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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this is completely illegal and want to know how to report it

41 replies

tinyturtletim · 01/02/2014 17:35

Today I went into a very well known stationery store to buy some a5 note books, I found some which said they are £1.99 each buy one get one free excellent I thought..

However when I got to the till the lady put them through and said that is £4.50 please

I explained what the shelf said and she said that the price has gone up due to them being buy one get one free, she pointed to a shelf at the front of the store which had a sign with the 'new' price and deal.

So I said I would buy two at their original price and she said no as the deal was at displayed I just brought one at 1.99 after speaking with a manager

aibu to think this is totally ridiculous and I am sure I have seen tescos be fined for this business? ?

OP posts:
EnglishGirlApproximately · 01/02/2014 17:37

Its not illegal unless the intent was to mislead you and deliberately advertise an incorrect price as far as I know. Most companies will honour prices when they've made an error but they don't have to do so.

MoreBeta · 01/02/2014 17:38

I dint understand the deal.

How come you got asked for £4.50 for 2?

picnicbasketcase · 01/02/2014 17:38

The price has increased because of them being on offer? That's crap and they shouldn't be allowed to do it, I agree. Trading standards?

RandyRudolf · 01/02/2014 17:39

Get on their facebook/twitter page for a start. Tell them how unhappy you are and that other retailers would have honoured the price.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 01/02/2014 17:40

You could go to trading standards but its extremely unlikely they will take action unless the shop deliberately mis price things all the time. Mist likely they will call or visit the shop, check a selection of items and as long as the pricing is ok generally that will be it. If they even do that.

SumBex · 01/02/2014 17:41

The advertised price is an invitation to treat so in effect you are offering to buy the goods at the advertised price and the store is accepting your offer or in this case declining it. Not illegal, standard contract principles.

Fantissue · 01/02/2014 17:41

It's not illegal at all. The price on the shelf is not an offer in legal terms so it doesn't have to be honoured.

arethereanyleftatall · 01/02/2014 17:42

Yabu I'm afraid. Legally a shop don't have to sell you anything, which covers them even if they have the wrong price displayed. For good customer service they often honour prices but they don't have to.

MajesticWhine · 01/02/2014 17:45

Was it WHSmith? I have had this kind of thing in there. A lot. I think it is a strategy of theirs to mark the prices incorrectly, maybe because people put lots in their baskets when they see a good deal, and then don't always check what happens they are going through the check out.

arethereanyleftatall · 01/02/2014 17:47

I think all they had done was forgotten to take the old 1.99 pos down.
It's standard marketing to swap between a Multibuy then a cross out.

SomewhatSilly · 01/02/2014 17:51

What, so they were £1.99 before and then when it went to bogof they went up to £3.00?

I think that's really shoddy but not illegal.

ProfYaffle · 01/02/2014 17:52

So they used to be £1.99 each but now it's 2 for £4.50 and that's supposed to be a special offer? Hmm

FloweryFeatureWall · 01/02/2014 17:58

Shops do this all the time. One Christmas when I worked at the Pringles went from 99p to £1.99 but buy one get on free. It sticks in my head because customers were noticing and getting annoyed. They did something similar with the coke.

Original poster
tinyturtletim · 01/02/2014 18:02

So it isn't even an offer.

what made me Hmm the most was the fact that 2 of them at the original price cost less than the bogof offer!

OP posts:
Original poster
tinyturtletim · 01/02/2014 18:02

It was staples..

OP posts:
FredFredGeorge · 01/02/2014 18:05

It may be illegal (under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading
Regulations 2008) but not necessarily so, and it's not the refusal to honour the shelf price or the mistaken shelf price that would likely be, it would be the misleading advert at the front of the store.

But yes you were being absolutely ridiculous to still give them your custom, and they fact you negotiated a deal whereby they still honoured the price for one makes it even less likely that TS or ASA will care - but feel free to complain if you want.

HaroldLloyd · 01/02/2014 18:06

It's a bit of a crap deal but you did get the original deal, so I don't see what grounds you would have to complain.

These BOGOFs are a rip off, they just whack up the price.

I try to stay away from them if I can.

AuntieStella · 01/02/2014 18:10

There are regulations (laws?) about fair offers.

This would be worth reporting to Trading Standards and let them sort out if there is anything actionable.

SillyBlueHat · 01/02/2014 18:11

It is illegal. Retailers have to sell something at a price point for 28 days before doing a promotion. In this case the notepads should have been priced at £4.50 for 28 days, not at £1.99.
Report to trading standards.

Original poster
tinyturtletim · 01/02/2014 18:20

I wouldn't of got it if I didn't need it for today.

silly that's interesting. I may give them a call.

the whole thing is ludicrous imo

OP posts:
WanderingAway · 01/02/2014 18:27

Nearly every shop increases the price of a product on 'offer' but i dont think i have ever heard of a shop admitting it.

It should be illegal.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 01/02/2014 18:31

It doesn't have to be sold in every shop at the higher price though, most retailers will have 'price establishment' shops which get the full price items in.

arethereanyleftatall · 01/02/2014 18:34

No sillybluehat, that's wrong. To show a cross out, as in was 5 now 1.99 , the product has to have been at 5 for 28 days in the last 6 months. But for a multibuy which us what a bogof is, as in buy 2 save 50%, the 28 day rule doesn't apply. So, if a company wants a product to be 2 and look like it's on offer they will do 4 bogof for 28 days at least, then special offer was 4 now 2 for a while then back to bogof again.

LIZS · 01/02/2014 18:35

Not illegal to withdraw the offer to sell but it does sounds a bit dubious . You can report to local trading standards who may have other instances which trigger a visit.

TeacupDrama · 01/02/2014 18:36

that applies to a sale of an item it must have been at higher price for a minimum of 28 days ie if was £2.50 and now 1.99 they must have been at 2.50 for 28 days but this offer is not strictly a sale but a bogof

but if they were 1.99 and are now 4.50 well that is some mark up, in reality they would have been better just saying they were on special at 1.99 but they are now 2.25 each

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