"I'm never shopping THERE again!" Share your story!

[AtraBecca]

I'll probably still buy from them but I'll definitely look at their 'sales' with more skepticism.

On Thursday of Friday, I was thinking of buying a ring off eBay. It didn't make the reserve so I PM'd the seller to find out what price she would accept. It was reasonable... not a huge deal when shipping and customs were added in, but still a deal. I checked the retail price for the same ring on The Bay... that's a rather upscale department store, for anyone who doesn't know... and it was 495. They often have 50% off sales so I was like, hmm, 250...

The next day, wouldn't you know it, they were having a 60% off sale! So I thought, hey, I can get it for brand new for almost the same price as this lady! And I could get it in my size! I was quite shocked to find that they'd jacked up the retail price to 750 before giving the discount. So it was actually on 'sale' for 300. Still a 40% discount but NOT a 60%...

I've sent them an e-mail expressing my displeasure and decided to buy the ring off eBay. I really love that particular designer so I'll probably buy from The Bay in the future... just assuming the sales aren't as good as they say. I am not amused, though.

[cattlekid]

nytimes.com is on my list right now.  I paid for unlimited access to their site via PayPal and now that I am a paid member, the only way to get that turned off is to call their 1-800 number.  It's not a huge deal, but it would be so much easier to just be able to stop the paid function of my account online. Most other subscription sites offer this service, so I'm not sure why nytimes.com can't.

[Sirius]

We get the Frontier people trying to sell us TV service.  We don't watch TV, so we're perfectly happy with our phone and internet setup, which Mr. Sirius personally negotiated with them.  If you tell them you don't watch TV they act as though you're strange - at least, the people I've talked to have.  We also get the Kirby vacuum salespeople and the magazine "So I can win a trip" salespeople:  The last one of the magazine people got so rude I got a (perhaps not admirable) thrill out of ordering him off my property. 

[Slartibartfast]

I'll probably still buy from them but I'll definitely look at their 'sales' with more skepticism.

On Thursday of Friday, I was thinking of buying a ring off eBay. It didn't make the reserve so I PM'd the seller to find out what price she would accept. It was reasonable... not a huge deal when shipping and customs were added in, but still a deal. I checked the retail price for the same ring on The Bay... that's a rather upscale department store, for anyone who doesn't know... and it was 495. They often have 50% off sales so I was like, hmm, 250...

The next day, wouldn't you know it, they were having a 60% off sale! So I thought, hey, I can get it for brand new for almost the same price as this lady! And I could get it in my size! I was quite shocked to find that they'd jacked up the retail price to 750 before giving the discount. So it was actually on 'sale' for 300. Still a 40% discount but NOT a 60%...

I've sent them an e-mail expressing my displeasure and decided to buy the ring off eBay. I really love that particular designer so I'll probably buy from The Bay in the future... just assuming the sales aren't as good as they say. I am not amused, though.

This is absolutely standard practice for jewelry stores.  The small print in jewelry ads often says "Actual sales may not have occurred at original price" - meaning "We made up this number so we can say we're having a %%% off sale!"

[StarFaerie]

I'll probably still buy from them but I'll definitely look at their 'sales' with more skepticism.

On Thursday of Friday, I was thinking of buying a ring off eBay. It didn't make the reserve so I PM'd the seller to find out what price she would accept. It was reasonable... not a huge deal when shipping and customs were added in, but still a deal. I checked the retail price for the same ring on The Bay... that's a rather upscale department store, for anyone who doesn't know... and it was 495. They often have 50% off sales so I was like, hmm, 250...

The next day, wouldn't you know it, they were having a 60% off sale! So I thought, hey, I can get it for brand new for almost the same price as this lady! And I could get it in my size! I was quite shocked to find that they'd jacked up the retail price to 750 before giving the discount. So it was actually on 'sale' for 300. Still a 40% discount but NOT a 60%...

I've sent them an e-mail expressing my displeasure and decided to buy the ring off eBay. I really love that particular designer so I'll probably buy from The Bay in the future... just assuming the sales aren't as good as they say. I am not amused, though.

This is absolutely standard practice for jewelry stores.  The small print in jewelry ads often says "Actual sales may not have occurred at original price" - meaning "We made up this number so we can say we're having a %%% off sale!"

