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PS2 $99, Nintendo DSi $249, Movie tix $1, iPod Nano 8GB $149, Tomtom GPS $169 and more - COTD Baitathon

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PS2 $99, Nintendo DSi $249, Movie tix $1, iPod Nano 8GB $149, Tomtom GPS $169 and more - COTD Baitathon
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Pccrap on 19/05/2009 - 15:01 catchoftheday.com.au (3379 clicks)
Last edited 27/05/2009 - 12:04 by 1 other user

Ok folks, it's that time again. At midday on 27th May 2009, our good friends at Catch Of The Day are having another crazy one crazy deal an hour for 24 hours sale. I think we all know what happened last time (http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/7373) so here are the disclaimers they provided this time round:

On the 27th of May we'll be running a little promotion. We'll be selling a lot of stuff that people love and want, at prices they could only dream about. Its all happening to get people talking about CatchOfTheDay. Quantities are very limited, and listed below. We can't predict how big the response will be, have mercy on our servers.

You may be thinking "Ahh they are only doing this to get new customers" and thats entirely true. For better or for worse we are doing this for the exposure. We'd like you to talk to your friends, shout high and low and let it be known that CatchOfTheDay.com.au is the most exciting online shopping destination.

If you think you may just find the excitement a little too much, maybe you have an allergy to server crashes - you should probably sit this one out. In the spirit of being very up front we’ve listed all the items and quantities available below. No promises or guarantees, if you get in, and catch something - congratulations. If not - top marks for trying, chances are high we’ll give it another run next month.

We have no way to predict how big the response will be. There is a high probability our website will explode under the weight of a million bargain hunters jamming the refresh button. Our server administrator sends his regards.

We are calling it the "Baitathon”. The sale will start May 27th at midday"

Here's what they are offering:

100 x Nintendo DSi @ $249
50 x PlayStation 2 @ $99
300 x Micro RC Heli @ $5
300 x 4pk Revlon lipstick @ $10
50 x TomTom GPS @ $169
300 x 1GB MP3 Player @ $5
250 x Movie Tickets @ $1
100 x 8GB iPod Nano @ $149
350 x High School Musical Electric Guitar @ $30
1000 x Trivial Pursuit Digital Choice @ $10
250 x Little Princess Quilt Cover @ $10
400 x Onkaparinga Baby Blanket @ $5

Other Game Console Nintendo PlayStation Sony

Related Stores

Catch.com.au
Catch.com.au
Marketplace

closed Comments

  • skinny on 19/05/2009 - 15:05
    +5

    I am not sure about this - the last time they had something similar, I could not even get into their website!

    • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 15:19
      +3

      That's true - but they have tried to 'disclaimer' their way out of everything that went wrong last time - "high probability our website will explode" and by disclosing exact quantities too. They also go on to say "maybe you have an allergy to server crashes - you should probably sit this one out".

      We all know what will happen, coz the same thing happens when retail stores have a crazy sale (aka recent Aldi Full HD 42" TV @ 999 sale). It'll be absolute chaos, but at least they are upfront about it this time so I thought that made it a post-worth deal.

  • Mnke on 19/05/2009 - 15:13
    +3

    Yeah. Their site was epic fail despite their reassurances that they wouldn't be hammered.

  • bevisaurus on 19/05/2009 - 15:15
    +1

    I am going to reserve me vote till I see how the website performs on the day.

    • djkizz on 19/05/2009 - 15:56

      In other words you're going to book your negative vote for later? I'm still going to give positive… This time they have given quantities and we all know its going to crash, its just what happens.

      • bevisaurus on 19/05/2009 - 16:45

        no. i didnt say that!

        • djkizz on 19/05/2009 - 16:47

          lol, I was teasing bevisaurus! :P

  • jigglycho on 19/05/2009 - 15:25
    +4

    Oh no…

    at least this time they are listing available quantities

  • samboy on 19/05/2009 - 15:28
    +2

    lol not this again ….

  • davemc on 19/05/2009 - 15:28

    yes saying we have X available helps.
    Although last time I grabbed a item and it timed out and I lost it before checkout.
    Hope they address some of the problems. None of the above really interests me.

    • Smigit on 19/05/2009 - 20:12

      yeah they need a 5 minute holding time. Same happened to me. I appreciate it people shouldnt be able to keep an item in their card indefinitely but give people time to enter in their details, especially when the sites struggling to stay up.

  • Rocket on 19/05/2009 - 15:34
    +7

    I had no luck last time, but am willing to try again to score a bargain.

