[Tragedy]

A boards deal appeared on the 13th of January for "€22 instead of €72 for Full Iridescent Crystal Shamballa Bracelet delivered".

An hour later, someone posted that this appeared to be a terrible deal and was instead the normal retail price for this product.

Boards Deals Niamh responds claiming that the products on other sites "may be cheaper, lower quality versions of these bracelets" which is
A)A terrible thing to claim about other businesses products
and
B)A terrible response to people pointing out that this wasn't a deal of any kind.

Dudara said I should take it to feedback, so I did some digging beforehand.

1)Ownu.co.uk is in breach of the Companies Act in the UK, as it does not appear to display Company Registration information on any of it's pages
2)The website was only registered a few months ago
3)Ownu.co.uk claims to be owned and ran by the same people who own and run seasonsonline.co.uk.

Look here: http://www.ownu.co.uk/full-iridescen...a-bracelet.htm
Now, look here: http://www.seasonsonline.co.uk/brace...-bracelet.html

Same company, same details, same image, sent from the same location by the same people but one is £14.99 and one is £60.00(but frequently appearing on deal websites for between 14.99 and 19.99).

Boards Deals:Niamh excuse is that the exact same product from the exact same company "may be cheaper, lower quality versions of these bracelets".

Ya right.

This isn't the first time I've noticed incredibly creative accounting on Boards Deals, but it's certainly the worst.
This is a scam, nothing more and Niamh's response to it was to cast aspersions on companies who don't scam customers and put her fingers in her ears.

What gives Boards? If i was a private individual doing this on adverts I'd be banned.

[TouchingVirus]

Originally Posted by Tragedy

This isn't the first time I've noticed incredibly creative accounting on Boards Deals, but it's certainly the worst.
This is a scam, nothing more and Niamh's response to it was to cast aspersions on companies who don't scam customers and put her fingers in her ears.

What gives Boards? If i was a private individual doing this on adverts I'd be banned.

And how is it a scam? Going to the Ownu.co.uk site and you've a list price there of £60 ex delivery. Boardsdeals is offering the same thing for €22. Deal = On. The fact you can go elsewhere to get a better offer is neither here nor there, you can walk into most high street shops and announce "You call this January Sales? Hah, I can get most of this stuff cheaper down the street" if you want, it's up to buyers to do their research.

That Ownu.co.uk have conveniently left out that they seem to run this SeasonsOnline site is not BoardsDeals' fault. Should BoardsDeals investigate all companies who wish to do business with them for what can maybe be termed "Sharp Practice"? Should they get tax compliance certificates or investigate their business ethics beforehand, or should they trust that their users aren't rehabs and can decide if something is a deal themselves.

There's a tragedy here all right, but it's that this is an issue at all. I also believe that if you posted something on Adverts with a crazy price and I hopped in and told you I'd get banned for threadspoiling.

[Tragedy]

Originally Posted by TouchingVirus

And how is it a scam? Going to the Ownu.co.uk site and you've a list price there of £60 ex delivery.

The website ownu.co.uk seems to have been setup purely to hike prices up to offer false 'deals'. Ownu.co.uk isn't an incorporated business in the UK and seems to be operating illegally.

Boardsdeals is offering the same thing for €22. Deal = On.

And claiming that the usual retail price is €70, and claiming other competitors identical products may be of lesser quality when questioned on it.

The fact you can go elsewhere to get a better offer is neither here nor there

It is when it's the exact same product sold by the exact same company. You even pay the exact same company for both (Sifay International Ltd).

you can walk into most high street shops and announce "You call this January Sales? Hah, I can get most of this stuff cheaper down the street" if you want, it's up to buyers to do their research.

Which is an analogy that has nothing to do with the current situtation. There's a reason companies have to have had an item priced at X amount for Y time before they can claim to have a sale on said item.

That Ownu.co.uk have conveniently left out that they seem to run this SeasonsOnline site is not BoardsDeals' fault.

Yes it is, you're paying Boards Deals and your contract is with Boards Deals. Elementary but you don't seem to understand it.

Should BoardsDeals investigate all companies who wish to do business with them for what can maybe be termed "Sharp Practice"?

Yes.

Should they get tax compliance certificates or investigate their business ethics beforehand, or should they trust that their users aren't rehabs and can decide if something is a deal themselves.

What does that have to do with anything? Another idiotic analogy.

There's a tragedy here all right, but it's that this is an issue at all. I also believe that if you posted something on Adverts with a crazy price and I hopped in and told you I'd get banned for threadspoiling.

My mistake, you wouldn't be banned.

Profiteering: Attempting to sell an item above the Recommended Retail Price (RRP)
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If the reported RRP claim is found to be incorrect, the reporting user will be notified, and your listing will not be affected.
If the RRP claim is upheld, an adverts moderator will post a comment on your thread linking to the RRP.

