Comet Sale

I went to the Comet sale this morning, complete waste of time.

10% off most things, some things 20% off but because their items are priced very high to start with all the items I went to buy were still cheaper elsewhere.

De'Longhi Coffee machine as an example, 20% off in the comet sale, but that's still £15 more expensive than Amazon sell the same one for and even £10 more than what John Lewis sell it for.

Same for Dishwashers which was the big item I went to buy, 10% off them in the sale which still makes them more expensive than elsewhere.

Printer inks and consumable all had 20% off, but silly start prices so still 10% cheaper elsewhere.

Do your homework before you go regards prices because they have very few genuine bargains right now.

I got to the store this morning 5 mins before it was due to open and there was about 30 people in front of me, 5 minutes later when it opened there was about the same number again behind me. Spent 15 minutes in the store and didn't see one item purchased in that time, most people seemed to be walking around like me wondering why they had bothered, few people carrying small items they looked more like consolation buys for a wasted journey.
 
Likewise, took a look and 10% off anything decent but with prices higher than amazon even after reduction not really worth it.
 
Wedding-Photos said:
I went to the Comet sale this morning, complete waste of time.

10% off most things, some things 20% off but because their items are priced very high to start with all the items I went to buy were still cheaper elsewhere.

De'Longhi Coffee machine as an example, 20% off in the comet sale, but that's still £15 more expensive than Amazon sell the same one for and even £10 more than what John Lewis sell it for.

Same for Dishwashers which was the big item I went to buy, 10% off them in the sale which still makes them more expensive than elsewhere.

Printer inks and consumable all had 20% off, but silly start prices so still 10% cheaper elsewhere.

Do your homework before you go regards prices because they have very few genuine bargains right now.

I got to the store this morning 5 mins before it was due to open and there was about 30 people in front of me, 5 minutes later when it opened there was about the same number again behind me. Spent 15 minutes in the store and didn't see one item purchased in that time, most people seemed to be walking around like me wondering why they had bothered, few people carrying small items they looked more like consolation buys for a wasted journey.
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Agree, was at Leicester today, discounts on offer still made them more expensive than online suppliers. Hardly liquidation sale!
 
corny said:
Agree, was at Leicester today, discounts on offer still made them more expensive than online suppliers. Hardly liquidation sale!
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They're not in liquidation (yet!). Administration means that the administrators will be looking at ways to repay the creditors as best they can - usually this would mean keeping the business going. Flogging off all their stock at rock-bottom prices would certainly mean the end of the business.
I suspect they'll manage to sell of a few of the stores to other companies who want the retail space (Maplin etc), but won't find a buyer for the company or brand and will have to liquidate. But that'll probably be a few weeks away yet.
 
They will probably keep increasing the discounts as they get more and more desperate to shift stuff. Similar to bestbuy last year when it eventually turned into a buying frenzy in their last few days.

I got my D7000 from them with the kit lens, for less than what it's currently available for. Even at the time the kit was retailing for near to £1100 because of the floods in thailand effectively halting production for alot of cameras and hard drives.

I saw people paying £250 for 40 inch HD tvs from the big brands like samsung / sony :eek:
 
My thoughts.

1. 10% off and occasionally 20% off their already high prices is not exactly going to clear the shelves despite their big 'EVERYTHING MUST GO' banners.

2. I went into a Comet store a few days ago out of curiousity and the first thing I noticed was that the Dyson shelves were stripped bare and who can blame Dyson in the circs?

3. IMHO, if the Comet management and staff were as knowledgeable and treated their customers as well as the Maplin staff do, Comet would not be in liquidation!

Anyway, good luck to the store staff in getting new jobs.
 
As I said on the first page of this thread some of the suppliers will have taken stock back so they won't have as much to dispose of as people think. Dyson definitely have.
 
I completely understand the difference between administration and liquidation, but it is Comet who are calling it a liquidation sale not I! :-)
 
It's a bit of a joke, they are offering 10% off on photographic gear, means they are still about 20% more expensive than the cheaper retailers.
 
