Pelican Parts shipping charges - OUCH!!

[xmicros]

I live on the East Coast (USA) and have been ordering from ************ for many years. I decided to give Pelican a try and I don't think I will try it again! All the stuff I ordered were very small items, except for a gallon of tranny fluid. $90 worth of stuff and $26.50 for shipping!! Somehow they charge two separate shipping charges because some stuff gets shipped from their Northern CA warehouse??

I think I'll stick with bavauto from now on. They're a lot closer to me, and a LOT cheaper to ship. Hey Pelican I tried... but your free shipping for "Qualified" items didn't work for me. If a customer places ONE order, then I think it should be treated as ONE order, not TWO. It's not MY fault if you stock your items in two different locations.

[stomachmonkey]

Uhm, did you call customer service to discuss?

[moliver]

I will agree that you can find stuff cheaper elsewhere...but the customer service at Pelican is worth the extra couple bucks every time.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Troll much?

[xmicros]

Well since you mention it, yes their prices ARE slightly higher too. But that wasn't my gripe, it was the shipping charges. I guess it makes sense to order from a company that is in closer proximity to me, rather than across the country. I expected the shipping to be a bit high, but this thing with the two separate shipments (and shipping charges) leaves me feeling overcharged.

[xmicros]

Troll...me? Because I have a legitimate gripe that makes me a troll?

[Monza_dh]

I'm on the east coast as well and even drive up to BVauto in NH to buy large parts for my BMW. With Pelican you have to be selective and do your homework regarding shipping and shipping times(a full 7-days for UPS ground door to door!).

I usually wait to order a few small items and try to combine for free shipping. If I cant I always price Pelican and see if shipping is an issues compared to other places. I just had to buy from another source for caliper rebuild kits because of price and timing. I needed it before the weekewnd for my brake rebuild project.

I always give Pelican a shot and will pay a little more if the source of a cheaper place is suspect or just because without Pelican I would have spent $$$$$ more in parts and labor over the last 4 years of 911 ownership.

[javadog]

You know, I never knew that shipping costs were based upon the value of the items bought. I always thought it was based upon weight and volume. I also didn't know that Wayne had enough stroke with UPS and Fedex to be able to dictate to them their shipping charges. Amazing, really, I learn something new every day.

I'm not a rocket scientist but I might have considered ordering the heavy thing from somewhere close, if I was worried about shipping costs. Sorry if I am being a little sarcastic here. I just get my panties in a wad when I see someone bad mouthing the company that provides us this forum for such a good price. I personally thing Pelican's customer service is so far ahead of any other similar company that there is nobody in second place. I don't really care what it costs; I haven't spent my last nickel yet.

Carry on,
JR

[xmicros]

javadog, your point is well taken. And like Monza_dh says, I should have done my homework. My bad. I didn't understand this whole thing with "qualified" free shipping, I though my order would qualify but it didn't because of the different shipping locations. Like I said before, it makes more sense for me to order locally. But also, is a gallon of fluid considered a heavy item? $26.50 for shipping it along with some really small & lite parts?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by xmicros

Troll...me? Because I have a legitimate gripe that makes me a troll?

Because you just joined in March, have 19 posts, and are already bashing the host and singing the praises of a competitor. Even if you're not, the proper venue for this would be to call Pelican customer service BEFORE bashing the company on the BBS they THEY provide.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by xmicros

But also, is a gallon of fluid considered a heavy item?

One gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs. Fluid is heavy, especially compared to gaskets, sensors, and many other little car parts.

[gprsh924]

Its not like you just gave Pelican your CC number and they charged you whatever they wanted. You act as though you were surprised by the charges, but you had to confirm your order before you purchased. If you really thought the shipping cost was exorbitant, why did you place the order?

[Christien]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Troll much?

How is he a troll for posting a beef with a company? Just because the majority of us are loyal customers doesn't mean Pelican gets it right 100% of the time. In this day and age of instant communications, many people are more likely to go to public forums like this to express a beef, rather than go through customer service channels. That's life, and that's what any company needs to expect. It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, it happens. That doesn't make him a troll.

