Wickes price match promise (NOT) - **Satisfactory Resolution**

[king12345]

Hi,

first post for me, so apologies if I mess something up.

 

I went to wickes in Ealing today to have this Messina tap (sorry can't post links)

 

Product code 410705 on wickes.co.uk website

 

price matched with this toolstation tap

 

Product code 50262 on toolstation.com website

 

The lady at the till said she was calling the store manager.

A older lady appeared and said that she was the manager.

I tell her about the price match, she looks at the toolstation catalogue and starts laughing at me.

 

I ask what's so funny and she says that they don't price match with postal catalogue.

 

She explains in a patronising tone, like talking to a mentally ill person, that toolstation don't have shops and warehouses, so they don't price match.

 

I point out that at the back of the catalogue she can find the addresses of all the stores, including the one a mile away from where she is standing.

 

She looks at the back of the catalogue and drops silent for a minute or so.

Then she looks at their tap (in the box in front of her) and the toolstation catalogue.

 

She says that the two are different.

 

I ask to point out the difference and she says that one is wickes and the other is not.

 

LOL on my part and the entire queue in the store.

 

I explain that of course the toolstation tap is not wickes, but is an "equivalent" product as required by their terms and conditions which I am showing to her on their catalogue.

 

Another long look at the catalogue and the boxed tap.

 

She says that the price is different.

Another big laugh.

 

I explain that there would be no need for a price match if the price was the same.

 

She then gets on the phone with toolstation.

 

She writes down all the technical info and puts the phone down.

She says: "I got you!" and explaines that the wickes tap requires 0.5 bar pressure or above, while the toolstation tap requires 0.5 bar minimum working pressure.

 

By this point my eyes have rolled so many times that I feel them at the back of my head.

 

I explain to her that the two concepts are the same, but she says that because the description is not identical they cannot price match it.

 

I point out that the goods descriptions might be copyrighted and therefore not identical, but they have the same meaning.

 

She says no.

 

At this point I ask to speak to someone above her and she says that she will get the manager.

 

"You said you were the manager" I say, and she says that she is only a cashier and she is not trained on technical stuff.

 

She runs away.

 

10 minutes later she comes back and says that the manager said no, no way we are price matching that.

 

The price is too different so the taps must be different.

 

As the manager cannot be bothered to come to the front desk (probably having a nap), I call the head office.

 

A woman called Deena hears (but not listens to) my reasons and calls the store.

 

She speaks to the older woman for a couple of minutes and then the phone is passed to me.

 

This Deena says that the taps are completely different in design, material, specification and they don't even look similar, so they will not price match and that is it.

 

I leave the store with my list which would have made them a couple of hundred pounds.

 

I go to toolstation and the chap in there tells me that the tap is the same one they sell in wickes, just in a different box as they are all sourced through travis perkins group (I didn't know this).

 

If they have a price promise, they should honour it, not try to find any excuse to not apply their own terms and conditions.

 

I have always been appalled at the extremely poor attitude of wickes workers compared with all other diy stores, but this is the worst I have seen and for once it affected me as I had to get in heavy traffic to get to toolstation.

 

Dirty uniforms, shabby looks, unwashed hair, patronising and careless attitude, one person at the till and 6 outside smoking (BTW I saw this today) etc. etc. it's all too familiar with wickes.

 

I will take my business elsewhere, but they don't care if they lose 4-5 grand a year (I'm a handyman).

 

What do you think about this price promise?

 

Should it be reported to trading standard or am I being unreasonable and the two taps are really completely different?

 

Thanks for the replies

Edited December 22, 2012 by citizenB
formatting

[citizenB]

If you believe they have it wrong or are deliberately misleading the public then yes, definitely a complaint to Trading Standards.

 

As I have absolutely no idea about the specifications of the taps.. then I cant help you with that, although I am sure there will be someone on CAG who can

[Conniff]

I'm not sure where this 0.5 bar bit comes in. A tap is just a means of opening and closing a pipe, it the water, gas or whatever in the pipe is moving in the direction of the tap at any pressure, then the tap will either allow it to pass or stop it. There could be a maximum working pressure, but not a minimum unless it is a tap that supplies boiling water. Anyway, that's all by and by.

 

If they have price match advertised, then get pictures of them and their terms and conditions for price matching. Naturally there can never be just a general we will match or undercut policy, it really does have to be the same product.

 

I can't for the love of me see why they wouldn't price-match with Toolstation as it is all part of the same company, the Travis Perkins group.

 

Travis Perkins - General Builder's merchant

Travis Perkins - Hire

Keyline - Heavyside and Civils Merchant

City Plumbing Supplies - Plumber's merchant

CCF - Insulation and Dry-lining materials distributor

Benchmarx - Kitchens and Joinery supplier

Tile Giant - Tiling merchant

Wickes - DIY stores

BSS - Building materials

Toolstation

Sabre & Jones - The Doors Collection

Tile HQ

PTS - Plumbing trade supplies

DES - DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES

DHS - DIRECT HEATING SPARES

CHS - CITY HEATING SPARES

BPT - BIRCHWOOD PRICE TOOLS

F & P WHOLESALE

 

When you have everything together, email the CEO geoff.cooper@travisperkins.co.uk and make your complaint to him.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Conniff

[king12345]

I'm not sure where this 0.5 bar bit comes in. A tap is just a means of opening and closing a pipe, it the water, gas or whatever in the pipe is moving in the direction of the tap at any pressure, then the tap will either allow it to pass or stop it. There could be a maximum working pressure, but not a minimum. Anyway, that's all by and by.

