Selling items listed as free

mjsoutheast

Okay, so I work for a high Street retailer and we are given stock that we are supposed to use as incentives for customers to purchase particular items.

Now these items should not cost a thing and in fact scan into the till as £0.00, as after all, these items are FREE.


For the past two months, one particular store has been infact selling these items, via scanning in another item that costs say £15 - so that the customer still thinks they are getting a good deal. Meaning their receipt may end up at £15 rather than the anticipated £0.00.

Is this selling via deception, as the item they are paying £15 will scan through the till at £0.00 and should be sold as a free incentive upon purchase.

The reason staff are doing so, is down to the fact that they then have two items sold on one reciept, the original which should accompany the free incentive but also a second item which is what brings up the price of £15 for the freebie - meaning their figures look better.

I know this is far from unethical, which is my issue with it but are they in fact breaking sales laws, as to me, it stinks.

pinkshoes

Why would a customer pay £15 for something advertised as free???

(I'm confused!)

mjsoutheast

pinkshoes wrote: »

Why would a customer pay £15 for something advertised as free???

(I'm confused!)

It's not overtly advertised.

The seller is supposed to you it as a 'deal closer' I.E the customer is unsure so the seller says, I can give you this for free, if you take it today.

Instead, the seller is waiting till after the sale is closed and then saying, oh you can have this for £15 ( which is approx half price of the other like for like items sold in store)

neilmcl

At the end of the day the retailer can set any price they so wish, the buyer has the choice to buy or not at that price. Although in this instance the customer isn't getting a good deal the only deception going on is between this particular retailer and their supplier/manufacturer. Can we have more detail about the retailer and items being sold?

mjsoutheast

It's a high street phone shop who should be giving away a free case with each iphone 4.

They are instead doing the above with the free case.

mo786uk

From the custmers poitn of view if they are being offered something for £15 then they have the choice to buy or not to buy - they are not being decieved.

They would only be being decieved if it was advertised for free. But that doesnt appear to be the case.

It would be upto the supplier to take it up with the store.

mjsoutheast

Hmm, okay - in my eyes is unethical.

visidigi

Well, how would you expalin the receipt if its up to the retailer? Teh transaction shows they bought an item listed in store for £15 the item they are walking out the door with is an item with a £0 value - if the purchaser returns the item to the store there is going to be a problem, given its a £0 value item.

I agree the retailer can charge what they like, but the buyer is unwittingly walking out the door with a recipt for a completely different product - I agree its unethical...

mandragora_2

We had an odd experience, buying a new tv. My OH was delighted to be allowed to buy a new telly before the old one had collapsed and died (don't ask, it's a bone of contention between us!), so he did the deal while I was at home, having discussed it with me over the phone first. It was ex-display, and not a bad price (£500, I think). The salesman offered him a three year warranty for the 'special price' of £30 rather than £150, and he was tempted, and bought it (not something we usually do with electric goods), so a total purchase price of £530.

When he came home, he was leafing through the various bits of paperwork, and realised that the warranty was covered under 'cooling off period' laws that meant that if you changed your mind, you could cancel the waranty and get a full refund. As I said, we don't usually bother with warranties, so he was tempted to call in and cancel the deal. At that point he picked up the receipt from the shop, and examined it in more detail. The salesman had done some sort of 'fiddle' - he'd reduced the price of the tv down to £380, and listed the price of the warranty as £150. We weren't entirely sure why he'd done this - presumably, something to do with making his commission off the warranty sale, but it felt like we'd had a fast one pulled on us, and on paper at least, it reduced the value of our tv by £120 on the paperwork, and left a bad taste in the mouth.

That little trick didn't go down well as it wasn't clear what he was doing, or why he was doing it - moreover, he did it without explaining to my OH what he was doing or why - so it came across as sneaky. I have to confess, did influence our decision to cancel the warranty in the cooling off period.:o

RobertoMoir

mjsoutheast wrote: »

Hmm, okay - in my eyes is unethical.

Oh its certainly unethical of them if they're supposed to be giving the stuff away, but thats not the same as illegal.

Sagz_2

mandragora wrote: »

We had an odd experience, buying a new tv. My OH was delighted to be allowed to buy a new telly before the old one had collapsed and died (don't ask, it's a bone of contention between us!), so he did the deal while I was at home, having discussed it with me over the phone first. It was ex-display, and not a bad price (£500, I think). The salesman offered him a three year warranty for the 'special price' of £30 rather than £150, and he was tempted, and bought it (not something we usually do with electric goods), so a total purchase price of £530.

When he came home, he was leafing through the various bits of paperwork, and realised that the warranty was covered under 'cooling off period' laws that meant that if you changed your mind, you could cancel the waranty and get a full refund. As I said, we don't usually bother with warranties, so he was tempted to call in and cancel the deal. At that point he picked up the receipt from the shop, and examined it in more detail. The salesman had done some sort of 'fiddle' - he'd reduced the price of the tv down to £380, and listed the price of the warranty as £150. We weren't entirely sure why he'd done this - presumably, something to do with making his commission off the warranty sale, but it felt like we'd had a fast one pulled on us, and on paper at least, it reduced the value of our tv by £120 on the paperwork, and left a bad taste in the mouth.

I hope you went ahead and cancelled and got your £150 back.