QUESTIONABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES. BUYER BEWARE…read more
Gemstone Lights are beautiful, and the installation itself looks good. Unfortunately, our experience with one of their vendors, Marvelous Lights of Raleigh turned what should have been an exciting home improvement into an extremely frustrating and disappointing business transaction. The product may be impressive, but the pricing practices and handling of our order left us questioning the "COMPANY'S INTEGRITY."
Our direct neighbor, whose home has more linear footage than ours, received a quote of $3,800 for the front of their home. When we connected the same company for comparable work, salesman Camden quoted us $5,500. After speaking with the general manager, Rev, the price was reduced to $4,350.
During that conversation, Rev explained that our neighbor's salesman, Mason, had offered an unusually low price because it was his first sale and he was new. We later learned that Mason is not new; he's the owner's nephew. Regardless of his relationship to the owner, the explanation did not resolve the glaring pricing discrepancy between two neighboring homes.
When our neighbor contacted Rev on our behalf, Rev claimed that "it was peak season and suggested we could receive that discount price in the spring." The problem? Our neighbor had just had their lights installed two days ago. Apparently, the explanation for our higher price depended on which customer was asking.
We then contacted Mason directly. He initially quoted us $6,000 during peak season but offered $4,500 because, according to him, "it was not peak season." After further negotiation, he contacted his manager and secured approval for a final price of $4,000.
To be clear, this was not an informal verbal promise. Mason sent us a quote APPROVED BY HIS MANAGER, and we relied on that approval when deciding to move forward.
I paid the $1,000 deposit the same day. Mason confirmed receipt of the payment via email and text.
The following day, I received an email stating that my deposit had been refunded. No courtesy call. No advance communication. No attempt to discuss the issue or find a solution.
I called Mason, he explained that his manager "THE SAME MANAGER WHO HAD APPROVED THE $4,000 QUOTE" now believed the price was too low and that the company would take a loss. As a result, our installation was cancelled, and was told the price would need to be in the $5,000 plus range.
Let that sink in.
The first sales rep quoted us $5,500. The General Manager drops it to $4,350. Mason's manager approved the quote for $4,000. We accepted, paid the $1,000 deposit, and had our payment confirmed. Less than 24 hours later, the company backed out because it apparently no longer liked the price its own management had approved.
Meanwhile, our direct neighbor received comparable work for $3,800 just two days prior.
How does a company justify these numbers? How does a manager approve a quote, accept a customer's deposit, and then reverse the decision overnight because "the deal is no longer profitable enough?" And why should customers have to negotiate repeatedly just to feel confident they are being offered a fair and consistent price?
We understand that businesses need to make a profit. What we do not understand is how a customer is expected to trust a company that cannot stand behind its own approved quote. If a price was entered incorrectly or approved in error, the professional response would have been to communicate with us directly, explain the situation, and attempt to resolve it. Not simply cancel our installation and then try to raise the price by more than $1,000.
We wanted to do business with this company. We were ready to Pau, we accepted the approved quote, and we paid the deposit immediately. Marvelous Lights had an opportunity to earn our business and our recommendation. instead, it chose to cancel the deal. We were not asking for special treatment. We were asking for transparency, consistent pricing, and a company that stands behind its own decisions. I would not recommend Marvelous Lights Raleigh.
