Don't trust Baldwin Motorsports

[hootie]

I checked out Baldwins website to get info on their YFZ450 kill switch installation kit. On there home page its advertised 3 times for $24.95 with no mention of prices subject to change without notice.

So I called and ordered one. They mentioned nothing about a price increase on it. I recieved my kill switch and looked at the receipt and I was charged a total of $52. $39.95 for the kill switch and a little over $12 for shipping.

I called to ask about it. I spoke with Mark and he acted like he didn't care. He told me he was finishing lunch and he would call me back when he finished. I DID NOT receive a phone call back!

I had heard good things about Baldwin in the past from racing GNCC's. But I will not be doing business with anyone who treats customers the way he does! BUYER BEWARE!!!

[Aceman]

The problem with posts like yours is we don't see the other side of the story. We don't know if you called him up and started cussing, or if he was having an off day, or whatever. We can only take your word for it and since I don't know you that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. I'd wait to hear from other posters who've dealt with Baldwin or Baldwin himself before you can really form an accurate opinion. I've never seen a post badmouthing Baldwin Motorsports before and a lot of people on this site deal with them so I have a feeling you didn't handle the situation properly and therefore never received a call back, but that's just a guess. JMO.

[Mean250r]

i got mine for 20 bucks from nacs! works great to!

[honduh440]

man baldwin is a huge company for the atv world. i would recomend rethinking your post.

[hootie]

You are incorrect about me handling the situation wrong! I never cursed one time nor did I ever raise my voice. I was very polite and courtious to Mark and the lady who answered the phone.

All I said was I got your # and info off of your website to order the kill switch and it says its $24.95. I was billed $39.95. He told me why the price had gone up and I said, I understand that, but when you advertise something for $24.95 you can't charge people $39.95. If the price is $39.95 you should change your website to reflect the correct price.

I was very suprised by this as well and had never heard anything bad about Baldwin either. Thats why I ordered from them!!

I don't care about the $15. Its the principle behind the action. I didn't even receive an apology for the mistake!

[hootie]

Yes, Baldwin is a huge company for the ATV world. But that doesn't mean they can treat their customers badly or misrepresent themselves or there products and prices.

All I can say is look at there website and tell me they don't advertise there YFZ450 kill switch installation kit for $24.95. Then tell me why I was charged $39.95 for this product.

www.baldwinmotorsports.com

Its very simple! They advertise one price and charge another for this particular product!

[Mxjunkie]

Originally posted by honduh440
man baldwin is a huge company for the atv world. i would recomend rethinking your post.

[450robot]

Originally posted by hootie
Yes, Baldwin is a huge company for the ATV world. But that doesn't mean they can treat their customers badly or misrepresent themselves or there products and prices.

All I can say is look at there website and tell me they don't advertise there YFZ450 kill switch installation kit for $24.95. Then tell me why I was charged $39.95 for this product.

www.baldwinmotorsports.com

Its very simple! They advertise one price and charge another for this particular product!

i completely agree with you on this one, it doesnt matter how big they are, you cant false advertise prices, and then up them without notification

[hsr]

Places like baldwin motorsports will bend you over on stuff like that. they are way overpriced to begin with , do some shopping around man , you should be able to find a tether for MUCH cheaper than that!!!

[FHKracingZ]

haah my friends motor was making a noise at Highpoint last year and he took it to baldwin. the next day befoer racing they went to get the motor and it was done and it had a price on it.. $620 , so they asked him what he fixed and he said he took the valve cover & head off but found out it was the cam chain tensoner being loose so he just put it back toghter... $640 to take ure valve cover off, head , and tighten a cam chain tensorer... great work mark , awsome !

[insaneracin2003]

When i first started racing i was wanting a steering stab,.I called Baldwin motorsports and talked to Mark about my situation.It was thursday around 2:00 pm and i wanted it for the weekend.friday Morning i had it at my door at a GREAT price and shipping costs.He alsoi called me Monday to see how i liked it. That,to me,is customer service.I am sorry you had a bad dealing with him but i suggest you take it up with him before you go onto this website and start bashing his business. I will go to him if i needed anything rushed to me just because what he did for me in the past.
That,of course,is if C&D doesn't have what i need.

[HB416EX]

You already paid for it there is nothing you can do.Just dont order from them again.

[xcyfz450]

when i order something i always ask the total before i hang up the phone so there could never be any problems like that

[250R-Dee]

I ordered adapters to use 250R calipers on 400EX spindles from Baldwin and it was a very pleasant experience. I was told it would take atleast 2 weeks to fill my order because they didn't have any in stock. It is common for shops to make billet items in a lots instead singles because it saves money.

I received my order exactly 7 days after it was placed. The package came with a free t-shirt, too many stickers and a catalog. I paid the advertised price plus actually shipping to my remote location in Japan.

I know every shop has a hiccup every once in a while but Baldwin gets a thumbs up from me!! :D

[tw1976]

Why didn't you send it back when you got it if you feel you were so wronged?

[ITSTOCK]

I'm assuming this was charged through credit card? If so, call up/write a letter to your credit card company, print out the web page, and have them dispute it. They are usually pretty good with FALSE ADVERTISING claims (at least VISA is).

[WhiteYFZ]

i got mine from baldwin for 25.00 and i also got my shocks from them. mark seemed like a nice guy when i spoke to him.

[450r51]

i bet its just a misunderstanding mark is an excellent guy, he is very nice. the first time i met him was at unadilla this year and he took about 20 minutes of his time to answer a bunch of my questions about tim and a bunch of other junk.

[xx3003xrdrxx]

Come on now , Ive went to Marks shop numerous times and sat around and spent the day with him watching him build motors, valve shocks , and deal with customers all day long . Mark has one of the most stressfull jobs out of all the people in the industry. He has alot more on his mind and hands than to sit around and update a website. He does 99% of his sales out of the shop to begin with so Im sure he simply forgot to update the site. Dont go putting down such a great named backed company and such a great guy such as Mark Baldwin. Everything he sells is top of the line ! Ive never seen better customer service than at Baldwins , Not only are Mark and Sherri extremely nice people to deal with but they also have fixed my personal problems with the Bike numerous times . Sorry for such a long post , but I am extremely loyal to Baldwins because of so many good experiences with them in past experiences.

[clutt225]

Its 15 bucks get over it.
He is a busey guy call for something important next time and I am sure the service would be better.

[eastside 400]

i had my motor built by him this winter and it was a really good experience dealing with him, he gave me a couple t's and tons of stickers and when he didnt have my vortex the day i came to pick the motor up he apoligized and told me id have it in a week or 2 and only 2 days later i had it

[honda350r]

Originally posted by clutt225
Its 15 bucks get over it.
He is a busey guy call for something important next time and I am sure the service would be better.


WTF:confused:

[FoxRacing81]

He shouldn't have to rethink anything about his post. It doesn't matter if Baldwin is the biggest company and contributes more then anyone to to ATV world, or if they are a small shop.

They should care if they are advertising a part on there website for a certain price and charge a different one.

And, no, he shouldn't call back when it's something more important. It doesn't matter if it's 1 dollar or 100 dollars.

You can sit there and say he is a busy man and 15 bucks isn't a big deal, but that isn't the point.

Can't believe how many people side with Baldwin on this...I mean, I am glad people have had good expierences, but I don't care if he has the busiest job in the world, if he wants to get good customers, he should treat them good, and fix any problem that arises between him and his customers if it is possible, or atleast explain the situation. To me, a simple "the prices rose" would not make me satisfied.

Thank you for your information, hootie.

-Justin

[CHAR250R]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xcyfz450
when i order something i always ask the total before i hang up the phone so there could never be any problems like that [/QUOTE

Bingo!!!

[Aceman]

Originally posted by clutt225
Its 15 bucks get over it.
He is a busey guy call for something important next time and I am sure the service would be better.

:rolleyes:

That's the stupidest chit I've read in a while. I'm glad you don't run a quad shop. "You have to buy more than a kill switch to make me want your business." That could be your motto.

[Phills450r]

Originally posted by xcyfz450
when i order something i always ask the total before i hang up the phone so there could never be any problems like that

[nightrider05]

I dont see why everyone is telling him to basically back down from a post. If you all ordered something from honda and they charged you a different price than what they had told you in the first place, im sure you would be angry and come posting up on the forum also. Yea, Maybe its JUST $15, but to some of us thats a couple hours of work, five gallons of gas to get us around. Its false advertising and any good company should have simply apologized and refunded the extra money.

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by nightrider05
I dont see why everyone is telling him to basically back down from a post. If you all ordered something from honda and they charged you a different price than what they had told you in the first place, im sure you would be angry and come posting up on the forum also. Yea, Maybe its JUST $15, but to some of us thats a couple hours of work, five gallons of gas to get us around. Its false advertising and any good company should have simply apologized and refunded the extra money.

True, it's not right. That's not the way to run a business.

But at the same time, let's not forget that the world we live in isn't perfect. At any given time, Baldwin has thousands of dollars in business and orders waiting to be filled, and much of that can only be done by Mark himself. A $15 hiccup isn't really high on his priority list. I don't think for one second that he intentionally ignored the issue, but like others have said, he IS a busy man. I wouldn't expect an immediate resolution.

Ok, so you had a problem. If it truly is THAT important, then call back. I'm pretty sure you can get the issue resolved, because Mark IS a nice guy, so long as you realize that it may take a few days simply because of his schedule.

I'm not saying you should ignore it, or give it up. But certainly don't expect us to all jump on your bandwagon and boycott Baldwin Motorsports simply because you didn't get a return phone call as quickly as you hoped.

[Sandsjbyz22]

Also...if you look, mark's website has not changed since the 450R was released. Mark helped my dad and I build our last race bike and he has always been good to us. But like it was said before I always ask for a total over the phone before any part is sent.

[trick250r]

Originally posted by Sandsjbyz22
Also...if you look, mark's website has not changed since the 450R was released. Mark helped my dad and I build our last race bike and he has always been good to us. But like it was said before I always ask for a total over the phone before any part is sent.

true... i dont know how many times ive looked on there and it hasnt changed.


hes probably one of the busiest guys in the industry. when you get orders for $1000, $2000, or even $5000 every day, a little $15 dollar mishap isnt what hes worried about when he goes to sleep. dont tell me that you havent ever been caught up in something really big and forgot something small like that. everyone screws up at least once.