My wife went into a store today to buy something and even with the sale Currys next door was still cheaper.


It is one hyped clearance sale. Comet has been going downhill for years IMO
 
Adam_K said:
It is one hyped clearance sale.
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Same thing when Focus DIY went bust, liquidators were looking to claw back as much cash as possible on the stock and knew that people will buy anything in a closing down sale thinking that it's a deal. In this case I'm sure Comets directors have the same view, remember that they are in business to make money, not to sell stuff at a loss and if you don't think it's a deal, hundreds of others either do or don't engage brain before purchase.
 
Beardy said:
Have to say I read it originally as they would buy the entire business. I still doubt very much they will...Maplin stores I have seen are a completely different footprint to Comet's...I have only ever seen Comet in retail parks and only seen Maplin in High St locations. As for Dixons they definitely aren't going to buy the business (huge CC issues never mind financial ones) and as for single stores, they might take some over but they aren't going to need to buy them unless they are in extremely desirable locations....Dixons are trying to cut costs not expand them. Their net margins are 1%!
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Just as an aside, the 2 Maplin stores nearest to me are on retail parks.
 
Ditto- staffed by Richard Heads here unfortunely.
 
The biggest issue people will face with the Comet sale is that if they buy any large goods (TV, PCs, washing machines, etc), in many cases they won't have any sort of warranty to fall back on in the event of it going wrong, as so many electrical goods seem to these days... Fair enough go and snap up a cheap kettle or something, because if that goes wrong its not worth chasing a warranty really! Easy to buy new ones cheap. But for the love of god, if you're going to buy a big new item, at least go somewhere where a warranty can be provided :bonk:
 
Cyprino said:
The biggest issue people will face with the Comet sale is that if they buy any large goods (TV, PCs, washing machines, etc), in many cases they won't have any sort of warranty to fall back on in the event of it going wrong, as so many electrical goods seem to these days... Fair enough go and snap up a cheap kettle or something, because if that goes wrong its not worth chasing a warranty really! Easy to buy new ones cheap. But for the love of god, if you're going to buy a big new item, at least go somewhere where a warranty can be provided :bonk:
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We had an issue with our washing machine a few years ago and when I phoned to have it repaired under warranty, one question I was asked was did I buy it from Comet - found out later on from repair guy that comet have / had their own repair guys that came to fix any item they'd sold that was under warranty and when they couldn't, then they'd bring in the manufacturers repair guys - and he said they'd usually made a hash of something or done nothing at all, as they had to deal with every item ....
 
Cyprino said:
The biggest issue people will face with the Comet sale is that if they buy any large goods (TV, PCs, washing machines, etc), in many cases they won't have any sort of warranty to fall back on in the event of it going wrong, as so many electrical goods seem to these days... Fair enough go and snap up a cheap kettle or something, because if that goes wrong its not worth chasing a warranty really! Easy to buy new ones cheap. But for the love of god, if you're going to buy a big new item, at least go somewhere where a warranty can be provided :bonk:
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Manufacturers warranty would still be valid I would have thought.
 
It is provided you have a receipt.


Lets face it, all these shops do if you return something for warranty is put it in the side for a few weeks before sending it to the manufacturer for repairs.
 
BIGEYE said:
Manufacturers warranty would still be valid I would have thought.
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But only for one year potentially. SOGA via the retailer protects you for up to 6. EU minimum is for two years so it is unclear whether it defaults to two years or our one when the retailer goes bust.
 
srichards said:
But only for one year potentially. SOGA via the retailer protects you for up to 6. EU minimum is for two years so it is unclear whether it defaults to two years or our one when the retailer goes bust.
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One. That's the UK law. An EU Directive cannot automatically create UK law. The UK government has taken the view that the Sale of Goods Act offers equal or better protection than that prescribed the EU Directive, so no change to UK law was required.

