Because of notorious deals that have low to non-existent stock and catch of the day like prices, some of you may be thinking that the ridiculous price setting is used to increase their website traffic. I'd say this is as bad as sockpuppeting, so like Kogan, should we block posts related to their products for say, a month?
Yes I bought online paid, a week later no response no delivery. No replies to emails. I checked oz bargain again and apparently the stock that I paid for online was already out of stock. Not only did they take my money they didnt even bother to contact me since to inform me no stock or give me a refund. They have just left me hanging.
Block them yourself. You are allowed to.
It's not dick smith fault, it's the users who post bargains, without verifying them first. If/when I post a deal, I make 100% sure it is going to work.
80% of the dick smith deals are clearance stock, with very limited stock in stores.
Yep.
I don't care really. Out of 100 people one person might get the item.
I remember one time a hard drive was listed on Officeworks for $3. No where had any stock including the store I went to according to the computer but I had a look and found one in the back of all the newer stock.
People need to know that they probably get nothing at all.
It's not dick smith fault, it's the users who post bargains, without verifying them first. If/when I post a deal, I make 100% sure it is going to work.
Like my grandma used to say, Dick's bargains are like one-night stands: u never know how many (inches) u're going to get or how long its going to last.
Like my grandma used to say, Dick's bargains are like one-night stands: u never know how many (inches) u're going to get or how long its going to last.
nice conversation to have with your grandma…
hahaha…I was gonna say the same thing…
moral of the story? last longer? lol
Sure she's your grandma? :)
She definitely was my grandma.. but sometime we can't help but wonder if grandpa is really …well grandpa :\
I hope it wasn't as bad as this Trinidad family: http://www.metrolyrics.com/shame-and-scandal-in-the-family-l… :)
Lol that song brought back so many memories from my childhood. Grandma used to play the Shawn Elliot version I think she did it just to get a rise out of grandpa and my dad. But to be on the safe side, I married a girl who comes from a far away island lost in the middle of the Indian ocean ;)Prettiest girl I've ever met.
I've met your wife. She is indeed very pretty.Some might even say that you're punching above your weight :P
Some might even say that you're punching above your weight
That's because unlike "some", my wife has seen my alter ego. Pic
How does posting a pic of your undone fly add to this discussion?
People are getting way too passionate about whether dicksmith deals get banned or not. I hope that this pic of me will remind everyone of what is really important in life: LOVE…. and like Gran would have said "Make love, u bloody idiots! Not war!"
Gran sounds like a slu-erm-pacifist :O
It's not dick (…) fault, it's the users (….) I make 100% sure it is going to work.
@Berger, Dick has a notorious shrinkage problem.Maybe you should tell us how you go about making "100% sure it is going to work"?:p
But seriously though, I wanted to get thisSamsung galaxy case.Checked what was the closest store which had stock, called them to make sure that they had the stock - I've been burned a couple of times before with their 'click and collect'. The staff who answered the call said: "Yep! we have 11 of those in stock".So drove all the way there, and after waiting 20 minutes while a staff ,and then his supervisor, looked around in the storeroom, was told "sorry we can't find any" :O
There's obviously a problem.I can only think of 3 reasons for their stock shrinkage:
- Poor stock control management (e.g staff not checking deliveries,data wrongly entered into system)
- customer thefts
- staff thefts
Whatever it is , they need to get their act together because its very frustrating for customers.We don't like to be dicked around,Dick!
It need not be staff theft. Staff purchases will do the trick too.
Staff purchases would be recorded on the system, wouldn't it?
Not necessarily. If there were protocols in place prohibiting staff members from purchasing clearance (or non-clearance) items, or at least running the transaction through themselves, rather than through a manager or another staff member, they may put money in the till (so they haven't stolen) but not ring it up as a sale. However, I don't know if there are such protocols.
Why would they put money in the till, if there's not going to be any record for the sale nor will they be getting a receipt?
Edit: Staff purchases would be recorded on the system, woudn't they? My English is going to hell but at least my German is improving. :)
Thou shalt not steal.
Kein problem!
What an intriguing username.How would you translate numbnuts to german? Would that be "Volltrottel"? "taube Nuss" ?
Dick Smith staff are aware of these deals before we are. When there was a gaming sale last year (80-90% off) games and consoles were under $50 and when i was lining up at a Dick store before opening (with 100's of other people) the staff were saying "if you are here for the potential game sale it is not real". We all rushed in and everything was on special. Plus nothing was barely there. A staff member i knew there had hid everything for him and hi friend. This will consistantly happen with all Dick Deals here on Oz bargain… its best to call and ask them to hold it.
They could just ring up the click and collect and purchase it as if they were you. Then their numbers look fine and they get your deal. Their managers probably wouldn't give a #@$% because from their point of view if they can keep their staff happy they can keep the majority of customers happy.
So you ring them up and confirm it's in stock…why wouldn't you ask them to put it on hold and that you'll be there in 20?
More fool you dude. You can't really be butthurt over someone buying it before you drag your arse over there if you haven't asked them to hold it.
That's how I snagged Doom 3 BFG from Dick Smith's this morning for $10. Asking for them to hold it.
Simples.
Agreed. Everytime i check for item for stock (even if it says so on website or not), I call up & ask them to put them on hold for me so its definate that they look for the item and put aside with ur name.
Block them yourself. You are allowed to.
That's one way to do it, esp for the pros, but there might be other fully stocked deals from DickSmith that I might not want to miss out. Blocking them eliminates that possibility.
A better way filter these LOW STOCK DEALS would be to separate these with a special LABEL or folder. Say if 10 people vote a deal as low stock then it gets a special label "Low Stock or Mostly Expired".
This way everyone else who can be bothered with ringing around, knows at the outset that this is not for them and there is very limited stock availability.
Banning means no one will see Dicksmith deals. Having the hide from listing option lets users choose if they want to see it or not.
OP wants them banned, I assume so he doesn't see any posts from them. He just block them himself. If they were banned he wouldn't see posts from anyway whether they have lots of stock or not.
I also support the Low Stock/Clearance label too.
This is a previous post of yours?
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/101211
And you create this thread?
You also created a Kogan deal too… I don't understand
Should ban MasterNoob for hypocrisy. 12yo troll.
Should ban MasterNoob for hypocrisy.
Or for Sockpuppetting himself, stir up a controversy where none exists so the DS name stays on the front page ;-)
Also. You have posted several deals from overseas sites, then created a thread about supporting Local businesses.
I'm lost.
You're lost, he's conflicted :p
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/105301
Also its as expected from people who call themselves bargainbogan and masternoob.
Really lol
I nearly started a new thread on this yesterday. I spoke to two staff members yesterday after my poor service from other staff members.
Basically I was told Dick Smith are setting up new warehouses in each state and hopefully updating their site. One of the feedback I gave them was the low stock frustrating a lot of customers. Great deals but simply not enough stock and I said it was starting to compare them with COTD tactics. Both staff members are new to Dick Smith hired to improve customer service and admitted it is not the standard it should be. I was told that their site planned to implement when doing deals when it is sold out it will automatically remove the item and will have a counter to indicate the exact number of stock remaining.
Yes it is clearance stock they are trying to get rid as they are setting up the warehouses and are aware the low stock is frustrating people. So fingers crossed we see an improvement soon.
While you're at it you may as well ask for a ban on Target postings - so many of the target clearance listings of late have extremely limited availability.
Personally, I'm happy to have Dick Smith listings continue to be allowed. If you don't like seeing something that you've missed out on, block them in your settings, as already suggested, or you can simply make the choice not to read the post. Sure it can be frustrating to spend 5 seconds doing a check for stock at your local store and find there is none there, but there have been plenty of Dick Smith deals posted where stock was available for most.
While you're at it you may as well ask for a ban on Target postings - so many of the target clearance listings of late have extremely limited availability.
I think Officeworks clearances are just as bad.
OW clearances are worse: often limited to a particular store. At least DS gives the whole or most of Australia a chance to miss out.
Why ban a whole site just because you* personally missed out on deals? Lots of DSE posts benefit some people and this site is not about catering to your personal needs.
As berger says, you can block them yourself.
The problem isn't items going on clearance (Dick Smith has to clear its inventory somehow..), it's the inaccurate stock levels, especially with reports of click+collect orders being cancelled when the store can't find an item despite the computer saying it exists.
While Dick Smith aren't 'advertising' clearance deals themselves (by that I mean they aren't published in a catalogue/newspaper or by a rep on OzBargain etc, you have to browse the site yourself through filters/keywords or the 'clearance' tab), if people are ordering items and later finding out it was a waste of time (especially after taking the time to travel to a store) then that reflects badly on Dick Smith and the customer isn't compensated for their time + effort.
Maybe if the computer says stock level is 3 or less then Dick Smith should put up a disclaimer about no guarantee of stock levels and/or if the customer orders a clearance item and the store doesn't have stock then the customer is offered a discount on an equivalent item (with the computer being immediately updated to stop other customers having the same issue of course).
Also if a deal posted on OzBargain has limited stock then the OP should provide a list of at least a few stores that are marked as having stock (this would be easier if Dick Smith let you see stock level for a whole city/state rather than having to keep plugging in postcodes).
Lol but you said dick smith 'is the the king of sales ' http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/101211
And now you want to ban them?
Banning Dicksmith = No more lame dick jokes. Can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing.
What do you have against dick jokes?
Don't make me say it …
Is this a husband and wife thing, or can anyone join in?
@strangeloops: Wicket isn't my last name.Its a term of endearment given to me by my friends ..because I've been told I look like an ewok.
@Mr wicket, I find it hard to believe that this is your real name. May I suggest that you change your username to avoid confusion? I bet your nickname at school would have been clark kent. You look a bit like him… if one squint. Or if you insist on being called Mr. How about Mr Frustrated Comedian.It does have a ring to it and it suits your personality.
You're lucky this isn't reddit, otherwise your inbox would be full of dick pics from people :P
@wicket: Ouch! …which reminds me: u still haven't answered my questions 8-b…and it looks like I'm not the only one who's interested in your answer. So, what do you have against dick jokes ms wiki?
How about a deal? You answer the question and I will change my username. Deal?:)
@strangeloops66: I can neither confirm nor deny your assumption. Check out this pix and make up your own mind ;)
@wicket1120 Hehe, I didn't think your real last name was Wicket, nor that MR Wicket's real last name was that. That would be wicked of me.
I still haven't forgiven George Lucas for the ewoks. I'll never forgive him for Jar Jar Binks. Ye gods, whatta meesa sayin'?
@MR Wicket: Lex, stop pervin' on the Man of Steel's girl!
ROFL!!! Spot on Strangeloops66 8) From now onwards, I shall be known as Jar Jar Binks!
@mods, how do i change my username? do I hv to create a new account?
Since woolworths sold them it seems there are many more price errors
DS is in transition. As of today, many staff have to find new jobs. Assistant manager positions have been made redundant in all but major stores. Whole categories of stock are to be cleared. It's like a chain in liquidation.
For us, that means some good but rare deals. If you don't want a possibly frustrating search for a bargain, just block DS or don't look for those bargains - simple.
Have got some great deals in the last weeks, that people had wrongly posted there was no stock available!
It is part of the fun of OB - finding that elusive deal. Why make only totally available deals the only ones allowed to be listed? Just know that many amazing price deals may not be available in your local DS.
I'd rather have the adult choice of searching for a bargain rather than not know by banning - as suggested in this forum.
Are you guys all new to getting a good deal or something?
I've done great out of the Dick Smith offers posted and not once have I actually purchased from Dick Smith!
PROTIP: When you see a great Dick Smith offer, bring the website up on your smartphone with the green 'click and collect' link. Then, go down to your nearest Big W, David Jones etc and show them the offer, they'll 9 times out of 10 price match.
Thats how you grab a great 'Dick Smith' bargain. Talk of banning them is just retarded.
Any questions?
I don't see what the problem is, most of all the deals have been available here in Tassie for example the Acer Iconia Tab A500 which was posted the other day for $75 was available in Burnie as I called them :)
Stop whinging, your sounding like a pom.
.
Last month DSE listed the DSE-branded 10m HDMI cable for $9.95 (down from $59.95).
The first person I spoke to in DSE Maryborough told me the sale stock was only for left over cables damaged in the floods back in January and that the stock on display was new stock.
When I pointed out the Australia-wide scope of the email and the implausibility of her story she then told me it was a different stock number… despite her not having checked either stock number.
When I showed her the email and the live DSE website she followed up with "I've been on maternity leave until two months ago so I'm not sure what the price offered this morning is"
Her manager also tried the flood-damaged stock argument and the different stock numbers, as well as it must be online only (after seeing the click & collect button on the website).
When those didn't work he attempted to convince me they had to get rid of the old stock because there was no warranty information on the pack whereas the new stock all had the word warranty on them.
The store manager even put on the old "It must be a national deal in every DSE store in the country but this one" excuse.
Excuses about stock availability and pricing seem to be the one thing almost every DSE deal has in common. Using such excuses to cover up lack of knowledge is crap.
Perhaps a one or two month ban might prove interesting to see if it encourages retailers to improve, even slightly. It could well be that places like DSE struggle to clear their stock without the support of ozbargain and changes in this community's behaviour may drive changes in theirs?
Why should we miss out on a good deal because you have poor staff at your local store and choose to do nothing about it?
I take your point :)
This wouldn't happen to be in a rural/regional town? Possibly a franchise?
I've had the same bad experiences too
Office works would not price match on an item I wanted even though I was in the right, I cried myself to sleep that night but went back the next day and got it price matched with another employee :)
Sometimes you win sometimes you lose, that's life.
yep, thats the thing with price matching, sometimes you have to try a few different times.
I was like that with a Nespresso from HN. only got it price matched on my 3rd HN store.
I didn't know you could buy employees at OW. :)
Ban 'em until the message gets through.
Anyone who has been checking their deals will realise most of the time there is no real stock around. If I recall my fair trading laws its not legal to promote a price without stock so dicky is frequently breaking the law for all those reasons mentioned previously by ozbargainers, i.e. damage stock listed as normal stock, systems saying items in stock but no one can find any when you ask, advertised items with only one store in the whole country holding 1 item, its getting pretty OBVIOUS that dicky are doing dodgy things. Basically they are trying to make it seem like they have changed and now do good deals but really their still the same old expensive out of touch retailer they always were but now willing to waste our time making us chase non-existent deals.
Would be good to send them a message, so I'd vote for banning them unless we start seeing deals with reasonable stock levels and reasonable timeframes for action. Its not up to ozbargainers to work out whats damage stock, clearance stock etc, that is there job to be clear about what they sell. If its on their website it should have stock or be appropriately listed.
Those are strong views but lack understanding. Do you understand how deals work on OB? (0 posts in 18 months & 33 comments)
DS deals are posted by people like you. There is a requirement that the person posting ensures minimum stock available. People usually trawl the DS stock system to find potential bargains. Those may be available where they live, but not where you do. No stock system is accurate, and does include display & other stock. People make mistakes posting when no stock is available.
As for your understanding of consumer law… DS is not the Promoter of these deals. These deals are not authorized by DS. If they advertised a special but had no stock, that would be different. They have simply provided a list of stock & prices, usually indicating to contact the store if in short supply.
By all means contact the ACCC or other consumer bodies, but trying to treat a multi-million dollar business like a naughty child because you could not find stock…
Of course I understand how deals work on OB. You are not understanding my point, the point is the items are advertised and listed but ultimately there is no real stock. When it says "contact store" or low stock it means the have an item out that back that is defect or returned usually, when it says its in stock it pretty much means 1 item is in stock at most and its probably defective too. If you try to actually get something they've advertised you'll understand my concern. By posting on OB it simply brings light to the problem, not the OB's fault (well unless they can already see its out of stock everywhere, then its their fault).
The point is it's NOT ADVERTISING!
A list of stock on DS site is not advertising, requiring minimum stock levels under consumer law.
Listing on OB is the responsibility of OBer posting deal (to check accuracy & stock level of deal).
Contact store means just that. Stock may be 1 or 2, be on hold but not yet sold, a display item - that's why they say to contact the store. Not much different to many retailers - offering display stock as the only one left. Would you rather not know likely stock levels?
I regularly buy these limited stock deals. (e.g. last week: the harder to find 24" Samsung monitor at DS http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/105029, the 1c Note phone cover, the similarly hard to find & incorrectly recorded stock levels of the $50 2TB & $70 3TB Seagate external at Australia Post http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/104781 ) I have travelled around the country buying up this type of stock at DS in the past, before OB. I am well versed in consumer law.
Too much self entitlement on here. Just another social behavioural trend that is killing society.
Certainly takes the fun out finding a great deal, when people post how there is no stock (meaning near them), it's all a DS conspiracy & the law should control such terrible retailers - only so they get the deal (often a day after it was posted).
But some people just love complaining that their lives are so tough and unfair. I have been helping in Myanmar, where most people are so poor, but so happy & generous. Didn't see the sense of entitlement there. And the level here seems reflected in where you are from. Can usually guess the likely city ;)
I'd rather enjoy the fun & buy great (even if rare) bargains :-)
Sounds like you've got to much time on your hands then. Always thought OB is designed for people to find deals easier (save time, get a better price) not find more time to chase rare and impossible to get deals. Each to their own I guess.
Which is easier and saves time?
Searching every category on DSE's website every single day to look for clearance deals,
or
Letting someone else do all the hard work and simply watch the deals pop up on OZB which you already follow anyway?
If the deals weren't posted, you wouldn't have gotten the item anyway. So just filter out DSE deals and let everyone else enjoy them.
I'm lazy & really appreciate the hard work OBers do in posting bargains. I would not spend the time looking for deals otherwise. That's why OB is great - it's so easy to find bargains. Stock suddenly is bought up everywhere & some miss out.
Sometimes there are stuff ups, but the good outweighs that. But I do buy things I never knew I wanted.
Maybe just add a 'clearance' tag, then let people personally bloc k'clearance' posts if they want to avoid such uncertainty.
Good simple idea. But deals are already supposed to meet minimum quantity for posting. People fail that requirement, adding a tag is unfortunately expecting too much.
I doubt few block deals. It's a simple way to avoid wading through deals that you are not interested in. (I block iOS as I don't use it.) Besides, clearance deals are usually the best bargains price wise.
Great idea! Perhaps clearance tags should be enabled by default for some places (e.g. dse, office works) until confirmed otherwise?
I wish Dick Smith can sell Bogan Condoms…
I will go there everyday!
i vote yes,
Dick Smith is notorious for advertising items they don't have in stock. To be honest I am sick of it and intend to report them to the ACCC. I rang a number of stores regarding the google nexus 7 and there was only 1 store in Victoria that was listed with stock and when I rang them they told me that they hadn't had stock in 6 months.
Your first ever comment on OB is to say how it should be run?
Report away! But under consumer legislation DS is not advertising these deals. DS lists stock, price, & availability. No stock system is perfect.
It is OBers who are promoting those deals. So wonder how you consider DS is notoriously doing that? Risky saying things like that. (I've got a defamation threat from a lawyer for reporting very basic consumer matters online. I have taken & am currently taking businesses to court.)
As for the Google Nexus 7, I posted that it was available (for click and collect) at 5 of the 6 Gold Coast stores - May not have been available in your area when you looked, but was certainly available http://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/1417338?redirect=1
A popular deal you would want OBers not to know about, because you could not get the deal?? Really!
I based my comment on my dealings with dick smith and their site, not what was reported on OB. But thanks for the rev up, as I don't believe I mentioned anything about OB being run but you have made sure I won't make another comment on OB again.
Noooooo reaches out
:(
This is a forum looking at how OB operates, in banning DS or not.
they're not advertising the product. OZB is advertising it. DS is simply putting up on there website so that the stores with stock can sell it at that price and to clear out all remaining stock
That is a reason why cigarettes etc can't be posted as deals - OB is the advertiser.
At the end of they day if someone posts a deal and even just one person manages to get it out of a thousand then it's fine. That's the nature of Ozbargain, quit your crying just because you didn't get any.
It was an exaggeration, but either way even if there is a small chance at getting a deal would you rather see it or not see it?
not see it. We already downvote COTD when they have those "mega" sales where they give away 10 ipads for $50. I don't see how this is any different
It's very different.
With COTD, they are advertising & promoting those deals. They know there is very limited stock to create a buying frenzy - it the way they operate. OBers post links to those dodgie promotions deserving downvoting.
DS is usually not advertising & promoting deals others post on OB. (Some are posted by OBers from DS emails & catalogs, but those are not usually a problem.)
Rather, OBers find interesting items in the DS system or a lonely item in a store at a bargain price & post usually without checking if stock is available elsewhere in Australia. That is what upsets people - an attractive deal not available due to lack of stock near them of an item usually on Clearance or Low Stock.
Unlike COTD, it is the OB community that promotes these deals, that creates the buying frenzy known as OzBargained. DS may have inaccurate stock systems, but DS are not responsible for the promotion of most DS deals on OB.
DS is liquidating old stock, shedding staff, changing its systems, so it's not surprising unbelievable bargains may be hard to find.
Me. Me me. Me me me. Me me. Me. Me.
Me.
Me me me.
BAN!!!!
Me me me me me. Me.
Me.
Like your summary :-)
No
Asot 615 anyone?
Please BAN!
It is very worrying that OBers are calling for banning.
Most complaints are because a person missed out on an attractive deal. Others benefited from most of those deals.
So your individual benefit is more important. If I can't get a deal, no one should???
BUT is the solution revenge?
As an adult I can make my own decisions based on the continual warnings there is no stock. But when I search, I usually find stock I want & have got great deals at DS.
I would not have know about those deals if OBers had not posted. Now there is a call for no posts at all of these deals!!! Come off it!
Missing out on deals is normal in many deals. It is not confined to DS.
What is next once we start banning on the basis of a deal was not available near me??
+1 for banning them