Where in the world? That's right

swiss

I don't know if this is just a vent, or a valid synopsis on recent price hikes indicative of our bloated level of inflation.

Today I went looking for a computer case. A relatively small item, one might think. You can typically find them for around the €80 - €120 mark on komplett, Elara, or any number of online stores. However, with the added cost of shipping being a mitigating factor I decided to mosey down to the local PC World in Waterford to see what deals they had available in this area.

Having been in that store quite often I am well aware that a more apt title for the store would be "Rip Off World". However, a friend of mine works in the store and informed me that there was a computer case for sale there for €55, including a 300W PSU. Very reasonable, I thought, and quite atypical of PC World to sell a product at a reasonable price.

I called in during the afternoon and asked the sales guy (a friend of mine) if he had any of those cases left in stock. He informed me they were "good sellers" but that there were a few left in stock. I did not have time to pick it up and bring it home then and there, but I informed him I would return in the late afternoon to pick it up. So at around 5.15 I return and find the cases there. However, the other sales guy that is there informs me that the price is €90! That is quite a differential between the price I was quoted. Naturally I queried my friend, who ran a price check to indeed find the price was €90. According to him, these are new models (although they look exactly like the demonstration model they had which originally convinced me to buy the damn things) and as such are more expensive.

Now, I accept that the guy was probably a little over-zealous in quoting that price, and I also accept that he can't know every price re-adjustment, but I found this unacceptable on a number of levels.

1) I spent two wasted journeys getting to and from that store, browsing and picking out the case I wanted, only to be frustrated by an attempt at a rip off.

2) I accept that prices rise. Such is the nature of inflation. But an increase in price from €55 to €90 consitutes a 63% increase in a period of 2 weeks. What is the justification for this level of price increase?

It seems to me as if the management realised they had priced something reasonably, realised that that was not in line with thier policy of ripping people off for as much as they can, and promptly upped the price in line with this policy.

The second alternative is that the case was never priced €55 in the first place, and that being informed that it was this price was due to either ignorance on the part of the sales clerk or else this €55 was a special in house price for employees, as a hidden perk.

As an annendum to this story, a few weeks ago I was quoted a figure of €100 for 512Mb PC3200 RAM. Today I found out the price had risen to €120. This, I was informed, was part of an overall price increase in items right across the store.

In either case, I am annoyed enough about this episode to post it on boards. I have also given serious consideration to writing to the complaints department of the company in question (a quick google search reveals that PC World is owned by the Dixons store group, but I am uncertain whether I should contact them or if there is a specific sub department for that particular chain).

I don't expect that my loss of business will cause them much hardship, since I'm sure there are any number of punters who don't know the first thing about computers who will pay over the odds for a generic computer perhiperal/addon because he hears that it's good. However, I feel that it is important to highlight what amounts to hypocrisy in a store that purports to "stamp down on prices".

Typedef

Originally posted by swiss
I accept that prices rise. Such is the nature of inflation. But an increase in price from €55 to €90 consitutes a 63% increase in a period of 2 weeks. What is the justification for this level of price increase?

I'd expect it's alot like paying for music CDs in this country. The record industry is *well aware* of the fact that Irish people will pay over the odds for their goods, without any complaint nor significant dint into sales, so they just go ahead and charge what they like. During the entire debacle with that website selling CDs imported from Asia (name escapes me now), it was common and bandied about knowledge that the Music industry sits on us in the UK & Ireland, because it *can* and because we let it. What with the Irish and the British not being like the Americans in this sense in that, generally, when you get right down to it, we keep schtum and don't complain about things to authority(x).

*Sure* we complain about it to each other, but, generally, when you get right down to it, if you give a company bad, widespread and humiliating press which end up affecting it's profit margins, you can get company policy changed.

Unfortunately the likes of RTE don't really seem to go in for presecuting the likes of the music industry about it's flagrant overcharing of the Irish consumer. Why? Lucrative music-industry related advertising per chance?

Ah... I'm just being a cynic....

Tommy Vercetti

don't get me started on PC World/Dixons Group....I had to take them to the Small Claims Court because they wouldn't/couldn't/didn't bother giving me back my laptop which I left in for repair. They settled before it went to court btw.

I would avoid any of their stores like the plague, no matter how attractive their prices may seem (and they don't anyway)

roryodonnell

Agreed (literally).

roryodonnell

Have a look at some peoples experiences from the "Dixons Group"

http://www.djmurphy.demon.co.uk/dixons.htm

I give them two thumbs down and feel frustrated that I do not have any addional thumbs to furthur display my displeasure.