I've waited a while to write this t …
I've waited a while to write this to hopefully make it a bit more balanced. I also wanted to give some time in case they decided to call back (I did tell a manager how annoyed I was by this on the 'phone).
I have previously dealt with them in Farnborough and they've been fine. I've bought my last couple of helmets and other bits there. Advice and help wasn't bad (though not amazing on helmet fitting either). No real issues.
Ten days ago I emailed asking about availability of stock - no reply after 3 days so I visited the clearance store anyway. This is for a suit which was superseded by another which has also since been discontinued - so pretty old stock.
I found the jacket I wanted was in, but not the trousers. They helpfully offered to get those from another store and call me when in.
I didn't get a call but when I popped back a couple of days later they were there and the jackets put aside for me - pretty good so far. The jacket is on their web-site at full RRP and in store there's a label reducing that by 10%.
I asked for a better price on the whole suit and was offered 10% off RRP on both jacket and trousers. I decided to leave it at that price. Then I saw the jacket on their ebay site two days later for 25% off. So I emailed the address on the ebay listing asking if they could do the same discount on the trousers (not listed on ebay).
No response. So the next day I checked the ebay price again and then called at 12:24. Ebay team said I needed to speak to the store if I didn't want to buy online. Spoke to a chap and made my request again. At first he says they don't stock it because they are the clearance warehouse and he doesn't know what the ebay team are doing. I point out that I tried it on there last week. He needs to call the manager who was off site to see what they could do.
An hour later I get a call back. Because the jacket is current stock they can't do the price I want, but he does improve further on what I was offered previously in store. He also says that the jacket is listed on their ebay page for full retail price. I know that's not the case as I'd checked at 12:20. So I check whilst he's on the 'phone.
He's right. They changed the listing at 12:40 and increased the price up from the 25% discount I had seen to the original full retail price. Remember the price displayed in store is 10% off.
It is very hard for me to believe that my enquiry and this change are unconnected. The number of items sold on their ebay listing had not changed. I might have bought at the price he offered me on the 'phone, but based on the games I think they are playing on pricing I decide to buy another suite elsewhere. Quite a bit more expensive, but I don't want to put money in the pockets of anyone that's going to be that deceitful.
Make of it what you will. I've no problem of course with whatever policy they want to have on pricing, but I don't expect to be messed about like that.
