Just when you think you have seen it all. Deception and outright lies about a product.

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ballisticexchris

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We can only hope that no one is stupid enough to purchase this waste of a product. I get a lot of emails for discounted products. This is the first time I have ever received such a blatant rip off. Overpriced I can live with, but maliciously inflating the cost and offering a discount really rubs me the wrong way.

This reminded me of the time I worked for a Christian company that had generators at 50% off on one month rentals. They sent out fliers for well over double the normal cost for a one month rental. Then on the flier stated they would give a discount of 50% off the normal rate. I was appalled not only of the lie but the fact they had the little fish and doves on the flier.

Whatever happened to “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another."?

This is more like "Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good."

It's really sad that Jeremy McGrath endorses it.


Hi Guys,

I hope this message finds you well in these crazy times.
When first released, I installed a set of Gate King Tailgate Adjusters on my truck and I absolutely loved the way they worked.

What does it do? Gate King replaces your stock tailgate cables with stronger chromoly arms that allow you to adjust your tailgate height in multiple positions.

Gate King is looking for ambassadors and influential riders to sponsor. They would like to extend an invitation to become a member of the Gate King Support Team.

We have put a special TEAM code in place to provide you a 50% off sponsorship, plus FREE shipping to your door on a set of Gate King's for your truck.

Stay well, and I'll see you at the track soon.

- Jeremy McGrath


No Application required. Here's all you have to do:
1. Click BUY NOW below then select the make, model and year of your truck.
2. At checkout, enter the code GKST50 to receive 50% off & FREE Shipping.
3. Like and Follow us on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Links below.
4. Once monthly on your social media, make a Gate King post and tag us.
5. Place a Gate King Team Rider sticker (provided) on your truck and bike.
Vector logos can also be provided for bike sticker kits.

Hurry! This exclusive invitation ends April 30th, 2020.

 

Checkswrecks

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???

Don't see what you issue is, other than the product is high priced and nobody is being forced to buy them. This has been selling for $228 on Trailer and other sites plus there are reviews with people who have been buying them for that price:

When I went to the website and put one in their cart for $228 then went to check-out with the discount you showed, the price went to $114 so this all looks legit.
 

tntmo

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I saw these guys demonstrating their product at a SuperCross fan event a few months ago. Nothing that I'm interested in, but seemed like decent enough people who are making products in the USA.

Your anger seems misdirected. Don't like it, don't buy it.
 
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ballisticexchris

Guest
???

When I went to the website and put one in their cart for $228 then went to check-out with the discount you showed, the price went to $114 so this all looks legit.
Legally it's legit. Morally it's horrible. I see exactly what they are doing. Deliberate price inflation then a discount for a still overpriced product. This is a recent start up company that's using unethical tactics to pad their sales figures.


Your anger seems misdirected. Don't like it, don't buy it.
Who said I was angry? I'm simply giving a warning to those who don't want to be ripped off. Even at 114.00 it's useless and way overpriced.

I don't see the purpose for the product. a little imagination and you can do what you need :)
My thought exactly. I have never in my life got an email like this from a legitimate mailing list. It sucks but I have had to Unsubscribe Jeremy McGrath from my mailing list. I used to get really cool emails for upcoming races and riding tips/blogs from him. Now it's turned into spam.
 

Sierra1

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I'm with tntmo as far as not being interested. I agree with Chris that it's overpriced. (I do question the strength/durability. But, hey, I'm not buying one, so. . . . ) There also seems to be a couple of hoops to jump through. I do wonder what happens if you get the discount, and then don't follow through with the requirements. Maybe Jeremy got all of his trucks outfitted for free. . . . 'cuz I would have thought he was sipping Mai Tais on a tropical island. . . . not selling these things.
 

WJBertrand

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Was the MSRP cheaper than the current $228 before this promotion or something? Kinda sounds to me like they may have overpriced it in the first place and now have an inventory glut.. Not sure I see where the lie is, but the value of such things are in the view of the consumer.
 

Kurgan

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So you label the company immoral, deceitful and everything else because their pricing doesn't fit within boundaries you deem acceptable. Is that an accurate summary? Ok, got it. So, why no crusade against Alt Rider?

Altrider is charging just under $500.00 for less than $70.00 worth of tubing, plate and fasteners that comprise their lower set of engine guards. Want the full upper to go with the lower? It's over $800 for both! Compare that to a full upper/lower system from T-Rex Racing that sells for $300. $300 and they're still able to make a profit and keep the lights on and bills paid. $800 for Altrider, you would think they're a government contractor! Where's the outrage?

And we could go on like this for most anything involving motorcycle products and gear..
 

Baja Explorer

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Legally it's legit. Morally it's horrible. I see exactly what they are doing. Deliberate price inflation then a discount for a still overpriced product. This is a recent start up company that's using unethical tactics to pad their sales figures.




Who said I was angry? I'm simply giving a warning to those who don't want to be ripped off. Even at 114.00 it's useless and way overpriced.



My thought exactly. I have never in my life got an email like this from a legitimate mailing list. It sucks but I have had to Unsubscribe Jeremy McGrath from my mailing list. I used to get really cool emails for upcoming races and riding tips/blogs from him. Now it's turned into spam.
Helloooo:
Welcome to capitalism !!! You don't think this marketing trick doesn't happen with all other cr....p we buy ?
 
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ballisticexchris

Guest
So you label the company immoral, deceitful and everything else because their pricing doesn't fit within boundaries you deem acceptable. Is that an accurate summary? Ok, got it. So, why no crusade against Alt Rider?

