of stock was the time slot in January.

 

No definitely can't get the cheap drink after happy hour. However if you showed up during happy hour and paid for a drink you would get it at happy hour price whether there was a barstool or not (probably not the best example since the cheap drink is the product and not the seat at the bar but since you threw it out there....) Whether you stay at the bar after getting that drink is completely up to you and whether the services provided out side the cheap drink promotion that brought you in the door are deemed worth your while will help you decide to continue to give that bar your continued business. I absolutely agree with everyones point and they are by no means under any obligation to provide a service outside their promotion time frame. Like I said I guess after many years of never saying no and finding ways to say yes to one of my customers who asked me to do the right thing when the issue was created by my own internal operational limits (whether that is capacity, staffing, or product availability). It just shocks me when other retail businesses don't do the same. In this new era of online shopping the experience we provide is all that a brick and mortar retailer really has left to differentiate themselves. Promotions are designed to bring in traffic and the goal is to deliver a level of service as an operator when a customer responds to that marketing that creates a returning long term business relationship. Marketings role in my business is to bring a person to me 1x, what happens from there is up to me and my staff and how we handle that customers experience. I can tell you when I go beyond for my customers they come back with more of their money, usually more than they ever intended to spend because they see the value in the service they received. I believe Club Champion does deliver a solid product in terms of the fitting that is why I wanted to take advantage of the promotion. I also know that many people who go there never use their other services and take their business elsewhere when it comes to buying clubs so that part of their business does not deliver value to those who were fit so there is a disconnect in the level of service they provide ( came for the discounted drink but the rest of the experience I can get elsewhere). Right now that model is working because the demand for the fittings is high. Like I said I am glad they are doing well and competition in the industry ultimately makes the buying power of the customer better in the end. I will get fit somewhere as I am interested in some new product offerings and I will buy new clubs based on that fitting as I have done in the past.

[KBong]

I went into McDonald's today and paid 15 cents for a hamburger....I said I was born later than 1955....so they honored my request. :taunt:

[RichieHunt]

I like Club Champion and I understand their point of view, but what they should do is if a person like yourself asks about the 50% offer and is willing to compromise and pay you now and get a fitting in their next available opening...they should give you the 50% discount and just tell you to don't tell anybody else.

 

This goes a long way in developing a loyal customer base especially since they charge such high prices for their equipment. Their goal should always try and book fittings and get customers to come in to their place. In the end, what's $75 when you can book additional fittings from that customer and make them more likely to buy your equipment and develop into a loyal customer.

 

I don't think Club Champion is being rude, but it's a great example of how the golf industry struggles to understand how to develop a loyal customer base and see the forest for the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[KYMAR]

50% off fittings paid for and completed by 1/31.

 

Yeah but Gimme, gimme, gimme! Me, me, me! I want, I want, I want!

 

 

[moonshine]

wow closed Sunday and would not return my email in ATL....find better OP...or drive to closest location IMO

[sirparalot]

 

I don't think Club Champion is being rude, but it's a great example of how the golf industry struggles to understand how to develop a loyal customer base and see the forest for the trees.

 

RH

 

Thanks Richie that really is the point I was trying to make. No one was rude to me at all and they have chosen to stand their ground on a marketing promotion with clearly stated rules. I get passionate about my industry and being in the retail service industry for so many years I have seen and heard so many people and companies that do not understand that their actions are causing their business to suffer. The cost of turning away a willing paying customer for the sake of margin does not pay back. The loss of revenue drives poor behaviors down the road and makes controlling the middle of a companies P&L more difficult. Nothing in the retail industry trumps sales growth. Sales cures many evils on the operational side of the business. Its never beneficial to turn away a paying customer.

[Bravcon]

I just called my local Club Champion here in Orlando to book a full bag fitting and take advantage of the 50% deal running through 1/31/17. I was informed by Rob at the location that the deal was still going on but since the next available appointment they had was Feb 3rd that they would not offer the 50% discount since the fitting would occur after the 1/31 end date of the promotion. I offered to pay now and was told no it was the date of the fitting that determined the price and not the day I booked the fitting?!?! Completely disappointed in that answer. I am glad business is good for the location here..maybe its too good because I feel like the answer I got was not about delivering a quality service or wanting to build the business. Am I wrong in thinking that they should be honoring the discounted price as long as I book before Jan 31st advertised deal deadline??? I looked on the website to see if I could find deal redemption rules but could not. I did send en email through their website to ask if they would honor the deal. Hopefully they will do the right thing at a corporate level.

 

I had this same timing issue in Atlanta and they honored the discount with an appointment in early February. I didn't pay for the fitting until the actual appointment.

[JCAG]

I don't think Club Champion is being rude, but it's a great example of how the golf industry struggles to understand how to develop a loyal customer base and see the forest for the trees.

 

RH

 

Thanks Richie that really is the point I was trying to make. No one was rude to me at all and they have chosen to stand their ground on a marketing promotion with clearly stated rules. I get passionate about my industry and being in the retail service industry for so many years I have seen and heard so many people and companies that do not understand that their actions are causing their business to suffer. The cost of turning away a willing paying customer for the sake of margin does not pay back. The loss of revenue drives poor behaviors down the road and makes controlling the middle of a companies P&L more difficult. Nothing in the retail industry trumps sales growth. Sales cures many evils on the operational side of the business. Its never beneficial to turn away a paying customer.

 

One reason the retail business is suffering is they all became "hookers" to entice customers. Their answer was lower prices, offer unconditional returns, meet others prices, give the customer anything, etc. They greased their own slide to oblivion.

 

Nice to see a business holding the line on the deal they published, explained, etc. rather then prostitute themselves as the poster is suggesting they do.

 

The customer is the customer but that does not always make them right. Some customers need to be fired.

[ChxDigLongBall]

The promotion was running from November to end of January. You posted on the 17th of January. It had been running for 2 and a half months already, and you're going to be upset that they won't honor it after the deadline?

 

Also, were you prepared to purchase several thousand dollars in equipment from them?