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I spoke with them a few weeks ago. Exclusive Option explained to me that while they sourced many fabrics to “mimic” the Porsche factory houndstooth cloth, texture, and look, that the pattern was not a 100% match. This was a dealbreaker for me and decided to go with the $3555 Porsche Exclusive factory houndstooth option instead. But I’m glad they were upfront about it. I’ve only heard good things about their quality. They did give me a rennlist forum price over the phone back then (about $1775 or $1800) based on another thread.
The Porsche OEM fabric is really not very attractive, so EO going a slightly different route is not that bad of a solution actually. I agree that their pricing should be posted online, in fact I thought that was a sponsor requirement??
There has definitely been some false advertising with the $8500 comparison posts, but we are informed shoppers and we can make big boy decisions, and business owners fight a tough fight for our attention as they should.
I personally am staying with the DIY route because I enjoyed sourcing the red/black pepita for my spyder and ended up with a perfect result for a fraction of the price. I would pay the EO price happily to be honest, but they don't offer the fabric selection if I want tartan or other unique/historic patterns. Pepita is so 2017 anyway, have you heard, the cool kids are all talking about Pasha now.
Also exploring the idea of trimming the same pattern as the seats over the metal inserts in center console, Dash and doors.. talking to the upholstery people I already used to see if that is an option. The only tough part is the door trim as that can't be removed. We shall see, I don't like to back down from custom project ideas in my head.
Fans of Exclusive Option, I have no qualms with you reporting satisfaction with the products you purchased or even your interactions with them.
But none of that counters my arguments that they should not hide their pricing or contact info from the public, nor quote dramatically different prices to different buyers simultaneously for the same product.
If Frank is such a great guy, why isn’t he responding here to set the record straight? He is constantly starting threads to promote his product, just like this one, yet he has never once replied to any of these questions in any of these threads.
You don’t have to be a big sophisticated business to disclose the price for your product and your real contact info.
I’d like to hear from anyone here who paid “Frank” $2500 or more for these and know how they feel to know that he sold the same thing to others for $1895.
Not accusing anyone, but honestly, did any of you who paid $1895 get that price in exchange for promising Frank that you’d report your happy experience on this forum? If so, that is the actual definition of “shilling.” If not, then why did Frank sell you this product for $600 less than he is selling it for to others and $1,000 less than he quoted it to me?
“Not accusing anyone, but honestly, did any of you who paid $1895 get that price in exchange for promising Frank that you’d report your happy experience on this forum? If so, that is the actual definition of “shilling.” If not, then why did Frank sell you this product for $600 less than he is selling it for to others and $1,000 less than he quoted it to me?”
Lapis,
There you go again calling me a “Shill”. I made it very clear why I posted the photos, I was excited with the finished product so I posted pictures and called out the vendor, period! If you don’t like the company, owner whatever fine but I suggest you back off on you accusations that seem to be directed at me. Step back from the keyboard and put your finger back in the holster ��
Lapis your passion for price transparency is quite apparent and should be applauded, however it wouldn't hurt to tone down the aggressiveness towards Exclusive Option as a vendor. From all indications, their prior customers have been very happy with their products and services. There are a number of reasons why a vendor's price may differ from customer to customer (especially if they are a low volume shop), (i) cost of goods - the cost of goods may differ depending on when the vendor procured it, (ii) seasonality - who knows how this small shop does their work, some aspect of the work might be sent to a 'sub-contractor' and those prices may vary, (iii) discounts - the vendor may offer a 10% discount to a repeat customer that might not be offered to all or new customers etc... So while price transparency is great for consumers, there might be legitimate reasons why a vendor may offer 'spot' pricing. it doesn't make the vendor dishonest, immoral or shady. Finally, customers reporting on their satisfaction with a service product isn't "shillin"...just calm down bro! I understand that you are trying to help the Rennlist community, however you can be more civil about it, especially with a vendor who has little to no prior complaints or issues.
