Misleading 3 for 2 offers on website

Well known online retailer advertising an offer -'Buy any 3 - get cheapest free'.
So I buy 3 of Product A @£10.00 each - expecting to get one free.
If I'd stopped there I would have got the 'cheapest item' free - all the same price.
However, I also purchased 3 of Product B @ £3.00 each - expecting to get one item free of charge.
Different products but from the same range.
But what the retailer did was instead give me two of the lower priced items - Product B free of charge.
Surely this isn't right.
Could understand if I'd bought 2 x Product A and 1 x Product B - I would indeed have got just the cheapest item free.
The offer wasn't buy 6 get cheapest item free
Is it me?
«1

Comments

  • Frogletina
    Frogletina Posts: 3,865
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    If I ever see an offer like this I pay for each group of three separately.

    I think it all depends on how the tills are set up to do the calculation but I don't like to take a chance.

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  • sarah1972
    sarah1972 Posts: 18,858
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    Always best to split into 2 transactions as it can happen quite a lot.
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  • Thanks both - it was an online shop - I added the first three items in my basket - so one product x 3.
    Then the second product - x 3.
    I've got my money back via customer services but this seems sharp practice - the store has said:
    There can be a slight confusion in that, our system will work out a percentage rather than provide the items for free. Whatever the percentage of the saving,this will be applied across the items as a whole rather than charging them as zero.
    I think this is very misleading and bad practice - I wonder how many others have thought they were getting a deal but then didn't bother to check [very badly laid out] receipt/invoice!
  • chesky
    chesky Posts: 1,341
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    It's an old problem and has been the subject of posts here before. Like the others, I never take chances and pay for offers like this separately from my main shopping. I always feel a bit stupid doing it though.
  • Planahead
    Planahead Posts: 20
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    edited 3 November 2018 at 10:30PM
    Didn't realise this was an ongoing issue - I wonder why Martin has not yet taken the supermarkets to task on this....?
  • alanq
    alanq Posts: 4,216
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    edited 4 November 2018 at 12:01AM
    chesky wrote: »
    It's an old problem and has been the subject of posts here before.

    Here's one thread on the subject that I started four years ago.
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4942018

    Unless anything has changed since I stopped using Ocado, it may have state of the art warehouse systems but its billing software leaves a lot to be desired. I also had a dispute with it when my Smart Pass % discounts were rounded up when ordering but down when it came to the final bill.
  • Thanks very much for this - I thought I was going mad when I tried to reason with Ocado - I've never had a similar issue with the other retailers online or in store - so interesting to see it's just Ocado and Waitrose. I have got my money back but this really does smack of sharp practice and I expect lots of people have been misled.
    Thank you AlanQ
  • Watch out for Tesco's "3 for 2" multibuy discount being wrong when you buy more than 3 items at a time. You could be overcharged. The discount is correct instore, If you have three expensive "3 for 2" items in the shopping basket the discount is the price of the cheapest of these - this is correct. Just add add one cheaper item and the discount is the price of that item. For example: 3 at £10 - discount £10. 3 at £10 plus 1 at £1 - discount £1. 3 at £10 plus 3 at £1 - discount is £2 but should be £11. You get ripped off for £9 if you don't notice. This is easy to try online at Tesco. Then try it at Boots online store and see that they get it right.
  • demeter
    demeter Posts: 15
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    I could have but I was trying to make an order to use one of Tesco's discount vouchers for spending over £40. If I split the order I would not that discount and would have had to pay an extra delivery charge anyway. I suppose that if I made regular large home delivery orders I could split the 3for2 orders. In the end I just went to a local Tesco Extra, bought the same items, and got the correct 3for2 discount. The instore self checkout gave the right 3for2 discount and I did not need to split it.
  • demeter
    demeter Posts: 15
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    I've complained to Tesco initially and now have raised this with the ASA pointing out that Boots get it right and that Tesco get it right instore. Sainsburys don't seem to do 3for2 offers now but years ago when they did I bought 6 items in the 3for2 offer at different prices. I asked at the checkout whether I needed to split the order to get the right discount and was told that I did not need to and I did get the correct discount without having to split in to 2 orders.
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