Bunnings Price "Guarantee"?

[beeroll]

I am in the market for a new RO sander. I decided on the Makita BO5021 model, and noticed during my research that Bunnings had it for $188, while Sydney Tools had it on their website for $180.

So I printed out the page and went down to Bunnings Rockdale. Had a nice chat with a couple of friendly blokes in the tool section, one of whom described the store as "Australia's biggest $2 shop" . But they had no stock, so I went up to Mascot, who did have stock.

The manager in the tool section rejected the price guarantee out of hand, saying it was "from the internet". Um, Sydney Tools has storefronts all over Sydney, including one about a kilometre from my house. It's not some grey importing fly-by-night shop. I mentioned this.

His next tack was "That's just their internet price, they charge delivery, and you won't get the same price instore". He might have a point there - you can often bargain them below that price... But in this case, I'd been in the store and been offered the same price as the web site.

So his final gambit was "They don't have any stock - they just advertise the products on the internet, and ship them from somewhere else". He followed up by saying that he "knew Sydney Tools better that _you_ ever would".

This last was particularly laughable, as when I'd been in the store, I'd not only seen stock, but been able to plug the sander in, and test it for noise and vibration (on which points ) - this is more than you'd ever be able to do at Bunnings. Plus which, some of the staff at Sydney Tools appear to have actually used tools during their lifetimes, which is more than can be said for most of the dumplings at Bunnings .

I told him that he and his organisation had a) lost a sale and b) were in my estimation, liars and frauds for advertising a price guarantee they have no intention of honouring. I did so loudly, and in front of his staff and customers. (Did I mention this situation didn't make me very happy?)

Then I walked out, and went and bought the sander from Sydney Tools, which is what I should have done in the first place. They even chucked in some extra paper.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? Does anyone else find it particularly despicable that Bunnings have aggressively used this price guarantee to kill off knowledgeable family/neighbourhood hardware stores, but refuse to honour it in circumstances like this?

I am thinking of writing something up for either or both of Fair Trading and Bunnings management. Actually, I am thinking of submitting an invoice to Bunnings for wasting my time.

[Gaza]

bunnings tools are a differnt range most of the time so that they can not be priced matched,

they are just good for stuff you need in a hurry,

sydney tools / FNK / idea tools are x1000 better any day.

[Fuzzie]

These days I always check Supercheap first. They don't have premium tools, but for consumables they are just about always cheaper than Bunnies.

For instance I just bought some wet and dry. Last week it was on sale at SC for 6 sheets for $5, the shelf price per sheet is $1.19 for 3M. The Bunnings shelf price for Prager is $1.80. I think I have mentioned my impression of Prager abrasives elsewhere.

I'm hoping the Woolies/Lowes adventure goes somewhere good.

[beeroll]

bunnings tools are a differnt range most of the time so that they can not be priced matched,

True - hence the exclusivity agreements they have with Ryobi/Ozito etc. But the guy even acknowledged that this was the same model.

sydney tools / FNK / idea tools are x1000 better any day.

(but who is FNK?)

[Fuzzie]

Oh, I just thought of something else. BB don't price match against themselves.

I can't quite remember the actual prices, but these are the right orders of magnitude. A couple of weeks ago I bought some M10 threaded reo, nuts and washers. When they were ringing up the sale the girl at the trade desk had the nuts at like $0.70 whereas I was sure I had read $0.15 on the bin. It turns out if you buy M10 nuts from the nuts and bolts aisle you get charged one price, but if you pick them up from the building products aisle they are 1/4 the price. When I challenged they had to send somebody to write up the bar code from the bin.

[Gaza]

Oh, I just thought of something else. BB don't price match against themselves.

I can't quite remember the actual prices, but these are the right orders of magnitude. A couple of weeks ago I bought some M10 threaded reo, nuts and washers. When they were ringing up the sale the girl at the trade desk had the nuts at like $0.70 whereas I was sure I had read $0.15 on the bin. It turns out if you buy M10 nuts from the nuts and bolts aisle you get charged one price, but if you pick them up from the building products aisle they are 1/4 the price. When I challenged they had to send somebody to write up the bar code from the bin.

how the ??? does that work, must be differnt supplier.

a few years back we used go through 40 or boxes of paslode gas gun nails a month at work, one day i got a price match and BB beat it by 10% sweat, next month went to differnt BB with my recipt and they then price matched it again BUT they told me dont come back, they were selling these nails about $10 or below cost.

[groeneaj]

I had the same problem when buying my makita SCMS a while back. They didn't want to price match Sydney tools. Once I asked to speak to the manager they offered a discount but it still wasn't 10% as they advertise. I eventually got it at the price it should be.

[markharrison]

I've had to remind them of the Trade Practices Act a few times myself. Particularly in regards to items that turned out to be CRAP! Bunnings thought this was a warranty question until I reminded them of their obligation to sell a product of merchantable quality. I started quoting section and paragraph numbers of the TPA. They don't know you're not a lawyer

They think that you will just wear it.

[Malcolm Eaton]

I've had to remind them of the Trade Practices Act a few times myself. Particularly in regards to items that turned out to be CRAP! Bunnings thought this was a warranty question until I reminded them of their obligation to sell a product of merchantable quality. I started quoting section and paragraph numbers of the TPA. They don't know you're not a lawyer

They think that you will just wear it.