“Not accusing anyone, but honestly, did any of you who paid $1895 get that price in exchange for promising Frank that you’d report your happy experience on this forum? If so, that is the actual definition of “shilling.” If not, then why did Frank sell you this product for $600 less than he is selling it for to others and $1,000 less than he quoted it to me?”
Lapis,
There you go again calling me a “Shill”. I made it very clear why I posted the photos, I was excited with the finished product so I posted pictures and called out the vendor, period! If you don’t like the company, owner whatever fine but I suggest you back off on you accusations that seem to be directed at me. Step back from the keyboard and put your finger back in the holster ��
just at a loss to comprehend why this vendor would have given such a low price to one customer vs another, barring some special relationship with a customer to whom they give such a low price v others. If this is just the price you were first quoted, please say so, and we can just conclude Exclusive Option either doesn’t know what it’s doing or is doing it’s best to charge the highest price possible at at whatever whim they have that day. If this vendor gave you such a great price because of some loyalty discount (you’re a repeat customer, a personal friend of them, etc.), please say so. If you got this great price because you asked and they agreed (negotiated), please say so to help out the community so we can all take advantage of such great pricing!
In terms of why I’m passionate about this, it’s simple: this vendor tried to screw me by charging me a much high price. Not 10% higher, but about 50% higher than you paid. I had made no comments on this forum whatsoever about this vendor or their products prior to them trying to fleece me, nor had given them any reason to do so. In writing and verbally I complimented them directly and said I was interested in their product. They repaid me by being evasive and quoting a much higher price than they have sold the same product to others at the same time.
So please, stop making excuses for Exclusive Option’s obvious deceptive business practices and stop trying to blame the victim of them. And buyer beware.
Exlcuisve Option can fix this easily and gain both my endorsement and maybe even my business by just responding on this thread with the customary things any upright legitimate retailer should be happy to disclose without hesitation: price? Location (address)? Contact info (phone number, email)?
obsessed garage (Matt Moreman), also a small purveyor if enthusiast items to this community, doesn’t hide his identity from us, refuse to disclose pricing, etc. More should follow his excellent example. And whoever administers this forum should not stand for Exclusive Option’s less than upstanding practices from a forum sponsor.
My name is Sergio and I have been in charge of managing the forum postings and advertising for Exclusive Option. There seems to quite a bit of misinformation here on this post. In this reply, I hope to clarify these questions for fellow forum members. We strive to provide the best customer experience possible as a dedicated forum sponsor and would like to take this opportunity set the record straight.The Leather products we sell are all listed and priced on our website catalog. We are constantly adding new options to our product line, so you may not find everything we offer online. Various custom items have not been updated online yet or due to their numerous options, availability, models, color specifications, material choices, and custom tailoring.
Our product debut at Werks Reunion 2017 shown at the Exclusive Option Booth installed on our PTS GT3RS and have been available since. Exclusive Option LWB Houndstooth Inserts have been advertised for sale online with prices posted on our website and through our partner Suncoast since 8/23/17 for the SAME $2489 in the links below:
NO CORE IS NEEDED for these LWB Seat Inserts. You keep the original seat inserts that came with your car. We send you NEW Complete Replacements Inserts Covers with foam & hardware attached, so that you can keep to originals stored away and intact.
As proud forum sponsors we have chosen to provide our fellow forum members “discounted forum member pricing” on various products such as our popular LWB Seat Bolster Protectors or more recently these LWB Seat Insert Sets. We have posted these limited offers through our forum postings. At no point were these Inserts ever sold or advertised for more than posted retail. Any special promotions were posted clearly and have not changed since initially posted. Any deviation in price is a change of specification; as we are able to offer these inserts in several configurations.
If you have any particular questions you may contact via PM or email our us directly at info@exclusiveoption.com . Due to the detailed and often focused interior design consultations we can arrange for phone conversation to tailor to the client's specific needs. We can even meet with clients by appointment only at our California facility. We ship dozens of these LWB Inserts per month… those who have them have been very extremely happy with the factory feel, fitment, build quality, customization options and service.
