Bait advertising from big retailers

Related Stores

Dick Smith / Kogan

Marketplace

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  spersephone on 07/07/2015 - 12:06

  I reported Harris Scarfe ages ago but nothing came of it. They would advertise that their prices were ridiculously cheaper than RRP. Except that items in question weren't sold anywhere else, and therefore there was no real comparison at all. They tried to say that scales were reduced from $200 to $40 (as an example), where I could find no evidence that the same scales had ever been sold at the higher price.

  You must take advertising with a grain of salt. And check online against others to see if they're being at all truthful. Then they get angry because you do price comparisons, but you can't trust anyone these days to tell the truth!

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  TailsK on 07/07/2015 - 12:18

  +1

  I don't think they're bait advertising. A lot of this stuff you see at these prices are clearance item, so stock will always be low.

  The advertising you're referring to (banner ads or "display advertising) is pretty complicated and is rarely tied to any stock levels. They're generally managed in independent ad serving systems. That's why you continue to see the ads when they're out of stock.

  • 

    DealhunterMelbourne on 07/07/2015 - 12:38

    Technical limitations or product clearances don't exempt a retailer from complying with the law though, which says that if you are advertising a product, you must have it at a sufficient quantity to meet expected demand at that price point — otherwise you are engaging in bait advertising.

    http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/shopping/advertising-and-prom…

    • 

      TailsK on 07/07/2015 - 13:15

      I don't think it's as clear cut as that. It "may" be bait advertising. Display advertising for specific products generally works based on cookies (i.e. you browsed a particular product on their site, so they advertise it to you). I agree that it's not ideal to advertise a product that's not longer available, I'm just saying I don't think it automatically makes it bait advertising.

  • 

    shavi on 07/07/2015 - 12:53

    I can appreciate that might be the case with Officeworks, but definitely not Dick Smith where the products are not even stocked (online or in store). Almost as though the products are just filler to look like they have a bigger range.

    And to put on my tin foil hat, it did get me down to their store and into their doors where other models were on sale at higher prices than online (the V8 and V10 Sol Republics).

    • 

      Settero on 07/07/2015 - 13:40

      could it possibly be that the item was removed from their range a while ago and you are looking at a page that they just haven not taken down ?

      advertisement is kinda tricky , if you could link to the ad we could probably have a better more informed discussion .

      it would just be to easy to prove that dse was bait advertising in this specific case that i think there is something odd about this case.

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  TailsK on 07/07/2015 - 13:46

  You also don't want retailers to take down pages just because something is not available. A lot of people use these pages for product information.

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    shavi on 07/07/2015 - 14:54

    True, but in DSE's case, that product isn't in their "system" at all. As far as they're concerned, it doesn't exist and they don't sell it (according to DSE staff in the store).

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      TailsK on 07/07/2015 - 15:14

      I thought the online store operates independently? Or am I thinking of the eBay store? Maybe there is a crossover there?