Rant..Why do companies offer a price match & then act like you are cheating them

[CZB1962]

I bought a 60" TV from Dell that came with a $200 gift card that has to be used in 90 days.

I decided on a camcorder that I wanted for $328 and like I always do, I looked for the best price I could find. Turns out Amazon had it for $278 so I read Dell's price match policy and saw that Amazon was one of the companies they matched.

I started a chat session and ask them to match the price and they said that they would not because it said there was only 1 left at Amazon and their policy excludes "limited quantities". Seemed like a excuse not to honor the price match but I did find it in the small print.

Later I found the same item on Walmart.com, also for $278. No limited quantity on this one so I called Dell to get them to price match. This time they tried to tell me that they could only knock off $9. When I ask why, he gave me some BS about how they can't go below a certain margin. I proceeded to read him word for word off the website what their policy was.

Long story short, it took me nearly 45 minutes and going up to a supervisor to get them to finally honor their own policy.

Had it not been for the gift card I would have simply purchased it at Amazon, but when they tried to back-peddle on their own policy, it became a matter of principle.

I just don't understand why they try to pull this crap. If you don't want to price match, don't make it part of your policy.

Rant over.

 

[Crbn79]

Best buy did that to me on a 70 inch Aquos. They sold it to my parents for $3,200, found it at Frys for $2,900. They tried to act like I was cheating them, I finally told them to cancel the delivery, refund the money, and I'd just go to Frys and buy it.... Funny they got a lot more cooperative suddenly.

 

[tmschuller]

Rant or not it pays to be persistent ! Good job.. the matter of principle is overlooked so often. I have tried but not been so successful. Enjoy your victory.

 

[mbills2223]

Nothing wrong with a nice haggle

 

[Donnelly]

I just don't understand why they try to pull this crap. If you don't want to price match, don't make it part of your policy.

Because not everyone would have the tenacity that you demonstrated, so if they don't honor their policy, profits stay up. And most people are very forgiving, so even after getting screwed over by the company, they will continue to shop there, because it's "comfortable". Most folks don't like change.

 

[Trigger Time]

If they win by being dicks or intimidating people into buying it anyways even 6 out of 10 times then they win. I will not be bullied or made to feel guilty about saving money period. Try it and your on my do not do business with list.

 

[mrjarrell]

I've had Walmart price match items for me a number of times. I pull it up from Amazon or where ever on my phone and they've always been nice about it. Call for a manager to do the override, take my money and I'm on my way. I like the folks at Walmart. Haven't been in a Best Buy in well over a decade because of their lying and cheating. Plenty of other places to give my money to.

 

[CZB1962]

I have to admit this became a personal challenge for me. After they denied the first attempt with the fine print I vowed to look every day for the next 89 days to find a deal that I could hopefully force them to honor. I guess I was just lucky to find it on the same day!

It did leave a sour taste in my mouth though. Dell has always been excellent to me in my dealing through work. I probably buy 10-15 PCs/laptops a year and always use Dell. They have bent over backwards to treat me right.

I wonder if the experience would have been different if I used my company email and account info instead of my personal?

 

[Audie Murphy]

I had the Bestbuy in Ft Wayne turn me down on a price match for an IPAD, because I was sourcing the competitive price from an out of state store Micro-Center

 

[Brandon]

I love when stores won't match another location's price.
Went to Lowe's looking for a small toolbox to keep in the trunk. Found one that fit the bill perfectly. My friend decided he liked the idea and asked if they had another or if another store had one. They looked it up and told us Beechgrove had a couple. So we bought the one that was on sale and headed south. When we got to Beechgrove and found the toolbox, we noticed the price was different. We took it upto the register and asked if it was on sale or not and if they price matched their other location. They promptly said no.

After asking the manager, I left the toolbox and about $150 bucks worth of tools and told him after they pay someone to restock and how much time it took him and his cashier to find the price and do what ever her did on the computer, the difference I was asking for was cheaper than their wages for the time it took them to tell me no. He gave me a crappy look.

