False Advertising

On 20 October 2017, I accessed Pick n Pay’s online website in an attempt to find gifts for two colleagues. I came across an adverti*****t for a “Johnny Walker Double Black Tin 750ml Tin” which normally retails at Pick n Pay for R399.99. The adverti*****t showed it had been discounted by R119.99 to a current sale price of R280.00. I immediately placed two of these items in my electronic trolley and began the checkout process. All went well until the final stage where I would have to pay (by Credit Card I expect) where the price of the goods jumped back to R399.99, with no mention of the discount that was advertised. I have dated screenshots of both the item description page as well as the checkout page, which shows how the discounted priced had been arrived at and the sale selling price.

I called the Customer Service Line on 0860-30-30-30 and explained the situation to a consultant who first held me on the phone for several minutes and then began to ask a series of what she called “verification” questions such as my ID Number, Date of Birth, E-mail Address etc (but surprising not providing her name or a reference number), promising to return my call as soon as possible with a solution. This was simply a means to distract me while the discount was being removed electronically to display the standard retail price – little did the consultant know that I had already taken a screenshot of the adverti*****t. By the close of business on 20 October I received no call back from Pick n Pay and so sent them an e-mail with a draft complain to you, asking them to deal with the matter before the close of business on 23 October or I would be lodging a complaint.

On the 21 October I received a telephone call from Pick n Pay customer services, which promised to escalate the complaint to the relevant division and for the first time I was provided with a reference number: ********** 294. The consultant promised swift action certainly before the deadline of 23 October.

I again called customer care this morning 24 October who still haven’t be able to propose a resolution (apparently the relevant person is on leave???). I have no option but to refer this complaint now to yourselves.

The fact that Pick n Pay (one of the country’s largest retailers) has allowed this matter to sit for so long without a resolution suggests its management does not properly appreciate the nature of their action vis a vis the CPA. I believe that this entire matter constitutes a dishonest, *********ly (and probably ********) marketing tactic called “bait & switch”, where I was baited by the store’s advertising of the product at a low price, but when it came to final payment, found that the goods were not available at the advertised price and I was to be billed the standard retail.

Is Pick n Pay another "KPMG" so large in South Africa that it doesn't believe it has to follow the law?