ordered a rowing machine from an online

[shuggler]

Hi there can anyone give advice on this,

 

I ordered a rowing machine from an online company who had a price tag of £269.99 which was the lowest price i could find for this model,

 

i phoned them first to make sure they had it in stock and for the price they were advertising,

they said they had but i would have to open an online account,

did this and ordered the item.

 

When it arrived it was the wrong one

i contacted them,

and they said they no longer do this item as their suppliers have put the price up and they no longer stock it.

 

It was agreed that i would send the wrong item back and they would refund the payment back to my account,

 

I checked the web site today and they ARE selling the original one i had ordered but the price is now £311.99.

Can they do this:eek:

 

All comments welcome thanks

[Jan4a]

Can't really help on the rowing machine price but am wondering about the "had to open an online account". Did you want to pay for a one-off transaction by debit card and they made you open an account? Will they put interest on the account? Have they credit checked you without your knowledge?

 

Which company is it?

[shuggler]

No, what i want to know is should they have sold me the item at the price they originally advertised it at £269.99 and not the price now £311.99 Instead of lying and saying they were not going to stock it anymore. The reason for opening an account was to pay for it online as they could not do it over the phone??

[Jan4a]

Just checking on the account as some companies have been known to make you open an interest account without telling you.

 

I think it unlikely it is legal but am not sure. At least my reply will bump you up to top again so someone with more knowledge might answer you.

[gyzmo]

Sounds like a bait and switch situation.

 

When you say they are still selling the item you originally asked for, do you mean that it is still being advertised or, for example, that you know someone who has bought one?

 

You could report this to Consumer Direct for intelligence purposes.

 

On a more practical level for your own situation, I would simply shop elsewhere.

[shuggler]

What i think they are trying to do gyzmo is they adertise the original item for almost half price

then send you a cheaper one in the hope that you wont notice and pocket the difference in price.

 

I checked the model they sent on another web site and it was priced at £170.99,

and then checked it on there own site and it was £240.00

but if i had not said anything they would have got away with selling it at £269.99 so back it went.

 

Now waiting on them refunding the money back into my account which i have to allow them 30 days to do so, and yes they are still adertising the original one, but upped the price to £311.99

[shuggler]

Sorry Jan4a when they said open an online account what happens is you just order the thing you want, pay with your credit card, give address details and thats it

[Like-Im-Being-Ripped-Off]

as you have returned the goods and they have not refund your money and if you paid by credit card, you can claim it back through the credit card company as its there money.

debit cards are a different kettle of fish, its always best to pay for online goods with a credit card rather than a debit card.

[Jan4a]

OK thanks. Its just that some mail order firms refuse to take your money straightaway and tell you not to pay for 30 days - then they open an account without your permission and charge you monthly interest - just checking it wasn't one of them as you didn't say the company's name.

 

Good luck