 

[churchmouse]

I have to admit this became a personal challenge for me. After they denied the first attempt with the fine print I vowed to look every day for the next 89 days to find a deal that I could hopefully force them to honor. I guess I was just lucky to find it on the same day!

It did leave a sour taste in my mouth though. Dell has always been excellent to me in my dealing through work. I probably buy 10-15 PCs/laptops a year and always use Dell. They have bent over backwards to treat me right.

I wonder if the experience would have been different if I used my company email and account info instead of my personal?

Yes, it would have.

 

[CZB1962]

Yes, it would have.

Sad, but probably true.

 

[ccrubaugh]

Right out of college I worked at North Face for a bit and we didn't match prices if other stores worked discounts on the same stuff. When I asked the manager why, all he told me was that North Face didn't match prices. Felt like the most hated person when I had to tell people that. Eventually they started their own discounts to somewhat make up for being corporate d-bags to people. But it was still nothing compared to what Dicks,Gander Mountain, or any other out door store would do.

 

[Trigger Time]

I love when stores won't match another location's price.
Went to Lowe's looking for a small toolbox to keep in the trunk. Found one that fit the bill perfectly. My friend decided he liked the idea and asked if they had another or if another store had one. They looked it up and told us Beechgrove had a couple. So we bought the one that was on sale and headed south. When we got to Beechgrove and found the toolbox, we noticed the price was different. We took it upto the register and asked if it was on sale or not and if they price matched their other location. They promptly said no.

After asking the manager, I left the toolbox and about $150 bucks worth of tools and told him after they pay someone to restock and how much time it took him and his cashier to find the price and do what ever her did on the computer, the difference I was asking for was cheaper than their wages for the time it took them to tell me no. He gave me a crappy look.

In my experience with management at that store they are *******s and could care less about customer service. They have lost thousands off us because I go to menards when I need a remodeling or other home item.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Dell..... there's yer trouble.

Loved the first one.

They basically told me I was too stupid to run the second one.

There won't be a third.

 

[femurphy77]

I needed a brake caliper for a car I once owned. Autozone quoted be $19.95 for it but it would be a week so I called Advance. They had it in stock for $149.95, I asked them to recheck the price and availability and they confirmed so I called AZ to confirm their p&a. I then went to Advance and asked them about price match. Long story short, they price matched but only after calling AZ and confirming the price themselves. The last thing the manager said to me was to never come back to that store again! Of course just to pour salt in the wound I continued to shop their and they continued to happily take my money!

 

[CZB1962]

Dell..... there's yer trouble.

Loved the first one.

They basically told me I was too stupid to run the second one.

There won't be a third.

Tech support sucks unless you are an enterprise customer. Then you get an American who actually know what they are doing.

 

[cobber]

.

 

[bkeesler]

Walmart tried to do this on an item that they had online for cheaper to me. They told me it was because it was onsale online so I ordered it infront of them for instore pick up, in the store I was currently in. They told me it would take them an hour to process my order, so I stood at the counter until they did. It took a lot less than an hour.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Tech support sucks unless you are an enterprise customer. Then you get an American who actually know what they are doing.

Not meaning to thread jack, but I had the same experience with AT&T (Uverse) on Monday. My "deal" that I had to renegotiate last year had run out, so I called to tell them that I wanted to renegotiate again. For some reason, I was connected to their "Win Back" department which I'm guessing is in Mumbai or Bangalore. After repeatedly having trouble understanding the lady I was talking to, and having her tell me that I could only get a discount if I "upgraded" to a more expensive plan, I asked to speak to her supervisor. She said, "Well, I can let you speak to my supervisor, but I am the expert and she will tell you the same thing." I told her that I would be calling back to cancel my service. Called Xfinity (Comcast), went through their whole spiel and had an appointment set for this Saturday to have them hook me up.

Called AT&T back and this time when I got their automated line, I said "Cancel Service". Miraculously, I was connected to an American that was able to give me an even better plan for less money than I'd been paying for the previous year. I called Comcast back and canceled their installation.

Anyhow, that was a long roundabout way of saying good for the OP! I used to be one to "just take it" but I guess I'm getting older and more crotchety. If a company isn't living up to their advertised policies, I don't put up with it anymore either.