I have had a few run ins with Bunnings particular on being out of stock for days and weeks on every day lines, when you complain and demand to speak to the manager and the manager turns up in most cases you find you are talking to a person who is in most cases a girl in a age bracket of 17 to 19 years with no practical knowledge of hardware and stocks they are suppose to carry. The problem is Bunnings are not the company that maintains the stock it is the actual supplier who is maintaining the bin levels etc.
I do not think WW will be any different, Oh to go back to the old days when a hardware shops new hardware.
In fact if I want to buy nails in bulk I actually go to a small Hardware shop near and will ask for a hand full o the nails sizes I require, the chap serving will go and weigh out a quantity of nails, wrap them up in news paper and the cost is about half what Bunnings charge and no useless plastic containers to try to open.
Regards
Mac

[Vernonv]

Does anyone else find it particularly despicable that Bunnings have aggressively used this price guarantee to kill off knowledgeable family/neighbourhood hardware stores, but refuse to honour it in circumstances like this?

Yes it is despicable, however would you still be describing the practise as despicable if you had received the price match?

This wreaks of double standard.

[silentC]

It sounds to me as if you went to Sydney Tools, where they spent a bit of time with you and let you try the tool out, and then you went to Bunnings to see if you could get it cheaper. I think as Vernon suggests, we wouldn't be hearing about it if Bunnings had given you the discount. It might seem a despicable practice to some, but it wouldn't work for them if shoppers weren't keen to take them up on it. I wonder how Sydney Tools would feel about being an unsubsidised demonstrator for Bunnings?

And we are talking about the princely sum of $8 too I might add...

[Poppa]

Yep, I refuse to buy tools at Bunnies in general. I like going in to have a look around, but I usually buy elsewhere, even if Bunnies is a bit cheaper, because I don't agree with their way of doing business. There is a Home store near us that is locally owned - I shop there, and I also buy from Just Tools, Lee Valley, Northwood and other sites.

[beeroll]

It sounds to me as if you went to Sydney Tools, where they spent a bit of time with you and let you try the tool out, and then you went to Bunnings to see if you could get it cheaper. I think as Vernon suggests, we wouldn't be hearing about it if Bunnings had given you the discount. It might seem a despicable practice to some, but it wouldn't work for them if shoppers weren't keen to take them up on it. I wonder how Sydney Tools would feel about being an unsubsidised demonstrator for Bunnings?

And we are talking about the princely sum of $8 too I might add...

Hi Silent (and Vernon).

That's a fair call - however, I should say that my original intention had been to just buy the tool at Bunnings - I went to Bunnings first, and looked at the sanders there, and was deciding between three that they had (as discussed in this thread https://www.woodworkforums.com/f13/ra...-200-a-127533/ ). But I talked to the staff, and was unable to get a demo, because they would have to "move stuff".

I only then went to Sydney Tools to see what they had as well, plus looked at a couple of other online options (in Oz). So I did actually check a bunch of purchasing options, it wasn't just a case of getting Sydney Tools to do the work and then heading off to Bunnings to save cash.

In addition, I first made the decision to actually buy the sander on Sunday - when Sydney Tools isn't open. (I was knocked back at Bunnings on that occasion because there wasn't a manager in the store, although the staff member said the Sydney Tools price would be honoured...)

But I take your main point, which is that it is better to support stores where the products are quality, the staff are willing and able to help you make informed choices, and accept that you'll sometimes pay a little more than you would by going to the giant $2 shop.

In fact, I think we're saying much the same thing, it's just that you guys had already learned the lesson, and I hadn't

Cheers.

PS the "guarantee" is actually that Bunnings will beat the lowest price by 10%, which means the sander would have been $162, a saving of $26. Still doesn't sound that much, but it's nearly 15%. Work that percentage saving out over your entire kit of power tools and you start to see the attraction.

[silentC]

Right, yes I'd forgotten about the 10%, we don't have a Bunnings anywhere near here so I don't get the option anyway

I suppose the point is that we either quietly take advantage of the Bunnings guarantee or we forego it and support the little guys. We can't really blame Bunnings for what is probably working out to be a very successful policy for them. They're just doing business and catering to the penny pincher in all of us. It's a shame that the little hardware shops have all but disappeared, but that's just a fact of life now. We had one too but it was snapped up by Mitre 10, so it's not just Bunnings who are responsible for it.

I wish I had a Bunnings to be annoyed at

[damian]

I went to bunnings here in brisbane with a printout of sydney tools webpage for the triton 3 hp router some years back and got the 10% off despite it being interstate etc. Maybe they had too many people doing it and canned it.

My experience of service in bunnings is varied. Some staff try really hard, some actually know something, some are clueless. I go in with low expectations and usually only when I want something NOW and no one else is likely to have it in stock or be open when I want to shop (remember this is queensland: We never open and even if we are we aren't going to give a ^&*$)

Lower prices are not the beginning.

They aren't cheap. There are plenty of other places with as low or lower sticker prices. They are convenient. They are what they are, if you don't like it don't shop there. I often don't.

Kinda like Mc Donalds really....