Homebase - am I right or wrong here?

pinkpanther28

I went to Homebase today to purchase some paint, as they have lots of 3 for 2 offers on at the moment. I wanted to buy 2 tins of Dulux mixed paint and one from the standard range. The sign next to the aisle of the standard Dulus paint clearly said '3 for 2 on Dulux 2.5 litre emulsion' and then in smaller letters underneath 'includes paint mixing'. I picked up the one tin of standard paint, then went to the paint mixing counter. The store manager was there helping another customer so I waited until he had finished with them, he then asked me if he could help. The conversation basically went something like this:

Store Manager: How can I help?
Me: Can I have 2.5 litres of X in Silk and 2.5 litres of Y in Kitchen paint please?
SM: (presumably seeing the other tin of paint) Are you going to be getting the 3 for 2 paints?
Me: Yes
SM: You can't do that, you can't mix and match the standard paints and the mixed paints.
Me: Well the sign says 'quoted sign as above', it doesn't say that you can't have some from one range and some from another, it says 'includes paint mixing'
SM: No, I don't think that you can mix and match.
Me: Well would you mind checking for me please?

SM goes off to check

SM: No, you can't mix and match paint from the two ranges.
Me: Well then would you agree that the sign is a bit misleading, it clearly says '3 for 2 - including paint mixing' Does that not imply that the mixed paint is included in the offer?
SM: No, it means that the standard paint is on 3 for 2 and also the mixed paint is on 3 for 2.
Me: But that's not what it says
SM: Well that's how I would interpret it.

Then he said 'I'm not a buyer so I don't know how they decide which paints are on offer and which aren't'.

At this point I gave up. We actually have 2 Homebase stores in our town quite close together so I went to the other one, got the 2 mixed paints that I had been after and asked them to find me the closest match in the mixed paints to the one that I had originally wanted from the standard range. That might seem a bit petty :-) and I could have asked them to do it in the first store but the manager was not particularly helpful so I didn't feel that I wanted to give the store my business (OK I only spent £36 but still!)

Anyway, is it just me or does the sign seem a little misleading?

(Sorry for the long post - and i tried not to complain too much )

uktim29

Are you sure you read it right?

The small print always says whats not allowed. You say it says "includes" etc etc. Are you sure it didn't say excludes? When things are included that is always written with the large text.

'includes paint mixing'

Sounds very vague. Small print is often very clear. Was it not telling you you could only use the mixed paints?

pinkpanther28

uktim29 wrote: »

Are you sure you read it right?

The small print always says whats not allowed. You say it says "includes" etc etc. Are you sure it didn't say excludes? When things are included that is always written with the large text.

Thanks for the reply :-) No, it definitely said includes, when I said it was small writing I don't mean the teeny tiny small print writing, it was just a little bit smaller than the main writing on the sign. I did make sure I had checked it properly before questioning the manager about it

pinkpanther28

Just seen the edit - that was what the manager said but my understanding would be that if a sign said that something was 'included' in an offer, it wouldn't be a completely seperate offer but part of that one?

Bamber19

tbh I think it could reasonably be interpreted either way. The only way to really be sure is to know what they usually do in those situations. I've seen it mean both in different shops.

Sooler

The Dulux mixing system can match any Dulux colour ever sold, not just the ones on the current cards.

d.edna

Did you waste more petrol going to the other store than the saving?

pinkpanther28

d.edna wrote: »

Did you waste more petrol going to the other store than the saving?

No I went to the first Homebase as it's next to our Argos Extra and I needed to pick up some bits for my husband for work. The second Homebase is on my way home so it didn't take me out of my way at all. I saved £17 on the paint - it would have needed to be quite a big detour to use that much petrol!

pinkpanther28

Sooler wrote: »

The Dulux mixing system can match any Dulux colour ever sold, not just the ones on the current cards.

I didn't know that, thanks that may come in handy in the future :T

pinkpanther28

Bamber19 wrote: »

tbh I think it could reasonably be interpreted either way. The only way to really be sure is to know what they usually do in those situations. I've seen it mean both in different shops.

I see what you mean but really my point is that where there is a sign advertising a special offer it should be clear and unambiguous, and i don't feel that it was.

Anyway I shall leave it at that now, I'm happy with my eventual saving on the paint - but now it means that I actually have to get on with the painting! :eek:

mrcow

I would have asked him to run it through the tills and see if the offer worked.

That way, it would have saved any confusion over interpretation......it will either work or it won't.