Great Best Places To Haggle Hunt

golddustmedia

Haggling tips - I often haggle if buying anything you may regard as one off or expensive, think electricals, furniture and of course Cars!

My general approach is to seem slightly not fussed if I buy today/tomorrow/ever and of course mention you've looked at a similar one elsewhere that was cheaper. Essentially give the sales person the impression you might purchase elsewhere or leave if not impressed with the deal.

I've always done well on it but one victory was reducing a car from £5995 to £4750 (25%!!!) and a free 12 month warranty. Granted as a car supermarket place the car was a bit overpriced to begin with but none the less got a good deal and shifted the terrible banger I had as a part ex too!

golddustmedia

Also don't waste your time in Comet (especially Taunton branch!). I wanted to buy an expensive fridge freezer AND a washing machine, total cost about £1300. I asked about getting a discount and got a lecture from the manager about how the advertised price was their lowest cost etc etc. I noted the same models far cheaper on a number of websites (I even had printouts showing my potential saving of £200) and I got more ear bashing about how they were "online" and didn't have shops as overheads.
I said I would happily buy if they could price match and in the end gave up and walked. The manager called after me that she would offer free delivery (worth a measly £15.95 ), I went home and ordered online. I'm glad I did as one retailer had issues with stock so I cancelled the order and they refunded payment, then delivered it anyway so I got a washing machine for free! :-)

martin71

I was in Kwik-Fit at the weekend.

2x front tyres, 2x brake discs, 2x brake pads - "Spusbe" price (what my friends and I call the price it's "s'posed to be" = £290)

I asked (discreetly) whether he could bring that down a bit since i was having so much done. A 30-second chat to the manager and hey presto - £260.

Over 10% discount, just for asking!

Now, some people will be thinking that a true moneysaver would never go to Kwik-Fit in the first place. I know, I know, but I needed the job done quickly due to an impending MOT today. At least I brought their prices down a little, though - I'm £30 better off than if I hadn't asked.

Martin

stevenclarkuk

I find Kwik-Fit very easy to haggle with... Had lots of discounts.

Quite often I don't even have to ask, If you 'hum and haw' a little bit sometimes they suggest a discounted price themselves..

Steven

Little_John

Living in Bolton there are a few high end electrical shops, Sound and Vision and Empire Direct. I saved £400 by visiting S&V then empire getting them to price match then back to S&V informing them the new price they beat it by £50 and threw in region free upgrade to the DVD player (back when DVD players required hardware modifications) and 20 meters of decent speaker cable worth about £140 ontop of my £400 drop.

Play similar companies off against each other.

Currys will also match their own website prices, I bought an mp3 player just before christmas as a present Empire didnt have the colour wanted but were £25 cheaper than Currys, went to currys who will price match local stores after some messing and phoning Empire they give the discount and I just mentioned the price on their website and they said they match that too. so we got £30 off after they checked their site.

royster35

Hello all,
My first submission so please do not expect too much.

Optical Express advertise laser eye surgery "from" £395" per eye. When you have had your assessment, strangely enough they find that your eyes do not fit the £395 parameters. I was then given a price of £1300 for both eyes. I protested that they had induced me to give up a whole day and journeyed a total of 150 miles on a false premise. They pointed out the "from" bit and I pointed out that their new price was 62.5% higher than that advertised. I laid it on a bit thick and told them that I had had to save that amount of money and it would take a lot longer to save another £500.

Anyway, the "consultant" went to "speak with her manager" (as if they aren't doing this all the time) and came back with , surprise, surprise, a new quote of £1000 for the two. I didn't agree immediately and she said that they would keep the offer open for six weeks.

After four weeks, their head office contacted me (obviously not in touch with their branch) to say that as I was suitable for treatment and had not signed up they would reduce the original £1300 by 10%. So, even if the branch won't haggle, if you don't sign immediately HO will step in for you.

The mark-up must be phenominal; when I was there, they had a bit of doubt about a potential client's suitability and needed a bit of kit available only in London to assess him properly. it was Saturday. They sent him and his partner on a train to London, taxied them across London for the examination and then back again. After all the time involved, his last train home had gone for the day so they sent him by cab on a 45 (90 mile round) journey.

Their time-keeping is appalling. When I had my surgery (the £1000 one), it was booked for 1:00 p.m. It was finally carried out at 6:45 p.m. Their comments books were full of moans about the waiting. Someone came a little late for his appointment and they told him that, because of the backlog they would have to reschedule him.

Absolutely well worth it, though, and I recommend it. They said all I would feel was a little grittiness behind the eyes. It bloody well hurt! Next morning though all was fine and I am delighted with the job.

brendiver

I always try and haggle over prices, APR's, offers, marks, scratches, bumps, errors, sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't.

Examples, normal high street shoe shop, slight mark on my wife's shoes she liked, the sort that you'd get after one day walking in them, got 15% off.

Richer Sounds - played all confused over the price with the full insurance pack for a plasma TV just before handing over my credit card. Asked the salesperson to write it all down again, told my wife we should think about it some more with my Amex in my hand. Salesperson knocked off another £100.

John Lewis don't always get things right - we've had half price curtains for a small hole in made to measure. Free cushions from the display because they couldn't find our order.

New car - don't ever buy until you have played off at least 4 dealers against the best price the internet will allow (for example - TSB Carselect). Get them on the ropes, you know they have gone as far as they can when they call back to say they cannot offer any more discount. We got to this point recently with all four, and surprise surprise, after a day one did ring back with our dream deal.

happy haggling

brendiver

fuglyjowls

I get a lot of customers asking for a discount where I work (not a chain high street store and we sell goods at £4,000.00 each) and it is entirely up to me whether I discount or not (up to 20% off). I am much more inclined to agree to a discount if people are nice about it rather than stroppy - you'd be surprised how many people demand a discount as their right. We are in the lucky position that our order books are full so we can afford to turn down business and if unpleasant people threaten to walk away from a sale I let them - I don't need stroppy customers more than I need my commission!

Also we get people who offer to pay cash if we knock off the VAT - it always amazes me that people say that when they have no idea who we are or who we might know (my husband could be a VAT man for all they know!!). I had one yesterday wanting to do this and he got very stroppy when I said we couldn't do it - I asked him why my company should break the law for him and lost the sale but it's his loss because we are the only people who sell our product.

So my advice is always be nice about it and you just might get some discount

WelshConsumer

In the Debenhams Stores there are concessions operating for example to run their lighting section etc. If you want to buy something they will usually offer you a 10% discount if you take out the card. The 10% discount is sometimes available anyway.
I wanted a £250 light fitting (I know it is expensive and in fact I wanted two). I asked them what they could do to the price if I bought two and they lopped off 20% from the total. Result.

PeteM

fuglyjowls wrote:

I asked him why my company should break the law for him and lost the sale but it's his loss because we are the only people who sell our product.

And so begins a round of "What's My Line?"