Getting Prices From Shops

Lemlin

I went into GAME this morning and asked them for prices. They told me that they could not give me any information. All I was asking for was prices of their games that are released today because I work for a website that does a weekly price check.

I explained that usually I am sent this information by their commercial director but that he is away for the week and asked me to go in-store and get it. They said that since he was on holidays they could not give me the information. I explained that it is because he was on holidays that I needed it.

Just wondering though, under consumer affairs and the Data Protection Act, are they not obliged to give me prices that I ask for?

FillSpectre

No. Data protection does not mean you have the right to other peoples' information. It is to protect data not give it out to anybody. Shop personel are acting correctly in this manner as some companies can be very sneaky.

Lemlin

FillSpectre wrote:

No. Data protection does not mean you have the right to other peoples' information. It is to protect data not give it out to anybody. Shop personel are acting correctly in this manner as some companies can be very sneaky.

But is a customer not entitled to go into a store and ask for prices?

FillSpectre

Lemlin wrote:

But is a customer not entitled to go into a store and ask for prices?

Not a list, no. Prices need only be displayed with what is on sale. Are you saying they refused to tell you the price of things they were selling when you asked?

bullrunner

cant see any reason for the shop to refuse to tell you the prices...doesnt make sense to refuse to tell a (potential )customer the price of the product

Lemlin

FillSpectre wrote:

Not a list, no. Prices need only be displayed with what is on sale. Are you saying they refused to tell you the price of things they were selling when you asked?

Yes, the games were released today so they are on-sale. I asked them for the prices (which I normally get off their head office) and the manager told the staff member to tell me they couldn't give that information.

It's for this article http://www.irishgamer.ie/features.php?id=1&page=1 which appears on a website I work for each week.

Surely they can't refuse to give me prices of stuff they have openly on-sale?

super_furry

Game are a bunch of cowboys anyway. There's such a huge variance in price from store to store that maybe he didn't want to be named and shamed. I'm seen Samurai Warriors for the PSP at three different prices in Game stores in the last week. 29.99 in Dundrum, 45 in the Square Tallaght a 49 in Henry Street. They seem to make it up as they go along.

Kimbot

No they can't refuse if they are openly on sale!! Its a bit stupid thb!!

Lemlin

Is there a specific consumer affairs law quoting this? I want to go back and inform their commercial director of what happened on Monday.

We'll see what happens next time someone asks for a price in there then

vms7ply9t6dw4b

i wouldnt worry theyre pretty much all missfits who work there anyway, some shocking haircuts on display last time i wondered in. Why didnt they have it on display if they were selling it? If they had it on display with no price thats a 3000 fine straight away

Guy:Incognito

Maybe I'm missing something but if they were on sale why didnt you just turn around and look at the prices on the shelves?

Gillo

Stekelly wrote:

Maybe I'm missing something but if they were on sale why didnt you just turn around and look at the prices on the shelves?

Yeah, that's what I figured after reading the first post. Legally they have to display the prices.

What day & time did you go in?

If they shop was fairly busy, why should they not serve paying customers just to give you information that is readily on display?

Lemlin

gillo wrote:

Yeah, that's what I figured after reading the first post. Legally they have to display the prices.

What day & time did you go in?

If they shop was fairly busy, why should they not serve paying customers just to give you information that is readily on display?

Friday morning early. Very few customers and two members of staff standing there talking about PJ Harvey so I asked one of them.

The prices had only been released that morning so they hadn't some of them up.

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.oasis.gov.ie/consumer_affairs/pricing/pricing_of_goods_and_services.html

Generally, if you are told the correct price before you pay, you have no right to redress.

so yeah you'd have to ask if they hadn't put the prices up, you could not insist that they marked the prices on the boxes for you too look at.

But since you are looking for prices without the intention of purchasing I'd doubt you qualify as a customer. Expecially if you are paid to do it. Since you would just consitiute a time-sink, not as bad as the tele-marketers though.

If their commercial director was doing before it, perhaps as a favor before it doesn't make it obligatory for the others. If you argue that it's free advertising, then it's up to them to avail of it.

Did you contact other GAME shops, they do have more than one.


[edit] - you are not a consumer.
http://oasis.gov.ie/consumer_affairs/consumer_rights_and_protection/consumers_and_the_law_in_ireland.htmlWho is a consumer?

