Nov
08

Barnes and Noble Online vs In-Store Pricing Disappoints

Over the weekend I went shopping for a Star Wars Blue Ray boxed set of the whole epic film. Barnes and Noble has it online for $88.19 as of 11/7/2011 so I went over the Barnes and Noble to pick it up. When I got their I found the price to be $129.99. I took the item up to the cashier and requested the online price and I was told I couldn’t get it at that price because that was the online price. They have a customer ready and willing to purchase an item in store and they refuse to sell to me at their listed online price. I didn’t purchase the film from Barnes and Noble. I left the store and started shopping for the film from other venues and found it at a better price. I really do like the feeling of Barnes and Noble and the brick and mortar stores, but this pushes me into buying everything online. I would have bought it from Barnes and Noble and they would have made the sale, but they refused which caused me to go looking elsewhere. Please explain to me why they wouldn’t sell it to me at their listed online price? I asked several people what the difference is between online and in-store prices and none of the people I talked to could come up with a good reason. Is their anyone out there that can explain this to me as I don’t think it makes any sense?

Aug
19

Getting a Price from HP is almost impossible

netbook

I called HP yesterday to get a price on a Netbook with Windows XP Pro. I had to call because they don’t have Netbooks on their website with Windows XP Pro installed.

The conversation went like this,
HP: How can I help you?
Me: I would like to get a price on a netbook with Windows XP Pro.
HP: What is your first and last name.
Me: I gave them my name.
HP: What is your address?
Me: I gave them my address.
Me: Can I get a price on a netbook with Windows XP Pro?
HP: Is this for personal use or resale?
Me: It is for resale.
HP: I am sorry sir you will have to dial this number for our resales division.
Me: Can’t I just get a retail price for a netbook with Windows XP Pro?
HP: Sir, you will have to contact them for pricing.

So then I proceed to call the other number they provided and I basically go through the same thing again, only to find out that I would need to be signed up to be a reseller to get pricing. I couldn’t even get retail pricing. They gave me some sku numbers and I tried using them on the website to look up pricing, but the person on the phone said those skus would only work through the phone call to get pricing. I then proceeded to tell him that I had just been on the phone with 2 divisions and that I couldn’t even get a retail price for a Netbook with Windows XP Pro and that I would be going elsewhere to buy a Netbook and I would put Windows XP Pro on it myself. He apologized, paused and hung up.

I can’t believe that they won’t even give you a price without your life history. If it was on the website I wouldn’t have bothered with them. They could have saved a phone call. Has this ever happened to you?

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