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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think it's not unreasonable to expect to be able to order something if you can add it to your online trolley

27 replies

chomalungma · 09/08/2020 13:45

Saw something from Argos that I would like.
Added it to my trolley.
Checked stock
Not available in any local stores and seemingly not available for delivery.
So basically out of stock.
You can't ask them to let you know when it's back in stock.
And they are even advertising it on MN with their targeted ads !!

I totally get things are out of stock - but there are no options at all except for them to tell you that it's not available for delivery or collection.

OP posts:
SerenityNowwwww · 09/08/2020 13:48

I can’t even begin to imagine the headache of managing that system. It’s a pain but I’d rather that then them take your money then send a ‘oops, there’s a delay... we’ll let you know when it’s back in stock’.

Michaelbaubles · 09/08/2020 13:50

Argos is THE WORST for this. The absolute pits, I’ve basically given up ordering anything from there because it looks like you have a choice of ten things, only to find that just one of them is in stock, except to find out you have to add them all to your basket, put your postcode in and THEN find out they’re not available. It’s completely infuriating and not like any other website.

PaternosterLoft · 09/08/2020 13:52

I had this with Currys this week. Could add it to my trolley for click and collect. Carry on to the choosing which store to collect from and it said it wasn't available from my local one, did i want to try the next 9 local ones. Oh no no there either, what about the nearest 18. No? What about 27? Then it kicked back to the check out page. For 3 things. Theres nothing wrong with saying it's out of stock FFS.

byvirtue · 09/08/2020 13:52

I had this with Argos a few weeks ago. Refreshed the page on my browser a week later and it was magically available in stock at my local store. Bizarre. Maybe try again in a few days.

Original poster
chomalungma · 09/08/2020 13:53

You'd have thought they could use their delivery network to deliver the item from a central depot to a local store.

Or is that blue sky thinking?

OP posts:
Michaelbaubles · 09/08/2020 13:53

Oh, and it won’t tell you where it’s in stock either - so you have to try about a million postcodes on the off chance if you really want it. A list of stores where you could get it would be good because you could at least decide if you wanted to drive to Penzance or Abergavenny or whatever.

Original poster
chomalungma · 09/08/2020 13:55

Oh, and it won’t tell you where it’s in stock either

Maybe a UK map showing stores where it's in stock!!

If only such a thing could be done!!

OP posts:
Rinoachicken · 09/08/2020 13:59

Argos doesn’t seem to have any stock of anything anywhere since March - it’s a miracle they are still going tbh. Their Sainsbury’s branches are open but tiny, but for reasons known only to Sainsbury’s 🤔 they haven’t opened their larger out of town branches which hold more stock - even though SD would be fairly easy.

Plus there’s no way to filter on the website to only show items in stock, so you just scroll past the dozens and dozens of out of stock items. Pointless.

I used to use Argos a lot because they almost always had what I wanted in stock and I could easily collect. I’ve given up even looking now because I know they won’t have it, and if they do have it it won’t be available for delivery or collection.

I don’t even live in the middle of nowhere, I live in a major Surrey town!!

WrongKindOfFace · 09/08/2020 14:19

Argos are terrible for this. Just show me what’s in stock locally or available for delivery.

M&S are equally bad. If you filter by size it will also show you clothing that comes in that size but that isn’t actually in stock. Pain in the butt when all you want to do is quickly order some children’s t shirts.

TheGreatWave · 09/08/2020 14:22

You can check stock at Argos without adding it to your trolley.

I find it best on my tablet, as it shows on the first page which items are in stock.

ThankyouPeter · 09/08/2020 14:31

House of Fraser and Sports Direct are even worse. They will actually let you order and pay for an item but when you receive the acknowledgement it says it is dependant on stock availability! I've been caught out by both of them now with this. Placed an order, paid and subsequently been told my item is out of stock and had to wait for a refund. I won't use either of them again.

IsadoraQuagmire · 09/08/2020 14:52

I had this several times with Superdrug in the first couple of months of lockdown, when you had no choice but to shop online. You got to the stage of payment before discovering that things weren't in stock. It was infuriating.
With Argos, I always check stock levels on the item page.

