Misleading Price on sale item

NellieD

I recently purchased a pair of shoes.
They were advertised on the shop floor as being reduced from £110 to £89.
This being a good reduction, I bought the shoes.
When I got home and took the shoes out of the box I noticed the sticker on the bottom of the shoe said £89. Also the price printed with the information on the side of the box said £89. This however had been blacked out with a marker pen, but was still legible.
I have looked the item up on the company website and the item is not in the sale and is priced at £89. So I did not get a reduced item...I paid full price.
I am wondering if presenting an item for sale suggesting that you are saving £20....which would therefore encourage you to buy.....but it actually being full price...is a breach of some consumer rights. Any thoughts.

bazzyb

NellieD wrote: »

Any thoughts.

You were happy to buy the shoes at £89 and thought it was a good price. You paid £89 which is what you were expecting.

I don't see how any previous selling price is particularly relevant, you either thought they were worth paying £89 for or they weren't.

Sicard

Retailers can charge whatever they like and if wrongly priced will be covered by the silly 'invitation' rule.

alumende27

https://www.businesscompanion.info/sites/default/files/Guidance-for-Traders-on-Pricing-Practices-2016.pdf Indicates it is poor practice, but I agree with bazzyb. If you thought they were good value for money at the price you paid what's the issue? If you don't like them now you know their full retail price wasn't more than you paid take them back and ask for a refund, and never shop at a place that employs such weasely underhand sales tactics again.

Zandoni

Just one of the many ways that shops mislead people. They may have had them for sale at the higher price in another branch.

arcon5

I disagree. It's poor form. It's using unfair sales tactics to influence buyers decisions.
Report it to trading standards, doubt anything will come of it though. But it's really poor practice and I'm sure there are rules around this sort of thing but can't remember where I read it. Didn't one of the big sofa companies come under investigation for this sort of thing? Now they put a sofa in a deep dark corner somewhere to £2k for a month so they can offer a half price sale across the country

robatwork

The answer is that it's probably in breach of some consumer law, if you could prove it. And your redress would be around £0 if you decided to pursue it as you bargained for shoes at £89 and got shoes at £89.

What do you want to do about it, and what do you hope is the outcome?

If, for example you want the shop to stop doing this, then you have 2 hopes and one of them is Bob.
If you want some compensation then you're entitled to diddly squat.
If you want to feel better about the situation by reporting them to trading standards then start here https://www.tradingstandards.uk/consumers#postcodesearchform
and never use them again.

harrys_dad

You have my sympathy OP. Everyone likes to think they have got a bargain, and to find out you have paid full price can be dispiriting and spoil the pleasure of the purchase. Don't let it do that. You loved the shoes when you bought them for £89 so just get on with wearing them and enjoying them.

takman

That's why I have always said you should never buy any item based on how much you save. You should only consider the price they are selling it at and determine if it's worth that price. You do this by comparing the product with other retailers.

But so many people get carried away when they see discounts they never really think about the price they are paying.

worried_jim

arcon5 wrote: »

I disagree. It's poor form. It's using unfair sales tactics to influence buyers decisions.
Report it to trading standards, doubt anything will come of it though. But it's really poor practice and I'm sure there are rules around this sort of thing but can't remember where I read it. Didn't one of the big sofa companies come under investigation for this sort of thing? Now they put a sofa in a deep dark corner somewhere to £2k for a month so they can offer a half price sale across the country

Yes I did it at DFS (albeit it 16 years ago). Our product list would feature over twice as many ranges that were on display in the stores at very expensive prices. When the ranges finally hit the sales floor they would be included in the current offer/sale at half the price. Technically they had been available to purchase at the higher price but no one ever would as they couldn't see them, but if a customer questioned the higher price we would produce the old stock list to prove it as a genuine discount.

I believe that now each range will have spent a day on the sales floor some where at the higher price. I once put a full price range out in error and somebody did order it before we put it back into the warehouse.

NellieD

Thank you all for your responses.
Takman...you have hit the nail on the head when you say..."so many people get carried away when they see discounts they never really think about the price they are paying."....I did fall foul of this...
I needed a pair if shoes desperately for the next day and I had been looking around Leamington, Coventry and Rugby to no avail.
They were for a fancy shindig and would not be worn often after the event as thry match the dress I had but nothing else I own...anyway...I was not planning to spend so much. I thought £50 tops...but seeing as I was getting a pair of Kurt Geiger shoes for a bargain seemed ok. Usually I am more savvy...but time was running out.
I suppose that I am a bit miffed by this....but that isn't really my concern...it is as robatwork said....what concerns me is the fact that they have done this...how many more items are sold in that manner? I am not thinking of refund or compensation...just wanting to know how this situation is viewed in relation to consumers rights.
I anticipate that any attempt by me to bring this to the attention of the store...or the retail group of which it is part (major high street department store) would be futile...thsnks again for all your suggestions....it can be very illuminating to get some other perspectives on an issue!