Belligerent git vs Argos...

JohnN

JohnN

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Hi all,

Remember a while ago Argos did some great deals on lens as they cleared out their Canon L stock, but no-one could actually find any!

Well currently a few of them remain online drawing customers in with a non-existent great deal then offer them an inferior product at their current prices, which as we all know are not that good.

Anyway I took it upon myself to get rid of these items as I was sick of seeing them "on offer" - those items are:

556/1568 Canon EF 24 1.4L U Digital SLR Lens
559/1599 Canon EF 35 1.4 U Digital SLR Lens
559/1551 Canon EF 20 2.8 U Digital SLR Lens
556/0497 Canon 35mm 2.0 Digital SLR Lens.

Now it took some several emails going back and forth with an apparent army of customer service representatives with them first off saying that they were available at some stores, then after I asked them where as I could collect from anywhere in the UK, they admitted they could not check stock but said they must be somewhere.

I then went on to prove to them via checkstock.co.uk that they had no stock in the UK at all, they then moved to they are available not in stores, but could be shipped to "specific" store from their warehouse, obviously I asked where as I'd get one shipped in - actually I was going to let you guys know as I can't afford anything at the moment anyway!

Well they have finally admitted that they in fact have no stock anywhere and have asked IT to remove the items!

What a faf just to make them not look like their baiting their own customers (something I pointed out to them at one point)

Anyway once they're actually gone then its 1-0 to a miserable old git with access to email :D

Still you have to pity my long suffering wife (ironically called Margaret) as she sees me slowly transform into Victor Meldrew!

PS: If its in the wrong place Mods please feel free to move it - I posted here as it linked with a thread here, so would make most sense here.
 
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JohnN said:
Hi all,

Remember a while ago Argos did some great deals on lens as they cleared out their Canon L stock, but no-one could actually find any!

Well currently a few of them remain online drawing customers in with a non-existent great deal then offer them an inferior product at their current prices, which as we all know are not that good.

Anyway I took it upon myself to get rid of these items as I was sick of seeing them "on offer" - those items are:

556/1568 Canon EF 24 1.4L U Digital SLR Lens
559/1599 Canon EF 35 1.4 U Digital SLR Lens
559/1551 Canon EF 20 2.8 U Digital SLR Lens
556/0497 Canon 35mm 2.0 Digital SLR Lens.

Now it took some several emails going back and forth with an apparent army of customer service representatives with them first off saying that they were available at some stores, then after I asked them where as I could collect from anywhere in the UK, they admitted they could not check stock but said they must be somewhere.

I then went on to prove to them via checkstock.co.uk that they had no stock in the UK at all, they then moved to they are available not in stores, but could be shipped to "specific" store from their warehouse, obviously I asked where as I'd get one shipped in - actually I was going to let you guys know as I can't afford anything at the moment anyway!

Well they have finally admitted that they in fact have no stock anywhere and have asked IT to remove the items!

What a faf just to make them not look like their baiting their own customers (something I pointed out to them at one point)

Anyway once they're actually gone then its 1-0 to a miserable old git with access to email :D

Still you have to pity my long suffering wife (ironically called Margaret) as she sees me slowly transform into Victor Meldrew!

PS: If its in the wrong place Mods please feel free to move it - I posted here as it linked with a thread here, so would make most sense here.
Click to expand...


Well done!
I noticed they recently added some more items to the canon range so I thought they would get rid of those super cheap non-existent items, how wrong I was. It was a disgrace they left them on there. Just shows what a bit of perseverance can do.
 
Indeed, by the way love your avatar - make me feel right at home :)
 
Not an expert on this at all, but I seem to recall it being a trading standards offence to entice customers with cheap but non-existent stock and then trying to sell them something else. Probably can't sell you something else online unless it suggests an alternative more expensive lens that they actually do have? :thinking::shrug:
 
Good move John! Scammers come in all shapes and sizes!

Rob
 
If you want a new challenge get them to explain why a freeview box is exempt from their 16 day money back guarantee.

Everytime I have asked I get told its because it is or that's what it says in the catalogue

Yes I know that, but why?
 
Good story John, sounds like something I would do. And they deserve every minute of it.
 
Cheers all - was nice to get somewhere with them, but I'll be happier when I see them actually gone - I'll check them in a week then no doubt start all over again when they're still there!

Rich, I took a quick look but have no idea why, but if my wife caught me going off on someone else's rant she'd divorce me :D
 
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Fair enough John, will have to research this further myself then and well done with the dodgy lens price removal
 
Peter B said:
Not an expert on this at all, but I seem to recall it being a trading standards offence to entice customers with cheap but non-existent stock and then trying to sell them something else.
Click to expand...

It's known as "bait and switch", in England and Wales it is an offence under the Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and can (in theory) lead to jail time....
 
Argos... yes well over the years the list of items we have bought from Argos include...

- two stereo systems that didn't work (the second one was replacing the first, got lucky with the third!)
- a sleeping bag that started to come apart at the seams on about the 4 or 5th use
- a set of mugs where one handle fell off
- an ink cartridge that leaked everywhere instead of working
- a travel iron that stopped working after 4 weeks (halfway through a two month visit to West Africa)
- a landline phone that actually had chunks chipped out of it when we got it out of the box

So I'm not that surprised that they don't take stuff off their website...

(Maybe we've just been very unlucky, but I eventually stopped shopping in Argos after the damaged phone!)
 
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Think I can top that list Lynn and sure you will find this quite appalling

About fiften years ago my wife bought a Ladyshave from the Walthamstow branch and on opening the box found it had been used complete with the hairy proof inside the device
 
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That's Walthamstow for you Rich! Actually I didn't know 'ladies' in Walthamstow were civilised enough to be into hair removal! :)

Rob
 
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