I am so glad they made this illegal in my country. It was so annoying. Jewellery stores still try it occassionally but it gets shut down pretty quickly. It doesn't mean it's not over priced however.

[Where's the Quiet?]

I'll probably still buy from them but I'll definitely look at their 'sales' with more skepticism.

On Thursday of Friday, I was thinking of buying a ring off eBay. It didn't make the reserve so I PM'd the seller to find out what price she would accept. It was reasonable... not a huge deal when shipping and customs were added in, but still a deal. I checked the retail price for the same ring on The Bay... that's a rather upscale department store, for anyone who doesn't know... and it was 495. They often have 50% off sales so I was like, hmm, 250...

The next day, wouldn't you know it, they were having a 60% off sale! So I thought, hey, I can get it for brand new for almost the same price as this lady! And I could get it in my size! I was quite shocked to find that they'd jacked up the retail price to 750 before giving the discount. So it was actually on 'sale' for 300. Still a 40% discount but NOT a 60%...

I've sent them an e-mail expressing my displeasure and decided to buy the ring off eBay. I really love that particular designer so I'll probably buy from The Bay in the future... just assuming the sales aren't as good as they say. I am not amused, though.

A local furniture chain pulled this exact thing a year or so ago during their going out of business sale. They had great furniture but way out of my price range. I thought at the 70% off sale I could get a real bargain and improve my home a bit. Yeah, that was way too optimistic. 70% off put an ottoman still around $600. Every time they bumped the sales percentage up, the "original" price went up as well. I didn't bother going to the 90% off sale.

[ladyknight1]

I would actually save money on my internet and cable if I added a phone, but I don't want one. If it saves more than $20 a month I might do it, but in general, it is just a terrible aggravation.

Not to mention the nightmares that happen when you suddenly get a phone line. Everyone and their brother is sold a list of new numbers and my friend received 52 different sales calls in one week and 20+ mailings for her "new house" that she has owned for 20 years. I think I will just spend the extra money, and not have another phone.

[Seven Ate Nine]

We dropped our cable TV, thought kept the internet.  DH got phone calls for weeks about adding TV to our service.  He finally wound up telling on of the callers off because they were calling every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and not taking no for an answer.  I don't think they've called in awhile.

I would actually save money on my internet and cable if I added a phone, but I don't want one. If it saves more than $20 a month I might do it, but in general, it is just a terrible aggravation.

Not to mention the nightmares that happen when you suddenly get a phone line. Everyone and their brother is sold a list of new numbers and my friend received 52 different sales calls in one week and 20+ mailings for her "new house" that she has owned for 20 years. I think I will just spend the extra money, and not have another phone.

We finally gave in and got a land line, because we live in a spot with no cell service, so when the power goes out (and the network extender with it) we have no way to dial 911.  Since the phone is for our convenience only, and we haven't given the number to anyone, the phone is not plugged in 

[kherbert05]

My son worked at a festival all weekend and when we picked him up last night, he was very hungry and suggested an Italian restaurant that was nearby. The food was good, service was good, beverages were good.

I gave my card to pay and when the server came back, she said the card only was authorized for a lesser amount than the full bill. I thought that was odd, since I knew the exact amount available and paid cash for the remainder.

This morning I found the restaurant charged me the full amount as a hold then the lesser amount as a charge in two separate transactions. I called the restaurant and the cashier verified that is what happened. The owner refused to release the hold or send any documentation for it.

We might return, but I will never hand over a card there again.

I would call the card company and report is as a mistake and possible fraud.

[gramma dishes]

My son worked at a festival all weekend and when we picked him up last night, he was very hungry and suggested an Italian restaurant that was nearby. The food was good, service was good, beverages were good.

I gave my card to pay and when the server came back, she said the card only was authorized for a lesser amount than the full bill. I thought that was odd, since I knew the exact amount available and paid cash for the remainder.

This morning I found the restaurant charged me the full amount as a hold then the lesser amount as a charge in two separate transactions. I called the restaurant and the cashier verified that is what happened. The owner refused to release the hold or send any documentation for it.

We might return, but I will never hand over a card there again.

