Unearned benefits from retailers mistake

Sandtree

We've been buying white goods to do up our kitchen slowly with most coming from the same supplier who happens to be the manufacturer/uk distributor. The company offers a loyalty scheme with various rewards based on the number of appliances you own and/or the total spend value - this includes items from their brand bought elsewhere. Most of it is just mailing list stuff but they do occasionally send through discount vouchers based on your tier. 

The "problem" is that items keep appearing as registered to us that we dont own... so we bought a warming draw and oven but their site shows that we have two ovens bought at the same time, even has a serial number for the phantom one. Then today phoned their sales team to check lead time on an item and was told it was months away so said I would buy elsewhere as found another company thats holding stock. 

Shortly after got two emails from them, one with an invoice and delivery date (mid May) and the other saying my new appliance gets me another £15 discount for accessories. They dont hold payment details and checking the invoice online it shows as unpaid but can I use the discount voucher? I will be buying the item from someone else but will have to add that item to my account online after it arrives with its serial number which would then generate another £15 voucher.  Would they have grounds to try and clawback the discount if already claimed when they eventually chase payment on the invoice?

cx6

To quote from Lassie Come Home: “And there’s a funny thing about honesty; there’s no two ways about it. There’s only one way about it. Honest is honest.”

Sandtree

Honest is one thing... technically the question however was on clawbacks.

Ultimately the £15 voucher requires a £50 spend so if you take the basic economics that a retailer should double the wholesale cost as a minimum then they will still make a profit by the purchase and were I not to have the voucher I wouldnt be buying their accessory at all but a cheaper 3rd party version from elsewhere.

Not trying to justify any "dishonesty"  but reality is that its not as if I'd be potentially pushing them towards bankruptcy.

I did previously point out the them about the phantom oven in passing and they shrugged (back in the good old days when you could go into stores)... I didnt point out the consequences to them but assumed they know how their own systems work so not really my job to.

cx6

I am picking up that you know you shouldn't use it but are trying to find some justification to do so (hence my Lassie quote).

If I am wrong and instead you 100% know that you are entitled to use it then no need to ask on here - just use it and if they clawback then you haven't lost anything 

Ergates

I would say this falls into the category of marketing - which would mean you're good to go.

Sandtree

cx6 said:

I am picking up that you know you shouldn't use it but are trying to find some justification to do so (hence my Lassie quote).

If I am wrong and instead you 100% know that you are entitled to use it then no need to ask on here - just use it and if they clawback then you haven't lost anything 

I'm just separating the moral from the legal question... something done fairly frequently on this site and actively advocated at times when highlighting loopholes to make debts unenforceable etc.