Mice_Elf

Just out of interest, how do you KNOW the prices of these items to call it theft?

One shop clerk says that they are £100...he could be wrong.
The computer says that they are £75...someone had to put in the figure.

Suppose the clerk was incorrect and the computer figure was correct. That's not theft, that's purchasing.

Bumpster

In defence of Packard Bell, I had a PB computer sourced from PC World"ish" and I had 2.5 years of trouble free computing out of it.

And as for calling what GExpress did theft! ffs!

Taff107

Look, like it or not, technically it is theft. Fact.

Mice_Elf

It is theft ONLY if the price was visibly displayed either on the shelf or product and then it went through at a lower price and nothing was said.

From the looks of it, it wasn't. Therefore the clerk may have given a price verbally of a different set of speakers or picked up a set that were not included in the bundle, but were cheaper.

OR there may have been a discount on that set of speakers.

scoobydooooo

i had a similar thing with pc world in chester , 256 ddr memory for £5.99 , i just thought , well if thats what the barcode says who was i to argue , their f**k up not mine .

ProperCharlie

no doubt that you got that guy the sack as well, scoodydoo...

ChrisB

I'd very much doubt the guard would get any flack for the miss-price. If he's put the codes in the till and the central stock DB is set-up wrong, that's not his fault. It's an admin error.

scoobydooooo

yes right , don't talk wet !!how would they know , if the bar code said it was 64 sd ram , how would they trace it back to one particular sale ?.

ProperCharlie

PC World: formally known as the KGB - that's how.

Muffleman

I believe that under contract law, it is not theft. In contract law, the goods displayed on a product shelf is not a contractual offer of the goods, merely an invitation to treat.

The offer for the goods is made at the till, where the employee scans the goods and informs the customer of the price for the goods. This is the contractual offer that the consumer will accept or decline. If he accepts the offer, then there is a contract.

I'm not a lawyer, but this is my understanding of the situation.

The price that the 'technician' quoted may not have been correct, and the correct amount was declared at the till after the products had been scanned into a computer system and the price then displayed.

I went to buy a game in PC World, and the sales attendant said that it was £39.99. I then followed him to the tell where he rang it up at £19.99. 'Prices change all the time' he said.

So I then accepted his offer at £19.99.

Hope this makes sense !

Crapaud62

I had never been into a PC World shop until very recently (I've led a sheltered life in Jersey) and had always been put off by all the negative press about them.

Popped into the branch in Barnstaple last week and amazed at how helpful and knowledgeable the staff were. My son went back the following week with more questions and again they were helpful so it wasn't a fluke. I even explained that I had bought the flat screens from my friends company cos they were cheaper and the PC World chap didn't mind and still helped.

Based on personal experience I have to say I was impressed and pleasantly surprised.

EddScott

I've only been in PC world in Swindon and as yet haven't actually boughy anything so can't comment on the standards. I personally wouldn't buy anything from them as they are the same as Comet and Dixons and I have never really had good service from either and if I have to say no to the extended warranty one more time I'll take my business elsewhere.

These people should be accused of theft for charging silly money for crap aftersales service - I know its not the same but try asking my Dad what he thinks of the Tempo warranty he paid almost the same as the PC for (if you missed it they blatantly ripped people off by selling warranty and pocketing the cash)

If they make a mistake its their problem and if I were questioned about it I'd say I didn't notice the mistake either so we were all in the wrong - theft or not.

Boss Hogg

I can't believe the pedants on this thread moaning about theft! It's worse than a Daily Mail letters page.... don't tell me you wouldn't have done exactly the same thing in the same situation.

...and if you did walk-back in and give them the £100 do you think they'd give a ****?

Leslie

Thank you for that insight into your character Boss Hogg. Just don't include me if you don't mind!

Les

Scooby96

I would never tell any company they've just undercharged me - its their fault and only their fault

ProperCharlie

S96 - you're a well-known criminal. i suggest you go immediately to the nearest police station and give yourself up.

[Edited by ProperCharlie - 11/18/2003 11:39:31 AM]

gravelexpress

jeez is this still goin!!

right leslie - **** off again. I did not mislead the security guard!! He had trouble scanning the price, I said that the sound card and the speakers were bundled. As in maybe thats why you are having trouble scanning them. I didnt say hey mate dont scan this its free you know. He had to type in the code because the scanner wouldnt pick it up.

On Contract law - offer and acceptance I gather are the principles, I am offered goods at £x I pay £x acceptance and a contract is formed. Thats what i understand from my studies. spot on Muffleman

Deano your still a **** - that sound card is the don and the speakers are superb. Dont tell me that the computer was crap for not having no upgrade path - because it did! what was crap was the onboard sound card which also forms 2 usb ports etc. hence cant replace it.


I wasnt 100% sure of how much I had to pay because nothing was marked on the items I bought. I knew there was an offer and expected some discount when i bought SB sound card and speakers together. When I was asked to pay I knew it was cheaper than what I expected to pay. I found out exactly how much cheaper when I compared prices on their web site.

