I have purchased a few items from online stores over the years. I have become quite disappointed with one of the online stores I have used.
I received an email from one of the major online tech stores recently that seemed to be too good to be true. It had the usual good prices on many devices and of course several notebook computers. One of them popped right off the page at me.
It was an extremely high-end 2-in-1 flipbook. The keyboard and monitor on the notebook fold backward until they are flat together. This means that you have a regular notebook with a full keyboard or a Windows 10 tablet depending on how it is folded.
The most amazing part of the email was that it was listed for $200. I knew it was worth more. After checking online, the closest price I could find for the identical model was $1,100. So I thought I would buy one.
I clicked the email link, got to the site, scrolled down the page and there it was in all its glory. I read the full write up and I was excited by the possibilities…yeah, I am a geek. $900 off retail!
I continued on with the adventure by selecting the computer and putting it in my shopping cart. I got to the shopping cart and guess what? The price went from $200 to $645. Now that is still a great price with $455 savings but a lot more than "my" price. The $200 worked for me but the new price once in the shopping cart, nope.
Not being one to give up easily I got screen shots of all the items: The email, the webpage right on up to the shopping cart showing where the price started and where it ended.
To me it was a clear demonstration of the old "bait and switch" technique. I thought it would be fine and their upper management would surely see the error of their ways, giving it to me for the "proper" price.
I called the company’s support number and was handed off to a manager. After giving them my story they asked if I could provide a document and I was ready with my screenshots. Pure proof. So I emailed it to them as requested. They said they would get back to me in a few days.
The next afternoon I clicked the same email link to check the online price. That computer was not even listed any longer. I had kept it in my shopping cart so I went there and it said that the item was sold out and I could no longer purchase it for any price.
Well after two weeks, several calls and emails they told me they were sorry for the inconvenience but to help me out they gave me a $25 discount on my next purchase. WOW, thanks a lot for the equal trade.
I spoke to a lawyer friend of mine about the bait and switch. He said that basically when you click an email you get what you get and you have no recourse. It has been tested in the courts. So, yeah, after a few hours work I got $25.
