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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Joules - AIBU to feel fleased?

35 replies

Alexandpea · 22/05/2015 19:26

I popped into Joules at Bicester outlet village. Girls' polo shirts were labelled RRP £24.95, outlet price £12.95. Seemed like a bargain so I bought 3 in various sizes and colours.

A short while later I was on the Joules website and saw exactly the SAME polo shirts for sale at £12.95. This wasn't a sale or special price, it was the regular price.

I emailed Joules with photos to let them know, thinking it was a genuine mistake but their response was:

"It would seem that as this product is a special item it is £12.95 and would be costed at £24.95 if it was added to our Joule range in the future.
It can cause a little confusion however it is by no means meant to deceive our customers."

I responded that the items ARE currently for sale on the Joules website at £12.95 and this is the regular price (to which you could apply discount codes etc). I also asked to return the polo shirts as I felt I had been mislead. I received a response thanking me for my "thoughts". I have heard nothing further.

Am I unreasonable to think that Joules is deliberately conning customers - I only bought them as I thought they were half price.

I also wanted to warn other unsuspecting shoppers.

OP posts:
gymboywalton · 22/05/2015 19:28

yanbu
bloody crooks

but it is 'fleeced'

PattiODoors · 22/05/2015 19:29

Gosh that is irritating

yanbu but do bear in mind that I have no real idea of the laws/regs wrt shops

ShootTheMoon · 22/05/2015 19:30

I'm afraid I think YABU. Buy them if you think they are good value for the price you have to pay, not what you may have to pay elsewhere. Every shop seems to have sales/discounts/promotions/outlets all the time now. You really just have to buy for the quality and price in front of you. and Joules is a bit disappointingly crap in some cases these days.

Icimoi · 22/05/2015 19:31

Contact your local Trading Standards office. I strongly suspect that is not lawful.

HoneyDragon · 22/05/2015 19:31

Where's the Joules in Bicester Village? I've not noticed it and I HATE using them online.

It is a bit cheeky, but you thought they were good value at least Smile

CookPassBabtrigde · 22/05/2015 19:33

Yeah I think there are laws regarding sale items, for example you couldn't put a sale price on an item if it had never been out at a higher price, which seems to be what the outlet store have done. By having a sale sign on the tops with a higher price they have mislead you into buying them as you thought you were getting a good deal, whereas in reality - according to them - the sale price is the regular price. They can't do that. I used to work in retail and I'm pretty sure that's not allowed.
You can go to trading standards about it and I would definately get your money back and complain.

Original poster
Alexandpea · 22/05/2015 19:33

Oops - can't even blame autocorrect - just can't spell Blush

OP posts:
WalterMittyish · 22/05/2015 19:35

"I only wanted them as I thought they were half price'

Confused I don't understand this. If they were on sale at £12.95 and there had been no mention of a higher rrp, would you not have bought them? Surely you either looked them and wanted to buy them, or you didn't.

(And yes, I do think it's dubious practice by the retailer, but I don't understand the 'only wanting them because they were half price' aspect)

CookPassBabtrigde · 22/05/2015 19:36

I should have added:

"It would seem that as this product is a special item it is £12.95 and would be costed at £24.95 if it was added to our Joule range in the future.

If that's the case, the outlet store should not be putting £24.99 on the item at all. It's misleading.

CookPassBabtrigde · 22/05/2015 19:37

Sorry £24.95 that should be!

WalterMittyish · 22/05/2015 19:38

Oops, misquoted you above - 'only bought them as I thought they were half price'. I still don't understand that thought process, though

CookPassBabtrigde · 22/05/2015 19:40

walter I see what you're saying, but in general customers are more likely to purchase an item if its in a sale, on a whim and feel like they're saving money.

GloGirl · 22/05/2015 19:40

I would contact Trading Standards or ASA. it's damn cheeky

bigbluebus · 22/05/2015 19:42

Isn't this just like the stunt that most chain stores pull where they only have to put the items on sale for 28 days at the higher price 'somewhere' - ie one store of their 300, in order to then claim that the item is being sold at the reduced sale price elsewhere. It is the law that is at fault - the retailers just stretch it to the limits.

If you like the items and need them and feel they are worth £12.95 then what is the problem?

wooldonor · 22/05/2015 19:43

It's not that hard to understand WalterMittyish, most people like a bargain, it's well known that people are more likely to buy something if they think it's been reduced. Sports Direct has built a massive business on this exact human trait.

Maybe you're lucky to not be affected by such ploys but millions of people are.

OP - I'd contact Trading Standards, that doesn't right at all

FriendofBill · 22/05/2015 19:45

Joules obviously understand that thought process and that's why they labelled them as double / 50% off.

You are tricked into thinking you are getting a bargain.

BrianButterfield · 22/05/2015 19:48

Outlet shops can be dodgy for this sort of thing - Next and Gap outlets both have items that are made just for the outlets - I presume lower quality so cheaper although they look like the other stuff they sell.

Annoying as there are still good bargains to be had at outlets but you have to look carefully and not assume everything there is a good deal (which would be a reasonable assumption, tbh).

NeedsAsockamnesty · 22/05/2015 19:48

It's rather naughty

WalterMittyish · 22/05/2015 19:49

I agree, Cook, and of course that's why shops pull these these stunts (has a single sofa ever been sold at 'full' price anywhere in the land? Those bloody things are permanently 'reduced') , but you either want something and think its worth the price you're paying, or you don't. Only buying something because you think its half price doesn't make sense to me.

RRPs are utter rubbish anyway - the 'supposed' price on some of the stuff in places like TKMaxx was obviously made up by drunk monkeys.

Anniegetyourgun · 22/05/2015 19:49

On a random note, XH used to say "fleased" when referring to the little nibbling of themselves that dogs do when they've got an itch, as though they were biting at a flea.

Oh, and yes, the store were being very misleading, it's no good giving you the faux innocence act.

AuntyMag10 · 22/05/2015 19:51

Yanbu, it is deceptive. You were more likely to buy it as you felt you were getting a bargain for it. At the current price you liked it but it was too expensive.

Christelle2207 · 22/05/2015 19:57

Definitely naughty, not sure about legalities I thought items had to genuinely be sold somewhere at a higher price to then be able to be marketed as discounted.
I think the key in outlet shops is to think do I want to buy this at this price rather than the % discount.

Imnotaslimjim · 22/05/2015 19:58

YABU its their recommended retail price, not what they had sold it at.

CookPassBabtrigde · 22/05/2015 20:00

walter its a tricky one as obviously the OP was happy to pay £12.95 for the tops, but the problem is that OP was led to believe the tops were worth £24.95 retail value so it seemed like a great deal as it appears to be better quality items than they are. In actual fact that's just the standard price by their own admission.
Agree a lot of chain stores do do this, but it's very misleading.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 22/05/2015 20:04

I'd go to trading standards. You can probably just send them the email chain.

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