Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 72672	2006-09-21 20:53:00	A Disgruntled Consumer writes	disgruntledconsumer (11176)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
486479	2006-09-21 20:53:00	In Saturdays NZ Herald 16/9 I saw a Bond and Bond ad for the Sony KLV32S200A at $2209. Crikey, I thought, that’s a good price! I then remembered that Noel Leeming have the ‘Price Promise’ promotion which goes like this: FIND ANY IDENTICAL PRODUCT WE SELL AT A LOWER PRICE LOCALLY AND WE PROMISE TO MATCH THAT PRICE, DOWN TO THE LAST CENT AND GIVE YOU FLY BUYS Terms & Conditions: · Must be within 7 days of purchasing the product (or price of product advertised at competitor within last 7 days) · Product compared must be in stock · Must be the same new-boxed product, make and model · Must be from a local retail home appliance dealer – excludes manufacturers clearances, stock liquidations, ex-demo models, trade offers, trade-in offers or parallel imported product · Local = acknowledged home appliance retailers which operate within a 10km radius of the store presented with the Price Promise · Internet-only retailers will be excluded (ie. Appliance retailer websites will be matched). Great I thought, I’d buy the TV from Noel Leeming and use my BNZ Mastercard Goldcard and get Airpoints and collect Flybuys. Great deal all round. On 19/9 I enter the Wairau Park Noel Leeming store and tell to salesman that I would like to buy the Sony KLV32S200A and take advantage of your Price Promise offer and let you match the Bond and Bond price and I’ll collect my Flybuys, Thanks very much. After much muttering and checking of the computer screen. The response was sorry, we can’t match that price, it’s too cheap. They’ve made a mistake. Go to Bond and Bond and buy it. But what about the Price Promise? We’re not matching that price, we’d only make 2% on the sale. Off I go across the road to Bond and Bond and low and behold is the Sony marked clearly at $2209. Speak to the sales consultant, yes good price on the Sony, no we don’t have any stock but I can order in for you and we’ll honour the $2209 price. Promotion ends today. I didn’t buy the TV. Instead I went home and sent an email to Noel Leeming Customer Care. To whom it may concern: I went to the Wairau Park store to purchase a Sony KLV32S200A LCD TV. This TV was being promoted by Bond and Bond @ $2209 on sale between 16/9 and 19/9, as advertised in the Saturday Herald 16/9/06. I asked staff to 'Price Promise' and match the Bond and Bond price on the TV so I could purchase from Noel Leeming and earn FlyBuys. They refused and told me to go to Bond and Bond to buy it. The Bond and Bond price comparison met all the criteria as stated in your Price Promise yet the staff refused to make the sale. You allow 7 days for a Price Promise purchase and I would like to purchase this TV from Noel Leeming in accordance with the offer you promote. Please advise me which store is willing to honour your Price Promise offer. I got an acknowledgement in response: Thank you for your letter regarding price promise. We take complaints very seriously and your letter has been forwarded to the appropriate person to investigate the matter. If you have not already been contacted, you can expect to hear from somebody within five days of the date of this letter. Thank you for taking the time to alert us of this matter. On 20/9 I called the Customer Care line and spoke to a person and described what had happened. She was very helpful and acknowledged the complaint. She was going to call the store and sort out the issue. Get a call back and no problem sir, call into the store and ask for XXX and you can make your purchase and of course we’ll honour our Price Promise. Return to Noel Leeming ask for XXX and explain that I had spoken to YYY who had told me to return and purchase the TV under Price the Promise offer. “Yes I got the call but we can’t sell the TV at that price it’s too cheap. Bond and Bond have made a mistake and we won’t match that price. In fact they had a small sign to say that they had made a mistake in their advertising. We will sell the TV for $2309’’ ‘Really? I went to the store and the TV was clearly marked with $2209, the Herald Ad says $2209, the pdf they had on their website says $2209 and there sales staff say the TV is being sold at $2209 and there was no disclaimer notice” Now I was angry. I got home and called Bond and Bond to confirm the price, which they did. I also sent another email off to Customer Care: Dear XXX I contacted XXX on the customer service line with regard to my complaint on the Wairau Store not wishing to honour the Price Promise as promoted by Noel Leeming. She was quick to acknowledge the complaint and very proactive to find out why the store was not complying with the Price Promise as advertised. XXX called me back and told me that she had spoken to XXX and that Noel Leeming Wairau Park would match the Bond and Bond price. All I had to do was call in and ask for XXX and I could complete the purchase. Tonight I called into the store only to be told by XXX that they would not match the price of Bond and Bond. He told me that Bond and Bond had mistakenly priced the TV and they were not going to match the price. He further said that the Bond and Bond store had put up a small sign to say that the price was incorrect. I believe this is not true as I visited the Wairau Park Bond and Bond store on the 19th and the TV was clearly marked with the $2209 price and this priced was confirmed by the Bond and Bond sales consultant, XXX. Further to this I called the Wairau Park Bond and Bond store (XXX, ) today to confirm the previous price, which they did. They acknowledged it was a very good price and was only available for the promotional period, which is now over as it expired at the close of business on the 19th. What I can't believe is I was refused service twice and lied to; to avoid meeting your own promotional promise. That is inexcusable. Please remember I am not haggling over a price but am responding to your advertising to win my business. To be treated by a national retailer in this manner is disgraceful. What if I’m wrong? Send email off to Bond and Bond Customer Service to confirm price: In regards to your enquiry earlier about a Sony KLV32S200A that was for sale for $2209 it has been confirmed by the marketing department that it was advertised at that price and I have been given a copy of the advert. Let me know if I can help any further as you did not explain why you wanted to know OK here comes the funny part. My Noel Leeming and Bond and Bond emails are going to the same person. Yes the original complaint and follow up complaint email went to the person who responded to my Bond and Bond enquiry to confirm the price. There is one Customer Service for both companies, as they are both owned by the same parent company. Guess where the Customer Care centre is based? 7 Link Drive Wairau Park. Here’s the thing. I wasn’t haggling about price. I was responding to Noel Leemings advertising to win my business. I have never had a consumer experience like this before. I have now passed the angry stage and am well into farcical disbelief. I won’t be buying a TV or anything from Noel Leeming ever and I hope by sharing this, that others may make the same decision.	disgruntledconsumer (11176)