  • elcheapo on 19/05/2009 - 15:40
    trying to break another record negatives again, are we?
    • QQQ - CatchOfTheDay on 19/05/2009 - 15:45

      I thought our record was broken by Dell wasn't it?

      • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 16:53
        +4

        hahaha touche - time heals most e-wounds though, both COTD and Dell deals have slowly reappeared. I guess we need to acknowledge that a) sometimes people stuff up (dell) and b) sometimes people miss out (cotd).

        QQQ I am a fan of COTD. Having said that, i seriously hope that instead of just covering your backside with disclaimers this time round, you have also taken reasonable endeavours to upgrade the servers (as much as possible) to cope with additional traffic. I don't think the "we never expected this many people to show" is going to sit well with people this time round.

  • zhenjie on 19/05/2009 - 15:49
    +14

    Server capability
    |||||||||||

    Expected visitors

    ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
    ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
    ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
    ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

    • pull the lever on 19/05/2009 - 15:51
      +2

      haha awesome.
      look what I found, still live on the website waiting to be redirected to unsuspecting (or suspecting) customers:
      http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/sorry.html

      • zhenjie on 19/05/2009 - 15:56
        +1

        haha nice find. So they cant even handle Today Tonight traffic. This aint looking good.

        Reserve your vote until the sale people!

  • mick123 on 19/05/2009 - 15:56
    +3

    prices aren't even that special.
    plus they now have a higher profile to the wider media now.
    if anything, the server problems might be avoided cos the items are generally "crap" or not priced to the point where you might waste your time to get lucky.

    i do commend them on their warnings and for stating qty though

    • ccrap on 20/05/2009 - 00:39

      that's true mick123, prices and items aren't that spesh, but i think there will still be server problems due to high traffic on the back of the recent todaytonight appearance made my cotd. i just want my ps2 lol

  • cyssero on 19/05/2009 - 16:10
    +7

    +1 for some reasonable deals ($1 movie tickets, TomTom, iPod). But more points for the upfront nature of the deal. I'm glad lessons were learned from the B'day sale. At least people know what they're getting into!

  • fijiwater on 19/05/2009 - 16:16
    +2

    It's a loss leader sale. A small hit for a bigger reward.

    Funny thing is, it can go either way. Those who bite or get close to biting and chewing (checking out their shopping carts) will be back. Others will be so pissed they might not bother being back. Chances are the later will be more prevalent.

    One thing I'm sure of is that much of the stuff isn't the 'usual' COTD quantities (Recent post of Hanah Montana guitars revealed a couple of thousand pieces were bought in and being moved out - surely at the bargain price (no complaints here).!

    so surely for the general customer base that they have and the amount of clicks they'll all make will definitely make it a painful experience. And they know it!

    • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 17:23
      +1

      haha true, it could go either way, but i think because they're more open about the details this time it might not be so bad..

      lol ok who am I kidding.. will i be pissed off if i miss out on a ps2? hell yes. will that deter me from shopping again on COTD? probably for a few days, but i'm a sucker for deals (not saying everything on there is a deal but don't want to miss out).

      Speaking of miss out, has anyone ever caught a "Gold Fish" on cotd. i remember reading somewhere on their site that sometimes a rare gold fish will appear (hot item at hot price), but in all my years on cotd i have never seen one.

  • BelLikesABarg on 19/05/2009 - 16:35
    +1

    so midday AEST?? i'm in WA

    • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 16:57

      Yes midday AEST. You will need to work out the time diff… i think it would be 10am WST.

  • cheesok on 19/05/2009 - 16:41
    +1

    once bitten, twice shy…

  • kingwang on 19/05/2009 - 16:42

    Its going to crash!!!

  • djkizz on 19/05/2009 - 16:48

    I hope they bring back the wearable blanket. Was so pissed I missed out on that :(

    • AyjeofSpades on 19/05/2009 - 21:16

      I can't tell if your being serious or not :p

      for the record, i got one.

      • djkizz on 20/05/2009 - 09:36

        Totally serious, I thought they looked warm and comfortable… are they?

        • ccrap on 20/05/2009 - 16:49

          djkizz, they are warm and comfortable.. just perfect for right now..

          i'm not sure if you are in sydney, but you can pick them up from these guys http://www.conceptsdirect.com.au/store/stores.php

          they have it for 19.95… i got mine from their store as i missed the cotd one too (cotd was 19.75 after inc shipping)..

