Cut price golf stores

[AdrianC]

As an online retailer of golf clothing we are adamant that the price shown is the fair and right price for the item. However we have experimented a few times by showing the retail price and showing the saving to our normal price with a big red slash through the original price. When the preceived reduction is shown we get increased sales on that item. All marketing but it works!!! We are at a loss to understand why it makes such a big difference. Any ideas?

 

[geronimo]

every one is looking to get the most for there money so if you think you are getting a bargain it makes you feel better about handing over the cash.
What we should be doing is getting the best value for money rather than perceived savings.

If you have a callaway jumper that has been reduced from a rrp of £75 to £50 and another jumper made of the same materials and so the same jumper without the name tag for full rrp of £40 whats the best value?

After all does anyone think any of the golf manufacturers have factory's making this type of garment? More than likely they are all made in the far east somewhere for ten bob and a lucky bag and sold to use for 1000% mark up, and to make matters worse most of the company's probably use the same factory's to produce the garments.

 

[madandra]

AdrianC welcome to the forum m8. The consumer has been brainwashed into guaging a bargain simply by the difference in the was/now price and not the quality or suitability of the item (look at 98% of the guff in TK Maxx).

I am guilty of it too as I once bought a pair of Adidas Torsion golf shoes that were tight simply because the were cheap and I thought I could break them in not realising they were as hard as a whores heart.

 

[Parmo]

All I want is my local stores to be able to sell the products I want at a decent price.

 

[GB72]

Parmo, the Orka irons are going superbly well. Find them forgiving whilst still retaining some feel. Am also starting to stop the ball on the greens, something I could never do with my Di7s. Like them so much I have ordered another wedge from them. Wanted a 50 degree wedge to fill the gap between PW and SW and even though that is not a standard loft, they are having one adjusted and fitted with my suited shaft.

 

[DCB]

Bear in mind that these stores are franchised dealerships. The stores will probably all have slightly different offers on as was the case recently. I got a pair of Greenjoys for £29.95 in Glasgow, but they were selling for £5 more in Edinburgh! Both stores were selling them in their new year sale.

 

[RGuk]

stories where people see equipment advertised at a low price, ring up and there is no stock of the item they want

I've had a rant about this. I actually went out of my way to visit a shop (that also sell online) that were advertising a certain driver for ONLY x amount.
In the long run, they will regret these tactics as I now have only contempt for these practices.

I'm a nearing "losing it big time" with an online store that I made an order from. I'm keeping it quiet, but unless there is good news in the next day or two...I'm going public. Given that google "finds" comments written on forums such as this, I reckon I could single-handedly bad mouth them enough to put a few potential customers off!!

The web-site says 5-7 days delivery, that was 12 days ago. I phoned the helpline to see if things were OK, they were pleasant (so was I!) and apologised that the item was not yet in stock in the warehouse......ok, fine, but send me an email or write it clearly on the page that "this product may take longer than the standard time to be delivered".

Watch this space......rguk on song doesn't let go once the teeth are in!!

 

[GB72]

Realgolferuk, do not suppose that that company was Scotsdale Golf. If so, have heard a few stories about problems with out of stock items that were supposedly in stock at the time of ordering.

 

[The_Squire]

Yes, I have been in that position when buying a car. It was at a reputable Ford dealership in Cardiff, I had seen a Focus 05 plate for what I thought was a bargain on their website so printed the details and drove down to them the next day, showed the salesman the add and he had a chuckle and said that someone had 'forgotten' to add the vat. I just said goodbye, told him I was going to another dealer I had bought from before and walked out.

 

[Atticus_Finch]

I was always under the impression that if a company advertised something at a particular price, they were then legally bound to sell it at that price. Mistake,forgotten VAT or not.
Any legal eagles out there.
J_F?

 

[Atticus_Finch]

Yes, I have been in that position when buying a car. It was at a reputable Ford dealership in Cardiff, I had seen a Focus 05 plate for what I thought was a bargain on their website so printed the details and drove down to them the next day, showed the salesman the add and he had a chuckle and said that someone had 'forgotten' to add the vat. I just said goodbye, told him I was going to another dealer I had bought from before and walked out.

You should have stayed there, Squire, spent an hour humming and hawing over the most expensive model, without asking for a discount, leading him on to his biggest commission payout of the month and then "change your mind" at the last minute and walk out.

 

[John_Findlay]

Not really my field any more, A_F, but in Scotland these things are usually classed as "Offers to Treat" so that the dealer needn't accept your offer to buy at the mistaken price.

