Currys misselling - laptop

Gonia

Cheers everyone
ah, please understand that my laptop broke suddenly over the weekend. I do not own a tv and wanted to get new laptop as quick as possible. that is why I didn't do research - no laptop and access to internet.
its not about crying over the laptop I got, but over the way I was treated, over miscommunication, miss-selling etc..
I don't understand the VAT explanation.... If the price of a bundle cost on a website 268.99 including VAT, why suddenly in the store is quoted as 299.99?
Bear in mind that 300 was the maximum I was able to spend. Saying I was happy to spend 300 is a stretch. No, I wasn't happy, in the store there was nothing much better/cheaper withing that price bracket. also not knowing that the real price of the bundle is in fact 268.99 how could I know I am overpaying? Is putting computer cost up and then 'discounting' set up cost a fair, normal, natural behaviour? I don't think so..as it takes away the choice I would normally have. Even if I didn't return laptop isn't it better for a person who earns minimum wage to spend 268.99 rather than 299.99 and to know that a set up cost 45 not 10? I repeat, if I was provided the real price, I would spent 268.99 and definitely not pay 45 for a set up cost. Even if I still wasn't able to return the computer at least I would have not feel so bad about the price manipulation.
Shouldn't I also be informed as I am in other shops what is refundable and what is not without having to study every shop policy in detail beforehand? Is it that difficult to say this one sentence to the client? What is the point of having staff in the shop if they wont tell you anything? what's the point of each of them even being there? What if I was 60 year old who knows even less about these things and buys her first laptop ever? is it compulsory to have advisors and to protect yourself from every direction, or is it only natural to go to the shop, explain your situation and expect they simply wont take advantage of you?
I just don't understand why I can expect honesty in the shop and have to feel guilty for not predicting all the tricks they may use?


and apologies for my English, its not my first language

Gonia

Yes, that's the one.

agrinnall

vuvuzela wrote: »

Which is what most people use their laptops for, so it will likely be adequate. Browsing / streaming and writing documents.

Currys say:

The Satellite C50B14D has an Intel® Celeron® N2830 processor, which provides ample power for home computing, whether you're browsing websites or updating spreadsheets.

You can't really argue with that, and the OP is likely to be perfectly happy with it, although personally I'd want something with a better processor.

shaun_from_Africa

Gonia wrote: »

If the price of a bundle cost on a website 268.99 including VAT, why suddenly in the store is quoted as 299.99?

There is no requirement for online prices to be the same as store prices and many retailers who sell on both platforms often have different pricing structures.


What was the actual sticker price shown on the laptop in store? as this is the price that you would have agreed to purchase at and not whatever price was shown online.

Gonia

why also the shops are plastered with signs ' changed your mind? not a problem, if returning anything is nearly impossible?
Why the banks are being fined heavily for miss-selling their products and what Currys is doing is explained to me as my fault for being - stupid, unprepared, not having enough knowledge, etc?
If I sell you a dress for £50 and ask if you want a bag to go with it for £5 you may think its a bargain to buy a bag so cheaply.There may be no other similar dresses in the shop so you would spend what they ask you for with a heavy heart. How would you feel if you went home and discovered that the dress in the same shop actually cost £30 and the bag £25?
What if you want to return the dress and someone told you that the fact you bought a bag means you cant return the dress anymore?
if you had known the dress cost only 30 and the bag 25 maybe you would decide to go for a dress and nothing else, knowing that the bag purchase prevents you from returning anything you may again - not have bought a bag and at least spend less for a dress.
yes, it is my fault for not waiting few more days, for not asking people around about recommendations. However I disagree that the shop should get away with what they are doing, with all the falls, misleading claims, suggestions, price manipulations etc.

shaun_from_Africa

Gonia wrote: »

why also the shops are plastered with signs ' changed your mind? not a problem, if returning anything is nearly impossible?

Those signs will all state something along the lines of "Terms and conditions apply" and there will be small print stating exactly what those T&C's are.
Before anyone can really give further useful information, we still need to know how much the sticker price was on the laptop in store. As already mentioned, the £268.99 online price is irrelevant as you didn't make the purchase online. You bought in store and the advertised in store price is what you agreed to pay.

Leo2020

Currys policy on returns is you can change your mind if the item has not been opened. Your laptop has been un-boxed to set-up therefore you can't take it back.

As said before the online and store price can be different. You are assuming the store price is the same as the online price and that the store have overcharged you. It is also possible for the price to have changed since you bought it.

Gonia

'There is no requirement for online prices to be the same as store prices and many retailers who sell on both platforms often have different pricing structures.'


my bill receipt, without showing any discounts, quotes laptop price as 268.99 and set up cost as 45..
But the sales man told me the laptop costs 299.99 and set up 10..
The result is the same at the end..providing I go for the service..i wonder how my bill would look like if I didn't go for the service? would I pay 299.99 still? and would my bill show 268.99?
sorry, I didn't check the stickers, I didn't check the company policy,i didn't check the salesman passport details and his shoe size... I dint study every single detail as I stupidly believed that I wouldn't be lied to.
I stupidly assume that what I am being told in the shop like this is true...
lesson learned.
thank you everyone for comments

Generali

If you've not used the laptop (for example to post here) then I would imagine that the signage in the shop means there is a contract between you and Currys that means that you have rights beyond your basic rights in law.

Try the CAB or even your local council. I used to work, many years ago, for a competitor to Currys and we caved in when an official body got in touch as it suddenly became official and needed bringing HQ in and all that crap.

Stand up for your rights. If Currys sold you a computer on the basis that you can simply change your mind then you have every right to do so.

TRT

Curry are dreadful for their returns policy. They do plaster the store with "If you change your mind", but then they refuse to refund you if you've so much as opened the box.

I bought a TV from there but my flatmate didn't like the colour (it was wooden), and the aerial input socket had a dry joint which made the picture cut out frequently. I took it back and explained all this and they said that because I'd opened the box, I had accepted the goods, and because it had been reduced for clearance it was "sold as seen" so I had accepted the faulty socket. They offered me a complimentary repair, or a refund of half the price (as a "restocking fee"), but I stuck to my guns over the fault, pointed out that the way they'd set it up in store using an HDMI cable from a DVD player hid the fault with the aerial socket which mean that the fault hadn't been made clear and the information panel which was still on the shelf stated that the set was able to receive analogue and terrestrial TV through the aerial. They relented and refunded in full, but I was in the store for nearly two hours arguing the case with a variety of staff.

In your case, because you agreed to the installation of software as a set-up service, you've waived your 14 day cancellation right (most of the software I expect would involve some form of digital download, be it the bulk of the code or a simple activation handshake). The only recourse you would have would be if there was a hardware fault with the machine, or there was part of the specification advertised which the machine didn't meet in some way. It's a reasonable machine for, as others have said, web browsing and email writing. It's not a gaming machine, and it's not a Photoshop workstation. I'd say that you're stuck with it. If you had asked your colleague's advice earlier, it might have saved you some misgivings.

For my tuppence, I'd say avoid Currys and !!!!yWorld like the plague. Go to John Lewis or a specialist individual shop instead. If you are receiving any sort of training or education alongside your employment, speak to them or failing that, try Barclay's Digital Eagles.