[hootie]

This post was not started to promote any type of bandwagon for a boycott.

It was an informative review of my buying experience with Baldwin Motorsports. Much like a lot of online stores and products have reviews to inform potential buyers about how satisfied they were with the products they purchased or their buying experience.

I'm sure Mark is a nice guy. I never said he wasn't. All I said was he didn't act like this issue was any concern of his.

Just my opinion, but why have a website that has prices if they aren't correct. Especially when a company is nationally known for anything. Whether it be for ATV parts, computers, or anything else.

[gbcap]

Originally posted by hootie
This post was not started to promote any type of bandwagon for a boycott.

It was an informative review of my buying experience with Baldwin Motorsports. Much like a lot of online stores and products have reviews to inform potential buyers about how satisfied they were with the products they purchased or their buying experience.

I'm sure Mark is a nice guy. I never said he wasn't. All I said was he didn't act like this issue was any concern of his.

Just my opinion, but why have a website that has prices if they aren't correct. Especially when a company is nationally known for anything. Whether it be for ATV parts, computers, or anything else.


heres my problem with your order. you said you called and ordered a kill switch. you didn't order it off the website. some places have different prices online and in the stores. reason being it is cheaper to do online sales cause you don't have a sales rep there doing all the work. the customer fills in all the info and then submits it.

1.) you didn't order off the website. there for that pricing DOES NOT HAVE to apply to your phone order.

2.) you didn't verify the order after placing it

this whole situation is YOUR fault not his...


now, depending on other details that always get left out when one person is mad at another...he should have tried to rectify the problem. refund the difference? offer to refund the entire price if you return the product? if your that unhappy return the switch and get your money back. if you return the switch and they dont' refund your money you can call the CC and get them to credit you that amount. but in my eyes that is not the way to handle it. suck it up and just don't deal with them if you don't want to.

in my eyes Baldwin is not at fault for this problem. sorry you had bad dealings. thanks for your post warning people of a possible problem in the future. i personally wouldn't have a problem after hearing this story calling them up and ordering a part at all.

[hootie]

GBCAP, your post has one flaw and if you did your research before you posted you would know that Baldwin does not have an online ordering option. So if you can't walk into their shop you must call to order anything you purchase from them.

[rbgnwa45]

Originally posted by 450robot
i completely agree with you on this one, it doesnt matter how big they are, you cant false advertise prices, and then up them without notification

Yeah that's false advertising! But shouldn't the price of a part be the same online as through the phone?

[Quad18star]

$15 is $15 ... make a call back and make sure you get refunded for your money .

If he has something advertised on his website and sells it for a higher price when you call , that's false advertising .

If he's too busy to update his website himself , hire someone to do it . Not everyone has the money available to start making phone calls to ask about pricing before buying a product , and that's why companies run websites , so that their potential customers can check out the products and prices without the hassle of having to call .

He might run a large business , but he should treat every customer equally ... it shouldn't matter if the person is spending $25 or $2500.

I've helped run a large business , and I know f**k ups happen with advertising and pricing , but if we advertised a price on an item , that's what we would sell it for ... even if it was an incorrect price .

The price issue has been brought to Mark's attention with this customer about the price he has advertised on his website , maybe this should be a wake up call to go update the site before this happens to someone else . I'm sure this guy isn't the only one that's been mislead by the website price.

Originally posted by 450robot
i completely agree with you on this one, it doesnt matter how big they are, you cant false advertise prices, and then up them without notification

[Guy400]

Originally posted by Quad18star
$15 is $15 ... make a call back and make sure you get refunded for your money .

If he has something advertised on his website and sells it for a higher price when you call , that's false advertising .

If he's too busy to update his website himself , hire someone to do it . Not everyone has the money available to start making phone calls to ask about pricing before buying a product , and that's why companies run websites , so that their potential customers can check out the products and prices without the hassle of having to call .

He might run a large business , but he should treat every customer equally ... it shouldn't matter if the person is spending $25 or $2500.

I've helped run a large business , and I know f**k ups happen with advertising and pricing , but if we advertised a price on an item , that's what we would sell it for ... even if it was an incorrect price .

The price issue has been brought to Mark's attention with this customer about the price he has advertised on his website , maybe this should be a wake up call to go update the site before this happens to someone else . I'm sure this guy isn't the only one that's been mislead by the website price. Absolutely. I don't think Mark is intentionally trying to screw anyone but if he's aware his website is outdated than he should be doing what it takes to correct, whether that's changing the price or removing the ad altogether and that's on top of doing what it takes to make this particular transaction right.

[MXRACER118]

Maybe instead of taking the time to reply to this post take the time to call Baldwin back again. It sounds like the only time you called him you caught him during his lunch, be grateful he even picked the phone up while he was eating! Call Baldwin and ask for Sherri, she will help you and refund the money.

Although this is a major dilemna in your life, it is minor to Baldwin. So you need to take control and call them back.