How do these places stay in business

Yesterday I spent three hours negotiating to buy a shed. The original price included free delivery and set up within 50 miles of the shop.
My building is about 48 miles as the crow flies but 57 by highway. The salesman said he thought he might be able to get a waiver on the excess milege but wasn't sure. The shed was listed at $17,999 but was on sale for $15,200 and included a couple hundred dollars worth of extras. I was prepared to buy, and pay cash but he said he had to run this past someone and would invoice me this morning. He asked for a $250 down payment but I said I wanted to see the final price before I agreed.
So maybe an hour ago I get the invoice.
Not only am I not getting free delivery, but I'm being charged $3.50 a mile roundtrip. Not for the extra 7 miles, but for the entire 57 miles, plus I'm billed an extra $200 for two hours traveling time for the three-man crew. Additionally, these prices are lumped into the total price meaning I am being charged sales tax on these extra charges.
I called and asked to speak to the manager. I tried explaining to him that these extra seven miles was going to cost me well over $400.
His reply was that even with the extra charges, I was getting an $18,500 shed for 16,600 all in. Very frustrated I offered to pay the mileage fee if he'd waive the travel time and was turned down. He says these fees are set by Corporate and he doesn't have the ability to waive them.
I told him to forget the whole thing, at which point he said he would call his superior to see what could be done.
I don't think travel time and or delivery charges are subject to sales tax. I've never been charged sales tax on shipping.

I'd get the name of the guy you spoke with, and then ask him if he knows the name of the president of the company he works for. I'd bet he doesn't

Then I'd find the address, or even better, the phone number of the company, and give them a call, asking for the president's office. A conversation with the owner ("Corporate") might at least give you some satisfaction. Tell the owner that his employees' decisions have cost him a sale. Be sure and tell him you would have paid the mileage fee so long as they had waived the travel time fee, which "free delivery and set up" would seem to have covered, except for the time needed to travel those extra seven miles.

The sale price had any profit or loss factored in, so "getting an $18,500 shed for $16,600" was a given before you walked onto the store. That was a decision, yes, made "by Corporate" but the loss of the sale was totally and completely on the two employees. Don't forget to mention you were paying cash. There's at least one or two percent you saved the company - even more depending on the credit or debit card you use. Also, if sales tax is not charged on shipping (this isn't really "shipping" since the shed is not being delivered by UPS), gee... that might be a crime.

Maybe you only get satisfaction out of the experience and have to buy a shed somewhere else. Maybe your salesman and manager garner the attention of the home office, such that they get back some grief for the loss of an $18,000 sale. The more worked up you can get over the phone, the better you are going to feel when it's done.

One more thing. $18,500 for a "shed"? Send us a picture. I'd love to see what goes for "shed" in your neighborhood.

I agree with Racquet about contacting corporate if your store's supervisor doesn't/can't make this right. Although, you might get a better response with an email (or snail mail, though it will take longer).

One thing I might add is to get the actual name and email/mailing address of the president, or appropriate vice-president if it is a large corporation, and ask for him by name when calling, or address correspondence directly to his address. If it's a publicly traded company, the corporate officers' names will most likely be listed in the "investor relations" part of their website.

Quote: billryan

... I told him to forget the whole thing, at which point he said he would call his superior to see what could be done.

Oh. Once you threaten to cancel, THEN he gets helpful? Typical shitty customer service.

Quote: billryan

I don't think travel time and or delivery charges are subject to sales tax. I've never been charged sales tax on shipping.

In NJ those items would be taxable. That law changed about 15 years ago.

I wonder if AAA does that. Be 25 miles outside the 100 mile towing zone and you have to pay the full 125 miles and get no miles free.

How big is this shed, just curious as I just bought a 12x12 for 5200 including delivery and setup.

Quote: Hunterhill

How big is this shed, just curious as I just bought a 12x12 for 5200 including delivery and setup.

I think you'd need to get it gold plated to be worth 18k.

I would make sure that there is no cancellation fee, then order it, and cancel it in transit.

It was going to be 16x32, with a full four-foot porch, double doors on either side, a wall down the middle running 20 feet from the back wall, with two of those round air flow thingamajigs on the roof ,a skylight , a security front door two front windows and six four plug outlets. I'd still need a licensed electrician to set it up but the inside would be wired. While not designed to be a house, the salesman said many people use them as casitas or hunting cabins. It was a more attractive option than a quonset hut.
Doing some more shopping today, I can buy two 10X12s, install them 10 feet apart and put a roof in between them, creating a 120 sq foot breezeway that I can build a back wall on to for about $12,000.
A third option is buying a kit on Amazon that comes with the hardware needed for the frame and get the lumber cut at a lumber yard but that seems like a headache.
I can get a 8X40 shipping container for under $4,000 but the truck needed to deliver it would not fit down my alley. The shed was to be delivered in two pieces and assembled on site. Each of the two pieces would have been taken off the truck and brought down the alley using an electric dolly they have for such things.

Sure you don't wanna just build one? It'll take a lot of effort on your part, but you'll probably save thousands, and you'll be able to have exactly what you want.

