Argos - negative voucher

malc_b

Argos are running a promotion, spend £50 get a £5 voucher. But if you buy something online for home delivery (i.e. big item). What you get is not a voucher but a £5 off code you can enter next time you make an online purchase. But, delivery is more than that, and if you want to collect at store you reserve not buy, you pay at the store so can't use the code. And also if you spend £100 you get two £5 vouchers, and can you use 2 on a purchase?

So an accurate Argos advert would be spend £50 online and will give you reduced postage next time. Not quite the same thing a £5 voucher is it?

Update: I've cancelled the order. I might re-order over the phone which does get you a real voucher. If I could find an order line number which there doesn't seem to be. I'm leaning towards the "stuff 'em" and buy it elsewhere though. I did have a phone call from Argos. Very polite and said they were having a lot of complaints that they were looking at, hmm, but I had ticked the box to say that I had read all the terms and conditions before I placed the order, including those for the offer so Argos would not be sending me a voucher instead of the codes. And reading that back, yes, "stuff 'em" is the right way. It might have been a polite phone call but as customer service it sucks. There was no argument that the online code is a negative voucher, nor that I could just use the phone and get a paper voucher. They just stuck exactly to what they had to do by contract law not what would make the customer happy, and keep their business.

timberflake

£5 off is £5 off regardless of how you look at it. Yes, they charge for delivery, but £5 is still taken off.

What about if they reduced the price of the goods by £5 then added delivery, would you be happy then? Either way you've had £5 off.

Azari

timberflake wrote: »

£5 off is £5 off regardless of how you look at it. Yes, they charge for delivery, but £5 is still taken off.

What about if they reduced the price of the goods by £5 then added delivery, would you be happy then? Either way you've had £5 off.

I think you are missing the point.

OP is complaining about the fact that you can only use the code on-line where it will be swallowed by delivery costs.

He would prefer to be able to use it in person at a shop where he could get £5 worth of good for a £5 voucher.

Lip_Stick

Agree with the op. I bought something a while ago and it could only be home delivered so I only had an online code. When I went to use it on something small all I kept reading was 'not available for home delivery'.

System

The argos promotion seems pretty straightforward to me. Order instore get a £5 voucher, order online get a £5 discount code. It seems pretty sensible as people who order online would probably prefer an online code, people who order in store would probably want a voucher to spend instore.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/ArgosPromo3/includeName/giftvoucher1.htm

Jo_Mc_2

malc_b wrote: »

And also if you spend £100 you get two £5 vouchers, and can you use 2 on a purchase?

I think it was last Christmas they did that and you couldn't use both at the same time as there were date restrictions ie one expired on a certain date and the second one started the following day.

malc_b

timberflake wrote: »

£5 off is £5 off regardless of how you look at it. Yes, they charge for delivery, but £5 is still taken off.

What about if they reduced the price of the goods by £5 then added delivery, would you be happy then? Either way you've had £5 off.

No, it's not. If you are buying say a £150 fridge which has to be home delivered why waste time and petrol going to an Argos store. You buy online. It's easier and quicker and the end price is the same. If you want a £10 watch then you do that in a general shopping trip. You don't order a £10 watch online and pay £15.95 including delivery.

That is what these codes useless. They are only worth £5 if you need home delivery, usually large goods, and then you get another code. As I said, if Argos's banner advert were truthful is would say £10 voucher for in-store/phone purchases, money off your next delivery for online purchases.

shaun_from_Africa

If Argos online and Argos "high Street" are being run as 2 separate companies for account purposes, then it makes sense that a voucher given by one part of the business won't be accepted by the other part.

It's not as if Argos are trying to deceive anyone by having this restriction.
It's clearly shown on their website under the terms of the offer.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/ArgosPromo3/includeName/giftvoucher1.htm?mvt=HP1_main_top_banner

Azari

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

If Argos online and Argos "high Street" are being run as 2 separate companies for account purposes, then it makes sense that a voucher given by one part of the business won't be accepted by the other part.

It's not as if Argos are trying to deceive anyone by having this restriction.
It's clearly shown on their website under the terms of the offer.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/ArgosPromo3/includeName/giftvoucher1.htm?mvt=HP1_main_top_banner

Yes, I think this comes under the category of "Vent at Argos for being bloody annoying", rather than "Argos are pulling a scam".

trishandbubs

I guess it could be seen as being a bit of a con but if you read the terms and conditions on the promotion page it does state that if you order over the phone for home delivery then you will have the voucher sent out to you.

helphelphelphelp

I had exactly the same argument when they were doing this promotion a year ago. In the end they did give me a £5 goodwill voucher as generally I dont buy online but the items I wanted were home delivery only so as another poster said I could either drive to the store to order and get my £5 off the next order, or order on line. But either way I wouldnt be saving money unless I was ordering another item that was home delivery only.