We are very pleased with the excellent support that we have received from the Rennlist community as many members enjoy our assortment of fine Leather and Alcantara products. At this time, we will continue to honor the discounted pricing and pass savings onto fellow members. Please remember to mention this posting in your email or PM. I hope that this post has cleared up the misinformation that can be prevalent on online forums.
GT3RS with Acid Green Deviated Stitching with our Pepita Inserts Installed on the Driver-side only for a clear Visual Comparison:
Thanks for the info. Few quick questions to clarify...
1. Will you sell them for the price Kelly LaFollette (Philkel), above, reported, which is $1895?
2. Re: foam, etc. Does your product come completely assembled and ready to install, that is, inclusive of the foam core inserts that are the same as the foam core inserts in the factory ones, so that customers can simply remove the existing seat cushions and replace them with yours without having to transfer the foam core pieces from the factory ones to yours? Your post above suggests this is the case, but the product description on your website link that you provided seems to say the opposite. If the latter, do you offer the product both ways (preinstalled on factory foam seat inserts or covers only to transfer onto existing ones), and if so, what's the price difference?
3. I'm still confused why the secrecy? Now you've posted an email address (info@exclusiveoption.com), yet still no phone number or physical address (or full name of yourself or of Frank), this despite your post above suggesting that customers should call and talk to you on the phone or visit your facility in person. Not even a city within California, huh? Is there any rational reason not to share this information, and if you're willing to disclose it, why have you not done so before now, on your website or in any of your posts?
4. I am not the only forum member who has repeatedly questions you about these things. And in the prior forum post you reference where you offered forum member pricing, I note that you only did so after repeated requests in the thread from forum members to disclose the price, which you didn't do when starting the thread.
Lapis,
ive been out of the officer for the past week. I will find my receipt and post a copy. I may be off by a dollar or two on the actual price I paid as I ordered inserts and custom armrest, the price I stated was from memory. I’ll clear that up for you, what I do remember is it was available to all Forum members.
Lapis,
ive been out of the officer for the past week. I will find my receipt and post a copy. I may be off by a dollar or two on the actual price I paid as I ordered inserts and custom armrest, the price I stated was from memory. I’ll clear that up for you, what I do remember is it was available to all Forum members.
I just spoke by phone with Frank at Exclusive Option, who called me...
He cleared up some things...
- The much higher price he quoted me by phone last June was what they were charging then, because it was before they "tooled up" to mass produce them. The price came down by late August, although I had no way to know this was what had happened.
- Phikel paid the $1978 forum price, according to Frank. It's understandable that Phikel may have been off a little when writing from memory. No worries. $1978 is the current forum special price, as Exclusive Option confirmed in this thread today, above.
- The foam thing is a little confusing, but Frank explained it to me and he said they'll soon revise their product description and post an installation video to make this clear... There are 2 kinds of "foam" involved with these: the the dense foam core inserts that are part of the structure of the seat, and the thin layer of foam that is bonded to the back of the fabric itself. Exclusive Option's product has that thin layer of foam bonded to the fabric itself but not the dense foam core parts to which the fabric-and-bonded-foam pieces velcro onto. So you do actually need to reuse those dense foam cores from your seats centers when you pop them out, which is a straightforward velcro procedure.