Pelican shipping IS expensive, because they won't ship by regular USPS (airmail only), because it's not traceable and they don't want the issues of missing shipments coming back to them. (and airmail is slow - at least a week to Canada) It's a perfectly understandable position, but it does cost them some business, especially for those of us outside the US. Wayne has spoken to this issue several times here. Because of this, I buy almost all my small-dollar stuff locally or through the classifieds, because most people will ship USPS. For example, I needed a few gaskets - maybe $15 or $20 worth of stuff. The shipping charges were more than the cost of the parts, plus taxes to enter Canada, border brokerage charges etc. all bring the price up to near triple.

Of course none of that is Pelican's fault, but because of their decision not to ship USPS ground, it means that I rarely if ever order anything from Pelican for under $100, and I'll bet 50% of the money I put into my car is for little things here and there - gaskets, specialty nuts and bolts, filters and fluids, etc.

[stealthn]

Dude,

That's nothing, I have paid more for shipping (and duty, tax, etc.) than the actual parts are worth. Try living in Canada. It's UPS that blows not Pelican.

And complaining on here without calling and telling them your grief first; bad form.

[javadog]

I ship a lot of things. Some of it comes from overseas, some of it is just here in the US. Some of it goes ground, some of it gets to fly on an airplane. Weght makes a huge difference. Perversely, really light things in large boxes also are expensive on a per-pound basis, because they take up more room than other things of "normal density," to put it in simple terms.

Fluids are some of the heaviest things you can ship (for a given volume) along with things like books and large castings. I don't think your shipping charges are out of line. I seldom spend less than that for anything I ship. Usually it's a lot more.

You can always get an idea of relative costs by playing with the shipping cost estimators that UPS and FEDex (and others) have on their websites. There are a lot of other factors in play as well (large town vs. small one out-in-the -sticks, business or residential address, delivery signature or not, etc.)

Hang around. Sooner or later you'll find that you get your money's worth here.

JR

[xmicros]

Well whippedpuppy, if you think that me saying I should purchase my items from a company that is in closer proximity to me is bashing them, then so be it. This is the "off-topic" forum, and I'm not discussing politics or religion, so I don't see what the problem is. And just in case you were not aware of this, OIL is LIGHTER than water!

[gprsh924]

A ten pound package shipped across the country by UPS costs upwards of $15. Throw in Pelican's handling charges and the fact that the package easily could have exceeded 10 pounds and the charges are not unreasonable.

In addition, the shipping policies are clearly laid out in the FAQ. I never order from a site without briefly investigating the policies and procedures of said site.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/pelican_parts_shipping_FAQ.htm

[javadog]

[QUOTE=Christien;4582560]In this day and age of instant communications, many people are more likely to go to public forums like this to express a beef, rather than go through customer service channels. That's life, and that's what any company needs to expect. It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, it happens./QUOTE]

I have to disagree with this. Right is right, wrong is wrong. I don't care how many people do it. I have little patience with the current generation of kids and young adults. They have little common sense and even less common courtesy, or should I just say they are clueless when it comes to any sort of ettiquette. I didn't raise my kids to be jerks and I hate to see others do so.

For what it's worth, I don't think the original poster was being a troll. We shouldn't flame him. I think he might find this place a good place to spend time.

JR

[TechnoViking]

You needn't worry about offending too many folks in the OT forum. Most of the people who post over here don't have Porsches anyway.

[berettafan]

i think we all know Pelican can be a touch pricey BUT:

-You stay in touch with the shipment all the way to your door
-Returns (in my experience) are very fast and very smooth
-You KNOW what shipping is before you order
-If i spend an extra $100/year on bits and pieces for my car I look at it as an investment in this forum.
-You don't have to spend 1/2 a day compiling bits and pieces from 6 different companies.

Now if i have an item to purchase that requires direct input from an expert or i think i might need some tech support after the fact then i'll buy from a small vendor who can actually talk me through the issue.

I guess what it comes down to is when you're buying parts for a 38yr old performance car price and shipping options are not the first concerns. We want to keep good people involved in the business so we can rely on them when the time comes.

To the original poster i think the issue is you never want to order fluids from across the country if you can help it.