If you wanted to claim in the second year, you would have to sue the UK government for failure to implement an EU directive - not the manufacturer. However, my understanding is that EU directive covers sale of goods not manufacture, so would'nt actually help in the instance of a bust retailer.
 
Llamaman said:
One. That's the UK law. An EU Directive cannot automatically create UK law. The UK government has taken the view that the Sale of Goods Act offers equal or better protection than that prescribed the EU Directive, so no change to UK law was required.

If you wanted to claim in the second year, you would have to sue the UK government for failure to implement an EU directive - not the manufacturer. However, my understanding is that EU directive covers sale of goods not manufacture, so would'nt actually help in the instance of a bust retailer.
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Not quite, you would need to sue the retailer with which you have a contract (slight problem there with Comet), and you would need to commission an independent report to present to the court to prove that the reason the item has failed was one covered by SoGA ie poor quality etc.

If you are successful in court, you would be awarded the costs of the report in addition to the damages awarded (which may not be the full price paid for the item).

OFT guidance at http://www.oft.gov.uk/business-advice/treating-customers-fairly/sogahome/sogaexplained

Your contract with the customer

Under the Sale of Goods Act, when you sell something to a customer you have an agreement or contract with them.

A customer has legal rights if the goods they purchased do not conform to contract (are faulty). The Act says that to conform to contract goods should
match their description
by law everything that is said about the product must not be misleading - whether this is said by a sales assistant, or written on the packaging, in-store, on advertising materials or in a catalogue
be of satisfactory quality
quality of goods includes
- appearance and finish
- freedom from minor defects (such as marks or holes)
- safe to use
- in good working order
- durability
be fit for purpose
if a customer says - or when it should be obvious to the retailer - that an item is wanted for a particular purpose , even if it is a purpose the item is not usually supplied for, and the retailer agrees the item is suitable, or does not say it is not fit for that purpose, then it has to be reasonably fit.
If you disagree with the customer about a particular purpose, you should make this clear, perhaps on the sales receipt, to protect yourself against future claims.

Your responsibilities for the goods you sell

You are responsible for the goods you sell and if a customer returns an item they purchased from you that is faulty (it does not conform to contract) because it
does not match the description
is not of satisfactory quality
is not fit for purpose .
you (not the manufacturer or supplier) are legally obliged to resolve the matter with the customer at any time for up to six years from the date of purchase, or in Scotland for up to five years from the discovery of the problem.

Any refund, repair or replacement you arrange with your customer relating to faulty goods must not cause them too much inconvenience and you will have to pay for other costs, for example, collection or delivery.

If you disagree with a customer's claim, you can ask if they are willing for you to send the item to a third party or the manufacturer for inspection. If the customer agrees you can do this, it is important to remember that the goods must not be damaged during this process.

Customers' rights remain the same whether the retailer is acting as an agent or principal.

Your customer also has a responsibility to make sure that they service the item they buy from you correctly and follow any user instructions provided.
Statements about the goods you sell
Anything that is stated about the items you sell - by you, manufacturers, importers or producers - for example, in advertising or labelling, should be factually correct.

It is important that you know what is being said about the goods you sell because these statements form part of your contract with your customer. For example, if an advert says that a pair of shoes is waterproof and a customer wears the shoes and finds they are not waterproof, then the item does not match the description .

There are occasional exceptions to this, for example, if the advert was published and then corrected in public before the item was sold. Other examples are if, for good reason, you are not aware of the statement that has been made, or that the consumer could not have been influenced by the statement.
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Comet have advertised big discounts today such as 50% of ovens etc and 30% off other electricals, anyone been in to see what is available?.
 
Our local (Trowbridge) was stripped bare this evening, pretty much only left with a few big TVs, flatbed scanners and a couple of carpet cleaners, they were taking offers on the expensive stuff. They even had the fixtures and fittings for sale.

Incredibly I was after a specific iPad case, they had one for 50% off. All camera stuff including accessories had gone. They were intending to shut next week but said it would probably be shut by Sunday as there would be nothing left.
 
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