My New Bell Helmet
 

Hey everyone,
Just bought my first helmet. It's a Bell M4. On the recommendation of a local service shop I bought it from CDOC. On the Bell site it says I'm suppose to get a free vented , fleece lined Bell helmet bag when I purchase from an authorized Bell dealer but the person at CDOC knows nothing about this offer. Those who have purchased Bell helmets recently, did you get your Bell vented helmet bag? Also it appears that I paid $10.00 over the retail price from CDOC as the price on the Bell site is 369.00 and CDOC charges 379.00 with no bag. I'm kind pissed.
Rant over.

I own a Bell M4 also, but I ordered mine from Apex Performance, which included a free helmet bag.

http://www.apexperformance.net/cartg...id=1501&cid=18

Use the code bimmerforum-10 and you'll receive an additional 10% off on any item over $75 (excludes ATE brake fluid, AMB transponders and certificates I believe).

Dat
Hook 'Em!

Looks like I took a bath on this one.:banghead:

There is probably a mistake somewhere. CDOC usually has very competetive pricing and I have never seen them charge over retail on anything.
I'd call them back and explain the situation to someone higher up in the food chain and give them a chance to make it right for you.

A bath with about 2 drops of water. $10 bucks ain't going to break the bank.

If it were me, I would call CDOC and ask about the discrepancy between posted retail and there price. They'll probably offer you some compensation in the name of customer loyalty.

Considering the other offer from Apex, free bag=29.95 which I am suppose to get but did not, lower price=10.00, 10% off=36.00, free shipping=12.00. Total=88.00 I'de call it a bath. I sent an e-mail. We'll see how it goes.

My guess about the bags is ignorance. Whoever you talked to or purchased from just didn't know about the offer. I think CDOC is a big company so they may have just dropped the ball. Push the issue maybe they'll figure it out.

As for the other perks from Apex, well...shop around next time.

Will do.:) Anyway, thanks to all who helped and advised with model of helmet selection, sizeing, etc. I was prepared to have to send several helmets back but the first one turned out to be a perfect fit. I like my new helmet alot.

A couple of things I can tell you about Bell.

Their website doesn't always update their website pricing very quickly. Which makes it difficult with some dealers. Pricing is very strict with Bell. There is a minimum advertised price (MAP) which noone can go under when they price items on the internet or in ads. Anyone who is advertising helmets under the price may not be an authorized dealer and just reselling stuff they are getting at a discount in bulk. Also with a MAP you really aren't supposed to advertise a % off thing as well. Some companies are less strict than others.

Just an FYI I'm a Bell dealer and haven't seen anything about the fleece lined helmet bag except for the link on their website. There is little one that comes with many of the helmets but I think you are talking about the one that is 25+/- dollars.

Just give CDOC a call and I'm sure they will get it taken care of. Especially since there is a link on their site.

Next time order from me though ;)

I don't know the specific situation with the bag and your helmet but when companies are faced with MAP they get creative about ways to give hidden discounts. Some call it value-add...you pay the same price but get more. In this case Apex may be giving away the bag as an added value to get you to buy from them. Also, the bag may have a bigger profit margin than the helmet. To give you the same $40 discount off the helmet they will lose more money than giving you a free $40 bag that they probably paid $18-$20 for. It's the same deal with free shipping. It's a hidden discount on a product that isn't allowed to be discounted. Point being, it may not be a Bell supported promotion and therefore CDOC wouldn't know what you're talking about if you call demanding a free bag.

We are on BELL's dealer email list and did see a note about the free BELL helmet bags; however, it is for NEW helmet orders from BELL so the dealer would have to get the helmet shipped direct from BELL (or place a stock order for some helmets and request the free bags with them) in order to qualify for the free BELL helmet bag. If the dealer already has the helmet sitting on the shelf, BELL will not send out a free helmet bag. Since you bought the helmet off of CDOC's shelf, it probably didn't qualify for the new bag. Hopefully your email to them will rectify the situation.

Circuit Motorsports - Email your BELL rep and ask them to be added to the email newsletter listing since you aren't receiving them. I'll see if I still have the email and PM it to you.