How stupid do they think we are?

[maxparot]

Maxparot-

I'm sure there's alot of details you've omitted between:

"I went in to purchase gift cards at 25% off and they refused to honor their ad."

and

"Not only that but they called the police and had me trespassed."

There's two sides to every story, and I'd love to have been a fly on the wall that day...

carlh

Aside from my refusing to drop the subject and refusing to leave the store no not a lot more to it. The point was there was other flies on the wall (the other customers) Management doesn't like their other customers hearing a customer say " So you are refusing to honor your ad it has no exception for gift cards" I'm sure in the time I was there a number of people just walked out thinking maybe I shouldn't shop here. Again this happened on Black Friday.

[BigguyZ]

Aside from my refusing to drop the subject and refusing to leave the store no not a lot more to it. The point was there was other flies on the wall (the other customers) Management doesn't like their other customers hearing a customer say " So you are refusing to honor your ad it has no exception for gift cards" I'm sure in the time I was there a number of people just walked out thinking maybe I shouldn't shop here. Again this happened on Black Friday.

I think on the issue of gift cards, and your obvious attempt at jockying the system in a way it was never meant to be, you should follow your sig...

[tommyt654]

If ya don,t like it ,Go shop somewhere else!,Simple

[maxparot]

I think on the issue of gift cards, and your obvious attempt at jockying the system in a way it was never meant to be, you should follow your sig...

Who are you to say that the system was never meant to be used that way. The Italian resturant chain example I gave, still allows you to use there other coupons with a giftcard even if you purchased $100 worth and got the free $25 card. They have run the same promo 2 years in a row.
There are other similar examples where double dipping was intended and promoted.
But I'm sure you wouldn't avail yourself of them, you think that is cheating someone.
Please stop acting like a girlie girl!

[BigguyZ]

Who are you to say that the system was never meant to be used that way. The Italian resturant chain example I gave, still allows you to use there other coupons with a giftcard even if you purchased $100 worth and got the free $25 card. They have run the same promo 2 years in a row.
There are other similar examples where double dipping was intended and promoted.
But I'm sure you wouldn't avail yourself of them, you think that is cheating someone.
Please stop acting like a girlie girl!

Grow up and act like an adult, not some petulant child who throws a tantrum when he's told "no". IF I'm allowed, I used any advantage possible.

Obviously, I am no one when it comes to deciding what the intent of a promotion is. It's the comany who's offering the promotion who lays down the law, so to speak. If a company is selling $100 gift cards for $75 and is openly advertising that, great. But if the company never meant things to work that way, but fails to list one of the many different disclaimers necessary in today's market, then obviously that's another issue all-together.

The markups on food and the resturaunt business are completely different than a retail chain selling a nitch product. So in my opinion there may be a slight parallel in the resturant-retailer examples you give, but the situations are VERY different.

[herb fellows]

I find it comical that people are ignorant enough to let a retail organization that obviously has margins enough to cover a promotion such as 25% off gift cards allow that organization to get away with an obvious bait and switch on a Black Friday sale.
What would make it an obvious error? The fact that they usually have a disclamer. It's a black friday 1 day sale all bets are off on the usual rules. I know a an Italian resturant chain that sells $100 gift certificates for the holidays and if you buy $100 worth you get another $25 gift card free. So that makes it a 20% discount. Is there a cut off for retail discount on gift cards?
If you feel people should act like sheep when they are being taken advantage of by retail advertizing practices than would I love to have you as a customer.
Are you nuts? If you don't make a stand they will take advantage of you over and over again and it will just get worse. Man up! This is a business they are paid to be nice, helpful and friendly. They got their jobs because they are knowledgable and that allow them to sell the product. The store survives charging more than big box stores because when you need special products or knowledge they can service your needs. Because of that I have no problem believing a 25% off giftcard promo won't break them but only entice customers to spend money they otherwise might not.
At the prices Rockler charges I have no problem believing that power tools could also be included in the sale.
As I stated they claim to have errored on the ad so who's responsible for making good on it. They are of course! Many other retailers would have stepped up and done the right thing.
To have them accuse their customers of trying to take advantage is outrageous and very poor customer relations. There just is no justification for it.

Just curious. If they said 'ok' to the gift card at 25% off, BUT left in the exclusions on power tools etc. what would your take have been on that?