 

If they have price match advertised, then get pictures of them and their terms and conditions for price matching. Naturally there can never be just a general we will match or undercut policy, it really does have to be the same product.

 

I can't for the love of me see why they wouldn't price-match with Toolstation as it is all part of the same company, the Travis Perkins group.

 

Travis Perkins - General Builder's merchant

Travis Perkins - Hire

Keyline - Heavyside and Civils Merchant

City Plumbing Supplies - Plumber's merchant

CCF - Insulation and Dry-lining materials distributor

Benchmarx - Kitchens and Joinery supplier

Tile Giant - Tiling merchant

Wickes - DIY stores

BSS - Building materials

Toolstation

Sabre & Jones - The Doors Collection

Tile HQ

PTS - Plumbing trade supplies

DES - DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES

DHS - DIRECT HEATING SPARES

CHS - CITY HEATING SPARES

BPT - BIRCHWOOD PRICE TOOLS

F & P WHOLESALE

 

When you have everything together, email the CEO geoff.cooper@travisperkins.co.uk and make your complaint to him.

 

Thanks, I will do that.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Conniff

[DogManDave]

Hi

As 'Conniff' says, the parent company for BOTH Wickes AND Toolstation is Travis perkins.

 

Unfortunately, I can't yet post links either

 

BUT: If you go to the Travis Perkins website, (http://travisperkins.co.uk) and put the product code below in the 'search box', You will see that THEY market this item as:

 

'Iflo Bilbao Monobloc'... Product Code 659495.

 

Given that TP have only ONE version of this tap, AND that they supply BOTH companies.

 

Then I think that Wickes would have a hard time showing a difference

(:rant:Other than the scandalous price difference, of course )

 

Again, as Conniff says, email TP's CEO.

 

It would be useful if, when you do, you include all three page links which show the CLEARLY IDENTICAL item on ALL THREE!

 

Good Luck

Edited December 22, 2012 by Conniff

[*Thumper]

Looks like an unbranded Bristow .......... both, the same tap

Bloody annoying, this price match, con

Wickes, Travis, Toolstaion, dont make taps ..... they have unbranded, as a way to get volume sales.

The annoying part, is they see it as a game(as in the way they spoke to the OP)rather than an opportunity to make a sale.

 

Carried out by many retailers, especially electricals ...... change a model number to be unique to theirs stores, etc

[stu007]

Hi

 

I would also make a Formal Complaint to Wickes about the attitude of the staff in the store to stand their laughing at a customer thinking its a big joke and claiming they are the Manager when they were not.

[king12345]

Thanks guys,

I'm gonna go to a quick job tomorrow where last year I fitted a messina wickes tap and compare it to the one I bought from toolstation.

I bet they are identical.

I keep you updated

Thanks again for the links

[martin g]

Hello,

 

Kingfisher own B&Q and Screwfix.

In the past the manager in my local B&Q would, with some pushing, price match to Screwfix prices on identical items. At the time the nearest Screwfix was about 15 miles away but they have recently opened a branch near B&Q so I go there for the items that I need.

 

Martin g

[martin g]

Me again,

 

I just looked at the prices, Toolstation £19.95 against Wickes £75.00. I can understand why you wanted the difference.

 

I once worked for one of the very large power tool manufacturers and the product sold to B&Q, Homebase and Focus were very slightly different, i.e. wattage, accessories supplied, cable length etc, to make price matching impossible as each outlet had their own varient of a common model.

 

I am sure that the same goes on with many branded goods.

 

Martin g

[king12345]

Hi,

I just compared the two taps "live", next to each other and they are identical.

Same mould used to shape these taps.

And I know about moulds as in my younger years I use to make them in a factory.

I emailed the CEO at TP, let's see what he's got to say about the price match and the poor attitude of his employees.

[Surfer01]

Me again,

 

I just looked at the prices, Toolstation £19.95 against Wickes £75.00. I can understand why you wanted the difference.

 

I once worked for one of the very large power tool manufacturers and the product sold to B&Q, Homebase and Focus were very slightly different, i.e. wattage, accessories supplied, cable length etc, to make price matching impossible as each outlet had their own varient of a common model.

 

I am sure that the same goes on with many branded goods.

 

Martin g

Known more commonly as the "Label game". Currys and Comet have used this quite successfully along with many other retailers.

[king12345]

Just received an email from Rob Murray wickes marketing director.

I'm impressed by his answer.

Apart from the apologies and the offer of a goodwill voucher he agreed that by reading the two taps description he would have assumed they were equivalent and ask for a price match.

However, he explained that the wickes tap has brass parts while the toolstation one has the same parts made of plastic.

He agrees that the description did not highlight these differences.

A reply on Christmas eve from a director is impressive.

I will inevitably shop at wickes again and just hope that their staff take example from the bosses.

I thought I would never say that.

Merry Christmas

[citizenB]

Crikey, that is excellent news for you. Well done.

 

I have amended your thread title to reflect your success.

[dark vader]

This post reminds me so much of COMET , and look what happend to them

[Conniff]

So Toolstation are practically ripping people off by not describing their products fully.