[Orion]

Originally Posted by Tragedy

The website ownu.co.uk seems to have been setup purely to hike prices up to offer false 'deals'. Ownu.co.uk isn't an incorporated business in the UK and seems to be operating illegally.

You don't have to be incorporated to sell stuff.

[TouchingVirus]

Originally Posted by Tragedy

What does that have to do with anything? Another idiotic analogy.

Not quite pointless. When is enough research into a company enough for you then? How much time, money and resources should be spent on this to placate people like yourself who seem more than capable of researching deals and their value of their own volition?

Ownu.co.uk have been around for a few months, during that time I'm going to assume the bracelet remained on sale for £60; it has met the whole "has to be on sale" time limit already.

PC World, Dixons and Currys are owned by the same company. Sometimes deals/sales go on in Currys where even the reduced price is more expensive than PC World. What's the difference really? Would you have nothing to say if the two sites were different companies but were owned by a parent company? I'm still struggling to relate to your issue here, and I think you're more annoyed by the fact Niamh didn't listen to you than the actual point about the two companies.

[P. Breathnach]

Originally Posted by TouchingVirus

... The fact you can go elsewhere to get a better offer is neither here nor there...

OP has a point. The fact that you can go to the same place and get a better deal is significant. Both firms operate from the same address. It looks like sharp practice.

[jor el]

Sharp practice indeed, but it's not Boards Deals that's pulling the wool over, it's Seasonsonline that are doing this. Has the OP contacted Seasonsonline to ask them any of these questions?

As for the response about other sites may be selling inferior products, I think the OP is failing to see the word may in that sentence. Other sites may indeed be selling inferior products, there's nothing wrong with that claim.

[Tom Dunne]

Forgive me if I don't get upset over a product that is "..in keeping with celebrity fashion..." and contains "...10mm iridescent crystal disco balls..."

[P. Breathnach]

Originally Posted by jor el

Sharp practice indeed, but it's not Boards Deals that's pulling the wool over, it's Seasonsonline that are doing this. Has the OP contacted Seasonsonline to ask them any of these questions? ...

My read on it is that Boards Deals has been taken in by sharp practice. The best response, now that it seems apparent that this is so, is cancel the deal (if it is still current) and make no future deals with this outfit.

I really do not think it incumbent on OP to investigate the matter further. This is not Watchdog and we are not answerable to Anne Robinson.

[IITYWYBMAD]

Originally Posted by P. Breathnach

My read on it is that Boards Deals has been taken in by sharp practice. The best response, now that it seems apparent that this is so, is cancel the deal (if it is still current) and make no future deals with this outfit.

I really do not think it incumbent on OP to investigate the matter further. This is not Watchdog and we are not answerable to Anne Robinson.

Looks like it, but I think the OP is as concerned about the response from "Boards Deals" as he/she is about the so called 'scam'.

OWNU and Seasonsonline are definitely run by the same director, and actually run on the same server, so if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....

Bottom line seems to be that this "deal" is far from a "deal", and this has been highlighted by the OP...

[drkpower]

Definitely not much of a deal; mind you, any price for iridescent crystal disco balls is unlikely to be much of a deal for anyone...

But what's worse? BoardsDeals not doing much home work, or the OP throwing out allegations of illegality?

[Tragedy]

Originally Posted by jor el

Sharp practice indeed, but it's not Boards Deals that's pulling the wool over, it's Seasonsonline that are doing this. Has the OP contacted Seasonsonline to ask them any of these questions?

Seasonsonline/ownu are not selling boards deals customers a product, Boards Deals is.

As for the response about other sites may be selling inferior products, I think the OP is failing to see the word may in that sentence. Other sites may indeed be selling inferior products, there's nothing wrong with that claim.

I don't think people should listen to you, you may be a paedophile(*).
Using may as a weasel word isn't good enough. Clearly, none of the businesses selling disco balls give a **** what Boards Deals Niamh says, but using 'may' to cast aspersions on individuals and companies is both morally repugnant and shown to be legally unacceptable. Completely not on from the representative of a company in either case.

Originally Posted by drkpower

But what's worse? BoardsDeals not doing much home work, or the OP throwing out allegations of illegality?

Sorry, I should have said "in apparent breach of several Distance Selling Regulations and parts of the Companies Act".
To be honest, I'm less interested in ownu.co.uk and whatever shenanigans they get up to than with
a)Boards Deals apparent lack of care for who they do business with and what 'deals' they sell
and
b)Their representatives response to someone raising this issue(and no, not me).

*Obviously exaggerating

[MugMugs]

Originally Posted by Tragedy

I don't think people should listen to you, you may be a paedophile(*).

*Obviously exaggerating

What ?

[Tragedy]

Originally Posted by MugMugs

What ?

He claimed that inserting 'may' into an otherwise insulting/damaging/libellous statement based on zero evidence makes it acceptable, because you're only claiming it may be true. I was just taking the piss to show that I believe his opinion is nonsense

[Mr.Biscuits]