Altrider is charging just under $500.00 for less than $70.00 worth of tubing, plate and fasteners that comprise their lower set of engine guards. Want the full upper to go with the lower? It's over $800 for both! Compare that to a full upper/lower system from T-Rex Racing that sells for $300. $300 and they're still able to make a profit and keep the lights on and bills paid. $800 for Altrider, you would think they're a government contractor! Where's the outrage?

And we could go on like this for most anything involving motorcycle products and gear..
If your read and understood my thread you would get it. Overpriced products I can live with. And Yes AltRider is an example. I even have some really overpriced Touratech stuff on my bike.

Where I have a problem is when a company deliberately inflates a price outrageously high and uses the 50% discount ploy to look like you are getting a good deal.

I have experienced this only once in my life. I worked for the company and delivered/serviced/repaired those "50% off" generators to customers I had good relationships with. I had to go along with the deceitfulness and lie in order to keep my job. Looking back I should have quit. Instead, I became nothing more than a liar and thief by going along with it. That advertisement brought back a bad memory of how horrible I felt by doing the same thing as this company is doing today.

I'm also disappointed in having to unsubscribe Jeremy McGrath from my email list. This is the first time ever I have experienced this kind of spam from one of my subscribed email accounts.
 

Venture

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It's not clear to me, was their retail price a month ago $114 and they just recently upped it to $228 in order to fake a discount? Or are you just saying you're uncomfortable with products where the selling model is to always discount to get to a reasonable price or even better a "great deal"?

If it's the latter, I'd say that's pretty much the norm in today's markets. Everybody wants to feel like they got a deal so sellers big and small have adopted the model.
 

Mak10

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I sold cars at one point in my life, and had the owner say to me “sometimes you have to lie to sell cars”.

I lost all respect for the man after that. Yeah he was religious. Religion on Sunday, business on Monday.
 

WJBertrand

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A 50% discount is never as good as it sounds because they always use MSRP as their reference and few products these days actually sell for MSRP anyway. Having said that this is nothing new or unique. The consumer ultimately votes with their wallet.
 

moto.monk

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It's a common practice to do that. The mrsp can be a starting point then followed by, 2 for 1, 50% off, coupon code, etc. I wouldn't call it stealing but not nice. In any case it a personal choice.
 

Dirt_Dad

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I'm with CW...I don't get the issue. Awful hard for me to criticism these guys when I've paid more for a simple set of bar risers on my wife's bike.

There's endless products that are dramatically overpriced in my opinion. Offering deep discounts is a dangerous game in that it teaches people not to buy your product until the next time you have a deep discount.

I really don't understand the issue??!
 

RCinNC

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You seem to have multiple issues going on here, Chris, and I'm not sure what they are.

You're saying that it's a waste of a product; why? That sounds like an accusation of a lack of quality. Does the product not perform as advertised? Or are you saying that there's no legitimate use for the product? If it's the former, then you should be able to back up why you say that with some definite examples. If it's the latter, then I'd say that's an absolutely subjective opinion of yours that has nothing to do with ethics.

As for your accusation that the seller is involved in some sort of ethical violation, well....point it out. Ethics isn't just a word; it's a field of philosophical study that has definite rules, postulates, theories, etc. Which ethical principle is the seller violating? The seller isn't engaging in bait and switch, or puffery, or any other sort of deception as to the quality of the product (that you know of, at least). Your issue seems to be with his asking price, and the discount. Where is the ethical conundrum there? If I list my five year old S10 for sale at $20,000 and then five days later I drop the price to $4000, are you saying that's some sort of ethical violation? What specific ethical principle are you relying on to shore up your idea that a seller has some sort of obligation to offer what you consider to be a reasonable price for anything? Even if the seller did inflate the original price and then cut it in half to attract a buyer, what ethical violation is that? A seller has no ethical, moral, or legal obligation to ask what you deem to be a fair price for anything; he can ask whatever he wants, and if the market won't bear that price, then he isn't going to be selling the item. There isn't a lie, or a deception involved at all; he isn't lying about the existence of the item, or the quality, as far as you know. They aren't inflating the price of the item in order to gouge people during a time of crisis, like selling an N95 mask on eBay for thirty bucks.

As far as i can see, the seller hasn't lied, or stolen, or dealt falsely with anyone. The item exists, the seller hasn't described it to be something it isn't, and the seller can ask anything he wants for something he has for sale. You're accusing the seller of something bad, and you felt strongly enough about it to make a post in here. Obviously your theory isn't clear, based on the reactions in this thread, so can you back up you theory with any actual ethical principles that are being violated?
 
B

ballisticexchris

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As for your accusation that the seller is involved in some sort of ethical violation, well....point it out.

Obviously your theory isn't clear, based on the reactions in this thread, so can you back up you theory with any actual ethical principles that are being violated?
I don't remember ever having said anything about an "ethical violation". That is a legal term that I can neither prove nor disprove how the company operates.

I may not have represented my "theory" Correctly. I am basing the discount strictly on my personal experience of something that was life changing to me in the business world. Unethical is a very simple word to me. It means immoral. Deceiving to make a profit is unethical yet sadly legal.

I have been raised and conduct myself differently than most. I have a conscience. If it does not feel right I try my damnedest not to follow through. Whenever I do something that is not right I always end up regretting and feeling bad about it. It's funny how this advertisement brought back a regretful memory from over 25 years ago.
 
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