Heatons "Discounts" - Look at the original price!

wiggley

Heatons have a number of items with big tags saying "Half price sale, was €20 now €10", yet the original tag on the item shows the ticket price was always €10.
When questioned, the manager said that the "original price tag" of €10 was a misprint. ?????????? Eh, No, I'm not that gullible, Heatons are pretending to reduce the price of something when they are in fact selling it at the same original price it was always intended to be sold at!!!!! I was told that they were previously €20. I asked when this was, to which I was told that could not be answered. When queried further the manager said Head Office would need to be contacted. Then I got the answer of "they were €20 two years ago"!!
This still does not answer the question of why the oiginal tag clearly states €10 on all those items within that range!!!!!!!!!

I bought the same item back in March/April, and paid €10, and I don't recall it being reduced, as far as I remember it was €10 full price! Confirming that their "half price sale" items are false advertising!!
:mad::mad::mad:

Moojuice

That is illegal under Irish law. For something to be considered on sale it has to have been sold for the original price for a certain amount of time. Take a picture and send it to the National Consumer Agency . They should be done for that.

http://www.nca.ie/eng/Research_Zone/Consultation/Advertising/Draft_guidelines_on_price_discounts_part_3.html

wiggley

Thanks for that!
Oh as soon as I got home I rang them and reported this. They'll contact Heatons and do whatever is needed.
This morning someone from Heatons called me, as I had left my details in Heatons and asked for someone to answer this.
They lady who called was really sweet and pleasant though she seemed rather confused and not able to give me a solid answer as to why the original swing tag clearly is printed €10, ie, its original price.
She tried to explain it away by saying.............get this............ the item was €20..........3 years ago for 28 days, she said the company bought a huge stock of them, and then they sold so well they reduced them to €10 (3 years ago, not just this month or even this year), and they've been selling at €10 ever since. Which is why the additional promotional tag stated half price was €20 now €10!

Fair enough.................EXCEPT for the fact that all the original tags on this and all items in this range clearly state €10!!!!!!!!!

How can something that was €20, and has been sold as a "half price" item for 3 years be classed as a promotion at this stage?
How come all the tags clearly state €10 as the original price.
These 2 questions could not be answered by the Heatons representative.
Fair enough if they bought them 3 years ago, sold a few at €20 then reduced it, no quibble there. But what I have an issue with is, that they are advertising it as though its a new promotion? Also the fact that the original tag is printed with €10 is highly suspicious!

Although €10 was a reasonable price for the item, it put me off shopping there, as I just don't like being taken for a mug with gimmicky false advertising! I would rather buy from a store that had a transparent pricing system and gave honest good value.