Gamestop

Kess73

Ivan wrote: »

A week before Christmas, my brother and I went into Gamestop in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, looking for a game for me for Christmas that my brother had so generously offered to pay for.

I was torn between World in Conflict and Supreme Commander. Initially going with World in Conflict, I changed my mind just after he had scanned it.

I said, I'd prefer Supreme Commander and the sales clerk said no problem. My brother was quick to point out the 15 euro difference between World in Conflict and Supreme Commander. World in Conflict being €30 and Supreme Commander being €45.

I said I would pay the €15 difference but when the guy scanned it he said, "Oh, yeah, Supreme Commander is actually the same price, €30". I thought sound, thats great news. We'll take Supreme Commander.

3 Days later, the Friday before Christmas Day, 4 days to Christmas, my mother was looking to buy me a Christmas present when my brother suggested to her, "well you could get him World in Conflict".

We met up with her later for some coffee and she said she'd picked up the game, but it wasnt €30 like we had said it would be. I checked the receipt and they had charged her €45. I was shocked and just a little pissed off.

I said, "I'm taking this back" they charged you too much, hell it even said on the package €29.99 in quite clear advertising. Its illegal to advertise something for X and then claim you are selling it for X+15 at the point of sales.

I went back to the store with the game in my hand, and advised the sales staff that I wanted to return the game. She asked me why and I said, "Well, it was sold for more than it was advertised for. Which is illegal." She said, "thats not true, what if some kid came and changed the price tag then we would be forced to sell it for cheaper than it should be". To which I replied, "That is your responsibility". Secondly, I said "I had been in not 3 days ago and the game was on sale for €15 less. How could she explain this?" To which she replied "that they go by the price on the system".

Basically, 3 days before Christmas they hiked the prices of the game up so as to make more profits on late shoppers. Bloody ridiculous in my book and a definitive reason to never shop there again. In the end we went over to tescos and got the game for €45 but it was the best €45 I have ever spent

The price that an item scans at, at the point of sale is the price that a store is obliged to honour, not the price on the tag on the shop floor, regardless of whether that price is higher or lower.

Ivan

I was under the impression that it was illegal for shops to advertise in their front windows that an item is on sale at X price and then charge people X+15 when they come to buy it, as many people would just pay the difference rather than be seen to be kicking up a fuss.

But you may well be right, in any case it doesnt change the fact that they deliberately raised their prices over the course of 3 days so that
A) They could make more money over the last few shopping days before the Christmas Period
-and-
so that they would not be breaking the law when they began their "sale" and started to sell the games at a lower price.

This, in my mind, is totally substandard behaviour and not acceptable if they wish to keep my business, which let me tell you... is quite alot

Jack Sheehan

While it may not be strictly illegal it is still poor practise, I mean they are selling your chances of ever coming back for 15 quid for christ's sake.

jonski

Ivan wrote: »

I was under the impression that it was illegal for shops to advertise in their front windows that an item is on sale at X price and then charge people X+15 when they come to buy it, as many people would just pay the difference rather than be seen to be kicking up a fuss.

That is completely different from having a price x marked on the item and charging price y at the till .

If it is advertised anywhere in the shop at x price , except on the item itself , then it is my understanding that it must be sold at that price . In other words anything that couldn't be tampered with .

Tusky

Kess73 wrote: »

The price that an item scans at, at the point of sale is the price that a store is obliged to honour, not the price on the tag on the shop floor, regardless of whether that price is higher or lower.

Dont think thats correct. If they have 19 games all at 20 euro & one at 10 euro. Then fair enough, its probably been tampered with and they dont have to honor it. If all their games are marked at 15 euro though, they have to honor that price. You cant display something at one price and charge another.

Kess73

Tusky wrote: »

Dont think thats correct. If they have 19 games all at 20 euro & one at 10 euro. Then fair enough, its probably been tampered with and they dont have to honor it. If all their games are marked at 15 euro though, they have to honor that price. You cant display something at one price and charge another.

The law on it states the price that comes up at the till is the price that is to be offered to the potential customer.

In this country people have been going to counters and swearing blind that the law says it is the price tag on the item that has to be used by law, which is incorrect. The shops do not by law have to honour the price that is on the item on the shelf, but they have to inform the customer of the till price. At that point the customer has the choice to either say no or buy it at the till price.

Some shops will honour their mistakes and sell at the marked price, but they are not obliged to do so.

The store is obliged to rectify the mistake and correctly reprice the items.

Here is a link to legal answer for whether a shop has to give it to a customer at the price on the pricetag in this country. http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Get_Your_Rights/Prices/Misleading%20prices/The%20Question.html


For more info on this or any other issues on shoppers rights, use www.consumerconnect.ie or LoCall 1890 432 432. I have found them to be very handy for getting correct info on what my rights are in shops. They also have a complaints phone number if a person has been treated wrongly and illegally by a store, where the person can call and check the legalities and report that store.company.

mikemac

Kess73 wrote: »

The law on it states the price that comes up at the till is the price that is to be offered to the potential customer.

In this country people have been going to counters and swearing blind that the law says it is the price tag on the item that has to be used by law, which is incorrect. The shops do not by law have to honour the price that is on the item on the shelf, but they have to inform the customer of the till price. At that point the customer has the choice to either say no or buy it at the till price.

Some shops will honour their mistakes and sell at the marked price, but they are not obliged to do so.

The store is obliged to rectify the mistake and correctly reprice the items.

For more info on this or any other issues on shoppers rights, use www.consumerconnect.ie or LoCall 1890 432 432. I have found them to be very handy for getting correct info on what my rights are in shops.

