John Lewis price matching

vyle

3under3 wrote: »

We recently bought a Plasma TV from JL. They pricematched with Richer Sounds but refused to price match with RJB direct or any other wholesaler (such as Tesco). They seemed to have a long list of stores they would not price match with - we went with them as we got the 5 year warranty as standard.

That's odd, because the Sony V4000 was pricematched over christmas against tesco...

Altarf

JezzaBill wrote: »

I attempted to order a Miele chest freezer from John Lewis...
John Lewis would only match the price if that item was in stock available for sale. No one including John Lewis stocks this item as they take up too much retail space and they're all despatched direct from Miele.

If what you say is correct, then John Lewis should price match. The T&Cs of their Price Commitment says -

•Competitors’ products must match our service conditions which are:
- display price clearly adjacent to the item
- have equivalent delivery timescales and stock availability (i.e. they have it in stock if we have it in stock).

Are you sure that JL don't actually have at least one of them in stock, after all they do have some rather large distribution warehouses?

jicms

It would be so useful if there was an easier way of finding out which stores JL price match with. Last time I bought a TV it took me several weeks of submitting price matches, starting with the cheapest till I found one they were prepared to match with. It's not possible to submit more than one at a time and they took a few days checking on each before turning them down, either because they were out of stock or they didn't have a retail shop etc.

sparklymessygirl

Just a quick note to confirm that JL price matching worked for me (Jan 2012) with an item cheaper at Tesco Direct. I was worried that they wouldn't price match as it would be an online purchase with Tesco Direct even though Tesco itself has a bricks and mortar store. I rang John Lewis and they immediately agreed it would be price matched - I think this was easier as I had a gift registry set up with JL and a named person I could contact. Could not fault this service,

Sparkly

terryj1974

John Lewis's price match (Oxford St.London is a sham) read this andmake up your own minds:I visited JL Oxford Street in December approx 16th Dec (in the week before the 20th as I left London on the 21st)to go to Yorkshire till 9th Jan. This was as I explained in a letter to them
I had seen Boots Liverpool Street London store- were discontinuing their Lumie Bodyclock Light/Radios
at £29.99.(The ones you currently sell at £85)
I asked the lighting dept what proof I needed and was told a letter or written proof.
This I asked Boots for and was sent on the 21st Dec (postmark on their letter)
However I was away til 9th Jan before I got back to London.
On 9 Jan I went into JL Oxford St-it was my first port of call
The Lumie product was offered at £29.99,the staff rang Boots to confirm the price was £29.99 in December and told yes,but I had to pay £85 then go upstairs to Customer services to claim back the £55.01 difference on a green form
A woman said she'd deal with it,within 4 days.
The day after I was rung back to be told
It can't be processed,the lamp on "Boots website" is not the same model.
That is clearly correct the website one is the NEW model with a digital clock,the one Boots had and that you sell is the Clock-Dial model
which is the one I want.I did not want the website version>I wanted to match it to the one Boots were discontinuing.
So this would "need to be looked into"
by Carol in Customer Services.
Today I receive another call to say it still can't be matched because
(a whole raft of excuses)
1.The letter isn't dated. (No but the postmark states the 21st Dec)
2.She has rang "Barnsley branch"-Why phone Barnsley?,my price match was to London Liverpool Street not my home town (in any case their own policy says the match must be within 8 miles)
3.Then they don't have any stock now--Well no they don't -I had to ask them to produce a letter that landed over Christmas when I was away-Had they rung Boots on or about the 16th/17th Dec they'd have had an instant answer.
4.Now Boots has been phoned (and after getting two members of staff) one says they'd sold them but can't remember prices and the other said "they didn't know if they'd sold them at all"
You are bound to get answers like this because some staff aren't on that section every day or are part timers that do their job but don't consciously memorise everything in the shop.
The top and bottom of it in my view,is I have to concur that the matching seems a good policy but is very much evasive and a loophole
that if every box isn't ticked,theres an excuse not to guarantee a price match.
The internet and forums are becoming increasingly full of this negative feedback.
In this case I was told get written proof,I did so,this takes time -on the day I bring the letter the lighting dept confirm a price drop,but still charge full saying claim it back upstairs,where you have to explain it all again,now there opponents stock has sold (through the amount of timewasting) you don't have to match the price
Then when a letter is brought in,its sufficient to verify as its correct but you charge the full price on and a customer goes home been told yes it'll be refunded
when in fact you will be rung to be told it can't be because "we're looking at the wrong item on a webpage,for something that was never pricematched to the web anyway".
As things go I shall simply return the lamp for a full refund,as I have already wasted over 5 hours on this matter already
with travel,asking for verification,then to buy it,then phone calls,to and fro and to then to have to return it.The fact of the matter is they ask you to get prrof of price,then in the intervening period waste time while the other retailer sells out and they then hide behind,the "oh there's no stock available TODAY".My next letter to them detailed all this and I asked "How many people are taking John Lewis's through the civil courts to get a judicial ruling on how a price match should be interpreted in each case.So far they have not replied,but I am aware some customers are (particularly if they can claim a civil court ex160a exemption of fee making the case as civil claims to get a ruling in their favour)

Googlewhacker

I have to ask, why didn't you just buy it from Boots in the first place?

mjm3346

If the item was actually brought in JL on 9th Jan that would be when Boots would need it in stock to price match it not sometime in December.

freddiesmum09

Googlewhacker wrote: »

I have to ask, why didn't you just buy it from Boots in the first place?

Would have got advantage points too!

prowla

I reckon that "never knowingly undersold" means that if they know it's cheaper then they won't sell it to you!

Incidentally, if one person comes along and does a price match, does that then mean that they have to sell to all other customers at that price too? (Otherwise they would be knowingly selling, etc.)

jayship

John Lewis has always price matched on items i have bought over the years. Provided it matches their "Never Knowingly Undersold" criteria. It is never upto the manager or the individual to decide on the partnership policy.