Look & Listen "F" up!

medicnick83

medicnick83

Paramedic
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
21,159
Reaction score
566
Location
CBD, Cape Town
Hows this for a stupid retailer!

L&L advertise World of Warcraft Battle Chest for R399 in the latest edition of NAG (page 91)

AWESOME! I reckon! I've always wanted to try it...

So... I pop over to www.lookandlisten.co.za and I try search for it, can't find squat!
Nothing major!
I call L&L Century City, after about 5 minutes of holding, the helpful guy tells me, they can't help me.
Still nothing major!
I call L&L Fourways Crossing, after about 10 minutes of holding, they can't help me either.
I call L&L Cavendish Square, immediately, I get told, they can't help me.
I call L&L Worcester, after 15 minutes, I'm told yet again, they can't help me.
I am getting irratated at typing this, so I'll get to the point, I called every single shop on Look & Listens web site (Store locater) page and was told, they don't have stock or they can't help me.

SO!

I called Look & Listen Online Contact on 011 467 3717 and had a very nice chat with a lady there.

She told me the following:

"Sir, we don't have that item, we have NO idea when we'll get stock of the item, but we have ordered it from our suppliers."

When I told her that it's really stupid to advertise something in a magazine as popular as NAG and not even have stock of the item, she informed me, that it's been happening alot, she goes on to say; As a matter of fact, Many items advertised in the Easter edition of NAG, they don't even have stock of that yet and they call the head office 1/2 times a day to check up on stock and well, they simply can't help me.

I called the head office and spoke to Lance, he pretty much told me the same story the other lady did.

Now... doesn't this just ADVERTISE STUPID eh.

If the suppliers are CONSTANTLY letting L&L down, why do they not find someone else?!?!

How much money must they lose before they wake up?

I'm so angry now but I'll be over it in a few minutes ;)
Just wanted to share this story with you guys and hear what you all have to say about it.

:cool:
 
It's good you are talking about this, this past weekend I was looking at printers in the newspaper (need to buy one on behalf of someone else), so I phone Incredible Connection after seeing two printers for the price of one and find out what the Toner for this printer costs, I stay on hold for almost 10 minutes (friendly, young dude) and he tells me that unfortunately he can't tell me the price because they don't have stock.

Same thing applies, why advertise products which you don't have stock of either the product or it's accessories, I won't just buy any printer without working out the cost of printing, something which people can't grasp for some reason :p
 
Isn't there some sort of law or something where people must have stock of items they are advertising?!?!

I mean... it would make sense, because if they advertising say something for R400 but they don't have stock, then they order stock and the items is R500, they can't UP the prices... It's false advertising which AFAIK is illegal.

Okay, I see at the bottom of the ad, it says the following:
While stocks last. E&OE. Prices and availability subject to change at the discretion of the supplier. PLAYSTATION is a registered trademark of Sony etc etc etc

1. You can't say WHILE STOCKS LAST if you don't even have bloody stock to start with!
2. "...discretion of the supplier" at least they admitting that they KNOW There will be problems... bloody idiots!
3. WOW doesn't come on Playstation and I didn't see anything about PLAYSTATION on the ad - who did this ad? I think I must give him lessons on how to do his bloody job and not just copy and paste ;)
 
I had the same problem with Look & listen R600 for UT3... :rolleyes: they said that was thier opening specail for PE... wtfeva!
 
I'd also think its unfair practice... Cause then they could advertise something lower than their competitors, which draw attention from their competitors, and then tell you they're waiting for stock, and buy the time it arrives, it costs the same as their competitors anyway... and after all that time you just buy it and get it over with.
 
Yes xrapidx, check it, on the same page they have the items listed with single prices:

WOW game card: R299
WOW: The burning crusade: R299
WOW: Aliance R129

Total price for items purchased alone: R727 or the Battle Chest for R399.

What would you buy???