This man speaks the truth!
The price you pay is the price at the till.
However, if the sticker price is incorrect it they are supposed to immediately fix it. Consumer Information Act 1978.
There seems to be a lot of people abusing customer service staff about their "rights" when they have no idea what they are talking about. I'm glad I don't work in retail

I remember buying Stranglehold for the Xbox360 in game.
The massive poster in the window showed €45 but the stickers on the case showed €60.
They sold it to me for €45 after the assistant checked with the manager. They didn't have to do this but they'd have lost a sale and pissed off a customer. Sure the main reason I went into Game was the poster in the window showing €45.
And they immediately repriced all the games on display. Fair play!

Mark Hamill

Kess73 wrote: »

http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Get_Your_Rights/Prices/Misleading%20prices/The%20Question.html

If you read this link it says:

This may be a misleading price claim by the trader and this practice is prohibited by consumer legislation (ie illegal).

I think what they mean is if you go into a shop and 10 items on a shelf are priced €45 and one is €30, then its probably a mistake and so tough luck the item is €45. However if you go in and all the items are €30 then thats what you should get if for.
Remember all shops are supposed to advertise the prices of their produce before you get to the till, and while there is leeway for the shop in case someone is playing silly buggers with the stickers, if they have it advertised at a price (eg like a big poster they put up in their windows) then thats the selling price.

Master-Decoy

I find it pretty rich when people dicuss staff! ^^ To be honest no matter where I am, the staff are the leats if my concerns, if it doesn't say service with a smile above the door I don't expect any more than a simple transaction. also, I reckon that if any retailer lets me know of any conditions when I purchase the it(i.e no returns for some reason) then fair enough. It's kind of abusrd to think that some age old rule applies that any retail item can just be returned and that no special circumstances apply."The customer is always right" is a figure of speech like! Thankfully I got out of retail 2 years ago,but I always relate to their standpoint, and the difference between consumer awareness and consumer ignorance is the biggest problem. The retailer knows where they stand on most if not all issues, the consumer is the one that seems baffled. It's insane the amount of people who don't know the difference between a warranty and a guarantee!

Jack Sheehan

Master-Decoy wrote: »

I find it pretty rich when people dicuss staff! ^^ To be honest no matter where I am, the staff are the leats if my concerns, if it doesn't say service with a smile above the door I don't expect any more than a simple transaction. also, I reckon that if any retailer lets me know of any conditions when I purchase the it(i.e no returns for some reason) then fair enough. It's kind of abusrd to think that some age old rule applies that any retail item can just be returned and that no special circumstances apply."The customer is always right" is a figure of speech like! Thankfully I got out of retail 2 years ago,but I always relate to their standpoint, and the difference between consumer awareness and consumer ignorance is the biggest problem. The retailer knows where they stand on most if not all issues, the consumer is the one that seems baffled. It's insane the amount of people who don't know the difference between a warranty and a guarantee!

The retailer may know where they stand but that does not always mean they will obey this.

stev2604

Is this not a case of an invitation to treat which is perfectly legal?

Zapp Brannigan

stev2604 wrote: »

Is this not a case of an invitation to treat which is perfectly legal?

Yup. Price displayed is not a contract, it is simply an offer to buy. Whatever the till says is the price and that is when the consumer enters into the contract. not when Jo Public picks the item from a shelf or sees an advertisement. (that's my understanding of the situation)

Kess73

Mark Hamill wrote: »

If you read this link it says:



I think what they mean is if you go into a shop and 10 items on a shelf are priced €45 and one is €30, then its probably a mistake and so tough luck the item is €45. However if you go in and all the items are €30 then thats what you should get if for.
Remember all shops are supposed to advertise the prices of their produce before you get to the till, and while there is leeway for the shop in case someone is playing silly buggers with the stickers, if they have it advertised at a price (eg like a big poster they put up in their windows) then thats the selling price.

Nope, the till price is the price and that is what the store is obliged to offer it to you at. In some cases like in that of the poster who got the game at the price it was displayed at in the window rather than the till price, it will be the store showing goodwill for their own error. But they do not have to do this under any law.

The customer has to be informed of the full price at the till, and the customer then has the choice to say know, and the option to report any issues to the NCA if they think underhand selling methods are being used.

Below is the legal standing on it.




http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Get_Your_Rights/Prices/Misleading%20prices/Your%20Rights.html

Consumers are entitled to accurate & truthful information about prices in order that they can make an informed decision about what they buy and where they buy it. The price displayed should be the price charged. However, you are not automatically entitled to the product at the lower price if a higher price registers at the till. As long as the seller informs you before he takes your money, you have the choice of walking away from the deal. You should complain to the seller and also report the matter to the NCA so that we can investigate.


Some shops operate a "no-quibble" refund policy in the event that you discover that you have been overcharged. You should complain to the shop and, if they do not deal with you satisfactorily, complain to the NCA.


Previous prices
Under consumer legislation it is also an offence to give a false or misleading previous price. For example, if the retailer crosses out one price and replaces it with another for the sales, that older price must be accurate. Unless otherwise indicated, the goods must have been on sale in the same place at that previous price for a reasonable time.

The National Consumer Agency keeps an eye on advertising and other information about goods and services, to ensure that it is not false or misleading. If a shopping chain or a business with more than one outlet advertises goods at a certain price, that price should apply in all its outlets where the goods are sold - unless the advertisement makes it clear that the price applies in certain outlets only.

Finally, remember that a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) is just that, a recommended price, and the seller can charge a higher price as long as that higher price is displayed.