  • WILLIANO on 19/05/2009 - 16:54
    +1

    Another Bait advertising attempt…. someone should report them to ACCC for breach of the trade practises Act

    http://www.accc.gov.au/content/item.phtml?itemId=794099&node…

    • guy84 on 19/05/2009 - 17:00
      +3

      ———Always be upfront about limited
      supply
      When advertising specials, be upfront if
      the item is in short supply or on sale for a
      limited time. If stock is genuinely limited,
      such as in a clearance sale, say so in the
      advertisement. If the offer is for a limited
      time, state this in a highly visible, clear
      and specifi c manner.———-

      I thought they were being upfront by letting us know quantities and what to expect? hmmmmm. Maybe it's just me

    • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 17:11

      Williano, your concern is warranted. However, people don’t waste your time and the ACCC's and PLEASE try not to fill this thread with the legalities of this deal.

      I can tell you right now there is no general breach of the TPA . Read the quote above. There is FULL DISCLOSURE of the deal and quantities, including acknowledgment that there will be difficulties in obtaining the goods due to server crashes etc.

      Trust me when I say I know the law in this area.

      guy84, yes you are correct.

      • WaywardOne on 19/05/2009 - 22:09

        WILLIANO that's right - TRUST ccrap; it must be completely legal as the OP gave their word.

        • ccrap on 20/05/2009 - 01:00

          lol.. thanks waywardone :p Im not saying to trust me because i'm the OP. I said that because I know the TPA in detail having spent time working in competition and consumer protection law. When the relevant sections on baiting are read in their entirity, ACCC wouldn't even nibble this one because as I said earlier there is no general breach of the TPA this time round.

          Plus I only said it so this thread doesn't become 5 pages long like the cotd birthday sale with half of it being about 'can we get the ACCC onto cotd.'

          Having said that, clearly seems people are still very raw from that event. I remember i was absolutely sh#tted at the time myself, having lost the wii after i managed to get it into my cart. Just like how I was sh#tted when I rocked up to aldi for the tv at 8 (which opens at 9) and found 30 people already there. missed out again. but im over it now, and have shopped from both since. i guess each to their own.

          anyway good luck to anyone who wants to spend their time complaining to the ACCC, i would much rather someone spend that time finding a way to lock on and hold a connection to cotd's servers - i would be willing to pay for that!

      • schede on 19/05/2009 - 22:32
        +1

        It also says

        'To determine
        likely demand, consider previous
        campaigns and also how your business
        will respond if the demand overwhelms
        supply'

        So just disclosing quantities isn't the be all and end all.

  • schede on 19/05/2009 - 17:00

    QQQ, based on your last sale, how many people do you think will want a PS2 at $99?

  • Red Hippo on 19/05/2009 - 17:06
    -4

    im going to vote negative. so i can be the first to do so. still hurting after the last one. Though i do think catch of the days arent too bad ( i have bought from them before). I just think this stinks.

  • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 17:07

    People, there is full disclosure this time of quantities and server failures. Giving a -ve vote because you missed out last time is silly. Does that mean next time the aldi tv sale happens you will give it a -ve because you missed out last time even if aldi tells you this time "hey folks, only 8 tvs per store this time, we know it'll be chaos but good luck"

    If it's a good deal of course the server will collapse > just look at the oroton deal i posted earlier, server was sketchy for hours at a time and finally when people got through some people missed out on the good products.. that's the way life is.

    Be sensible folks, vote on the merits of this deal.

    • zhenjie on 19/05/2009 - 17:47
      +2

      Some points are valid, but Aldi stores don't 'crash' and you dont lose your item while lining up at the Aldi checkout.

      Seems like COTD is rather happy with its insufficient website and even predicts it'll 'explode' rather then trying to improve it to handle the expected users. That is a poor attitude imo even if they are upfront about it.

      I certainly hope some OZbargain'ers get some deals though! I'm just reserving my judgment until it happens.

      • ccrap on 19/05/2009 - 18:32

        hehe fair enough zhenjie… losing items at checkout is plain lame and disappointing on cotd's part… i know where you are coming from coz I had the wii in my cart before it conked on me..

        maybe for the crazy sales they should do something like ticketek where a screener page lets you in only once there is space on the server for more people to come in?

      • scotty on 19/05/2009 - 19:38
        +1

        Aldi stores don't crash and you don't lose your item while lining up? Oh people do line up at your Aldi store? Maybe mine is just dodgy (Eastlakes NSW)…

      • crivens on 19/05/2009 - 19:48
        +1

        I got one of those PVRs at Aldi last week (TV sold out: 9:00.1am; PVR sold out: 9:03am), you had to ask at the counter to get them, and one queue was moving faster than the other. If that guy in front who couldn't get his card out of his wallet had waffled for much longer then I would have missed out.

