OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I had a terrible experience "trying" to buy a Butterfly table from RecRoomOutlet.com. I want others here that might be potential customers of theirs to hear my story. Here is the timeline of events:

First, after a Google search I see RecRoomOutlet's excellent prices on two high-end Butterfly table tennis tables, the Centrefold 25 ($1204) and Europa 25 (somewhere in the $850 range). I see they are substantially cheaper than any of the other table tennis retailers I have experience with.

Next, because the prices are so good, I call Butterfly/Bowmar Sports and make sure RecRoomOutlet is an authorized dealer of their tables. I am assured that they are a legitimate business and an authorized vendor of Butterfly tables.

Next, I decide the Butterfly Octet 25 is the table I really want. I contacted RecRoomOutlet by email about the Octet 25. It doesn't show to be on sale like the Centrefold 25 or Europa 25, so I ask them if it will be going on sale any time soon. I get an email back from one of their customer service agents telling me there is a big sale on Butterfly tables and the Octet 25 has just gone on sale for $935! They even provide a link in the email to their website where the listed price is, sure enough, $935. I am very excited about this, so I contact them about shipping arrangements and ask if they can ship to a business address. They look into that and confirm it is no problem shipping the table to a business address. So far so good...

Next, I decide to pull the trigger on the Octet 25. I have a 5% off first-time-customer coupon code for my order as well, so the order total comes to $888.25! I placed my order thinking I got an excellent deal.

While considering the Octet 25, I put my top-of-the-line Butteryfly Centrefold 25 table (blue top with red frame) that I have had for almost 10 years up for sale on Facebook and NextDoor. I had some interested buyers, but I didn't want to sell my current table until I ordered my new one to replace it.

After placing the order for the Octet 25 on a Thursday afternoon, I contacted the guy first in line to buy my Centrefold 25. He comes over early Thursday evening and decides on the spot to buy the table. I think to myself, "perfect timing!"

Then, I get an email that night from RecRoomOutlet telling me my order has been cancelled "as per my request". I certainly didn't cancel the order! I email them back and ask what happened.

They responded and said they had multiple pricing orders on their website and had cancelled my order since they could not sell the table at the incorrect price. In any other situation, I would have shrugged this off and thought, "it was too good to be true." The huge issue is I have already sold my Centrefold 25 table to someone! Not to mention, it was more than just a website pricing mistake. They specifically emailed me with the "incorrect" price and sent me a link. I would have never considered buying the table if they hadn't done this.

I pleaded my case with this company for almost two weeks by phone and email. They said their hands were tied. They could not sell the table for less than Butterfly allows. I brainstorm and ask them to sell it to me at full price then issue a partial refund to make this right. I asked them about giving me a gift card to use towards the purchased. They turned these options down and offer me 10% off the current price of $1633.99 on the Octet 25. When I say this is unacceptable, they start trying to sell me $800-$1000 tables. I refuse to settle for a mid-level table.

I only sold my Centrefold 25 table after placing the order for the Octet 25. And the only reason I pulled the trigger on the Octet 25 is that I was directly emailed by their representative about the $935 sale price. This isn't as simple as a pricing error on a website. I'm now stuck without a table at all and it is infuriating!

The owner of the company emailed me and said he will let me know when there is another sale or if a used table becomes available. I responded to them and let them know they currently have a used Centrefold 25 in stock according to their website. I really wanted the Octet 25, but I will settle for a used Centrefold 25 just so I can have a newer version of my old table. I literally never get a response to my offer to accept the used table as a solution to the whole mess. Again, this was their suggestion!

The final offer I get from RecRoomOutlet is $1400 for the Octet 25. Remember, when I placed my order the total was $888.25! I simply can't agree to this and give up on finding a solution with this company.

Here's the kicker, I contacted one of RecRoomOutlet's competitors and told them my whole frustrating story. They offer me a better deal on the Octet 25 than RecRoomOutlet even though they have absolutely no obligation to do so! Talk about two very different levels of customer service!

I'm still deciding whether I can afford the discounted price the other vendor gave me on the Octet 25 table since it is still substantially more than I had budgeted to spend. I just want to make sure my experience with RecRoomOutlet is documented for others to see. I hope my frustrations will help educate any prospective customers of RecRoomOutlet. I for one will never do business with them again.

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Blade: Victas Koji Matsushita FL
FH: Xiom Vega Japan Max
BH: TSP P1-R 1.0mm
USATT Rating: 2013

The customer service agent clearly gave you that price, and sent you the link, so even is that's a mistake, they should take responsibility for it. I could understand it if they could not offer an extra 5% off since this was already on special, but they should honour the price they gave you via Email.

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That’s what I thought as well. I literally sold my Centrefold 25 table because of this email. If I hadn’t gotten the email, I would not have considered buying a new table. I was satisfied with my old Centrefold. It was only this sale price of $935 that led me to consider the new Octet 25. I liked that the Octet, with its two-piece design, offered a “playback position”.. I thought my kids would like hitting against the table like that. I also believe the hinge to be a weak point of the Centrefold design in the long run. I think the Octet will hold up better over the years.

Just to be clear, I knew it was an honest mistake on their part, and I was very understanding at first with the RecRoomOutlet owner and even offered to pay their cost plus shipping for the Octet 25 so they wouldn’t be losing any money on the transaction. After this solution was denied, the owner told me he’d let me know if a used table became available. I knew a used Octet 25 was unlikely, so I offered to settle for a used Centrefold 25 they showed to have in stock on their website. I literally never got a response on the used table despite many emails and calls to them regarding this possible compromise.

I ended up buying the Octet 25 from a local vendor for less than RecRoomOutlet offered to sell it to me for. It baffles me to think that a company with absolutely no fault in the situation would discount the table more than the company whose mistake caused me to sell my Centrefold 25. It just goes to show you that it is important to support the companies that do right by their customers.

_________________
Blade: Victas Koji Matsushita FL
FH: Xiom Vega Japan Max
BH: TSP P1-R 1.0mm
USATT Rating: 2013