Bma Wtf

[Rigmaster]

So, I ordered a couple of small items from BMA about a week and a half ago. One of the items was not listed in their online catalog- so I sent a request and received a prompt email reply from Yves with pricing. I called to order, since I didn't think it would make sense to try to order something online that was not in their online catalog. I spoke to Patrick, he said that he could ship the stuff USPS Priority mail since it was small and light. Got the parts today, and on top of the ~$60 parts price is a $12.00 shipping charge.


In an email reply, Yves said that they cannot afford to absorb the free shipping on phone orders since the phone order prices are generally better than their web prices.

I dunno, but I wish someone would have the sense to set their prices so that everyone gets the same price, and the same "free" deals as everyone else- no matter how the order is placed. I hate buying something, only to find out that if I had mentioned the secret password, or given them the secret handshake- I could have gotten it cheaper!!!

I realize that things like "Free shipping" are not truly free- but this just hit me the wrong way.


Bret.

[dacoyote]

WOW... thats darn underhanded for BMA... maybe I will just get the parts of ebay instead....

[632 Regal]

priority mail costs a lot more than standard mail. If you dont need it real fast thats what I do the free way.

[Scott H]

They've made this policy clear from the start.

The price they give you over the phone is always cheaper than the price you see on their website......when you ask why, they will tell you it is b/c of the shipping factor.

Either way you are paying for shipping.... Period. I would not call it underhanded at all. Their margins are small on almost everything. It's not like they are making 30%

I think you should get your parts on Ebay if you wish to react this way.....and get what you deserve.

I've ordered 10k in **** from BMA in 5 years. I can count on one hand how many times I've been screwed by it and 2 of those 3 times it was UPS screwing up the shipping.



WOW... thats darn underhanded for BMA... maybe I will just get the parts of ebay instead....

[dacoyote]

....

The price they give you over the phone is always cheaper than the price you see on their website......when you ask why, they will tell you it is b/c of the shipping factor.

I musta missed the policy.. but last time I ordered stuff it was over the phone (because the website kinda sucks) and if I wanta it normal mail it was free... I needed it next day so I didn't go for it.

Ebay is better then the stealership for what it's worth. I guess I am just an ass about venders. I am in charge of a couple 250000 dollar a year contracts and one stupid move from a vender and off to a new one I go

[uscharalph]

So, I ordered a couple of small items from BMA about a week and a half ago. One of the items was not listed in their online catalog- so I sent a request and received a prompt email reply from Yves with pricing. I called to order, since I didn't think it would make sense to try to order something online that was not in their online catalog. I spoke to Patrick, he said that he could ship the stuff USPS Priority mail since it was small and light. Got the parts today, and on top of the ~$60 parts price is a $12.00 shipping charge.


In an email reply, Yves said that they cannot afford to absorb the free shipping on phone orders since the phone order prices are generally better than their web prices.

I dunno, but I wish someone would have the sense to set their prices so that everyone gets the same price, and the same "free" deals as everyone else- no matter how the order is placed. I hate buying something, only to find out that if I had mentioned the secret password, or given them the secret handshake- I could have gotten it cheaper!!!

I realize that things like "Free shipping" are not truly free- but this just hit me the wrong way.


Bret.
That's been my experience with them also.

[Scott H]

Apples & Oranges

Last time I checked, we didn't sign any SLAs with our parts supplier.


I am in charge of a couple 250000 dollar a year contracts and one stupid move from a vender and off to a new one I go

[dacoyote]

Neither Do I....

This isn't worth "fighting" about....

I already said that I am a complete ass to my vendors.. just call and ask one of my rep's...

different views different people

[DanH]

My experience has been that if you order a >$50 through the website and then put comments asking to add a few other things to the order at their prices you obtained through email, you'll still get the free shipping.

If you just order by phone or email, then they'll charge shipping. Also, they'll try to price match if you find a lower price than on their website elsewhere.

As matter of fact, I have an order from them thats sitting on a UPS truck right now, or so the tracking says "Out for Delivery."

I'll have to see what the breakdown is when it arrives.

