I went to Dome Hepot looking for some Dremel™ fiber cutting bits, as I had run out of them while working on my current cellphone mod project. I wandered into the “tool area” where they have most of the tools that Dome Heapo keeps in stock, and saw this and went to the register with my intended purchase. At the register, my very happy 20 pack of cutting discs turned into a slightly less happy package of discs that cost $19.99. I explained that it was marked as $7.49, and I’d like a price check on it, and the older fellow in the “tool area” went to look, and he was gone for quite a while. When he came back, he said that the price tag next to the product I wanted did say $7.49, but it was the wrong price tag (take a look at the link above). The item I wanted was part number 426b, and the price tag on the shelf was for item 426. I asked nicely to speak to the manager, who arrived in a few minutes, and pointed out the part number 426/426b discrepancy, which in my opinion was a bit obscure, and then launched into a weasely excuse about the tag being in the wrong spot. I explained that I did not really care about his "f"ing sku codes, and that I had “taken a picture of the pricing tag, which I’m sure would stand up in court”. He then said that he “wasn’t going to do anything for me” since I “cursed at” him and “threatened” him as well. When I asked how I threatened him he claimed that I said I was going to take him to court, which I didn’t actually do. Then he walked away.
So I called the corporate number, where I described the same thing, and they said that they “usually go with the store” on situations like this.
I also found out absolutely nothing when I asked about any kind of “pricing accuracy policy”. Makes me wonder why they put price labels on anything at all.
426 is a 5-pack of cutting wheels. Sells for $7.49.
426B is a 20-pack of the same. Sells for $19.99.
I’d expect both items to be stocked in the same location in the store. I can’t make out the fine print on the label in your photo, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it read “Qty 5,” or words to that effect. In any case, chalk it up to a worker drone who made an honest mistake and slapped the wrong label for the wrong part onto the display.
Apart from the quantity descriptor on the label (if any), your “f’ing SKU codes” were the only way to tell the two items apart. The manager told (or at least attempted to tell you) this, and you swore at him and implied that you might sue him. No wonder he didn’t want to deal with you. Sorry, but you came across as an irrational jerk.
I can see your point in me being a bit of an asshole. It just irked me that he was trying to weasel out of it by saying that mispricing the items was not his problem. Normally I would have been less flaming and assholish, but the weaselyness just got my ire up.
KeithT- I would have been ok with a “we need to fix this, I’m sorry about the mixup” or anything along those lines. It was the excuses that burned my ass, I guess. That and the blasted Christmas musak. Echh!
Can’t say who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy in your case, but I think Lowes is the better store more often than not. Their employees seem much more concerned with customer satisfaction. I’ve gotten some pretty rotten so-called service at HD.
I’ve always been a bit curious what would make someone think that cursing is likely to produce cooperation.
I was once among several people who witnessed a case where an airline gate attendant contrived to prevent a passenger with a valid ticket from boarding a flight. The passenger wanted an upgrade to first class, and got truly abusive when the gate attendant wouldn’t quickly do this. The attendant played sort of dumb, stringing the passenger along until the plane had rolled back.
All of us who witnessed the incident felt she had done the right thing. I didn’t quite have the gumption to ask the enraged passenger “What, exactly, made you think that foul language would get you what you wanted?”
I can appreciate a good retail rant, but I’m completely stumped by the bizarre rationalizations you are trying to employ to show you were in the right.
1: An item is mis-priced
2: Cash Register checkout gives correct higher price based on SKU bar code.
3: You ask for and receive a price check and an employee confirms the item is mispriced
4: You demand the manager who also confirms the price mistake and offers the common sense explanation that the items are very similar looking, and adjacent to each other, so that how the mispricing most likely happened.
5: You apparently go batshit crazy at this point, and initiate a retarded rant threatening that you have “taken a picture” of the mispriced item that will “stand up in court” and are treated lke an obnoxious loon by the manager.
What is it about the notion that mispriced items are not going to be sold to you at the incorrect price that mystifies and aggravates you so? Do you feel that you are somehow legally entitled to the mispriced items at the lower price, as part of some little game of retail pricing “Gotcha!”?
A google search turned up an interesting page on this very subject:
There has to be some provision to cover mispriced items…otherwise stores would be at the mercy of those people who purposely switch the tags on items in an attempt to get the item for a lower price (yes, it happens. quite frequently, in fact).
Legalities aside though, most stores have their individual policies on how they deal with mispriced items. Usually, the outcome is influenced by two things: how the item got mispriced in the first place, and more importantly, the attitude of the customer.
I accept that they are a normal, natural and common aspect of human nature. But I don’t find them especially logical if the goal (as it appears to have been in this case) is to get a favorable resolution of a dispute.
My experience suggests that most people are prepared to deal reasonably with a reasoned dispute, but few respond well to ranting, especially when it includes bad language. Indeed, this can be a good way to get them to resolve not to give you what you want no matter what the consequences.
So if your goal was to have a fight, your behavior was logical. But if your goal was to buy some Dremel cutoff wheels, it seems substantially less so.
I agree they should have worked with you, but when you started swearing and threatening a court case you lost your own argument. Learning not to get (visibly) upset, and to be calm and polite even when you feel you’re right, is the best way to get what you want in these kinds of situations.
You can always call them bastards later.
At four different times in the past, I’ve moved to a place served by only one of those two with the other moving in soon afterwards. In each case the newer store had better customer service, regardless of the francise name.
I don’t always remember myself (and Christmas muzak would definitely be a bad irritant, specially in a place with the “wonnahful” sounds quality of those big stores), but being ultra-polite is what works best in those situations.
Example: I’m flying from Barcelona to Strasbourg, via Nice. In BCN we are told that we must all get off the plane to verify ownership of our checked-in bags… fun!
We leave 55 minutes late, get to Nice 40 minutes late (cheers for the pilot and controllers), but we are told we have to go into the terminal and go through security again (why, you think I may have gotten something from another passenger? or would it be from the stewardess? Your Lordship, I promise I had never, ever seen that seagull before in my life!). So we go in, go through the arcs again, I find the line to my plane and there is a lot of people there, getting ready to board for Marseille (but the sign still listed Strasbourg, as well as Marseille). I get in line, and when the passenger that’s with the lady at the desk leaves, I say in my one-year-language-school French “excuse me, I’m for Strasbourg, do you all mind if I go now?”
The older of the two airline ladies stares me up and down (you know, that look which says you haven’t showered since before showers were invented and your blouse is upside-down) and says “miss, you were supposed to be here half an hour ago!” I say “I know, ma’am, but you see, the airplane, which is from your airline as well, was one hour late leaving Barcelona for security checkup. I’m very sorry. May I come up?” The people in line laughed, and the younger woman looked like she was working very hard at keeping a straight face. The older one stares, digests what I’ve said, picks up the phone and says “get me the Strasbourg flight, please. - - - Yes, we found your missing passenger, we’ll be sending her over. Cheers.”
If I’d made a fuss, well, the next flight for Strasbourg would have been the next day at the same time, and who knows if there would have been spaces. As an excuse for a sleepover in Nice, I’m sure there have to be better ones.
Why, pray tell, would you take a picture of the price tag in advance unless you knew that there was some error and hoped to take advantage? That smells like fraud. Unless, of course, you’re in the habit of photographing price tags, in which case I’ll let you off with “eccentric”.