[maxparot]

Grow up and act like an adult, not some petulant child who throws a tantrum when he's told "no". IF I'm allowed, I used any advantage possible.

Obviously, I am no one when it comes to deciding what the intent of a promotion is. It's the comany who's offering the promotion who lays down the law, so to speak. If a company is selling $100 gift cards for $75 and is openly advertising that, great. But if the company never meant things to work that way, but fails to list one of the many different disclaimers necessary in today's market, then obviously that's another issue all-together.

The markups on food and the resturaunt business are completely different than a retail chain selling a nitch product. So in my opinion there may be a slight parallel in the resturant-retailer examples you give, but the situations are VERY different.

Wow now I've had a great laugh a 27 year old kid telling me I'm acting like a petulant child because I stand up for myself when a retailer screws up and doesn't put a standard disclaimer on their ad. (which they have done every time since) Yes those disclaimers are necessary in todays market. Who sets the rules... The Federal and State governments do along with the courts. If Rockler had brick and morter in certain states there wouldn't be any question about the outcome. They would have been forced to issue giftcards at the advertized discount.
But yet you seem to be willing to take advantage of similar offer if allowed. Well your rights vary from state to state and also depend on how much you are willing to invest in not being taken advantage of.
But you are obviously one of the sheep, a lamb to the slaughter. You just never had a role model that taught you to stand up for yourself and not let others take advantage of you.
The only thing I can see that you are correct about is you are no one to decide the intent of anything other than those things that you say or write. Who are you to imply that the company didn't intend to do exactly what they did... attract people to their store with an ad they knew was incomplete and then turn down those that attempted to use that ad to its fullest. I find it odd that the rest of the year they had their usual disclaimer but the Black Friday ad did not.
So you think I should grow up well stop being so naive and timid. Take a stand. Don't let any business get away with anything that takes advantage of you or anyone else. There is a lot more you can do than simply voting with your patronage. Making others aware of a business' shortcomings may help others. Report a less than scrupulous ad to authorities. Less then scrupulous business to the BBB. And yes speak up in a store and make other aware of your dissatifaction.
Again... Man up! You panzy boy.

[maxparot]

Just curious. If they said 'ok' to the gift card at 25% off, BUT left in the exclusions on power tools etc. what would your take have been on that?

The real point is the lack of a disclaimer, their responsibilty, how they handled the situation and the fact that they attempted to place the blame for the negative feedback on the customers.

[Alex Franke]

Don't let any business get away with anything that takes advantage of you or anyone else. There is a lot more you can do than simply voting with your patronage.

Sue them for advertising fraud and let a judge decide who's right and who's wrong... Maybe you'll even get what you wanted in the first place.

Anyway, this topic is getting a little too personal and off-topic for me, so I'm outta here!

[carlh6902]

...Who are you to imply that the company didn't intend to do exactly what they did... attract people to their store with an ad they knew was incomplete and then turn down those that attempted to use that ad to its fullest. I find it odd that the rest of the year they had their usual disclaimer but the Black Friday ad did not...

I still see this as an honest mistake. Bait and switch? Seems like it would be more like 'bait and p*ss them off'.

If I were a fly on the Rockler meeting roomwall when this scheme was dreamed up, it might have went something like this: "Let's see... Let's issue a coupon, intentionally omitting a major restriction, and then when our loyal customers show up to use their coupon, we will p*ss them off by refusing to honor their coupon, thereby losing their business forever. Brilliant!"

Does that really seem like something they would do intentionally?

Carlh

[BigguyZ]

Sue them for advertising fraud and let a judge decide who's right and who's wrong... Maybe you'll even get what you wanted in the first place.

Anyway, this topic is getting a little too personal and off-topic for me, so I'm outta here!

I agree. I'm done hitting my head against a brick wall. Obviously some people just lack the ability to see things via someone else's point of view...

[cwithboat]

I think the OP was a real dummy to start this thing.

[sweensdv]

I think the OP was a real dummy to start this thing.

I totally disagree. It's not your fault that some can't seem to stay on subject.

[Alex Franke]

I totally disagree. It's not your fault that some can't seem to stay on subject.

How dare you imply that the Earth is round!! (okay, now I'm really leaving. )

[crokett]

Locked. In the years I've been here this is the first thread I can remember devolving in to name-calling.