486480	2006-09-21 21:29:00	I thought everyone knew they were the same company. Its hilarious the difference in attitude though. I bought a DVDRecorder a while back, it was advertised in the pamphlet at $499. Bothe Bond and Bond and Noel Leeming. Went to NL and they said no its $499.99. I show pamphlet and they refuse to deduct 99cents. Go over the road to B&B who deduct 99cents for me. Such a fuss from NL over 99cents.....	pctek (84)
486481	2006-09-21 21:53:00	I completely agree with you about Noel Leemings - I would not buy from them unless absolutely necessary. When I went TV hunting about two years back, Harvey Norman had the best deal, but I reckoned I could do better. So I went to a few other places (Farmers, Noel Leemings, Bond and Bond) and mentioned that I was in the market to buy a TV, was looking to spend up to $2k, that very day - could they match and/or better HN? Noel Leeming - no. Too cheap, finance too generous (24 months interest free, 12 months deferred). They tried to sell me on their 3 month deferred, 33 month interest free deal, arguing it was better... Bond and Bond - just laughed... Farmers - No problem. How does 5% better sound? Went to HN, mentioned that Farmers was 5% better, but had received good sales service from HN, so could they match? Yes they could. Went to Farmers, mentioned that HN had matched, so sorry, I'd get it from HN. Sales guy said, no problem, how about 10% off? Went to HN, mentioned that Farmers had gone to 10%, but that I was getting tired legs, so what was their best offer. They said, sorry, they couldn't match (even the original 5%). So Farmers got the business. Have had other bad experiences since with both HN and NL - what gets me most is how they profess to be so keen to make a sale - from pestering you the moment you walk in the door, to claiming to offer the lowest prices, or match the lowest prices, but the minute you actually start talking dollars, the truth comes out. At least Farmers had the integrity to engage in price matching. And don't even get me started on the complete lack of technical nous most salespeople at the big stores have - I watched a salesperson at HN spend 1 hour trying to tune in a DVD HDD recorder without the aerial plugged in. He conceded defeat eventually, with excuses that ranged from "it's a different model to the ones I normally use" to "I think this one is broken, but we'll get you one that works, don't worry..." Worry? Me? Of course not... :rolleyes:	Lizard (2409)
486482	2006-09-21 22:34:00	I've had remarkably the exact polar opposite experiences with Noel Leeming/Bond and Bond. About 6 years ago we were looking at buying a fridge - and were intending to pay cash. We spent about 15mins looking around in Bond and Bond, only to be ignored by all the sales staff - not even a "hello - can I help you". We went across the road to Noel Leemings, and was immediately served, and that was where we made our purchase. Furthermore, I've frequently taken prices from Pricespy of various computer goods into them, and they've happily matched the prices.	somebody (208)
486483	2006-09-21 23:04:00	I gather they are targetted at different markets. NL is for people who buy it on HP and B&B for those with the cash. (or visa versa) So they have different marketing and pricing stratagies I vaguly remmebr a salesman telling me somthing like that in the past.	netchicken (4843)
486484	2006-09-22 00:28:00	is Bond and Bond and Noel Leemings franchise outfits ?ie the stores are independently owned? if so it would explain why they would want to refuse to sell at such low margins. mind you i would have thought 2% margin is better than no sale.	tweak'e (69)
486485	2006-09-22 01:43:00	I thought everyone knew they were the same company. Its hilarious the difference in attitude though. Exactly, they're both PRG.... no one else seems to know this though, including their own staff!	Jester (13)
486486	2006-09-22 04:02:00	Welcome to PressF1 disgruntledconsumer :)	stu161204 (123)
486487	2006-09-22 05:25:00	Hillarious . . . . sorry,but it is . Many moons ago I worked for Bond & Bond as a salesperson . Facts: ** Same parent company 'Pacific Retail' owns both *Noel Leeming* & *Bond & Bond* brands . Eric Watson still has shares In the parent company . ** As part of Noel Leemings price promise . "We will better any advertised price" . They must By Fair Trading Act match or better this price as it 'has been advertised' irrespective of Bond & Bond's error in the said advertisment . Failure to do so,should be brought to the attention of the Commerce Commision where Pacific Retail are liable under current legislation to a fine for non compliance . ** What you have outlined basiclly saiz to me that nothing has changed with this organization . I have seen this time and time again . Lack of customer service [nope we will not match there price] in Noel Leeming stores where customer becomes very disgruntled and comes to Bond & Bond store very angry where we had the "delightful task of placating the customer" . ** I worked for Bond & Bond for 4 years . The reason I left was on two accounts . Firstly crap renumeration . And I mean just that! . Secondly,being paid peanuts and then dealing with very agressive and obnoxious customers with no management support . . . . . . . finally put the nail in the coffin . :annoyed: My advise is to persue this matter further with Fair Go and the Commerce Commision . Good luck!!	Utopia (7787)
486488	2006-09-22 05:44:00	Yeah, I would probably do the same... email them back with a mention of the Fair Trading Act and false advertising. Might make them roll a little faster	Myth (110)
1 2 3