From Less Than $1 Million To $1.43 Million…
Eclipse Aviation officials say they expect few takers for a limited time offer that allows any customers unhappy with the latest variable (dependent on time of order) price increase to bail out of their deal and get a full refund on their previously non-refundable deposit. As AVweb told you earlier this month, Eclipse, while forging on with new technology and essentially creating an entire market segment, has (again) raised the price of the 500 mini jet. The plane, introduced with fanfare in 2000 with a price below $900,000 will now cost a new customer $1.43 million (in today’s dollars). For a 30-day period ending in about two weeks, customers who thought they’d put down a non-refundable deposit can claim the full amount back if they prefer to opt out. Spokesman Andrew Broom says the hit on the order book should be minimal. “We will talk about refunds after the deadline passes in the next two weeks. Most likely there will be only a few, if any, refund requests,” he told AVweb. Dollar value comparisons notwithstanding, new buyers will pay up to $425,000 more for their planes than those who put their money down five years ago. The so-called Platinum customers, those first in line with their cash, will be hit with a $45,000 increase while those who came after them will pay an extra $95,000. For new customers, the increase is $120,000 in June 2000 dollars.