Durrrrrrrrrr!!!!
 
w1z4rd said:
Write a letter into NAG about this?
Click to expand...

I have, here is the reply I got:

Hi Nick,

Thank you for your email!

We do understand your frustration, hopefully the great bumper issue of NAG will allow you to escape your anger for a while!

I’ll forward on your mail to our retailer advertising clients, and with any luck they’ll be more strategic when planning their ads.

Regards,
Jacqui Jacobs

Jacqui, I've read the book 5x thanks! haha.
I'm sure that NAG can pretty much do nothing about this, but I mean, they must be able to at least say to people who want to advertise in their paper (not that they'd turn down a full page - we don't) "Listen, just make sure you have stock of the items you advertise"
 
gdiza said:
I have, here is the reply I got:

Hi Nick,

Thank you for your email!

We do understand your frustration, hopefully the great bumper issue of NAG will allow you to escape your anger for a while!

I’ll forward on your mail to our retailer advertising clients, and with any luck they’ll be more strategic when planning their ads.

Regards,
Jacqui Jacobs

Jacqui, I've read the book 5x thanks! haha.
I'm sure that NAG can pretty much do nothing about this, but I mean, they must be able to at least say to people who want to advertise in their paper (not that they'd turn down a full page - we don't) "Listen, just make sure you have stock of the items you advertise"
Click to expand...


Think you should ask Jacqui out, seems to like you.
 
gdiza said:
I'm sure that NAG can pretty much do nothing about this, but I mean, they must be able to at least say to people who want to advertise in their paper (not that they'd turn down a full page - we don't) "Listen, just make sure you have stock of the items you advertise"
Click to expand...

I wonder if NAG really cares. They were paid for the advertisement, probably where they stop worrying about what happens next.
 
Its all about good business.

I went to buy a garden water feature from a store in Randburg. They informed me that they no longer had stock *sigh*. They then said they will order the product for me, at the discounted price advertised, though it may take a week to arrive *happy days*

Thats called customer satisfaction and return business!
 
I wouldn't look at it like that.
Look, I deal in the same sorta industry so having said that.
I'll use CapeAds as an example;
WE show what YOU got (by having your ad in the paper) and it's up to YOU to make the sale, I mean, I see something (the game in question) and I goto L&L to buy it, if L&L can't sell it to me, I must go on.

Thing is... I wasted god knows how long today looking for this item (I chased after L&L to complete the sale)
Now, if you don't have something, don't advertise it.

WHICH IT SEEMS, L&L ARE GUILTY OF DOING!

If your suppliers let you down, don't advertise items that you get through them (which L&L keep doing)

L&L are supposed to call me back, the guy said he'd let me know shortly about what will happen with this product, it's 1pm, I don't expect to hear from him to be honest.
 
Last edited:
Remember that adveritsers need to buy space and finalise their adverts well ahead of the publication date.

It is possible that they expected to have stock on hand by the time the magazine hit the newsstands and that they were unable to secure stock on time.

Sometimes there is no conspiracy theory.
 
BrendanD said:
Remember that adveritsers need to buy space and finalise their adverts well ahead of the publication date.

It is possible that they expected to have stock on hand by the time the magazine hit the newsstands and that they were unable to secure stock on time.

Sometimes there is no conspiracy theory.
Click to expand...

Surely a company such as L&L would have taken that into consideration?
 
Optioncarduser said:
Surely a company such as L&L would have taken that into consideration?
Click to expand...

Exactly. I think it's called "planning". Confirm from your supplier that they will have stock, as you plan to start a advertising campaign based on that product. Then only do the campaign. Seems logical to me.
 
And lets also remember that L&L staff have admitted to this 'stock' problem happening on more than one occasion.

What I think is happening (also, along with maybe the suppliers letting them down) is baiting which alf101 mentioned.

Them offering something they can't get or can't supply.
I've never seen WOW Battle Chest offered, let alone at the price they are offering it so to me it could really be a case of baiting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X