Caveat Emptor

RGuk

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Golf related, I promise.

Firstly, my shopping trip to the sales was a disaster....retailers going bust selling off utter tat for simply cheeky prices.

Take Zavvi and Woolies....talk about taking the ****.
Games (kids DS/PS2) supposedly reduced still 5-10 pounds MORE (!) expensive than game stores and DVDs.....tosh.....
Zavvi were flogging individual dr who dvds at 12 pounds for 3 episodes....= 48 pounds for the series....well the online guys and supermarkets are doing the NEW complete series (all boxed and with extras) for about 24 quid!!

Anyhow, I thought I'd look at the American Golf website, and any respect I had for AG has just gone out the window and now they can jolly well go bust along with all the others. Why? Well, they've joined the jjbs of this world and are selling TaylorMade R5XL range......barclays bankers.....

This range of INFERIOR Taylor Made products was produced for an American Sports chain and jjb got in on the act. Now, don't get me wrong, these are proper clubs and work as a proper club and might have been a good buy 2 years ago for 99 quid. But now? NO....I thought we'd seen the last of this range, but some numpty at AG reckons they should flog a load online to unsuspecting punters at FULL PRICE years after the fact.

I wanted to look at wedges, just in case, and AG in their wisdom reckon that by taking 2.5% of the price of a wilson staff wedge, they are actually doing a sale.....

I shall email them on Monday and express my lack of approval. I reckon AG would be hard pressed to sell G2s at 99 quid, and that was a proper range driver in it's day...not some unknown special run from Bejing's factories of clones.....

End of rant.....you can imagine shopping with HID has made me not grumpy at all. :)
 

toyboy54

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realgolferuk....Can I take it that you are not in a good mood then????(lol)
Did the Santa man pass by your place then?
He did'nt pass by SWMBO'splace as I woke to loads of lovely golf thingywingys.
Also got in 18 holes today in lovely conditions and lo and behold all the greens were on----gave me a chance to try out the lovely,sexy,aesthetic,drop dead gorgeous Ping Anseri putter that nice Santa brought me!!! :p
 

HomerJSimpson

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Have to agree with Dave. Went to my local AG today to buy a new golf holdall (got the big Cobra one for £29) and they were flogging the R5's at the same price. Tried one on the in store machine and the results were very marked. Most were snap hooks (something I'm not doing with either of my drivers) and the swing speed and launch angles were way up and distance down. There was also a funny almost cheap feel to the ball off the face.

Now I don't necessarily agree with Dave's overall feeling as I think for an improving or high-mid handicapper looking for an OK club it seems a decent price for a club but I do agree that AG would be better served reducing the 2008 Burner models, especially as they are selling the 09 alongside and doing the same for the G10 (next to the Raptures) and the Hi Bore (and 09 Launcher model)
 

HTL

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HID is off to the NEXT sale tomorrow, crazy person! I'm staying in bed, picking her up at 9:00 to drive back to Wales for a few days.

And yes AG are crap over priced and from my experiences crap sales people who really don't know Golf.
 

RGuk

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Now I don't necessarily agree with Dave's overall feeling as I think for an improving or high-mid handicapper looking for an OK club it seems a decent price for a club

Yes, 99 pounds is OK, accepted, but the thing is they've been around for 2+ years (to the best of my knowledge) and AG have them at the TOP of their front page.....as if it's some mega deal. This is what gets me......because the REAL R5 and R7 drivers were 200 minimum, then it's a little economical with the truth to PRETEND this is a sale price, in fact I'd call it downright deceitful to advertise them in this way.

Like Woolies striking out RRP 29.99 and writing 24.99 when things are 19.99 everywhere anyway.
 

RGuk

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Personally I must say I agree wiyh Homer & RealGolferUk About those particular TM's

Thank you.....it's not that they are bad (I know two good players who do OK with their ones) more that I don't like the method of flogging them. Cheeky.....

If they have picked up a lorry-load from jjb, perhaps they should advertise them as
R5XL (2007) were 149, 99, NOW 89.99....so nobody feels duped. Dupe a few customers and that's it these days.....THAT is the real power of the internet.....both the two high st. retailers I mentioned have gone bust mainly because of competition from the net for media products.
 

theeaglehunter

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I am quite happy with American golf. I bought a pair of the 2008 reelfits for £59.99 - my first ever pair of footjoys after Nike, adidas, hi-tec, callaway, stuburt. I have tried them on before and liked them, and considered buying them at £79.99 from direct golf. I thought at this price (after a quick look I couldn't see any cheaper elsewhere on the net) I can't really go wrong with what is a premium shoe- and upon release was used on the tours. They can't be to bad.

I understand what your saying in terms of price advertising though. It has always been the same though, it is just at this time in this economic climate the problem has been compounded. Take 'sports world' (king of all things dunlop) for example all year round they have a sale on, with a stupid dunlop driver showing up at 'was £299 , now £60- 80% off' its a load of bollocks. And the problem you mention is along similar lines with the added put off of the prices not even being competitive. :D
 

TonyN

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Am also a little dissapointed with AG too, I thought there sale was crud. I went online to today hoping that some of the GPS might be at a good price, no chance. (nieve?)

