Ping cancels accounts with local golf stores(For military discounts)

Augusta Chronicle ^ | 09-28-06 | By David Westin

[kempo]

Mr. Gates is a liar. He states that Ping has maintained its operation in this country while other companies has moved over seas.

I just purchased some Ping G5 woods. I did not like the grips so I replaced them. When I pealed off the original grips there was a sticker that stated "HEAD MADE IN CHINA, SHAFT MADE IN CHINA, ASSEMBLED IN CHINA".

I love these woods and was planning on buying a set of G5 irons but this article has changed my mind.

[hoppity]

I looked on their website for an email address, but couldn't find one. Here's their customer service number. Let them know what you think.

1.800.474.6434. They're open 8-5 Monday-Friday MST

[Labyrinthos]

I hate to agree with Ping, but I understand its position. Ping has 1000's of retailers all of who have agreed to the "no discount" policy. If Ping allows some of them to offer discounts to Military or anyone else, then it opens itself up to a lawsuit from its other distributors.

[Mr. Blonde]

I agree that it is a shady practice and that it should be written into a contract with retailers, but if it is applied across the board I have a hard time working up any anger over it. Now if it comes out that they knowingly allow others to receive discounts then the anger directed at them would be justified.

[Stone Mountain]

Ping has the right to choose the retail price of the clubs it sells. Retailers can't arbitraily choose a group of people and give them special rates (well, they can, but not if they made an agreement to sell a product at a certain price). My friend worked for Panasonic and had to sanction retailers who were blowing out their products since they needed to control the retail price and having one or two retail outlets underselling everyone else wasn't fair to the other retailers who abided by the agreement.

[Stone Mountain]

The military gets special treatment. That's just the way it is.

Says who? If companies like Ping want to give them special treatment, that's fine but surely you aren't saying that we should mandate retailers and wholesalers to provide better prices to the military than the public at large.

[Stone Mountain]

If a store buys a product, it is up to that store what they sell that product for. If there is an agreement otherwise its a pretty stupid one IMO.

Nope, not true at all. They have retailing and licensing agreements with the manufacturer who has the right to set prices on it's products. If the store doesn't like it, they don't have to carry the products, the decision that the two stores in question have made.

[Stone Mountain]

This is not news. Ping will cancel your account for ANY discount. There have been stories where they cancel big dollar accounts when they find out they have given $5 off a new club that somebody has hit once or twice. It is right in their agreement, NO DISCOUNTS, NO EXCEPTIONS. Yes they are Nazi's about it, but its a free country, and they are a private company. You don't like the policy, don't buy their clubs.

Bingo. This isn't an uncommon arrangenment between manufacturers and retailers.

[Stone Mountain]

Ping has 1000's of retailers all of who have agreed to the "no discount" policy. If Ping allows some of them to offer discounts to Military or anyone else, then it opens itself up to a lawsuit from its other distributors.

Yup. And then other retailers could give discounts to gays, Democrats, or whatever other segment of the population they wish to favor. And then Ping has a problem with thousands of retailers all selling their clubs for different prices to different people. This seems pretty basic to me - I should be surprised at all the people who are complaining about this but there seems to be a knee-jerk reaction here to any story that involves servicemen or veterans.

[Stone Mountain]

Ping was losing zero money. The retailer was discounting his profit.

This would only be true if that retailer was the only outlet Ping had. Ping has an interest in having it's retailers sell it's product at a consistent price. If that doesn't happen, it will affect profits in the long run. And it's not just Ping - damn near any manufacturer will insist on setting the price for their product. If the retailers don't like it, they don't have to carry the product.

[Stone Mountain]

Reminds me of the old bureaucratic adage, "There's no reason for it. It's just our policy."

There's a very good reason for it. See my previous posts.

[Oberon]

Ping has the right to choose the retail price of the clubs it sells.

Sure...if it owns the retail sales process. If it's selling to third-party retailers, however, I should think its retail pricing rights are sold to the retailer with the merchandise.

[Stone Mountain]

If it's selling to third-party retailers, however, I should think its retail pricing rights are sold to the retailer with the merchandise.

Nope. And as I mentioned, it's not just golf clubs - it's pretty much any big manufacturer item. Pretty much all of those sales you hear about for electronic, sports or other equipment must be approved for the retailer by the manufacturer. It's not in a manufacturer's best interest to have a whole bunch of stores selling their product to different people for different prices, for obvious reasons. For instance, a discount golf store could decide to take a loss for a few months on it's clubs to put a local seller out of business.

[shempy]

I don't dispute the fact that Ping has a right to enforce it's pricing.

If I am the first car at a four way stop, I have a right to proceed through the intersection. But if an eighteen wheeler is speeding through the intersection, I would be a fool to try to enforce my right away.

Likewise, in this case, I think Ping is foolish by enforcing their right because the costs outweigh the benfit. Millions of consumers have the right to hold this against Ping, and many of them will. If one of their competitors seizes upon this blunder and offers a blanket military discount they will rake it in, and not just from the military.

[Sir Gawain]

It has everything to do with discounts that are in conflict with Ping's stated policy.

Some policy:

According to Mr. Gates, no exceptions can be made when it comes to shops selling their clubs under the suggested price listed in their agreement (there is no contract). "It's something we apply to all of our accounts consistently, and we don't have exceptions to it," Mr. Gates said. "We don't sell direct to the public; we sell to retailers, and we do have certain policies in place with them. Those policies are confidential between us and the account." Mr. Gates did say that once a retailer buys Ping products, they own them, but must abide by their unwritten agreement with Ping.

I smell BS.

[NCLaw441]

You said: It is right in their agreement, NO DISCOUNTS, NO EXCEPTIONS. Yes they are Nazi's about it, but its a free country, and they are a private company. You don't like the policy, don't buy their clubs.
***

I agree, it is a free country, and people are free to stop buying Ping products if they like. Freedom is not free, as they say. Ping should have thought ahead a bit on this one, but they are free to do what they will-- and suffer the consequences.

[Dixie Yooper]

"Blades - but first you have to hit them. Thats why 95% of us do not use them something to do with the sweet spot"

Cast iron cavity backs, rewarding mediocrity with undeserved results. just like the democrats do.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I smell BS.

Could very well be.

[Stone Mountain]

Cast iron cavity backs, rewarding mediocrity with undeserved results. just like the democrats do.

Ouch, now that hurts! Please don't make me go back to my blades - I could work the ball better with them, but at least 2 or 3 times a round, I'd hit them a hair close to the toe and could feel the vibrations running up through the top of my head! : )

[Rb ver. 2.0]

Retailers like those dropped by Ping are the ones who offer the discount, and there's a lot of other retailers that offer servicemen/women a discount, that's just the way it is.

Ping has every right to drop the retailers. The patriotic buying public has every right to tell Ping to go to Hell.