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bad time at NPD PARTS in michigan
it is close so i went there yesterday
all there prices are $3.00-5.00 higher
asked why ,he said thats the way it is
i said i will not be back,he didn't care
said catalog just came out in april
for chevy trucks
other companies are a lot better
keith

He must not be aware that there are other places that would love to have your business.
Harold

Hello Keith,

The catalog was printed in January, and it is almost August. Please understand that we have over 1,000 active suppliers, and they submit updated price files to us willy-nilly year-round. There's no organization to it, there's no season or annual window for it.

We try our best to hold prices where we can, but we cannot ignore cost-increases between catalog printings, unless we proactively artificially-inflated the prices in a manner to predict/anticipate it. I don't think anyone would like that either.

Most every mail-order company you'll find has the same dynamic, and in most mail-order catalogs you will find a disclaimer in the terms/conditions page that states "Prices are current at the time of printing. Prices, specifications, stated suppliers or manufacturers are subject to change without notice". This is unavoidable due to year-round price changes from manufacturers, mergers, bankruptcies, sometimes we find a BETTER version of a reproduction so the manufacturer and pricing changes accordingly, etc.etc...

We are not in the business of bait-and-switch, we in no way intend to deceive, and real-time current pricing can always be checked/confirmed on our website or by calling-in to our sales department.

Regarding the customer-service, I am dismayed to hear that. If you have a name or wish to share your experience, please PM me. We pride ourselves upon our service, but if it was a matter of locking-horns over the pricing issue, I hope that you can now better understand our position with that.

dear rick,
i understand the price hikes
but i should have been told of
new prices at the counter
i gave him the paper with part #
and the prices and he said nothing
till time to check out
then said thats the way it is
i bought parts for years from
you guys for my 1965 and 1969
el caminos
i started at the michigan store
when it was just a office with
one girl setting at a desk
in livonia,off levan road
hope you come out with new prices
in a new cat. soon
thanks keith

Hi Keith,

I worked at that original Livonia location in 1987! I truly appreciate your longstanding business with NPD. But please understand that NPD has over 100,000 active part #'s, spanning 12 catalogs that re-print throughout the year, and over 1,000 active suppliers.

There is no fathomable way that a salesperson could look at a random list of parts, and know specifically if anything on there has changed-price since the printing of the catalog. That would require a memory and recall like the Rain Man (certainly beyond my ability). And if you decide not to buy anything due to price, we have no problem nor penalty for unwinding the transaction.

Again, we have no intent to pull a "fast one" on you, or any of our customers. Our straight-forward no-gimmick approach over the years (no fake "our-price" prices based upon inflated/invented/baseless retails, no seasonal sales that are paid-for by charging inflated prices during the off-season, etc...) is hopefully evidence that we do everything we can to be straight-up and ethical.

I think the primary issue here is that whomever helped you at the counter earned a D- (at best) in tact and information. I will relay your experience to my Sales Manager and Store Manager there in Canton, and apologize that this wasn't better explained to you in person.

Also, I will mention that we are furiously working on the 2nd-edition of the Chevy truck catalog, with over 1,000 new items going-in to better "flesh-out" our selection. The first catalog came together like a hurricane, fast and wild, and with the second one we're wrapping-up a ton of details that got blown-past in the first.

Any shortcomings in service or quality, I'm anxious to know about. So Keith, please know that I'm not upset by your posting, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to discuss it.

thamks for getting back so quickly
i just had to blow off some steam
people work hard for their money
and want the best deals we can get
we love our cars and trucks and
we want the best parts we can get
thanks,keith

Rick Schmidt

I also live close to your Canton, MI NPD. Bought A LOT of parts for a 72 Chevelle Malibu last summer that I was working on for a friend. The lady behind the counter gave us great service. I got excited when I saw the advertisement behind the counter stating that NPD was getting into early Chevy trucks, until I saw the years that would be available. Any chance of stocking parts for 1930-1946 Chevy trucks?

Rick G.

Hi Rick,

First off, thanks for your past business and the positive comments!

Unfortunately, we have no imminent plans to reach-back earlier on the Chevy truck line. I won't say "never", but even if we began work on it today, it would be two years from today (minimum) before we'd have the semblance of a catalog and product-line.

Rick
NPD