I would call the card company and report is as a mistake and possible fraud.

Yes.   I'm confused about this too.  What does it mean when a restaurant (or other venue, I presume) charges the full amount "as a hold"?  Don't they just total it up and swipe your card once and you're done?   

[Yvaine]

My son worked at a festival all weekend and when we picked him up last night, he was very hungry and suggested an Italian restaurant that was nearby. The food was good, service was good, beverages were good.

I gave my card to pay and when the server came back, she said the card only was authorized for a lesser amount than the full bill. I thought that was odd, since I knew the exact amount available and paid cash for the remainder.

This morning I found the restaurant charged me the full amount as a hold then the lesser amount as a charge in two separate transactions. I called the restaurant and the cashier verified that is what happened. The owner refused to release the hold or send any documentation for it.

We might return, but I will never hand over a card there again.

I would call the card company and report is as a mistake and possible fraud.

Yes.   I'm confused about this too.  What does it mean when a restaurant (or other venue, I presume) charges the full amount "as a hold"?  Don't they just total it up and swipe your card once and you're done?   

IME, usually they'll charge you the full bill (but not the tip) as a hold, bring you the receipt, and then you write in the tip. The hold will often sit there for a few days before the money actually comes out of your account, so that money is kind of in money limbo--it's not available to you, but it's not really "gone" either. Then, whenever the restaurant processes the bill, they'll charge you the amount+tip for real. Sometimes--I think especially when a place has a crotchety old credit card system--there'll be an overlap where the hold sits there for a while even after the money has also come out of your account for real, or there'll be a gap where the hold has vanished but the real charge hasn't happened yet. It's annoying. It's weird for them to charge a random small amount instead, at least for restaurants; I've seen that more often at gas stations. But maybe they just meant it didn't include the tip yet, which is usual.

[ladyknight1]

I spoke with the waitress at the time, the cashier when I called today and the owner when she called me back.

Although I have two separate transactions for two different amounts from the same merchant. One, for the full amount, is a hold. The other, lesser amount, is a closed charge. The owner insisted that it was impossible for the restaurant to have charged me and put the hold on the card.

If the hold doesn't go off my account Wednesday, I will call and dispute the charge.

[Piratelvr1121]

I nearly had a heart attack once when I pumped gas at my grocery store's station and saw my account balance was negative because they'd charged me $99 even though I'd only pumped about $10.  Turns out they do the hold thing, and by the time I got into the store to ask about it, the situation resolved itself and my account was no longer in the red. PHEW!

[PastryGoddess]

I nearly had a heart attack once when I pumped gas at my grocery store's station and saw my account balance was negative because they'd charged me $99 even though I'd only pumped about $10.  Turns out they do the hold thing, and by the time I got into the store to ask about it, the situation resolved itself and my account was no longer in the red. PHEW!

I hate gas stations that do this.  I have a mental list of stations that don't do these authorizations.  Unfortunately it seems that I have better luck with Exxon than with Shell.  That's a problem because I shop at Giant, more than at Safeway. 

[WolfWay]

I may just have finally given up on movies.

I don't go to a lot of movies mostly because I'm getting grumpy in my old age (of 30 ) and I have a low tolerance for the selfish idiots I always seem to end up sharing a movie theatre with. Movies are also expensive, so I have a discount movie club card that lets me buy tickets at a third of the price of normal tickets. If I didn't have the discount card, I'd probably have given up on movies. I don't mind waiting to watch movies on my big tv at home.

Sunday I went to go see Winter Soldier. I try to use my discount card only to be told it's been deactivated. I was never notified it was deactiavted (they have my cell number for special deal notifications, so I know they can contact me), and I was rather put out at having to pay triple what I should have paid. I contact the company that runs the discount cards only to be told they're going to charge me a replacement fee for a card that they deactivated for reasons they can't explain.

So you want me to pay for your mistake? I think not.

I was already on the fence about how annoying it can be to sit in a room full of noisy disruptive selfish people when I have bad luck to end up with them, but if the movie distributor club don't reactivate my card or replace it for free, I'm watching movies at home from now on. And they're not only going to lose out on my future spendings, but also my parents (who only ever go to the movies if it's with me).