I'm confused. Was this an April Fools prank all along? So he didn't see prices he thought went up, didn't buy from someone else, no $50 gift card was sent, and the Semroc folks posting in here knew there was never an issue?
If so, that changes what I saw as being great customer service into something a lot less impressive.
Don't let it bug you, Mushtang... sometimes it's impossible to tell if something is a joke or not...
The point is, Carl and Sheryl and the good folks at Semroc do an amazing job for the rocketry community... and they do it politely and with a smile... I've known this since I went to the National Sport Launch a few years back in Muncie, which was the first national event I ever attended... I dragged my two teenage nephews along with me, since they were working on their 4H rocketry projects at the time... We spent a good amount of time in the Vendor Tent (big circus tent with a TON of different rocketry vendors set up in there... rocketry paradise! After nearly getting clobbered by someone's rocket that went astray and plopped down on the test just above our heads while I was having a conversation with Jim Flis about his (then) new "Mud Wasp" micro-kit (the errant rocket didn't penetrate the canopy, but made a heck of a noise right over our heads when it hit, slid down the tent awning, and promptly dropped into a trash barrel about 3 feet behind Jim under the tent eave... a perfect "hole in one" splashdown that was a million to one shot, that others have discussed in other threads here...
) At any rate, after talking with Jim and picking up some baffles and stuff, parachutes from Top-Flite, nose cones from Sandman or BMS (can't recall which ATM) and various and sundry other parts, I took the boys over to the Semroc tables/booth...
They needed to pick out a kit for their 4H fair project... I tried giving them a little advice, but you know how teens are... anyway, Carl and Sheryl went through the ENTIRE lineup of Semroc rockets, asked them questions about their experience and knowledge of rocketry and construction of rockets, what the RULES were for the fair projects, and helped them select the RIGHT KITS that they could do a good job on and have the BEST SHOT at winning the fair with... and they spent probably close to 45 minutes doing it! All that for ONE SALE... they guided the boys gently through it, explaining why some of the more complicated and expensive kits might not be the BEST kit for the contest, and why with their experience (limited) and the rules that another simpler, somewhat cheaper kit was a better choice for them, and they'd likely have better luck with it... I was impressed by that too... rather than taking advantage of some wide-eyed kids that didn't know a whole lot but who had money in hand, and of course being boys were drawn to the ultra cool, ultra complex and more expensive kits, rather than take them for their money and talk them into the ultra-cool kit that they'd be hard pressed to get put together right and do a good job and having it looking great for the contest, they instead worked with them to get them what they NEEDED-- what would give them the best chance of winning the contest... which is exactly what Tim (with some construction coaching from his goofy uncle) did-- won the fair contest and went to State Fair (Indiana) with his rocket...
Now, THAT is customer service...
I've heard on many different occassions where someone had a rare goof on their order, damage in shipping, or whatever, and Semroc simply sends them a new order free of charge, and tells them to keep whatever was goofed up for parts or whatever... I've heard of orders getting misplaced in transit and not showing up, Semroc sent a replacement order, and a couple days later the original one shows up, and they tell the customer "keep them both, on us" and don't want payment for the duplicate order... THAT is customer service...
You won't find Semroc gouging on shipping charges, insulting customers while "dealing with their issues", or posting insulting stuff or telling them "you're not the kind of customer we're looking for-- please leave and never come back" type stuff either... THAT is customer service...
If a few April Fools jokes are the worst we have to put up with in turn, well, *I* for one can take that... LOL
Later! OL JR