Phones4U and selling tactics

sophlowe45

Do tactis like this break any rules of conduct that regulate shops / selling techniques?


At Phones4U the managaer of the store said the online deals on their website dont include VAT, the one i was looking at does, he also said they give refurb phones that why the tariffs are so cheap, i cant see this anywhere in the description....

i mentioned that the tariff he was talking about next was the same as O2's website, he said but you have to pay £100 for the phone, this is not true.

Of course i can come home and investigate the things he said for myself, but is lying like that acceptable (not ethically) but within whoever regulates their selling tactics?

DUTR

He can say what he beleives , so technically he is not telling lies, however as you knwo the deals are available online, then why not buy online? The store is not obliged to match online prices, both methods have their pro's n cons, walking in the store can be more convenient as chances are you can look at the item in the flesh that said the price may be somewhat greater than online.

grumbler

DUTR wrote: »

He can say what he beleives , so technically he is not telling lies

How do you define 'telling lies' then?
If he is saying what he believes, he must clearly say this: "I think...", "I believe...". Obviously this was not the case. 100% 'telling lies' by any standards.

DUTR

grumbler wrote: »

How do you define 'telling lies' then?
If he is saying what he believes, he must clearly say this: "I think...", "I believe...". Obviously this was not the case. 100% 'telling lies' by any standards.

The same way a certain President did not beleive he was having inappropriate 'physicalness' with one of his colleagues
I understand what you are saying and agree, but neither of us were in the store with the OP to know what was said to him at the time, naturally the store rep is going to be feeling pressured to clinch some kind of deal, although the OP should be aware of that and be wary himself at what is best for him and his circumstances. There have been offers online where the deal includes a refurb/returned handset, that could be what the store rep was reffering to.

mobilejunkie

If it were illegal to lie when making a sale most salesman would already be in prison!

gjchester

sophlowe45 wrote: »

Do tactis like this break any rules of conduct that regulate shops / selling techniques?


At Phones4U the managaer of the store said the online deals on their website dont include VAT, the one i was looking at does, he also said they give refurb phones that why the tariffs are so cheap, i cant see this anywhere in the description....

i mentioned that the tariff he was talking about next was the same as O2's website, he said but you have to pay £100 for the phone, this is not true.

Of course i can come home and investigate the things he said for myself, but is lying like that acceptable (not ethically) but within whoever regulates their selling tactics?

If you don't like what they say then walk away,simple as that.

Don't argue with them it gets you emotionally involved which is good from a salesman point of view as your then invested in a product, just leave and try another store or later in the day and another assistant.

adamnsu

And IMO and TBH most of the Phones4u salespeople I have come across tend to say whatever comes to their mind just to make a sale.

jollyton

do they even get business these days????

sophlowe45

adamnsu wrote: »

And IMO and TBH most of the Phones4u salespeople I have come across tend to say whatever comes to their mind just to make a sale.

yes but how is that acceptable? they must be regulated by some organisation?

They have shops everywhere so they must get customers....

Silk

sophlowe45 wrote: »

yes but how is that acceptable? they must be regulated by some organisation?

They have shops everywhere so they must get customers....

What happened about the phone you bought the other week from CPW ...the one you said the seal was broken when you got it ???

Phones4u_company_representative

Hello, sorry to hear you've had a poor customer experience in one of our stores.
Our staff are trained to take time to ensure not only that our customers get the right deal for them, first time, but also that they have a good purchasing experience in store.
To answer your questions:

1.VAT is included in the online prices. The total cost that you see is inclusive of the VAT.

2. We DO NOT sell refurbished handsets. Whether you purchase online or in store the handsets are brand new.

3. Some of our deals do challenge those in other stores. We aim to have the best deals on the high street and online. Some network providers do charge for the handset when in some cases we may not. I cannot say at the time you were in store if this was correct or not.

Please accept my apologies on behalf of the store concerned.
If you would like to speak to somebody further please feel free to email: moneysavingexpert@phones4u.co.uk

Thank you

Mel. Phones 4u

sophlowe45 wrote: »

Do tactis like this break any rules of conduct that regulate shops / selling techniques?


At Phones4U the managaer of the store said the online deals on their website dont include VAT, the one i was looking at does, he also said they give refurb phones that why the tariffs are so cheap, i cant see this anywhere in the description....

i mentioned that the tariff he was talking about next was the same as O2's website, he said but you have to pay £100 for the phone, this is not true.

Of course i can come home and investigate the things he said for myself, but is lying like that acceptable (not ethically) but within whoever regulates their selling tactics?