Sales Rip offs

Halloway

RobertoMoir wrote: »

Well surely the point comes down to whether you actually need something or not and whether you consider the price on offer a good one. I thought everyone knew about the dodges these companies employ around sales, and to a degree I think people who go into a frenzy and buy no end of crap just because it has a big read "sale" ticket on it only have themselves to blame.

I don't mean that as an attack on you but rather as a general observation: If the public show these stores that all they have to do is break out the "sale" stickers for us to start honking like trained seals and start buying trash, then can you really blame them for taking advantage of it? Making money is the reason they exist after all.

Hear hear. :T

luv_my_brass

RobertoMoir wrote: »

Well surely the point comes down to whether you actually need something or not and whether you consider the price on offer a good one. I thought everyone knew about the dodges these companies employ around sales, and to a degree I think people who go into a frenzy and buy no end of crap just because it has a big read "sale" ticket on it only have themselves to blame.

I don't mean that as an attack on you but rather as a general observation: If the public show these stores that all they have to do is break out the "sale" stickers for us to start honking like trained seals and start buying trash, then can you really blame them for taking advantage of it? Making money is the reason they exist after all.

With regard to your first point Robert, I did say in my first post, that I had been looking for a fridge freezer for some time, and comparing prices on line, so yes, it was something that I needed and nothing to do with panic buying in a sale. I had hoped, of course, that as Dixons were advertizing a sale, the f/f I had my eye on, might be reduced. I certainly didn't expect the price to go UP! and this tactic has made me suspicious of all sale prices. I was in the process of updating my electrical equipment, again nothing to do with sale prices, but not a bad idea to take advantage of them. But it would seem that Companies are taking advantage of the customer :-(
I do remember years ago, that retail outlets would take advantage of sale time to offload cheap imports, but the law was tightened to make sure that these goods were labelled 'special purchase'. I would still like to know whether or not it is legal to advertize an item as being sold at 'sale price' ie. less than it was before, when in fact the price has been increased.

RobertoMoir

luv_my_brass wrote: »

With regard to your first point Robert, I did say in my first post, that I had been looking for a fridge freezer for some time, and comparing prices on line, so yes, it was something that I needed and nothing to do with panic buying in a sale.

Seems reasonable to me. But I should say sorry, I thought it was clear that I was talking in general terms rather than having a dig at you or anyone else, and clearly it wasn't.

luv_my_brass wrote: »

I would still like to know whether or not it is legal to advertize an item as being sold at 'sale price' ie. less than it was before, when in fact the price has been increased.

Good point. I think the dodge they use is that the goods have to be on sale at that higher price at one of their outlets. So they open a shop in the basement of the head office* or some place like Ulan Bator or a United Nations disputed zone in Antarctica or something like that which sells at the higher price and they're golden.

* and if they do this, it could even be a staff shop with whatever reductions they want to give to staff, with a "normal price" of whatever. Would they even need physical stock in this "shop" I wonder.

luv_my_brass

........and I've just been had!
I recieved an email which I thought was from tesco, as that was the banner at the top of the email and I both shop & save with Tesco.
It was offering a free £5 voucher for filling out a survey, which, having received these before from Tesco, I assumed to be from them - was not going to turn down what I thought would be a £5 shopping voucher.

But in fact it was a voucher off purchasing from sites that I would not normally bother with. OK I know - should've paid more attention, but the site it came from freebiegb.co.uk was not instantly noticeable.
Just thought I'd let anyone else know not to bother taking the survey - waste of time. The only good thing is that I replied 'no' to practically every question - so hopefully the phone won't start ringing incessantly........

CHR15

If only you had known then, what you know now!!

luv_my_brass

CHR15 wrote: »

If only you had known then, what you know now!!

:rotfl:
I know - I just love that quote - happens all the time!

advent1122

RobertoMoir wrote: »

Good point. I think the dodge they use is that the goods have to be on sale at that higher price at one of their outlets. So they open a shop in the basement of the head office* or some place like Ulan Bator or a United Nations disputed zone in Antarctica or something like that which sells at the higher price and they're golden.

* and if they do this, it could even be a staff shop with whatever reductions they want to give to staff, with a "normal price" of whatever. Would they even need physical stock in this "shop" I wonder.

This is irrelevent if they do not put a BEFORE price on the massive sale advert.
So they can put SALE - PRICE £199... Even if the price was £179 2 days before.

LittleVoice

luv_my_brass wrote: »

. I would still like to know whether or not it is legal to advertize an item as being sold at 'sale price' ie. less than it was before, when in fact the price has been increased.

See post #10

moonrakerz

"The urban myth goes that Eskimos have hundreds of words for "snow". Well here's a new one: UK retailers appear to have hundreds of words for "sale""

See:http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/james_hall/blog/2007/12/27/the_true_meaning_of_christmas_sales

luv_my_brass

moonrakerz wrote: »

"The urban myth goes that Eskimos have hundreds of words for "snow". Well here's a new one: UK retailers appear to have hundreds of words for "sale""

See:http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/james_hall/blog/2007/12/27/the_true_meaning_of_christmas_sales

Buyer beware then!

Interestingly, I have just been onto Dixon's site and note that they have cleaned up their act. The f/f I was interested in buying, is still at the increased price, but they have taken away the 'sale price' tag. They have done this on all the appliances that previously were shown to be in the sale, but did not have a 'previously sold at' price tag.

Maybe my drawing their attention to their dubious sales pricing had something to do with it, or maybe the media expose', as demonstrated in the story in the above link, is also drawing the publics attention to the fact that they may not be getting the bargain they think they are! :rolleyes: