PC World don't honour posted prices

[shiato storm]

i can believe we're arguing over pc world...bunch of gypo's...

[Alan]

Gentlemen, thanks for the comments. I know the law regarding incorrect pricing, my objection is that PC World have gone back on their (by custom only) habit of honouring the ticket price. As you can see in the update below, not only is the desk back to its "normal" retail price, but it has been increased by £70. I will be going to Trading Standards web site to complain and will mention the Samsung 172W misleading statement (it is after all an inducement to treat).

Update:

Went to another PC World, taking the flier with me. It didn't wash. But wait for it, £99.99 (down from £129.99) was its sale price and the guy even volunteered the information that at the height of the sale it was down to £79.99!!!

Quote: "Ever since they've just kept putting the price up and up".

In other words, there is no "retail price" just whatever the market will support! I find that incredible coming from a company whose motto is "stamping down on prices" !!!???

[5lab]

try phoning their head office and mentioning watchdog. as other posters mentioned watchdog seem to have a big success rate, and their headoffice may send it to you cheap just to stop their name getting slayed on tv

[directhex]

that isn't a flyer, it's a piece of POS taken from a display. the code at the bottom signifies that it's for display during week 40, which begins in early january. if you go to the trouble of bitching to head office or trading standards then some merchandiser is gonna get told off, but if you think for one second that you have any chance of free money or kit, then... well... you're simply deluded.

[directhex]

and the DSG have absolutely _NO_ interest in placating customers to save face. what's the alternative? they have a high-street monopoly, much like microsoft bad press is entrely irrelevant to them.

i'm not kidding that they used to take their customers to court over minor returns cases just to teach them who was boss (legal fees costing somewhat more than the return of a £15 cable)

[Alan]

I don't expect anything, free or otherwise. I'll just wait until it comes down in price again, in the meantime looking for a suitable alternative from somewhere else.

I don't know where you got the impression that I thought I was going to get something. Strange how people interpret words, isn't it. I will send the information to Trading Standards though. I expect nothing from them either but the idea that someone in DSG might have a moment's irritation and have to instruct stores to change a sign or two, makes me feel mildly content.

[Rave]

I worked in retail for a few years (not for DSG luckily) and the guidance we were given is that if an item was mispriced* we were not allowed to offer it to the customer at the higher price, we had to remove it from sale for 24 hours before putting it back at the correct price. I was under the impression that that was Trading Standards guidance?

*mispriced at less than cost that is. If we weren't going to lose money we'd honour it. My company actually took customer satisfaction pretty seriously, which was good, although it didn't stop the muppets at head office making it harder to give good service through their carp ideas and general hassle, but that's retail I guess.

Rich :¬)

[Alan]

Trading Standards have been in touch with me, said an Officer would contact me soon. The word "criminal" as in "act" or "prosecution" was used.

Guess what, the branch of Curry's right next door to PC World sells the same makes of desks. They didn't have the model I wanted in stock, but their price, (and there is no sale just now) is £129.99 !!

Their sales assistant gave me this gem when I told him how much it was next door. "They'll wait for 28 days and put it back to £129.99 and advertise it as £70 off!"

[directhex]

same brand? PC Line (i.e. the brand in question) is DSG own brand o_O

[Alan]

No. Omnicasa which appears to be a fairly recent range in PC World and is also stocked by Currys.

You can see reference to it in the image on the thread starter.

[Rave]

No. Omnicasa which appears to be a fairly recent range in PC World and is also stocked by Currys.

Um, yeah, Currys, PC World, all part of the Dixons Stores Group. There's a good reason why you always find them next to each other in retail parks.

Rich :¬)

[Alan]

Yes. Dixons opened PC World in 1992 and a few years later, bought Currys. Interesting point, the sides of the Omnicasa packaging have two different sets of bar codes, one marked DSG and one marked PC World. Curious.

[SilentDeath]

pc world are crap. went in there the other day to get a ide cable which happened to be price at £9.99, lol! (no, i didnt buy anything). they were selling gf4mx 440's for £120 aswell...
i work in retail atm, unfortunatly. we are told that if a customer wants to buy a product, which scans at the till point for more than the advertised price, then we get the department manager to reduce it to what it should be. that said we *often* get customers complaining if two products are on the same table, and ones on offer, the other isnt - they want to buy the one not on offer for the offer price, which is pathetic.
also ive been told by customers that if a item gets sold out, but we leave the offer signs out, then we have to honour that price with the product next to it, as thats clearly what its advertising!

[5lab]

i used to work in retail as well, and we'd always go with the lower price to not p*ss a customer off. although it was a supermarket so we'd loose less with each item..

alan mate, why not go in and try again, see if a different manager is on?

[Alan]

I've already tried a completely different branch and the refusal was instant! And this 2nd branch now had a typewritten price displayed whereas the first branch (the one with the poster) had no price up at all.

[Alan]

I've had a response from DSG. Needless to say it is as brain dead as the person who sent it and does not even cover my complaint which was nothing to do with manufacturers and RRP.

Here it is:

"Under law, a retailer is entitled to decide
the price he wants to charge for his goods.
The price on display is simply what the law
calls an invitation to treat. In the same way
you don't have to buy goods from anyone,
a retailer is under no obligation to sell you
anything.

You cannot insist that a shop sells you anything
at a marked price, whether or not they have made
a mistake.
The law does not allow prices to be fixed and, contrary
to common belief, goods are not subject to price controls.

What are RRP and MRRP?

The recommended retail price (RRP) and manufacturer's
recommended retail price (MRRP) are suggested prices
or price guidelines. Retailers can undercut these prices if
they wish, so you should shop around for a bargain.
It's illegal for shops to sell things at more than their advertised
price unless it is a genuine mistake. Our advice would be that
the business should have a checking system to prevent pricing
errors and ensure that any identified are quickly corrected.

May I thank you for taking the time and trouble to bring
this matter to my attention. Although it is always disappointing
to hear from a dissatisfied customer regarding the quality
of our products, it is by receiving letters such as yours that
we are able to address our customers concerns with the
manufacturers direct.Please accept my sincere apologies
for any inconvenience or disappointment that you have been
caused in this matter.

Kind Regards

Nick Minshull
PC World Customer Services"