 

[GB72]

Agreed, it is a common misconception that a company has to sell an item to you at the advertised price. You can report a company to Trading Standards if you believe that there has been an attempt to defraud or deliberately mislead but there is no obligation for a company to sell you an item at a low price if they have adertised it wrongly.

 

[The_Squire]

You should have stayed there, Squire, spent an hour humming and hawing over the most expensive model, without asking for a discount, leading him on to his biggest commission payout of the month and then "change your mind" at the last minute and walk out.

I know but I was tamping at the chuckle from the git

 

[Atticus_Finch]

I know but I was tamping at the chuckle from the git

I can have a good guess at what this means, but I've never heard this expression before. Anyone care to elaborate?

 

[The_Squire]

Tamping or fuming, angry, wound up.

 

[viscount17]

Glad I saw this GB. I was going to get a cart bag from Amazon then noticed that it's sold through Scotsdale. hey-ho, on with the search.

 

[medwayjon]

Atticus_Finch - Welcom back btw,

If you misadvertise the price you aren't obliged to sell the item at that price. The law is that you are basicall offering the goods for sale and can withdraw them at any time hence an advert is by no means binding or any part of a contract of sale.

I had a stand up row with a customer last summer, we had an s-type at £6995 and the 6 had fallen off the price board. The guy was going ape, threatening to get us done by everybody he could. This also happened in the golf shop the other day, part of the price tag was gone so it said .99p and the guy acted up.

I think that a genuine, good customer will appreciate the difference between being a crook and a genuine mistake.

Re the ford dealer squire, it doesn't surprise me, a friend went to look at a fiesta, the screen price was £7995 however she wanted to pay cash and this was forbidden, to get the car she had to have their h.p, their extended warranty and gap inusrance.

 

[billyg]

This is probably a bit of an unpopular take on it but I try and back pro-shops where possible (provided the service is good).

FWIW I think it's important to support the pro's as they form an important part of the infrastructure of our sport. One may not get the absolute best price but generally a fairer cut of the RRP goes into the pocket of someone who has shown an enduring commitment to the sport rather than propping up a faceless shareholders dividend.

Of course it's important that a pro shop doesn't try and fleece it's customers but I personally haven't encountered this. The pro from my last club was part of one of these buying groups mentioned above and in fact has been able to supply clubs (fitted with care , friendliness and courtesy) for less than either AG or NB could have. This was the case even though he was providing me with a set that wasn't amongst his endorsed , agented brands.

Now don't get me wrong there is a place for the superstore approach to golfing goods. They provide an excellent first step on the ladder for people wishing to dip their toe in the water without a large financial commitment. They attract non- golfers in and provide a reasonable level of retail support under certain circumstances.

For example,this centre where AG's Watford store is based is both innovative, family friendly and a genuine move in the direction of extending the golfing franchise out of it's usual environs:

http://www.topgolf.co.uk/watford.php

Not my cup of rosey lee as I don't have kids but i'm glad I went there to have a look and I can't fault it. What better way to sow the seed of interest in the young without either breaking the bank or consuming a whole day?

All i'm really saying is that I personally feel a degree of responsibility to uphold the convention of the pro shops of this world. it may cost me a few more pennies but this is insignificant to the rampant pillage that passes for Income tax, water rates, national insurance and VAT that our beloved leaders foist upon us- and I don't get a chance to ring fence THAT money do I?

It's a well worn truth that if you don't look after the trees, the soil dies away and you're left with hard pan. That's hard pan that a carpark can be built on. A carpark that may end up being attached to Tesco's Mega Golf some day in the future which could by then be our only option.

I for one do not want to be running my golf clubs through a 'bleep' at the checkout while Sharon picks her nose and looks bored thank you very much.

The choice is ours.


(takes cover)

 

[medwayjon]

Billy,

I am one of the fiercest loyalists when it comes to pros. I would rather pay £50 more for a set of irons from the pro that use AG and the like. The reason is this, the superstores are there to grab your money and say goodbye and thats it. I have supported my pro and the benefits are huge, firstly they support my business, and secondly I have had so much free tuition time and so many free baskets of range balls that the loyalty shown to them is obviously appreciated and reciprocated.

Yes the big-boys have their place, there are people to whom saving money is of big importance, everybodies finances are different and I respect that. A customer buying a car from me for £1k is as good as the customer spending £10k.

The superstores are great for the new golfer as where else will they go? They can buy online of course, but so many of them are simply unaware that they don't have to be a club member to purchase equipment from their local pro.

I have had bad experiences at AG and this is the other reason I boycott them, equally though, many people have had excellent service from them.