      • ccrap on 20/05/2009 - 01:09
        +2

        to everyone who missed out on the aldi tv (like me).

        after i took a day off and zigzagged nearly all the aldi stores in sydney (cant call stores coz no number) i called aldi head office and gave them a long spiel about my plight and disappointment. the products manager (a lady - i forget her name) said they were looking to bring more of the same tv in within 3 months - so get your camping gear ready folks lol

        • pinkstone on 21/05/2009 - 18:44
          +2

          TVs will be back within 12 weeks. You can see instore for a waiting list telephone number.

  • bargs12 on 19/05/2009 - 17:15
    +3

    dejavu?

    • J-B on 19/05/2009 - 18:04
      +1

      I still don't trust cotd after the last incident either.

      • Lenneth on 19/05/2009 - 19:43
        +1

        neither do i

  • jigglycho on 19/05/2009 - 17:56
    +1

    Just a reminder:
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/7373

    xD

  • ihuangyu on 19/05/2009 - 19:34
    +1

    Everyone, don't buy it! Just price match it that day!

  • ShortyX on 19/05/2009 - 19:46
    +1

    I want my Wii!

    LOL

  • [Deactivated] on 19/05/2009 - 19:49
    +1

    seriously how hard is it to get a decent server?

    • Smigit on 19/05/2009 - 20:17
      +3

      hard (and costly). This happens to the largest of companies when they have something occur that results in floodings. Airlines with tickets, ticket agencies and back in Jan or so it happened to MS when they released the beta to Win 7.

      I remember when U2 came out to Australia last I spent 2 hours trying to get tickets and then gave up, made a trip into town (another 40 mins) and then spent an hour in a line of a few hundred people to get the last "decent" seat they had left which ended up costing $200 as opposed to the $100GA one I had wanted and had long gone due to me not being able to get through to their system.

      I'm sure these companies are a lot bigger than COTD too.

      Anyway I'm holding back my vote to see how they handle it.

  • elguapo on 19/05/2009 - 20:48
    +3

    If they are already preempting issues with their web server why bother having the sale. The disclaimer is a cop out. I'd even question the quantities on hand. How can the prove the stock they have on hand?

    • POWERevolution on 19/05/2009 - 22:00
      +1

      Agreed! They could come up with some random number.

      • Smigit on 20/05/2009 - 14:33
        +1

        so could any place that lists stock?

        It's not like they HAVE to even list those figures?

  • mysteryfunbike on 19/05/2009 - 21:14
    +3

    Not going to even bother trying this time.

  • [Deactivated] on 19/05/2009 - 21:29
    +1

    yeah that's the thing though mate, airlines etc have massive traffic in comparison

  • [Deactivated] on 19/05/2009 - 21:46
    +1

    To anyone who missed the catchathon last time, don't waste your time!

  • POWERevolution on 19/05/2009 - 21:55
    +2

    Don't get too excited guys & don't bother to waste your time!!!
    I didn't join in last time as I never trust COTD & I know the pain those buyers involved.

  • jayc on 19/05/2009 - 22:13
    +2

    Not going to be baited this time round

  • Rocket on 19/05/2009 - 22:25
    +2

    I have actually bought quite a few products from COTD since they started - including today's product - and I can say that I have never had a bad experience!

    • zhenjie on 19/05/2009 - 23:53
      +1

      I guess you weren't there for the Birthday Sale then…

      Anyways another bad thing was the unethical practices revealed by their whistle blower/ex staff. I think the guy got fired for revealing what really happened at CoTD and their birthday sale. Didn't paint them in very good light.

      • Rocket on 20/05/2009 - 08:59
        +1

        I tried to be there, but could not get on ;)

      • ShortyX on 20/05/2009 - 11:10
        +1

        What did really happen?

        • ccrap on 20/05/2009 - 16:43

          bedlam, chaos, mayhem… the servers were hammered like there was no tomorrow and as a result people couldnt even load the page to see what the deal was. those who managed to see the deal and tried to 'catch' it lost out as the page would time out when getting to the cart. those who managed to get to the cart timed out trying to pay by paypal.. those who got past that timed out clicking the final confirm… so basically lots and lots of pissed off folks really who got nothing for staking out all day waiting for different deals.. and then the apparent whistleblower came out about cotd practices and actual quantities etc and even more people got peeved.. read through the thread from the original deal.. i posted the link up top…

    • pinkstone on 21/05/2009 - 18:48
      +1

      Same here.

