Irritating and sneaky retailers!

KavKav

KavKav

Messages
427
Name
Tom
Edit My Images
Yes
Anyone noticed the cheap and sneaky game that Currys and Comet are playing lately?

I use Camera Price Buster a lot to keep up to speed with the movements in Nikon camera and lens prices, see here: http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/cat4.html

Both Currys and Comet recently have promoted Nikon DSLR's at prices which take them to the top of the 'cheapest price' list, today's example being Currys offering the Nikon D90 + 18-105 VR lens at £709. This price takes them to the head of the list pricewise with the extra publicity that goes with it. To get this 'favourable' price, you need to use a discount code, in this example Currys discount code: 70SAVE

The kicker is that this discount code is ONLY applicable to orders placed over the internet and posted, i.e. the discount is not available for 'reserve and collect' buyers and guess what? Yes, you got it, Temporarily out of stock for home delivery

Two weeks ago, Currys appeared as having the cheapest price on the D300 with the usual 'Temporarily out of stock' flag on the website. I telephoned Currys first thing that same morning and enquired when they would be having more stock in and I was told, and I kid you not, 'We have no stock and there is no stock on order according to our computer system' :bat:

If this is not sharp and deceitful practice, I do not know what is! :nono:
 
Wouldn't this have more to do with whoever runs CPB than the retailers? Unless I'm missing your point completely I can't see that Currys/Comet are doing anything underhand. :)
 
KavKav said:
If this is not sharp and deceitful practice, I do not know what is! :nono:
Click to expand...

Reminds me of a story about my father when he ran a retail business years ago.

A customer came in and asked the price of a particular Mower, my father said £250.

The guy told him that a shop down the road was selling it for £190. My father asked him why he hadn't bought it there and he was told because the other shop didn't have any stock.

My Dad replied that when he didn't have any stock the price was £190 too.
 
Don't quote me, but I believe advertising something for sale that you do not have (and won't be getting) is against the law.
 
Is the code 70SAVE only for use on the D90 or is it for a range of products?

edit: having checked it is for anything over £700 so CPB have automatically removed £70 from the price of anything over £700 - this is not Curry or Comet's fault
 
Last edited:
KavKav said:
Both Currys and Comet recently have promoted Nikon DSLR's at prices which take them to the top of the 'cheapest price' list, today's example being Currys offering the Nikon D90 + 18-105 VR lens at £709. This price takes them to the head of the list pricewise with the extra publicity that goes with it. To get this 'favourable' price, you need to use a discount code, in this example Currys discount code: 70SAVE

The kicker is that this discount code is ONLY applicable to orders placed over the internet and posted, i.e. the discount is not available for 'reserve and collect' buyers and guess what? Yes, you got it, Temporarily out of stock for home delivery
Click to expand...

Currys must have had a delivery within the last hour then, as the D90 +18-105 is now shown as in stock for delivery and "reserve and collect".....:shrug:
 
Rick,
As far as I understand it, CPB get their price info from the retailers and update their site daily. Agreed CPB give a net price after taking into account the applicable promotional code. The issue is that these stores offer a price that puts them at the top of lists like CPB with the attendant publicity and the issue is that when you come to buy, the advertised coucher code is only applicable to home deliveries and you then hit the brick wall as the site advertises 'Out of stock for home delivery'

Amazingly (time 09.28) Currys are now are showing stock of the D90 kit!:LOL:
 
Sigismund said:
Wouldn't this have more to do with whoever runs CPB than the retailers? Unless I'm missing your point completely I can't see that Currys/Comet are doing anything underhand. :)
Click to expand...

They have been promoting stock at a 'best value' price (including discount code) that they do not have available to sell.


Amazingly (time 09.28) Currys are now are showing stock of the D90 kit!:LOL:
 
KavKav said:
They have been promoting stock at a 'best value' price (including discount code) that they do not have available to sell.


Amazingly (time 09.28) Currys are now are showing stock of the D90 kit!:LOL:
Click to expand...

Have you considered that the reason that they don't/didn't have any might be that loads of people have gone to cpb, spotted the "bargain", go to the Currys site and bought all the stock...;)

Jessops were coming to the top of the list with a price of £290 for an SB-900, but they didn't have any stock either, but that was for exactly the reason I've outlined.
 
Last edited:
Flash In The Pan said:
Have you considered that the reason that they don't/didn't have any might be that loads of people have gone to cpb, spotted the "bargain", go to the Currys site and bought all the stock...;)

Jessops were coming to the top of the list with a price of £290 for an SB-900, but they didn't have any stock either, but that was for exactly the reason I've outlined.
Click to expand...