[bahnstormer]

priority mail costs a lot more than standard mail. If you dont need it real fast thats what I do the free way.



what?!??! no way!

i shipped ice skates from NJ to TX and it was a 70 cent difference
'tween priority and parcel post with the USPS

it was also 7-9 days vs 2 days delivery time

[Jr ///M5]

Patrick has bent over backward when placing phone orders with him. There's no questions about it. The convienence of ordering online applies when you're not in a rush for the parts, and you are shopping prices of other online suppliers. A couple weeks ago, after New Years Holiday, I ordered $200 worth of parts for my friends E36. I used the online ordering, did a search on this site for the discount code, and placed a note that I needed the parts on Friday afternoon. This order was filled by the Pennsylvania warehouse, a nice gentleman called and said it wouldn't be there by Friday with regular free shipping. We could 3 day it for $20 and we'll split that cost with you, is that acceptable? I said, sure is and thanks for calling and letting me know. The package arrived Friday afternoon complete and correct. This order with BMA saved my friend almost $100, compared to other online vendors.

Like Scott says, it's usually UPS that screws up the shipping, and half the time it looks like they drug it behind the truck from California. On the other hand, Fed Ex has never been late, delivered on Saturday when necessary with no extra charge and the package was perfect....everytime. UPS could take some lessons from Fed Ex..

Shipping.....it's a necessary evil.

Jr

[Guapo]

Like Scott says, it's usually UPS that screws up the shipping, and half the time it looks like they drug it behind the truck from California. On the other hand, Fed Ex has never been late, delivered on Saturday when necessary with no extra charge and the package was perfect....everytime. UPS could take some lessons from Fed Ex..
Jr

I beg to differ. I am in shipping for a living. I deal with UPS, DHL, FedEx, FedEx Ground, and USPS on a daily basis. For overall reliability, UPS simply cannot be beat for air and ground. They have the infrastructure to go to every remote area of the US, which is something to consider when dealing with the general public.

Our experience with FedEx Ground is less than stellar. They have extreme limitations on what they will cover in terms of insurance, they tend to be the roughest on the packages, and their on time reliability is spotty at best. Granted, their residential service does deliver on Saturday, but they do not deliver on Monday to make up for it. YMMV.

As for FedEx Air (A completely seperate operation), they really are the best out there, but you do pay a premium. With any air service, the packages get handled a lot more gently, since they don't have to bounce down the road for days, plus the likelyhood of encountering large, heavy packages in handling is lower.

Everyone has a love/hate relationship with a given carrier of choice. You just have to look at the big picture.

As for vendors, I've had very good experiences dealing with Autohausaz.com. If they don't have a product online, my request for quote has been replied to very promptly via email, and i am able to add said product to my online order to take advantage of free shipping. I've always had my products shipped the same day if I give them enough time before end of day to get it shipped. Their prices really have been very fair and competitive. I really can't complain about any of the dozen or so purchases I've made with them in the past few months.

[SRR2]

100% agree about Autohaus. Their web site is 10x better than BMA's and I have yet to see a lower price at BMA on any part I've compared. I've placed maybe a dozen orders with them for about $2k in BMW and Porsche parts, every order has been perfect and shipped the same day as entered in their system. Not only do they have far broader stocking than BMA, but their prices are reliably lower, sometimes dramatically.

I really don't get the whole "buy from BMA" thing on this board. If I can get the consistently best price by using a well-designed and competently run web store, why would I want to fool around wasting time on the phone?

[ra_pro]

I really don't get the whole "buy from BMA" thing on this board. If I can get the consistently best price by using a well-designed and competently run web store, why would I want to fool around wasting time on the phone?
BMA is not at the cutting edge of technology. Their niche is that it's a family run business with a personal attention that builds relashionships with its customers and as a bonus, that used to have the best prices by far. You don't build relationships by building the best web sites.

Obviously that's not worth much to you. I can imagine that you are also a very good customer at Wal-Mart because saving every last penny using an impersonal though rather reliable service is all you need. There is nothing wrong with that. It's a matter of personal values.

Now there are other business that figured out a way to have low prices sometimes a bit lower than BMA (but as Patrick said he will match any price you can find). So BMA had to go into the internet business becaue it's a must nowdays but as you point out it's apparent that their heart is not in it.

So to everybody his or her own.

[Jeff N.]

I really don't get the whole "buy from BMA" thing on this board. If I can get the consistently best price by using a well-designed and competently run web store, why would I want to fool around wasting time on the phone?

It's simple. Just about everyone here who matters has had nothing but very positive experiences with BMA over the last 5 years. The prices have always been competive if not the best. Patrick bends over backward to provide great customer service. They have treated us well and we in turn tend to be loyal to them.