I'd love to build my own, except I have 7 left thumbs, and zero knowledge on how to do this. When I bought my building I bought a DIY encyclopedia and went to two Lowes classes so I can now make minor repairs. Today, for example, I closed down my swamp coolers and fired up my furnace.- something I paid a guy $70 to do last year. I'm playing with the idea of buying a small kit off Amazon and seeing how badly I mangle it, but I know what I know, and more importantly- I know what I don't know and this is definitely something I know not to attempt.

Quote: billryan

I can get a 8X40 shipping container for under $4,000 but the truck needed to deliver it would not fit down my alley. .

Can a crane reach back in there and lower it?

I was told that was a possibility but never looked into it. I imagine i'd have to pay travel time and all of that but it might be something to consider. The shed had to be delivered in two pieces and assembled on site so the crane never came up.
Arizona is inching towards another complete lockdown so I think I may as well wait.
I'd like to just put up a big tent but whatever I build has to be rated for 95 MPH winds.

Check all these out.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+move+a+large+shed%3F

Another possibility to save money on that sort of thing is to see if a local school needs a project to build part of it. Perhaps that sort of thing is only open to family of students I don’t know, I remember in high school Ag class we built at least one ice fish house and at least one utility shed as a class.

Looks like renting a John Deer tractor tops out at $200 if that is in any way an option.

Wow that 18k price doesn’t sound so crazy now, that’s a big shed!

Quote: rxwine

Looks like renting a John Deer tractor tops out at $200 if that is in any way an option.

A quick internet check indicates the closest place to rent a crane would be Tucson, which is roughly a hundred miles away.
I can only imagine what they would want to bring it to Bisbee.

I don't have Superman's phone number. So that's out.

Have the shipping container cut longwise with a torch, then weld it back together once the two pieces inside.

Quote: mcallister3200

Another possibility to save money on that sort of thing is to see if a local school needs a project to build part of it. Perhaps that sort of thing is only open to family of students I don’t know, I remember in high school Ag class we built at least one ice fish house and at least one utility shed as a class.

High Schools here are back in virtual mode.

Okay, so all you need is a circular saw. But you have to cut it longwise.

Your hired labor might go through 3 saws at worst $120x3=$360 (on the other hand 1 extra might do, but I'd have a 2nd one available so your worker could keep switching them out)
Multiple saw blades = $300 +
Labor = $10 per foot or just offer $1000 for the whole job. (Your supplying the material above)

So that's estimate $1660 give or take a couple hundred to get two pieces. Then just figure out costs to transport smaller pieces in and weld back together.

There is a guy out here that bought a bunch of containers and was planning on creating a house out of them. He sliced open one for windows and doors but then stopped work on them. They've been sitting there, exposed to the elements for months.
I'm currently renting a 20 foot container that sits in a storage yard for $110 a month. It's half empty and un-used.

Quote: billryan

There is a guy out here that bought a bunch of containers and was planning on creating a house out of them. He sliced open one for windows and doors but then stopped work on them. They've been sitting there, exposed to the elements for months.
I'm currently renting a 20 foot container that sits in a storage yard for $110 a month. It's half empty and un-used.

I was in this guy's container house when it was first built. He had an open house for the public.

https://www.wuft.org/news/2015/02/16/storage-container-house/

I may still have some pics I took on my other computer.

Sounds to me like you had done all the preliminary work, knew what you wanted and all the costs involved, and that you were willing to pay reasonable add-ons to get what you wanted - all to be upended because of some low- or mid-level pissant who decided that he could feed his ego by playing bigshot.

Now you're back to square one pricing out crane rentals and welders. So close.

I'd certainly get in touch with "corporate". When something like this happens to me, my rule of thumb is to cause them as much aggravation as they caused me. But first, decide for sure that you don't want their shed at any price. I wouldn't want the folks delivering the shed after you've gotten what you want to be looking for a similar kind of revenge.

Life's too short to be plotting out revenge. If they get back to me and offer free delivery, I'm in. If not, I'll chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. It was a really really cute shed/tiny house whatever and I'm sure it would have driven more business their way but such is life. Looks like I'll end up buying something out of Tucson that will cost more to deliver but I will work that into my price.
I sent them my specs and they said they will get back to me with a price by next Monday.

I’ve seen a used RV trailer used as a shed. Has the amenities built in. Winsdows and all. Doesn’t need to be road worthy.

Quote: rxwine

I’ve seen a used RV trailer used as a shed. Has the amenities built in. Winsdows and all. Doesn’t need to be road worthy.

I'm in the process of obtaining one. It is currently being stripped of anything useful and then I am buying it for $1. Found a place to store it for a dollar a foot per month and will be switching the stuff in my container there. The problem with them is they are a magnet for field mice. As I wont have any power in the unit and will only be visiting it on occasions, I'm looking for the best solution. I expect to get it in late December/early January. I pay the guy to completely gut it but I want to wait until he takes out as much as can.
My problem, quite frankly, is I have too much stuff.

Quote: billryan

The problem with them is they are a magnet for field mice.

Your troubles are over.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ShawnWoodsprimitive-archer/featured

Seriously, if that guy hasn't found the best of solutions, there isn't one.

Thanks rxwine I just wasted 20 minutes going down that mouse hole 😄

Quote: Hunterhill

Thanks rxwine I just wasted 20 minutes going down that mouse hole 😄

You're welcome!