Hi Stan,
You have a point but :nuts:sadly:nuts: I check CPB last thing at night and first thing in the morning within 10 minutes of their 05.25 update and it is that data I based my grumble on. Going on to the Currys website at 05.40 and finding them out of stock leads me to believe it is a 'no stock' issue rather than an 'all sold to very early morning buyers' issue!:D
 
KavKav said:
Hi Stan,
You have a point but :nuts:sadly:nuts: I check CPB last thing at night and first thing in the morning within 10 minutes of their 05.25 update and it is that data I based my grumble on. Going on to the Currys website at 05.40 and finding them out of stock leads me to believe it is a 'no stock' issue rather than an 'all sold to very early morning buyers' issue!:D
Click to expand...

Or maybe Currys don't update their website each day until 9am ;)
 
It's not just Comet and Currys who are using this tactic sadly. As other posters have pointed out, the ratings system is flawed because it does not take into account stock levels, only advertised prices. The sellers are just taking advantage of the fact that CPB lets them do this.
 
Ryanair school of selling. 400mm 2.8 lens £20 ... glass to put in it .... £5000 :)

Flight £2 ... fee for using your card to book £400 .... i love it
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Or maybe Currys don't update their website each day until 9am ;)
Click to expand...



Etract from my original post:-

Two weeks ago, Currys appeared as having the cheapest price on the D300 with the usual 'Temporarily out of stock' flag on the website. I telephoned Currys first thing that same morning and enquired when they would be having more stock in and I was told, and I kid you not, 'We have no stock and there is no stock on order according to our computer system'
(y)
 
Tokkelossi said:
Ryanair school of selling. 400mm 2.8 lens £20 ... glass to put in it .... £5000 :)

Flight £2 ... fee for using your card to book £400 .... i love it
Click to expand...

Sad, but unfortunately true. Re the 400mm lens, you forgot the £100 surcharge for having a camera body to fit the lens to!
 
Last edited:
KavKav said:
They have been promoting stock at a 'best value' price (including discount code) that they do not have available to sell.
Click to expand...

Flawed argument - Curry's are advertising an item for sale but have no stock.

At the same time they have a generic discount code which can be applied.

It is not Curry's advertising a specific item at that price, which you appear to have a problem with, but rather offering the item at price X whilst simultaneously discounting many items by Y

If the discount code was not applicable would you be annoyed about Curry's still having an item on the website but saying out of stock?
 
KavKav said:
They have been promoting stock at a 'best value' price (including discount code) that they do not have available to sell.


Amazingly (time 09.28) Currys are now are showing stock of the D90 kit!:LOL:
Click to expand...

I disagree. It is CPB that have been promoting stock at best value price and not Currys etc. For instance, CPB have the Sony A700 inc. 16-105mm lens showing as available at Currys for £729.00 if you use Discount Code 70SAVE. The Currys web site clearly shows that the item is not availalable for home delivery so CPB are the ones at fault for advertising the kit at the wrong price.

I don't see any evidence that Currys are doing anything wrong here!
 
to advertise a price generally you have to maintain a minimum amount of stock
example: special offers at PCworld, laptops for £200 etc.
each store was required, by policy if not law, to have this mimimum 10-20 of this laptop, available in every store participating. Customers queuing up outside were given vouchers to redeem and to stop queue jumping.

the only problem with this situation is that if Comet have no intention of fulfilling their price promise. If it's just a matter of stock variability then you have no recourse. Perhaps the stock system is updated externally buy stock-buyers trying to keep up and they don't put figures on the system until they have stock...there by preventing any consumer disappointment and misleading delivery schedules.

this being a generic code though...the price still applies to their broad range of stock, so in that respect they're doing nothing wrong. it's CPB just messing you around
 
Guys, I have got it wrong. Time to fess up and poke myself several times with a sharp stick! :bonk:

The rascals here are not Currys and Comet but Camera Price Buster! Half an hour ago they posted the Nikon D300 as being £999 at Currys. I imediately phoned Currys and they were totally bewildered! They do not have the D300 in stock at any price. They did not have it in stock yesterday, last week, or the week before. The new information on Camera Price Buster is plain WRONG!

Apologies to both Currys and Comet:bonk:

Signing off now to get back in my box and keep quiet for a while. :bang::bang::bang:
 
I noticed stock was coming and going at currys on the D90.

I purchased about 2 weeks ago, using that code *AND* topcashback (about £30 worth) so effectively got a d90/15-105 for around 680

Also took their "whatever happens" cover. not sure how good it is, reads ok and was only 1.99 pcm which seems fair enough for £700 worth of kit.

Finally blew the budget and picked up a SB-600 for £180 from camerabox, a *kenko* (same company as hoya) pro-1d filter from ebay/japan for £20 and various bits/bobs. Seem to have got a good combo of price/quality, but learning how expensive a hobby this can be. Still need more memory, bag, fancy a 50mm 1.8, 70-300 etc etc. The lenses will have to wait now.

I can see more disk storage being needed too on my NAS -- just an evening out in the garden practicing can get through 100 photos. Can barely imagine this in the days of film.
Very happy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top