TheGreatWave · 09/08/2020 15:13

Superdrug let me do a big order, check it out, sent lots of "holding emails" and then pretty much cancelled the lot (bar one item). That was only a couple of weeks ago. Luckily I put some of the stuff she wanted (it was stuff for dd1) on the supermarket shop so at least she has that.

dementedpixie · 09/08/2020 15:17

Argos is even worse at Christmas and never has anything yiu want to order. They seem to hold much less in store than they used to as well

SerenityNowwwww · 09/08/2020 15:19

Yes - Superdrug did this to me too. When all this Covid kicked off I couldn’t get hand gel in the shops for love not money. I needed to get some large ones for our office too so decided to do an online order with them - which I did and they took my money - then sent me a text saying ‘oopsy - we’ve cancelled your order. We will of course give you your money back...’

Northernsoulgirl45 · 09/08/2020 15:25

Yep even worse I have had several orders cancelled after order. Yanbu

PoodleMoth · 09/08/2020 15:27

Argos is the worst for this! I very rarely shop there for this reason, I also dislike their postage charges and terrible delivery times!

amusedbush · 09/08/2020 17:08

I was just complaining to DH about this. Argos won't let you filter to show items available for delivery or in your local store, you have to click through everything individually to check.

Although last week I tried to order a top from Monki and I went right through the checkout process, the money came out of my bank, then I received an error message on the website. I phoned them and they said the item wasn't actually in stock even though it was sitting in my basket, and I had to wait almost a week to get the money back. Not great.

Defenbaker · 09/08/2020 17:21

YANBU, it's very annoying. Were you trying to order a sewing machine, by any chance? I'm having the same issues with Argos, where most machines are out of stock. I went on the John Lewis website, and there is a similar shortage of machines, but at least they have an option to click "Only show items in stock".

I had similar issues with hairclippers. Just had to keep checking daily, refreshing the search, until suddenly the item was available. I guess there is a shortage of many things due to pandemic issues.

Elouera · 09/08/2020 17:27

Argos always do that with their super specials- no delivery options and non in store! You can opt to travel though, and if available, will show you the next closest shop with stock.

Dependng what the item is, I've sometimes found stock inside larger sainsburys stores. Last week I wanted a toy, argos website had none in stock. I found it in a sainburys shop on special!

WhoLettheCatOut · 09/08/2020 17:46

B&Q are terrible for this. I've not shopped there the last year since I realised what a terrible system they have!

CasaLuna · 09/08/2020 18:42

I was complaining about Argos today! I’ve looked a few different things since March and literally nothing has been in stock. I understand there’s a surge on certain items (fans, paddling pools, weights) but this was definitely not one of those things. There was one in stock... 151miles away in Swansea.

BreconBeBuggered · 09/08/2020 19:08

I haven't found Argos that bad tbh. The ILs are scared of online ordering so I've been doing their non-food shopping for them alongside the groceries, and every time they've asked for something from Argos I've been warning them that it might not be in stock, then they make an arse of me by having everything they want, every time. Perhaps they're catering for an older clientele, or perhaps they only have things an octogenerian might fancy left in stock.

user127819 · 09/08/2020 19:39

I paid and reserved something for collection at Argos only to find out after 4 days it wasn't in stock.

bookmum08 · 09/08/2020 19:50

I have had no issues with Argos and their website. They have essentially been my lockdown lifeline. The thing is depending on the size of the store the products will either be in physical stock so you can collect right away or they have to transfer the stock from another store or it will come directly from their main distribution centres. With stock being sold constantly and moved all over the place constantly then the time it takes you to choose products, select store and then go to pay the item could have then sold out. If it was a physical store and there are 6 customers but only 4 of a product on the shelf then it's whichever 4 people who get to the shelves first who get to buy. Two people don't get to buy even though the item was 'in stock' when they walked through the shop door.
Argos are pretty good I reckon.

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