Generally speaking a consumer is defined in Irish law as a natural person who buys goods or a service for personal use or consumption from someone whose business it is to sell goods or provide services. By law, you are not a consumer if you:

* Receive goods as a gift
* Buy goods for commercial purposes (i.e. you will be using the goods for commercial and not private use)
* Buy goods for private use that are normally used for business purposes
* Buy goods from an individual who is not in business (i.e. you buy a car from an individual whose normal business is not selling cars)

Gillo

Lemlin wrote:

Friday morning early. Very few customers and two members of staff standing there talking about PJ Harvey so I asked one of them.

The prices had only been released that morning so they hadn't some of them up.

I don't think PJ Harvey is big into games. The point is you weren't buying.
No offence, but you weren't in there as a customer or a potential customer, why should they help you? You were also been paid to do a job, putting a little effort in wouldn't go amiss.

Lemlin

gillo wrote:

I don't think PJ Harvey is big into games. The point is you weren't buying.
No offence, but you weren't in there as a customer or a potential customer, why should they help you? You were also been paid to do a job, putting a little effort in wouldn't go amiss.

Okay, here goes the rant:

1. First off, I was not being paid. The website is voluntary at the minute. Me and the lads make no cash, just some free review copies. We hope it will make money but it isn't at the moment as it has just launched. The price check is a service for people who want value for money.

2. I was more than willing to walk around the shop getting the prices myself but half of the stock wasn't out and/or priced.

3. I didn't want to just start walking around taking down the prices and get chucked out because they thought I was working in another shop or something. Common courtesy would be to ask I thought.

4. I would understand if they were rushed off their feet but two of them were standing there discussing PJ Harvey FFS!

5. I get this information off their commercial director every week so I don't see why they had a problem giving it. I gave them proof of e-mails from him and other documentation.

6. I may not have been buying but, if their commercial director is willing to take the time to give me the information, do you not think he obviously sees it as important that I get it?

There you go, answer that lot and get back to me, rant over

Gillo

1/ yes, it's a service, but I'd expect most people to check the prices anyway, most of those shops are relatively close to each other

2/ Stock not out, did they even have it in stock?
Not priced, far enough ask for those prices

3/ Lots of people walk around checking prices, I've done it on the competition they have done it on my shop

4/ Just because you don't like PJ Harvey, did you hear the full conversation?
They may well have be running there variosu reports, there is no crime against talking while working

5/ According to your website, you've got the information twice, I'm guessing that once was when you were "ignored" in store, so by my count you got the information once. If I am wrogn you got it twice from the CD, that hardly constituates "every week"

6/ See post 5, as i am sure you are aware the commerical director and the sales guys in store have different roles, been CD he (amoungst other things) would look after, supplying the media with information if they request it

Counter rant over.

Lets leave it at that, you think you got bad service at Game, why not name and shame on your website, afterall thats what it is about.

Lemlin

gillo wrote:

1/ yes, it's a service, but I'd expect most people to check the prices anyway, most of those shops are relatively close to each other

2/ Stock not out, did they even have it in stock?
Not priced, far enough ask for those prices

3/ Lots of people walk around checking prices, I've done it on the competition they have done it on my shop

4/ Just because you don't like PJ Harvey, did you hear the full conversation?
They may well have be running there variosu reports, there is no crime against talking while working

5/ According to your website, you've got the information twice, I'm guessing that once was when you were "ignored" in store, so by my count you got the information once. If I am wrogn you got it twice from the CD, that hardly constituates "every week"

6/ See post 5, as i am sure you are aware the commerical director and the sales guys in store have different roles, been CD he (amoungst other things) would look after, supplying the media with information if they request it

Counter rant over.

Lets leave it at that, you think you got bad service at Game, why not name and shame on your website, afterall thats what it is about.

I watched and listened to them for a number of minutes because I wanted to see if they were busy before approaching them. They were in no way busy.

He has been sending it through for the past two months. The website only started two weeks ago so we only started running it two weeks ago.

The stock was out and still had pre-order stickers on it even though it has been released that day. Perhaps the staff should have been pricing it and not chatting about PJ Harvey.

I'm happy to leave it now too. We plan to name & shame then but I want to inform their commercial director when he returns on Monday and see what he says.