Harvey Norman Waterford Ice Cream Machine

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Hi,

Harvey Normans in Waterford is selling a Cuisinart Deluxe Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU for €199, reduced from €399.

When I went in yesterday, I assumed (d'oh) that for that price we would be talking a machine with a built in compressor for freezing, as opposed to a bowl that must be pre-frozen in your freezer. When I got it home, I discovered that I was wrong. I googled it, and could find nowhere it was being sold for more than the equivalent of about €85. (Yes, I am very much aware that I am an idiot, and should have really, really, really checked on this before I bought, but, hey! Ice cream!)

In ice cream makers, the €400 price point is for compressor models with built-in freezing.

Fair dues, I brought it back, and got a refund, but when I explained that they must have made a mistake on the price, I was told "ah that's just internet pricing. Things are always cheaper on the internet".

O.o

Yeah, if people could get stuff at more than a 75% discount regularly on the internet, you'd be out of business within a month.

As the price was marked down, this meant it must have been sold for at least €399 for 21 days before I saw it at €199. When I asked if they had any plans to fix the mistake, and try to contact the people who may have bought it at that price and offer them a refund of the more than €300 that they overcharged them I got blank looks.

Anyway, just thought I'd post the info.

Cabaal

tbh they didn't have to refund you as a change of mind is not a valid reason, you should have done the re-search BEFORE you paid the money.

Won't comment on the item itself as can't be bothered but tbh you will always get stuff cheaper on the internet, tv's, software, hardware, garden sheds etc....pretty much always cheaper when bought via the net.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Hi,

Yah, as I said above, I acknowledged I should have paid better attention when buying .. my bad.

I would however take issue with "tbh you will always get stuff cheaper on the internet".

The item in question, a Cusinart Deluxe Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU, cannot be bought on the net for more than about €80.

I accept that things are cheaper on the internet. I work in the web field myself, and have bought stuff off the internet for years, and am well aware of the savings that can be made, both to the supplier and the purchaser. I would submit, however, that most items on the internet are not regularly and normally being sold at less than 25% of the price of the same item in a brick and mortar store. I recently bought a plasma tv, and if I could have paid €350 for it on the net instead of €1500, (a) I would have bought it so fast my wallet would have sustained friction burns, and (b) shops like Harvey Norman would go out of business, really quite promptly!

My main problem is the fact that when I pointed out that there was an obvious mistake on the pricing for the item, that the excuse "It's cheaper on the net" was trotted out, which is obviously not applicable here. I also wish I could have gotten a decent response to my query about contacting other people who may have bought it for €400 instead of €80, but all I got was a blank.

Mountainsandh

We're thinking of purchasing a boiler stove, and have been talking to a friend who did purchase (same model) last summer.
We were after spotting online sites in UK with great prices, but I had also earmarked a large store in Ireland that I thought I'd pay a visit to.
Well here is what happened to our friend, and why I am not now even going to bother :
He called up to said store in Ireland, and quoted the 400 euros or so cheaper price online, delivery included (could have been more than 400 even). He explained of course he'd rather buy in Ireland, and asked what they could do for him.
Well they cooly replied they could do nothing, and that was it.

Now, delivery of this item from Wales to Ireland is £99.
We are talking about the exact same model, worth more than 1000 euros at the time.

So, Wales got his business, and is going to get ours. Actually have to say that we got an even cheaper quote from Wales, wonder if the Irish store has also downscaled price.

Mentalities have to change, and thankfully they are for some in Ireland. My hubby travels to US quite a lot for work, and tends to buy electronics over there. Yesterday he let an Irish company know about the deal he was getting for a certain item in the US, and explained he'd rather buy Irish, if it was an equivalent deal (the original quote was not !). He got a phonecall shortly after with an offer for a a great deal, similar price to US, with another clever incentive thrown in. Well this Irish company have just got themselves 6 to 7 orders for items priced at 650 euros each, and likely numerous recommendations from hubby to other potential buyers.

What you are describing infuriates me. I am French, have been living here 13 years, and have seen Ireland becoming the "rip-off" it is today. There is no excuse for it, and I for one will not buy in Ireland unless the online price and Irish price are not more than 20% different.
I'd much rather give my money to Irish retailers, and businesses, however, I am not ready to dish out a ridiculous margin of profit to them for no other reason than that they can ask it.

Terrontress

TeRmInAlCrAzY wrote: »

As the price was marked down, this meant it must have been sold for at least €399 for 21 days before I saw it at €199.

I don't think it needs to have been sold at that price. Just have been on sale for that amount. I think they will have stuck it in the corner of one of their shops with that price on it, knowing nobody would buy it at that price.

Then after a fixed period they reduce the price by 50%, give it pride of place in the shop, stick up a massive sign saying it is reduced etc. etc.

I naively bought a bed off Harvey Norman for €1,000 supposedly reduced. The bed was fine but then we realised it was cheaper everywhere else.

Now, I would not even buy a mars bar off them.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Yeah, I should have been clearer, and typed what was in my brain, as I meant to say "on sale" rather than sold.

In my work, we always do whatever we can to price match legitimate offers, precisely because of the chance to turn it into further business down the road.

Works well for us.

mossy2

Apologies in advance for veering off topic.

Mountainsandh - could you please post or pm me the name of the Welsh stove supplier? I'm in the market for one at the moment.
Thanks.

Mountainsandh

Mossy2 pm-ed you hope it worked.

mossy2

Mountainsandh
Got the links.
Thank you very much.

the_syco

Mountainsandh wrote: »

What you are describing infuriates me. I am French, have been living here 13 years, and have seen Ireland becoming the "rip-off" it is today. There is no excuse for it, and I for one will not buy in Ireland unless the online price and Irish price are not more than 20% different.

It's called the "Paddy Tax", and we pay it because either a) we're too thick or b) we'll pay it :mad: