John Lewis: Knowingly Undersold!

[wendygs 10]

Originally posted by northernboy

I suppose it's not really that surprising that when the price is halved, demand increases so they sell out of whatever stock they were holding (stock levels presumably being based on historical demand figures).

They still should have placed an order for you though...

 

You missed the point. JLP still advertised at the discounted price to make it appear they were honouring "never knowingly undersold policy" when they did not intend to sell the goods. As soon as their competitor increased the price JLP/Coles reintroduced it.

 

And that offer was on for some 4-6 weeks if not longer so it was clearly not a case of not being able to get the goods which were not in short supply elsewhere. It was simply JLP not wanting to sell goods at half price. If that's not a con I dont know what is. But then JLP is good at that particularly their customer services.

[angle20 10]

I've always regarded the John Lewis price promise thing as nonsense - nearly everything seems to be dearer than other places. I only go in there if I can't easily find something somewhere else; they do have a more comprehensive stock for a lot of lines.

[northernboy 13]

Originally posted by wendygs

You missed the point. JLP still advertised at the discounted price to make it appear they were honouring "never knowingly undersold policy" when they did not intend to sell the goods. As soon as their competitor increased the price JLP/Coles reintroduced it.

 

And that offer was on for some 4-6 weeks if not longer so it was clearly not a case of not being able to get the goods which were not in short supply elsewhere. It was simply JLP not wanting to sell goods at half price. If that's not a con I dont know what is. But then JLP is good at that particularly their customer services.

 

Fair enough, that sounds a bit suspect I agree.

Did you ask them at the time to order one for you at the lower price?

[wendygs 10]

Originally posted by northernboy

Fair enough, that sounds a bit suspect I agree.

Did you ask them at the time to order one for you at the lower price?

 

No because they actively discouraged me from doing so and were not at all keen in taking any orders for it at that price.

[northernboy 13]

Originally posted by wendygs

No because they actively discouraged me from doing so and were not at all keen in taking any orders for it at that price.

I'm quite shocked that they could take that attitude, to be honest. Is it legal to advertise something for sale at £x.xx but have no intention of actually selling you one at that price? If they don't want to sell it, why not just take it off display?

 

To be honest, I don't really see the point of price-matching anyway. If shop A sells it cheaper than shop B, why not just buy it from the cheaper shop, rather than going to the hassle of trying to persuade the more expensive place to drop their price?

[nick2 10]

Originally posted by northernboy

To be honest, I don't really see the point of price-matching anyway. If shop A sells it cheaper than shop B, why not just buy it from the cheaper shop, rather than going to the hassle of trying to persuade the more expensive place to drop their price?

 

Normally I would agree, but Coles tend to have better (longer) guarantees and are much easier to deal with when you take something back than, say, Dixons.

[wendygs 10]

Originally posted by northernboy

I'm quite shocked that they could take that attitude, to be honest. Is it legal to advertise something for sale at £x.xx but have no intention of actually selling you one at that price? If they don't want to sell it, why not just take it off display?

 

To be honest, I don't really see the point of price-matching anyway. If shop A sells it cheaper than shop B, why not just buy it from the cheaper shop, rather than going to the hassle of trying to persuade the more expensive place to drop their price?

 

In this case I think JLP staff were instructed to discourage price-matching sales for this particular item because it wouldnt have been financially viable. It didnt occur to me this was JLPs strategy until after the product went back up to the full price and I was soooooo very generously allowed to buy it at the reduced price which only happened AFTER I got really very shirty. I think they didnt want me making a fuss in a very busy section and to avoid doubt I was getting vociferous.

 

Personally I have found a wide range of bad practices across the scope of their services, customer services and account card services which leaves something to be desired.

[nick2 10]

Originally posted by wendygs

Personally I have found a wide range of bad practices across the scope of their services, customer services and account card services which leaves something to be desired.

 

Especally now HFC run their credit/account card.

You can't pay money onto your card in-store any more, you can't pay your bill in-store any more, you can't realy make any enquiries in-store any more (the account services department in-store serves no purpose that I can see).

If you don't want to pay by DD you have to take the bill to an HSBC bank (Monday to Friday only if you don't have an account with HSBC) and pay it over the counter. Very convenient.

[wendygs 10]

Originally posted by nick2

Especally now HFC run their credit card. You can't pay money onto your card in-store any more, you can't pay your bill in-store any more, you can't realy make any enquiries in-store any more.

If you don't want to pay by DD you have to take the bill to an HSBC bank (Monday to Friday only if you don't have an account with HSBC) and pay it over the counter. Very convenient.

 

Not to mention the fact that because I'm speech impaired JLP staff have to phone up for me and there are all kinds of shenanigans with substantial discrepancies between what they say do and write. Load of lying toe-rags and I'm still waiting for them to send me copies of letters of instructions which were supposedly faxed to their HSBC side, not to mention a replacement account card which got lost/stolen. :rant: :rant:

[wendygs 10]

Oh and I've sent countless emails to their Customer Services Manager (Mrs Gillian) since August when I first requested full contact details with a working fax number for their card services. Despite several exchanges including her advice she doesnt know anything about the pillock Andrew Marie-Dent. So not surprisingly I asked her to provide me the details of Marie-Dent's line manager. Guess what I'm still waiting.

 

We are talking about my account and the effective management of my financial affairs. I think this is a very serious matter and am deeply concerned by the failure of this company to take financial matters seriously.

 

In the ordinary course of events I would write to their Chairman's Office but from previous dealings over the defective IBM bunkum they passed off as a computer in 1999 they seem to take the view that one should deem it a great privilege to receive a letter telling you to bog off.

[Plain Talker 11]

Originally posted by northernboy

I'm quite shocked that they could take that attitude, to be honest. Is it legal to advertise something for sale at £x.xx but have no intention of actually selling you one at that price? If they don't want to sell it, why not just take it off display?

 

To be honest, I don't really see the point of price-matching anyway. If shop A sells it cheaper than shop B, why not just buy it from the cheaper shop, rather than going to the hassle of trying to persuade the more expensive place to drop their price?

 

yes northern boy... el-cheapo companies/ supermarkets like n*tto, l*dl and al*i do this sort of thing, all too frequently

 

they advertise a top-spec- computer or something for 200 quid, but when you go to the shop, at 9am the morning they are meant to go on sale, they either have only been sent the one, or not been sent at all.

 

the thing is, it's a con, sure, but more to the point, it's an inducement to get you into their shops.

 

Even the ads in a shop window, showing an alleged price of an item, are merely what's called "an Invitation To Buy", they aren't FORCED to sell you product "X" at price "Y".

 

PT

[nick2 10]

Wendygs, HFC are not the worlds greatest financial corporation.

I closed a loan account with them ages ago (one of those ones you get saddled with if you don't pay the full amount back (I was £5 short) in one of those "buy now, pay next year deals") then got a letter saying they had increased the credit limit, when I said the account had been closed they said they had "kept it open incase I changed my mind", they calimed to have not spoken to me about closing it and to have not seen the letter requesting them to close it.

 

Persevere and you will eventually get what you want from them, but they do make life difficult when you want something.