M & S Fake Sale

Chickenman1108

Hi All
Got a weird one...

There's a household item that I spotted in my local M&S a few months ago. It was £100 so I decided that I'd wait and see if it went into their January sales.
Sure enough, it did. It was reduced to £45. An identical item was also added to their website (same description, same photos, also massively reduced in price) but with a different item number.
I checked back numerous times every day but neither product was available.

I decided to try calling a few of the local stored to see if they had any in stock. None of them did.
Eventually I asked them to check every store in the country and I was told that it was not available in ANY store.
Fair enough, things sell out, right?
Except a few days later both items were further reduced on their website. But it was still not available to buy.
This week they were reduced in price AGAIN. But again, not available anywhere (this time I spoke with them on their online chat and was again told that no stores have any).
I was also told that the item would be back in stock in 2 weeks time, just after their sale finishes.

I am currently awaiting a callback to ascertain what is going on.
But my question is this: Why are they continuing to reduce the prices of items that they know full well dont exist? Surely this is completely false advertising? It smacks of a company just trying to entice people to their website. To openly admit that it's not available anywhere but that it'll be back in stock AT FULL PRICE in a few weeks is surely no coincidence?
Obviously I understand that Sale items sometimes just sell out. But these items have never actually been available at the sale prices.
Is this allowed?
It'd be nice if I kinda knew what I was talking about when they call me :-)

theonlywayisup

If you feel they have been falsely advertising you can report them online to the ASA.

meer53

If it's not available it's not available, hardly a fake sale. Probably just someone not adjusting the stock count when it sold out.

DoaM

meer53 wrote: »

If it's not available it's not available, hardly a fake sale. Probably just someone not adjusting the stock count when it sold out.

They're able to change the price easily enough but not the stock count? Hmm ...

OP has had several communications with M&S (assuming the OP is telling us the full truth) yet not one of those communications has lead to the stock count being corrected?

spadoosh

Im guessing it will be part of a department of items. Ie all household items 25% off. Or more specfic within that, all curtains 25% off. So there would never have been someone marking down that specific item more clicking a few buttons and several thousand items get reduced.

Given the amount of products they sell i can imagine this is well within 'system errors' as a valid excuse.

Not to mention, OP, youre annoyed. This is something that i think would annoy most people. I have to ask how is that beneficial to M&S. You want happy customers not customers you annoy and then expect to be tricked in to buying somethin gelse from the website its counter intuitive.

unholyangel

Perhaps they had the website programmed to offer discounts on that item starting x date/time but the item sold out before that.

I mean from what OP has said, M&S aren't taking orders for it/they're not advertising it as in stock.

bris

As above, 1 button reduces all items, in stock or not. No conspiracy, just bad luck it's not in stock anywhere.


They won't take it off the site because they still plan to sell it again so 1 more click puts it back to full price.