- The price comparison thing, which I've made a lot of hay about above, is something Frank says they'll change in their advertising. It goes something like this.... $8500 is the price that Porsche Exclusive used to charged for CXX custom tailored seats, which among other things, lets buyers spec pepita (Houndstooth) centers on the LWBs (as well as other customizations like piping, different leathers on the bolsters and headrests, custom deviated stitching or piping on the seats, and custom embroidery stitching and/or embossing on the headrests). That used to be the only way to get pepita-style seat centers from Porsche when ordering a new GT3. Additionally, Frank said, Porsche (and Suncoast) sold or have sold factory replacement parts for those houndstooth/pepita seat centers for prices claimed to be from $7,000-$11,000 (which I've not ever verified, but I take Frank at his word on that), and so that would have been the only way that existing GT3 owners could replace their LWB seat centers with factory pepita ones. Recently, Porsche Exclusive began offering pepita seats centers only (without all the other customizations available with the CXX custom seats option) for only $3,555 when ordering a new car. Note that as of MY2018, the $8500 option is now actually $8875, too. Anyway, if you're looking at Exclusive Option's product in the context of doing it instead of ordering similar from Porsche with your new car, it's $3555 v. $2489 (or $1978 forum special price), and you get something that's very similar to factory result, though not identical, with minimal hassle to install, plus you get to keep the factory standard seat centers to swap back in later if/when you want. If you already have a GT3 with LWBs and want these pepita style seat centers, Exclusive Option's price is much, much lower than ordering a factory replacement part from Porsche, which will be well over $5,000. If you want factory original, though, Porsche Exclusive for $3555 with a new car or Porsche replacement parts for well over $5K is the only option.
- The contact info thing is a grey area. Of course Frank just called me, so now I have his number. He says they're not trying to be secretive, and I believe him. But I think all of this can be put to rest by just being more upfront online. No reason not to post a phone number, IMO, or to make the pricing clear upfront whenever starting a new thread on this forum to promote one's product. I trust Frank and his team will likely do so moving forward.
- Exclusive Option makes and sells a lot of other nice looking leather and alcantara interior products for Porsches that are worth a look. It's nice to see a company trying to make products like this.
Frank, if you're still alive and breathing after all this ....
Can you tell us whether you'd be interested in offering other patterns outside of the pepita? Tartan and pasha come to mind.. that would bring me over to the EO side.. I'm just a weirdo who likes to try different things.. and once the world went pepita I went off the deep end.
If you can offer other selections also, that would be cool and further differentiate you from the Porsche CXX mafia.
Frank, if you're still alive and breathing after all this ....
Can you tell us whether you'd be interested in offering other patterns outside of the pepita? Tartan and pasha come to mind.. that would bring me over to the EO side.. I'm just a weirdo who likes to try different things.. and once the world went pepita I went off the deep end.
If you can offer other selections also, that would be cool and further differentiate you from the Porsche CXX mafia.
Thanks!
CAlexio,
We will work with you to accommodate special orders. Apart from Houndstooth- we offer Leather (perforated and non) along with Alcantara. If there is a special request for other material, please PM with your detailed information or send us an email to info@exclusiveoption.com so we can discuss your project in further detail.
I personally am staying with the DIY route because I enjoyed sourcing the red/black pepita for my spyder and ended up with a perfect result for a fraction of the price. I would pay the EO price happily to be honest, but they don't offer the fabric selection if I want tartan or other unique/historic patterns. Pepita is so 2017 anyway, have you heard, the cool kids are all talking about Pasha now.
Also exploring the idea of trimming the same pattern as the seats over the metal inserts in center console, Dash and doors.. talking to the upholstery people I already used to see if that is an option. The only tough part is the door trim as that can't be removed. We shall see, I don't like to back down from custom project ideas in my head.
Sounds awesome. Where did you get the covers sewn? I am considering the blue pepita that garry at classic FX carries for my sbm .2. But he only supplies the cloth.
I find it ironic that someone would complain about opaque non-identical pricing practice in a GT3 forum, no less. Seems to me that GT3 pricing varies extraordinarily depending on who you know, how many cars you've purchased in the past and whatever other factors we have no idea about. ADMs all over the place. PTS windows that open and close at a whim.
The vendor can do whatever he chooses (as long as it's non-discriminatory). If you don't like his practice model, don't buy his product. I don't see any reason to defame him.
01-18-2018, 12:55 PM
