Lidl Lightbulbs - Bad Deal

Z

z107

Guest
Today I bought lightbulbs at Lidl. They were €1.99 for two 60W Phillips lightbulbs. Exactly the same lightbulb was for sale in Londis (A convinence store) for €0.75 per bulb.

Lidl gives the impression that everything is cheap, but beware!

It reminded me a bit of B&Q's tactics. Buy pallet loads of cheap hedge trimmers and sell them at cost. Catch the punters out with expensive nails or screws, that they'll casually pick up. (Joe public will assume that they're cheap as well)
 
Went to Woodies in Sandyford to avail of their 20% discount on garden chemicals. Bought a couple of boxes of Evergreen plus a few other odds and ends. After I went through the checkout I noticed that I had not been given my 20% discount on the garden chemicals. An apology from the store manager was all I was offered plus my 20% refund. Not really good enough as the store is in a win win situation. The customer has to spot the error. Anyhow a bit of pressure from myself and the manager came good in the end with the two boxes for free. I felt a little dirty after the exchange of words. It would have been much nicer if Woodies had a no quibble policy like Tesco. Check your receipts!
 
umop3p!sdn said:
Lidl gives the impression that everything is cheap, but beware!
Fair enough to point out the pricing issue but it's hardly the store's fault as long as their prices were clearly displayed and you didn't shop around.
 
Fair enough to point out the pricing issue but it's hardly the store's fault as long as their prices were clearly displayed and you didn't shop around.

It wasn't the store's 'fault', the price was clearly displayed and I agreed the sale at that price. I never meant to imply any wrong doing by Lidl.

I didn't shop around. I just casually assumed that the lightbulbs would be good value.
 
I assumed from this that you were pointing the finger at Lidl in some way for misleading consumers. Apologies if I was mislead by your comments.
 
Re B&Q - I find that their checkout people aren't very vigilant. More than once they've forgotten to scan an item or two in a large (or even not very large) batch of purchases.

I have to say I walked out without much guilt.
 
extopia said:
Re B&Q - I find that their checkout people aren't very vigilant. More than once they've forgotten to scan an item or two in a large (or even not very large) batch of purchases.

I have to say I walked out without much guilt.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think that might be called theft. You knew that the store hadn't charged you for the product so I would assume there is a duty to inform them of same.
 
No I only discovered it later. heheh. Maybe it is theft, let's say it's assisted by sloppy checkout operators.
 
Say you bought a tin of paint in woodies, that you thought was advertised at 10e, but the actual charge was 15e as the price display wasnt very clear. however, the cashier forgot to charge you for it, you then went home and used the paint.
Next day you look at your receipt from woodies, see you werent charged for it, feel guilty, go back to woodies to pay for it. You speak to the manager to try and pay, show him the empty paint can you brought back, then find out it wasnt 10e, but decide you didnt want it at the 15e price, but now you cant return the paint but arent going to pay 15e. Despite the probable likelihood of the manager letting you off or even agreeing on the 10e price, if the manager insists on the 15e price being paid, and you dont, is it theft?
 
If you don't pay is it theft?

No, you didn't steal it. But, you still owe the money. The shop could sue you to receive it - however,unlikely to do so for such a small amount. Prices on display in shops are invitations to treat.

If the amount were €15k and not €15 do you think that you would be entitled not to pay?

Marion
 
The way I see it is, I bring a trolley of items to the cashier, who tots up the price, I pay and am free to leave. If she makes a mistake in the shop's favour, it's up to me to challenge her. If she makes a mistake in my favour, it's up to her to challenge me. Either way I'm free to wheel the trolley out to the carpark as I've paid for the it.
 
I posted an item about Woodies in Sandyford not giving me the 20% discount on garden chemicals on the 1st January. Yesterday I went back to the same store to purchase another box of the same product and guess what, it still wasn't reduced by the 20%, even after bringing it to the attention of the store manager the week previously. Incompetence or worse?
 
The same thing happened me in Woodies a few weeks ago. All indoor plants were advertised at 20% off. I bought a lot of them but noticed that they weren't reducing them as they were being scanned through so had to point out to the cashier that they were discounted. Very annoying.
 
It's probably pointless pointing the error out to the cashier. I generally ask to speak with a manager where you often can argue that you should receive the product for free. At the end of the day you are actually doing them a favour and should be rewarded for it.
 
extopia said:
Re B&Q - I find that their checkout people aren't very vigilant. More than once they've forgotten to scan an item or two in a large (or even not very large) batch of purchases.

I have to say I walked out without much guilt.

I've had the opposite happen. Several times in both B&Q and Atlantic.

They have scanned an item twice. Once was a €200 chainsaw and the other 4 occasions were all for goods around the €100 mark.

I always add the prices up in my head and when they asked me for €200 over what i bought i get very annoyed. Some people wouldnt spot this at all especially if the amounts are €10 or €20 on a shopping spree of hundreds.
 
In our local Woodies in Stillorgan the counter space for you to put your purchased goods is about 10 inches. It's no wonder that some items are scanned twice. At least in Atlantic in Stillorgan they have a supermarket type counter to minimise this type of thing happening.