Its like the shopkeepers mafia on here I am sure. Why do you point the finger at me being dishonest etc. just because said shop makes an error. Im 90% sure that the security guard will not be in any bother - however, maybe the staff are!! I thought that in those shops you need a code to activate the tills and hence should be trained.

I just pointed out that because said shop cant be bothered to attend to customers they make errors.

I cant believe the attitudes you get on this forum - why try and make me feel guilty over a companys incompetance?


[Edited by gravelexpress - 11/18/2003 12:20:37 PM]

rik1471

swings and roundabouts : \

scoobydooooo

you can't buy them in pc world can u ??

Brendan Hughes

yeah, but you need the 5 year Extended Cover Plan

Scooby96

Offer and acceptance of a price can either be on the shelf or at the POS (point of sale).

If you see something on the shelf for £50 but its £500 at the till challenge the store - you might just find that you'll save yourself £450. Vice versa and you're laughing anyway!

Little Clanger

Taff107 & others,

to be EVEN MORE pedantic, it aint Theft and it aint obtaining property by deception. There is no criminal intent, intention to defraud or dishonest appropriation etc. (as required by either / both offences under Theft Act 1968).

This is a simple contract law matter - offer, acceptance and invitation to treat etc. etc.. Gravel express, you have done nothing wrong my freind, except for the fact that you should have tried to mace them sheisters for even more gear. Modern day Dick Turpins they are, but at least the real DT wore a mask. Did a little too much drivin down o them prices. PEE CEE World...

Little Clanger

Me gonna get even more picky. Scoob96 - you are wrong man. The price tag never takes precedence over the price requested at the point of sale. Hence, a price tag will almost always be an Inv. to Treat. U see a car in a shop window with a price tag loosing a few zero's, you will never get away with demanding that it is sold tyo you at the displayed price.

If in doubt, see Fisher v. Bell, Partridge v.v Crittenden & Boots the Chemists v. Pharmaceutical Society of Great Brittain.

GravEx, I got the point, the staff are almost always cloned from a robot dim-wit. Once again, good on ya.

Can I tell Leslie to **** Off too?

Leslie

It won't do any good, and it just shows you are lacking somewhere if that is the only way you can express yourself.

The revealing thing is to read the original post!

gravelexpress

kiss my proverbial leslie,
You are the so bloody minded - I really think if this had happened to you. yes you may not have gloated about it, but also you would probably not even realise how much of an error was made unless you closely note absolutely every item you purcahse.
think about it you go on a bit of a shopping spree, you have a fair idea of what you expect to pay but find the sale price below what you anticipate.

Do you

a) pay said amount

b) say "excuse me good sir i think you may have made a somewhat of a mistake, I really must insist that I pay more for items" then in the full knowledge that you may be waiting a further 15 mins for them to sort it out?

You are a git - I was trying to help the guy find the bar codes for the items, I mentioned to him that two of the items were bundled. AS in ahh thats probably why the scanner is not reading the bar code, AS in trying to help the guy.

You are seriously pissing me off by trying to lecture me that I was decieving or misleading this fella. When in fact I was trying to be helpful. Its quite a major accusation labelling someone a tea leaf have a think about it you obnoxious bar steward.

CheekyChimp

My god children won't this bickering ever end? *slaps leslie and gravel on wrists with a ruler*

Someone close this thread before we hear for the hundreth time what the security guard did. DOES ANYONE REALLY GIVE A F*CK??????

ProperCharlie

this thread is really starting to take the p*ss now. i find it incredible how concerned everyone has become for the welfare of pc wold, despite the fact that it is universally recognised as a temple of sh*te products, ignorant staff and non existent service. i think maybe some of you should go and get jobs there. they really need your help. some of you could follow customers around and make a note of what they had taken from the shelves, you could then enter the correct prices for these items into a specially configured PDA. once the customer had completed the transaction you could leap out of the woodwork and accuse them of misleading the poor till staff beacuse according to your calculations the items total £122.49 and *not* £104.05. I bet that would give you such a good feeling inside.


[Edited by ProperCharlie - 11/18/2003 7:52:15 PM]

pugoetru

what a sad life i have i have just read all 3 pages of this

if they cant get the prices right then thats their problem

Pistol_Pete

A couple of years back I purchased a PC case from a company called special reserve, it cost me £60.
I got back home and upon opening the box I discovered there was no case in there. However the box contained almost three grandsof other bits, video cards, cpu's, gameboys etc.
I took the lot back because Im honest and you know what, I didnt even get a thank you from the store.
Thing is, I'd still do the same thing if it ever happened again. You can argue all you like about the legal side of it but you will always be wrong in the moral sense.
Treat people as you would be liked to be treated yourself, if you had given the cashier / security guard too much money then you would want them to pipe up and say 'excuse me, you given me to much money' So if you expect it to happen one way then why not the other ?

Just my thoughts, I dont expect a lot of you to agree with me but its how I feel.