  • lplau on 20/05/2009 - 17:27
    +2

    giving this a miss.

  • Jayze on 21/05/2009 - 21:43
    +3

    Also the prices does not include shipping, so in effect prices mentioned + shipping would not be so great deal, i guess, by paying little extra, you can pick up from the store and in case if warranty claim is required, most of the time you can go back to that store to claim it.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/05/2009 - 17:06
    +1

    Not again.

  • Pigey on 25/05/2009 - 03:15
    +1

    Sorry, the same thing will happen as last time.

  • SimBer on 27/05/2009 - 12:01

    on the dot at 12 site has slowed to a crawl.

  • scotty on 27/05/2009 - 12:04

    Yeah. Bring it on!!!

  • ccrap on 27/05/2009 - 12:04

    hahaha… nooooooooo… i want my ps2!! :D

    ccrap!!!! my net connection just got shaped… ive hit my download limit… aarghh bigpond… now i got no chance..

  • QQQ - CatchOfTheDay on 27/05/2009 - 12:07
    +1

    Load balancing has kicked in, seems very stable thus far.

    • ccrap on 27/05/2009 - 12:12

      indeedy… though looks like 300 mp3 players sold out in 8 mins..

      QQQ any chance ozbargainers can see a roster for the items today? i have to take my car to aami coz a lady just turned out of her drive without looking and clipped me :(

    • scotty on 27/05/2009 - 12:13
      +1

      Ha. Well done! The first item is already sold out — 300 1GB MP3 players within 10 minutes?!

      • QQQ - CatchOfTheDay on 27/05/2009 - 12:23

        Pretty phenomenal. Peaked at 100 transactions per second.

        Regarding schedule, wish I could but part of the promotion is mystery and it wouldn't be fair to everyone else - who also have no idea what the order will be.

        • Buzz on 27/05/2009 - 14:06

          ummmm… posted on Whirlpool by you " My guess is RC Heli. Just a guess."

          Friggin good guess, did you get that from the Twitter page haha!

  • ccrap on 27/05/2009 - 12:08

    wtf? the page loaded on my shaped 64kb connection..

    ok first up… 1GB Ministry Of Sound MP3 Player for $4.95 and $4.95 shipping.

  • hellrazorone on 27/05/2009 - 12:11
    -1

    Another great way to waste everyone's time.
    One item each hour … still haven't learned from their mistakes.
    Nor did they listen to ANY feedback provided on this site after the last epic fail!

    Mind boggles as to how this business runs so successfully.

  • tg786 on 27/05/2009 - 12:12

    300 of the 1gb mp3 players (not the most popular item) gone in 5 mins?

    bit dodgy if you ask me

    • monkp on 27/05/2009 - 12:26

      second to that …

  • amberdbrickell on 27/05/2009 - 12:16

    Hi, I got an MP3 player. But as soon as the sale went through and I hit refresh they were sold out, so in about 8 mins…

    • Rocket on 27/05/2009 - 12:17

      Well done Amber ;)

  • amberdbrickell on 27/05/2009 - 12:22

    so, what is everyone after?

    • thirdwill on 27/05/2009 - 12:45

      $1 movie tickets :P

      • amberdbrickell on 27/05/2009 - 12:48

        you will prob only be allowed one…seems to be the case with everything on there…one per customer…

        • thirdwill on 27/05/2009 - 12:50

          well that would totally suck. :S it would be weird to watch a movie by myself

  • amberdbrickell on 27/05/2009 - 12:55

    5 mins to go….

  • warney75 on 27/05/2009 - 13:00

    Disney Princess Quilt Cover Set

    • warney75 on 27/05/2009 - 13:01

      The site has died

    • scotty on 27/05/2009 - 13:04
      +1

      There will be 250 of them. There can't be that many Disney Princess obsessed bargain hunters, can there?

      Edit: Damn. 5 minutes later — SOLD OUT!

  • amberdbrickell on 27/05/2009 - 13:02

    got one for my niece….site is running ok

    • ccrap on 27/05/2009 - 13:04
      +1

      ditto niece and ditto site fine even on shaped 64k broadband

      • ccrap on 27/05/2009 - 13:08

        ccrap… by the time i put through paypal it was sold out… shouldnt have been posting here til i got it lol.. oh well, spoil the niece enough anyway..

        QQQ… come on man.. once people have it in their cart they should have a "hold" on it for 5 mins so they can pay, like the ticketek site!

        • amberdbrickell on 27/05/2009 - 13:09

          that would have been helpful for the last birthday sale they had..

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