I am going to pop in to the store next week and hopefully the guy I always deal with will be in. Going to ask him how much he will do me a 2.5 for. If he will do one for £130 with the bits I will buy and have a little faith restored.

Considering I have spent roughly £1000 in the last 12 months there, I dont think its too much to ask, what you guys think?
 

Cernunnos

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Must admite, The price I have in mind for a golf satnav like the Sky Caddie with the accesory kit for the sales or thereafter is £125 to £130 all in.

Somehow £165, with bugger all thrown in, just somehow doesn't cut it with me. Especially when SkyCaddie seem to expect a yearly subscription on top of the price for the unit.

For instance Mobile Phone companies at least have the good grace to include the phones when you take out a contract.

SkyCaddie want their cake & to eat it.

I'm happy to meet them half way I think £99 for a sky caddie is reasonable but in good faith I'd pay the £125 to £130 to get a full kit & to subscribe to the charge for yearly downloads.
 

Smiffy

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TonyN

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Out of bed, I been in work since 06:30

Well I guess Mr A Golf was lurking around the Forum last night and realised how much trouble we may have caused him.

My faith has certainly been restored in AG, Excellent offer and alot better than I ever imagined it would be. I was even tempted to go for the 5 at £170 but I would rather have a smaller one TBQH and not really bothered about colour.

Looks Like I will even be subscribed for a bit less than I was willing to pay for the unit on its own.

I am confused, did xmas come WAAAAY early, or just a little to late :D
 

backwoodsman

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Must admite, The price I have in mind for a golf satnav like the Sky Caddie with the accesory kit for the sales or thereafter is £125 to £130 all in.

Somehow £165, with bugger all thrown in, just somehow doesn't cut it with me. Especially when SkyCaddie seem to expect a yearly subscription on top of the price for the unit.

For instance Mobile Phone companies at least have the good grace to include the phones when you take out a contract.

SkyCaddie want their cake & to eat it.

I'm happy to meet them half way I think £99 for a sky caddie is reasonable but in good faith I'd pay the £125 to £130 to get a full kit & to subscribe to the charge for yearly downloads.

Are you not being a bit over-expectant? After all, the kit (and a fairly clever piece of kit it is too) doesn't grow on a tree - someone has to make it. If AG are selling for £97 then it a darn good bargain.

And as to the subscription, you can download unlimited courses as often as you want - all of which are mapped, and updated, by someone, then loaded onto the database/website which needs maintaining. To my mind, expecting it for free is a little ambitious. I think the £35 I pay for any course in Europe or Africa is pretty reasonable - especially id you compare it to the cost of a paper course planner?
 

Smiffy

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I tend to agree.
I would expect to play maybe 10 courses this year which I haven't played before or played maybe once.
That makes each download £2.95 which is cheaper than buying a Strokesaver at each of those courses...even if one was available!
I don't like using strokesavers to be honest, find them a bloody nuisance, but the convenience of having your Skycaddie dangling from the side of your bag is worth it's weight in gold.
Stop being a tightarse Tony!!
;) ;) ;)
 

backwoodsman

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Don't think it was Tony being the T A about paying the annual sub - but then again, expecting the case <u>and</u> the car charger chucked in at £97 is edging that way.

But then, as my case is a plastic bag, perhaps you could say the same of me....
 

Smiffy

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I have just reserved a 2.5 for my mate at £97.00. He appreciates it is a good deal, asked me to look for the price of the charger and leather case. The cheapest I have found these items for are £19.99 each.
Say £40.00 the pair.
That makes the £112.00 deal that I got (and a few others) bargain of the century 'cos it effectively brought the price of the Skycaddie down to £72.00!!
Rob
 

TonyN

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Smiffy AG have thecase and charger for about 9 each. I here what your saying guys but yes I am being a tight ass. After buying £450 irons £280 worth of driver £300 worth of bags £100worth of clothes £180 worth of putters and countless balls tees gloves etc I think they could give something back. I have spent slot more than I initially thought. Well over the £1000 mark in the last 12 months. If I had spent that with online golf I would of had all that in points.

Am I really that much of a tight ass?
 

Smiffy

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Smiffy AG have thecase and charger for about 9 each. I here what your saying guys but yes I am being a tight ass. After buying £450 irons £280 worth of driver £300 worth of bags £100worth of clothes £180 worth of putters and countless balls tees gloves etc I think they could give something back. I have spent slot more than I initially thought. Well over the £1000 mark in the last 12 months. If I had spent that with online golf I would of had all that in points.

Am I really that much of a tight ass?

Tony.
Was only joking with the "tight arse" comment but look at it logically.
You must have bought from AG for a reason in the first place...and usually (usually) that reason is price?
Nobody held a gun to your head!!
Sure, if you can get a bit of extra discount then great...but with the deals that AG are doing at the moment, I don't think we can complain!
You can't get an SG2.5 on ebay for less than £140.00!!
Rob
 

GB72

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Went to the direct golf sale in Cambridge today and was equally disappointed. No more than a tenner off a lot of last year's kit and no real bargains (unless you want one of last year's Nike drivers which seem to be getting cheaper every week). Only temptation was a Callaway Hyper X driver at £99.00 but did not have the time to give it a real test.

Still, Santa brought me a Taylormade Core Classic Fortuna putter (how impressed was I that my relatives got that right) so looking forward to giving that a go.
 
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