Ping & The Military

[Surefire]

The main difference between other products and PING though is that other products are not exclusively custom fit. Every PING club sold is supposed to be custom fitted. If PING didn't enforce prices people would go to a real world retailer, get a fitting, and then order from the cheap place online. By making the price the same everywhere, the sale now comes down to service rather than who will discount the most, or give discounts to certain groups.

As has been mentioned PING do actually do a rebate for military. This being the case, things are even more confusing. Why would the shop not just explain about the rebate and let PING cover it? That way the customer gets a discount and the store makes more than by giving there own discount.

[mdvaldosta]

Companies like Ping fix their retail prices for a reason (one being online sales, for sure). Articles like that piss me off... it's not a dig on the Military. Or small children, or disabled people or minorities (that article could have been catered to any group of people). Bottom line is they don't allow retailers to discount their products and those folks broke the rules of being a Ping retailer....meanwhile by selling cheaper those places probably got ALOT of business, and probably stole it from other retailers who were playing by the rules.

If anything, those places should be ashamed of themselves by unfairly profiting off the very people they claim to be "supporting."

[Wileycb]

I know I'm a year late but maybe we should look at other discount options Ping offers for military before we crucify them. They may not allow a 10% military discount buy retailers but they do offer a mail in rebate for military members (active and retired), see the following link for details http://www.ping.com/about/military.aspx . It is only on the latest models but at least it is something. If a military member buys a set that qualifies for the rebate they could save about $225+. This is better than a 10% discount and it also allows Ping to monitor the discounts it provides and ensures only qualifying individuals receive them.

I'm in the Army and plan on purchasing a set of Ping G15's and using the rebate.

[WUTiger]

Talked to a guy at a small golf shop in our area. Small shop, but had a decent selection of clubs, just not much Ping. Seems Ping had suspended their account because they sold some used, trade-in Ping wedges for below stated rate.

He said the owner was considering whether Ping was worth the hassle - might say "no thanks" if Ping offers to reinstate.

It seems other brands have minimum prices also. Cleveland CG12 and CG14 wedges sell for $89 at every golf shop I've visited in two states. Earlier model Nike wedges are $69 for the most part.

[Slammin' Sam]

I have no problem whatsoever with Ping dictating that their licensed retailers not offer discounts; that is the nature of business. What I have a problem with, a huge problem in fact, are the self-professed patriots who claim that the Karsten Manufacturing Company is anti-military or is un-American and then starts ignorantly dissing it's product line because the company suspended accounts with retailers who gave "military discounts", which at least one other poster has noted were likely applied rather freely to non-military customers. Many of us on this forum, myself included, are either active duty or retired military yet we understand why Karsten dealt with those retailers the way it did. It's not anti-military or anti-anything else for that matter, it's purely a business decision that most of us can understand.

[iacas]

  Wileycb said:

I know I'm a year late...

Yes, you are... which makes commenting on things PING has instituted during that year pretty awkward.

Thread closed. PING is better now than they were one year ago or five years ago with regards to the military.