Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Beware of H. Samuel Bargains

Options
  • 19-09-2012 8:44pm
    #1
    seankryan
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭


    I have a warning for anybody who thinks they may be getting bargains in H. Samuel.

    Recently I purchased a Rotary watch in the Limerick branch of H. Samuel. The watch was on display on the window showing it was reduced from €340 to €160. The sales assistant spent a considerable amount of time telling me what a genuine bargain I was getting and how lucky I was.

    After a week I discovered that this watch was not a €340 watch or indeed not even a €160 watch. It retailed in H.Samuel for approximately €135 – I could not determine the proper price. Rotary gave the recommended UK selling price at £99 and I could have had it posted to me from Asquith’s in UK for about €85 and this included a free gift.

    I complained to H.Samuel who admitted that it was not a €340 watch and a mistake had been made. It was in fact a £99 UK price watch. I was told to call again to the store where I would be looked after.

    I called to the store where the manager offered to repay me €35. I told her that I did not want the cheaper watch and reminded her that I was told it was a €340 watch. I informed her that I could buy the watch for about €85. She told me that an error had been made because the watch had been put on the wrong stand in the window.
    In this day of bar codes etc it is difficult to believe this and I wonder if a €1,000 watch had been put on a €100 stand would I have got the watch for €100.

    I have no way of knowing if this was an error or a deliberate attempt to fool the public or indeed how many times it occurred. I do not believe I was told the truth and this makes me suspicious.

    Eventually I took my money back which meant that H. Samuel had nothing to lose on selling me a cheap watch pretending it was reduced from €340.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    sandin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 ✭✭✭sandin


    you've never made an error yourself?

    think of it - a jewellers window, hundreds of items. Easy for the odd item to end up on wrong stand.

    and also think of the number of people who compare prices on the internet, if this was policy by them or any other store, they would not last a month in business with a huge discrepany like that. If it was a 50 quid discrepancy, you'd have a case, but €200??? - very few people are THAT stupid.


  • Options
    #3
    seankryan
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭seankryan


    Would you know the difference in a €340 watch and a €135 watch other than to be told it was that price?

    Do you really think that a High Street store rely on the stand a watch is placed on to determine its price? Have you ever heard of bar codes?

    There was a bar code on this watch. The Rotary serial no. which was on the back of the watch would should have made it very clear to the saleperson that this was not an expensive watch.

    Yet I was told it was a €340 watch.


  • Options
    #4
    Humans eh!
    Registered Users Posts: 403 ✭✭Humans eh!


    "Beware of H. Samuel Bargains"
    Worse than Larry Murphy is old Mr. Bargains


  • Options
    #5
    sandin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 ✭✭✭sandin


    seankryan wrote: »
    Would you know the difference in a €340 watch and a €135 watch other than to be told it was that price?

    Do you really think that a High Street store rely on the stand a watch is placed on to determine its price? Have you ever heard of bar codes?

    There was a bar code on this watch. The Rotary serial no. which was on the back of the watch would should have made it very clear to the saleperson that this was not an expensive watch.

    Yet I was told it was a €340 watch.

    The barcode showed it was a €160 watch. The stand showed a price of €340. The sales person and yourself assumed it was reduced to €160.

    Knowing H samuels excessive pricing, a £99 uk watch would be €160 in their shops here - hence the barcode and price was correct, but it was their standard full price.

    And yes I would generally know the price band of watches and would not buy just cos a window sign says its reduced.

    As for the salesperson - em, they won't know everything. They go by info their eyes see when they are talking to you. With probably 2000+ products in a jewellers, they aren't going to learn int he ins and outs of every single item.

    Accept it that it was an error and move on with life.


  • Options
    #6
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,373 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    This thread should also really be just a general warning to shop around.

    Shops are under no obligation to sell at the RRP, the first R being "recommended". Nothing to stop a shop selling , or attempt to sell a mars bar for €1000. If they do this for a specified length of time and then reduce it to €10 they can legitimately advertise that it is reduced by a massive %, even if it is still very expensive.
    I discovered that this watch was not a €340 watch...
    I could not determine the proper price
    If it had been on sale for €340 then it could be said it was legitimately a €340 watch. Just like the junkmail pizza outlets will list pizzas as €25, and give vouchers to get them for €10. While most chippers will skip this nonsense and just charge €10.

    It is not like insurance where you have to have correct valuations of items. I expect in many jewelers if you bought an item and brought it back to a different assistant for valuation the next day it would have a much lower value.

    In this case if the watch apparently really was never on sale for €340, and if they claimed it was reduced from that then they may have been breaking this law, even if by mistake, so I would expect to be offered a full refund if it was against the law.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement