David Jones Price Promise issue - Bad floor staff knowledge, good Facebook team/Management rectification

Bitsurfr on 18/11/2013 - 17:17

Last Friday I went into my local DJs store (Canberra Centre) to price match a Chloe 50ml Eau De Parfum
(DJ's price was $130, competitor's price was $69.99 and in stock at the store, and I also walked in with the competitor's catalogue)

The competitor was the "My Beauty Spot" retailer with stores across Australia, they also have a website. The local store located at the nearby Westfield in Woden, ACT. Product link here http://www.mybeautyspot.com.au/product.aspx?ID=57641&pname=C…

I went to the fragrance counter but was denied the price match, with the staff member in charge of the fragrance section saying that the competitor was a liquidation store and that they don't price match liquidators. I knew this was not correct as this competitor was a regular retail store with shops across Australia, but did not feel like arguing with her.

I went to get some lunch, then returned to DJ's Customer Services counter to query the staff member's earlier decision and how is that shop a liquidator? The Customer Services assistant wasn't really in the know but thought it was odd too, and called the fragrance staff member to ask. Then the reasoning changed to the My Beauty Spot store in Woden is only a "kiosk" in Westfield and not a "real store", and paying cheaper rent. Yes they are a kiosk and pay cheaper than you, so what? That's nothing to do with your own store policy to price match.

DJ's price promise policy is here http://www.davidjones.com.au/-/media/Files/Corporate/Consume… Nothing in here excludes My Beauty Spot.

Not happy with the responses so far, I sent a query to DJ's Facebook team to investigate. They responded very quickly, and sided with me. They arranged for someone from the store management team to contact me. I got a call from management later that afternoon who apologised for the inconvenience caused and set aside one item for me to pick up today with relevant notes for the floor staff. He also mentioned that he would speak with the floor staff to educate them.

So I ended up getting my price matched item today. The particular staff member who gave me issues last Friday was conveniently there today too, and she was half helping another assistant serve me. She didn't look particularly pleased though, definitely no service with a smile, let alone apology lol.

So kudos to DJ's Facebook team and Canberra Centre store management for providing good customer service and righting a wrong.

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Comments

  • fedwood on 18/11/2013 - 17:36
    +13

    Why don't you just buy it at the store that was selling it for half of David Jones' price?

    • sm007h on 18/11/2013 - 18:32
      +5

      I never understood about the price matching policy - I prefer to reward the store with the lowest price for being aggressive. The only time I would price match is if I am buying a whole load of other stuff from that store.

      • surftattoo on 18/11/2013 - 19:14
        +1

        I agree.

        Why reward bad Stores, like David Jones, which have crap customer service skills?

        Apart from for Points and /or Concurrent promotions, which you mentioned below.

        For instance, when dody Officeworks refuses to price-match which they always do to everyone as they are scammers, I just go to the original catalog store and buy it there.

    • Bitsurfr on 18/11/2013 - 18:53
      1. Because if DJs is advertising a policy that they will do something, they better well do it.
      2. Because as a DJ cardholder, I get more points shopping there.
      3. Because I can get free gift wrapping.
      4. Because DJs has other concurrent promotions that I want to utilise.
      5. Because I just want to shop there.

      Enough reasons?

      • sm007h on 19/11/2013 - 18:43

        Besides all that, I still don't get why…

    • SirFlibbled on 19/11/2013 - 13:57

      Because Woden is a 15 minute drive from Canberra Centre. As anyone can tell you, 15 minutes in Canberra might as well be 5 hours elsewhere :p

  • sparkles on 18/11/2013 - 22:31
    +1

    My understanding is that those Beauty Spot kiosks, Perfume Connection and even Chemist Warehouse stores sell "old" perfumes. That is why they can sell so much cheaper. IMO I don't think David Jones should have to match them. Would be interesting to hear from somebody actually in the "know" as to where the perfumes at the cheaper stores are sourced.

    • surftattoo on 18/11/2013 - 22:40

      I'd like to hear more, too.

      Cool Water at DJ's is exactly the same as Cool Water at Chemist Warehouse, on sale right now, $30 cheaper at CW.

      Methink DJ's is just a rip-off, plain and simple. Unfortuntely, there are enough rich and stupid people in Australia to pay DJ's prices.

      • grasstown on 22/11/2013 - 20:31

        OP shouldn't have got a match on perfumes. The quality of perfume from those cheap sellers is not the same as DJ's. There is a reason why people buy it from DJ's rather than the chemist next door.

        • Bitsurfr on 23/11/2013 - 09:02
          +1

          I couldn't care less about the debate about discount perfumes: whether they're parallel imports (so what?), lower quality (anyone actually have real proof?), fakes (yes this would be bad, but proof?), old (so is DJs able to show its stock is "fresh"- I don't see date of manufacture labels), whatever else people want to say about.

          If there really is an issue about this, it would have already gotten attention from the ACCC/Fair trading depts, and probably be mentioned by ACA/today tonight.

          My point is according to DJ's own pricing policy, such a price match meets their current terms and conditions. If they don't want to price match places like these, go ahead and amend the terms and conditions. Until such time, I will expect DJs to honour their stated policy.

        • SirFlibbled on 23/11/2013 - 10:36

          Because they believe old wives tales with no actual proof that it's true?

  • Glittergirl on 18/11/2013 - 22:47

    Great outcome! I had an interesting experience when I bought an ipod online from DJs on sale earlier this year. To cut the long story short, after two weeks, a few phone calls, and being assured the package was about to leave the warehouse, I received a call saying that the item was no longer in stock and was offered a refund. I was fairly stunned, so agreed to the refund. Then I wrote a strongly worded letter to the Manager of Online Services and they managed to track one down to sell at the sale price. Funny that.

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