Is there anybody else out there who's ever had trouble with Noel Leeming and their price match offer?
I took my $1400 elsewhere after they refused to price match a washing machine from Harvey Norman earlier in the year in store. I complained via online chat and was told I'd get a phone call within a few hours to sort it out. Needless to say when I didn't had a call by the next day I went elsewhere to buy my washing machine.
Last weekend my printer died so I decided to buy a new one. There were a few deals this week incl the HP Officejet Pro which is $99 at Warehouse Stationary. I visited one of their stores this afternoon to buy one to be told they'd sold out but would have more stock in on Monday and I could use click and collect or buy it online to save coming back. It's annoying when there is no stock, but the customer service was good.
I then went next door to Noel Leeming and asked them to price match. Noel Leeming sell these printers for $299 (I'm unsure what the normal price is at Warehouse Stationary) and after hearing the guy say several times it was an amazing deal and then tell me it was way below cost he looked at the Warehouse Stationery site to verify and once again told me what a great deal it was and how it was well below their cost.
I then (potentially) made the mistake of saying it's great you've got them in stock because they won't have them back in until Monday and I want the new printer today. He immediately responded by saying they can't price match with products that are out of stock and that he couldn't sell it to me. Words were then said between is with me pretty much telling them how their policy was a sham.
Before I say anything else it's entirely fare that a price match policy has such a condition in it - during the boxing day sales it's common for retailers to run out stock in limited numbers and expecting a store to price match something when a competitor has run out of when the competitor has something $1000 off and the distributor would only supply them 5 per store is totally reasonable.
The problem is that Noel Leeming's policy doesn't say that.
5. Price Promise applies only to regular, in-stock product offered for sale from a New Zealand retail home appliance dealer. Excludes trade quotes, stock liquidations and commercial quantities and parallel imported products. All New Zealand retailer website product offers will be considered where the product is the same.
I could have purchased that printer online and paid $99. The product is not out of stock anywhere except the local store who will have more back in on Monday.
Upon getting home I also discovered something more interesting - last weekend while looking for printers I'd left some tabs open on this desktop PC which doesn't get a lot of use and only realised as I was closing them that Noel Leeming last weekend had the very same printer on special for $104 with 30% off.
I wonder why Noel Leeming are now selling something for $299 when their price last week before their special was only $149?
I know there is a Noel Leeming employee on here but I'd just wondering if there is anybody higher up the food chain that's interested in dealing with the incredibly poor customer service from the staff and their interpretation of the policy, along with also explaining why there is such discrepancies in their pricing.