Price Match

[darth vadar]

What has been people's experience of Price Match......." see a bike cheaper, email us and we'll match the price..blah, blah" ?

I have had two disappointing experiences recently (a few weeks apart) with the same company where I have seen two Giant bikes advertised elsewhere with a saving over £100 on each. Yet when I have emailed them to ask about whether they would do Price Match, they replied by saying that those bikes had just sold out, so Price Match wasn't available.

Is it a case of their website just not being up to date, or is it just a cop out cos' they don't really do Price Match at all.

Maybe I should have phoned them up first with a general enquiry rather than 'showing my hand' and allowing them to wriggle off the hook.

 

[pash]

I used price match when buying lights last year with Evans who require proof of price on the day before they will match.
I showed it to them and they honoured the lower price. So happy.

I think you should maybe enquire about the bike first to check for stock and then if they have it use price match. Or just buy from the place with the lower price if they are being difficult again. Their loss

 

[ammwhite]

I got Evans to price match when I bought my Kona Dew Plus last year - just took in a print out of the other website showing that they had the bike in my size in stock, and they matched it.

I recently bought a Bianchi Via Nirone, also from Evans. In this case, I found the bike online for £825 but they were out of stock in my size, so Evans refused to price match - which is fair enough really. They did knock 10% off the list price for me to take the price down to £926 (from £1029).

 

[beastie]

I have bought a jacket and some pedals from Evans on price match. No problems, fast service. Just send them the link and next morning I was sent a discount code.

 

[titch124]

I got Evans to price match when I bought my Kona Dew Plus last year - just took in a print out of the other website showing that they had the bike in my size in stock, and they matched it.

I recently bought a Bianchi Via Nirone, also from Evans. In this case, I found the bike online for £825 but they were out of stock in my size, so Evans refused to price match - which is fair enough really. They did knock 10% off the list price for me to take the price down to £926 (from £1029).

same with me , got the bianchi 2300 for 495.00 instead of the £650 shop price , after price matching against winstanly bikes
well happy

 

[jethro10]

A little off topic, but why do people bother with "price Match"

Why not just give the business to the original cheaper site anyhow?

To me If someone is dearer, and offers a price match, it's like saying "were gonna rip you off unless you notice"
where the cheaper site is a little more honest and saying "this is the best we can do, take it or leave it"

just my 2 cents worth.

Jeff

 

[ammwhite]

A little off topic, but why do people bother with "price Match"

Why not just give the business to the original cheaper site anyhow?

To me If someone is dearer, and offers a price match, it's like saying "were gonna rip you off unless you notice"
where the cheaper site is a little more honest and saying "this is the best we can do, take it or leave it"

just my 2 cents worth.

Jeff

In my case, it was because I was buying a bike thru' our company's bikes4work scheme which means it has to be from Evans. There's also the fact that there is an Evans about 20 miles from my house, so I can collect a bike in person from them. However, for most other stuff I'll just order online from the cheapest supplier - Wiggle, CRC etc...

 

[Moodyman]

Most price match schemes stipulate that the other retailer have the exact same item in the same size and in stock at the point of query.

The idea is to stop you from buying it from the other retailer. You can't buy it from the other retailer if they've sold out. Hence no point in offer in you price match.

Evans are quite good with their price promise.

 

[Peter10]

At Evans I used price match on:

My bike - Bianchi Nirone Sora (saved £50)
Shoes - Shimano (saved £30! From £69 down to £39!)
Pedals - Shimano R540 (Saved about £8)
Jacket - Madison waterproof (saved £18 or so)

I love price match. The only issue with Evans is you can't price match more than one item on an online order, you have to call them. When I did my order, they couldn't find a record of my discount codes that I got via emails, so I had to sit there and read out every website address so he could check it which took about 30 minutes. However, when I'm saving over £100, I'm happy to spend the time. That £106 or so went towards some cycling jerseys, spare inner-tubes, a track pump and loads of other bits.

 

[darth vadar]

Thanks for the comments.

Good to hear that there are Price Match bargains to be had.

In my case, I was disappointed that on both occasions a bike was advertised on their website as being available - but when I made the enquiry about Price Match I was told on both occasions they had just become 'out of stock' . Their website was then suddenly updated and the bikes removed from sale.

I can't help thinking that there was something fishy going on. Why advertise something you don't have ?!! Or, if you have no intention of offering Price Match, them why say it.

As far as buying from the cheapest source in the first place - I might well do that now. In this case, the cheapest retailer was about 300 miles away wheras the so called Price Match retailer was only 25 miles away. If I could have bought locally, then I would have driven there had a good look around, bought the bike and probably bought a few other bits as well.

I suppose I am a bit old fashioned really - I don't really trust the internet on big purchases (after being stung on ebay a few years back), and I like to touch and feel things as well as seeing the whites of peoples eyes before I part with my hard earned cash.

 

[ASC1951]

I can't help thinking that there was something fishy going on. Why advertise something you don't have ?!!

Because it is expensive to keep a website up to date on stock levels. It's not just the cost of employing someone to make the alterations, you also need an automated stock control system. And you need to update it at least daily. These things aren't cheap.

 

[titch124]

i only went for the price match after reading the review of the other store online, last thing i want when ordering something is a mess around.
also if i get it online, i have to put the bike together myself, so if something breaks within the first few weeks a lot of online retailers will say you have put it together wrong and refuse to help (learnt this from experience)

so a quick price match and i can walk into my LBS and get what i wanted at a cheaper price, bonza !

 

[darth vadar]

Because it is expensive to keep a website up to date on stock levels. It's not just the cost of employing someone to make the alterations, you also need an automated stock control system. And you need to update it at least daily. These things aren't cheap.

Fair comment, but I would say "do these bike shops want to provide a good service or not" ?

If they do, then advertising items which they don't have is not good service. And, the fact that is has happened to me twice at the same place does make me wonder.

Do you work in IT by any chance?

 

[ASC1951]

Fair comment, but I would say "do these bike shops want to provide a good service or not" ?

If they do, then advertising items which they don't have is not good service. And, the fact that is has happened to me twice at the same place does make me wonder.

Some websites deliberately try to hook people by advertising stuff that they have no intention of selling at that price, or at least not after the first dozen items. It's a standard trick with airlines, for instance, although I'm not sure it works long term because people soon get teed off with it. I suppose if there is an inexhaustible supply of new customers, that doesn't matter.

You will always get best service from someone who can put a face to you, rather than an online box shifter. Sometimes you will get the best prices, too. If you are lucky enough to have a proper LBS near you, as I do, you may well get an automatic discount from them because they know you are going to buy from them month in month out.

Sometimes my LBS don't have what I want and I have to get it from www.cheapshed.com. If I'm buying from a piece of software I'm not surprised when I'm treated like three lines of code.

Do you work in IT by any chance?

God no. When I did work, I was a commercial lawyer.

 

[yello]

The only time I've asked for a price match, the answer was no. It was a mainstream name bike I was asking after. The 'other store' didn't stock all the colours and sizes but ordered what you wanted, when you wanted. Not good enough. To price match, the other store has to physically have the item in stock, sitting on the shop floor or the shelf. Evans were doing exactly the same with this particular bike; that is, ordering it to requirement.