I don't want to have to mess with a new vendor each time. It's not worth the hassle.

If you don't like them - fine. But if you ask us for a reliable, fair parts house - BMA is frequently the answer you get here.

[Zeuk in Oz]

Well said.

I have placed 3 orders by phone with Patrick over the past 2 weeks - a new customer, someone he doesn't know, and I am abroad as well.

Talk about first class service !

He even re-boxed my radiator into a smaller box to save on shipping for me - how many computer driven organisations would do that ?

I cannot fault his service, even to the point of giving me the part number of an item they don't stock so that I would get the right thing from the dealer or where-ever I was going to source it !

Now if only I could get him to understand my accent, instead of me having to repeat myself, it would cut the cost of the call in half ! :D

[JohnC]

i guess it was misleading a little, but how was the prices with the 12 dollars?

i just placed an online order with patrick and asked about shipping prices but he didnt say anything about it in the reply so im not sure on the total price but i ordered a belt that was 15 dollars it is 65 at the dealer here so unless he charges me 50 dollars for shipping im still getting a nice deal. and the best part was he knew the part i needed, something the dealer or 2 other local shops knew, this was for a toyota too not a bmw.

[Hector]

another reason why they are less expensive than just about any place else is that their overhead is pretty low. As stated above, they are a family-owned business which helps lower ovehead. How do I know this? I always pick up my parts from will-call. Another added bonus is that they make it a point to know your name. Both Patrick and Ives remembered my name after my second visit. Others there know my name as well. You can't rival that kind of personal attention many similar businesses lack.


I really don't get the whole "buy from BMA" thing on this board. If I can get the consistently best price by using a well-designed and competently run web store, why would I want to fool around wasting time on the phone?


It's simple. Just about everyone here who matters has had nothing but very positive experiences with BMA over the last 5 years. The prices have always been competive if not the best. Patrick bends over backward to provide great customer service. They have treated us well and we in turn tend to be loyal to them.

I don't want to have to mess with a new vendor each time. It's not worth the hassle.

If you don't like them - fine. But if you ask us for a reliable, fair parts house - BMA is frequently the answer you get here.

[RobPatt]

... now if you're asking me, or someone else on the board, where they buy parts, well by now you already know... BMA. You want to buy somehwere else fine by me, but comes back to wanting to support some folks and their business, for which their passion is similiar to what we have for our cars. Simple. :D happy shoping.

http://www.bmaparts.com/

[SRR2]

OK, I'll grant you that reboxing the radiator was above and beyond and worth their higher prices. That said, *I* don't want to pay more so that they can afford the high-cost manual intervention to box up *your* radiator.

But otherwise, you guys are a riot. Saying anything like "another supplier might possibly be better than BMA" is like whacking a wasp's nest with a stick. Heh heh.

Seriously now. What do I need a "relationship" for when I can buy a) exactly what I need, b) when I need it, c) conveniently, and d) at the consistently lowest price? If you need a "relationship" consider a girlfirend, wife or puppy. If it's car parts I'm after, I'll buy from the lowest priced reliable supplier. And BTW, not that I feel any need to justify myself, but simply wishing to set the record straight, yes, I do occasionally set foot into Wallyworld for one reason -- they have the consistently lowest price on Mobil 1, and usually the best selection, including the often hard-to-find 0W-40. What would you BMA'ers do? Establish a "relationship" with a mom$pop car parts store that sells M1 for $7/qt? Oops! Hit that dang wasp nest again, didn't I?? 8-)

[Rory535i]

I recently bought a shitload of stuff off patrick for my car. he gave me a detailed breakdown of all the parts and prices (there were a rake of different clips and things) and his email replies were extremely prompt. i also got the parts within the week and that's coming to australia. i was delighted with the overall service and his friendly nature.
i had one problem though. i bought a set of mtech door strips to go with my new sideskirts and one of them was totally ****ed when it got to me so i told patrick and he said to send it back to him and he'll replace it. great i thought, can't beat that, these things do happen (to me a lot of the time!) problem is though that i'm still waiting for the replacement strip and it's been over a month since I sent it back to him. is this down to whoever's doing the shipping? I emailed him last week and he said he sent it off to me already and going by my experience so far I believe him if that's what he says. I'm just getting a little frustrated waiting on it as it's holding me up from putting the skirts on the car :(