John Lewis - 'Never Knowingly Undersold' - untrue?

Doc_N

Here's the official John Lewis policy:

"If we find a national high street competitor offering a better nationwide price for the same product, sold with the same service conditions, we'll lower our price to match in all our shops and on our website, including when a competitor is having a sale."

In practice, though, it doesn't work that way at all. Frequently, lower prices are found by individuals and reported to JL. JL lower the price for that particular customer, but fail completely to lower the price for other customers, either in the shops or online.

As an example, check out the price of the Braun Oral-B Professional Care 5000 Toothbrush.

£84.99 with John Lewis, but £59.99 with Argos (and Amazon).

http://www.johnlewis.com/230859940/Product.aspx

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4436869.htm

John Lewis have known about this for at the very least a couple of days now, but the price they're charging remains the same. Argos continue to sell at £25 less in all their shops.

Amazing, really, that Trading Standards haven't stopped John Lewis from making claims they frequently don't live up to - and that the Advertising Standards Authority haven't also been involved.

Any other examples to add? Perhaps a bit of publicity might encourage John Lewis (good company that they are in other respects) to deliver what it promises?

BertieUK

Doc_N wrote: »

Here's the official John Lewis policy:

"If we find a national high street competitor offering a better nationwide price for the same product, sold with the same service conditions, we'll lower our price to match in all our shops and on our website, including when a competitor is having a sale."

I think that this is a slogan that they really should shelve as it is becoming old hat and they do not need to use it, as it can cause more problems for them as the General Public will go out of their way to proove them wrong, and that is not good for the company.

It is a slogan that has been used by them since the 1920s when it was coined by the founders son, John Spedan Lewis.

Sui_Generis

They don't use it to mean they have the lowest price but that when challenged they will match or beat the competition. That said its a bit old hat now and there are so many price matches they won't do its a bit redundant.

Cornucopia

I would say that there was probably enough scope within the words "If we find" to let them get away with their present policy.

But I agree, I've had them be positively frosty in the past when I've invited them to price match.

Treevo

It's very clear. They price match when asked to.

Doc_N

'Never Knowingly Undersold' is a great slogan for them to use - it creates the impression (quite incorrectly) that John Lewis always has the best prices.

They'll be very reluctant to drop it for that reason alone, but they just don't operate it in practice. Time after time - even after they've been officially notified of an undersale - they just drop the price for the one person who told them. And then leave all the prices (store and online) exactly as they were.

That doesn't remotely meet the terms of their policy:

"If we find a national high street competitor offering a better nationwide price for the same product, sold with the same service conditions, we'll lower our price to match in all our shops and on our website, including when a competitor is having a sale."

but they seem to manage to get away with it. Maybe people love John Lewis too much to make an issue of it, but one of these days they'll fall foul of Trading Standards or the ASA over it.

i_love_it

I think the example you give could be to do with the guarentee
John lewis offer a 2yr guarentee on most (maybe all) of their electrical items

Other retailers like argos will offer the standard 1 yr manufacturer guarantee

This from their policy " sold with the same service conditions"

They have never offered price match with online retailers like amazon.

having said all that, I agree it is outdated and a little ambiguous.

I have no idea how they remain so successful, I still go to browse and end up buying elsewhere or online and you can no longer benefit from knowledgeable sales staff as they no longer are. Shame, used to be one of my favourite stores.

Silk

Treevo wrote: »

It's very clear. They price match when asked to.

Yes agreed ...we bought a Samsung TV last year and it came with 5 year warranty.
It was on sale at Richer Sounds a few miles away for £50 cheaper, however only 1 year warranty.
I asked if JL would price match and the following day they sent someone over to Richer Sounds to check the price in the store and if they had availability.
They rang me that afternoon for my card details to arrange credit ...so ended up with the Richer Sounds price but a 5 year warranty :beer:

Littlestars_2

All you have to do is contact them and ask them to pricematch if they dont automatically do.

Doc_N

Littlestars wrote: »

All you have to do is contact them and ask them to pricematch if they dont automatically do.

All very well, but when you do ask them to price match, they delay things - often long enough for the price in the competitor shop to go back up again.

That way, they can avoid dropping their price.

Take the electric toothbrush in the original post, for example. Argos have now put their price back up again, and John Lewis have delayed things for long enough to avoid a price match, and to avoid having to drop their prices, either instore or online.

Clever John Lewis - or cunning and deceitful, depending on your point of view.

deanos

Doc_N wrote: »

All very well, but when you do ask them to price match, they delay things - often long enough for the price in the competitor shop to go back up again.
.

no they don't, they always get back within 24 hours using the online form , however in-store yes then can take up to a week or longer