AlexMeloche
Member
It needs to be a brick and mortar store here in Canada.
Wal-Mart scammed into price-matching the bogus 89.99$ PS4 listing on Amazon.
- Thread starter BY2K
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It needs to be a brick and mortar store here in Canada.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
These comments sound so bitter. Does us calling it like it is upset you that much? Does it really hurt your feelings? Either grow tougher skin and be fine with screwing someone over, or just don't do it, sheesh.
People act as if the ones saying it's "unethical" have never done anything unethical in their lives. We all have, and we all will. Doesn't change the fact that some things are morally ambiguous. Whether you follow through with the act is fine and dandy, but don't whine about people calling it out.
loaf of bread
Member
For doing what? Price matching? If you make the listing and then use it to get a price match thats fraud and a scam. If you're uninvolved and you see it on amazon, theres nothing wrong with taking it in to see if they'll price match. Its their policy and they can refuse if they feel like it. Nobodys getting fired from this because its just following their policy.
The fact that you KNOW it was a mistake and, therefore, the price not being true, and taking that to another establishment to match the price (because, lets face it, Sears would not have sold it to you at the price they listed) is ethically wrong.
YOU know the price is incorrect, regardless of how it got listed. If you tried to get it from Sears at that price, they said they could sell it to you and, instead, went somewhere else to match the price, that would be one thing.
I am pretty confidant that anyone taking advantage of the price glitch did no such thing.
UncleCross
Member
So, someone who is bad at their job might lose their job due to poor performance? Is that supposed to make us all feel bad? It would be no different at most other businesses. Mess up enough and you're gone. These people could have refused to match the price.
HF2014
Member
The theft would be the one making the fake add on amazon and then run to walmart to do a pricematch. Anyone else seeing the ads and trying taking advantage of it, well, they just saw a better price elsewhere and want a price match. Its part of their own policies.
But i am pretty sure now things will change.Not only for walmart but other retailers as well. The Wii U listing was an error ( or maybe made by a sears employee too? ), but now this is going to another level.
Watch this trying to happen with apple, xbox, or anything valuable. Hey, i might need a new laundry machine thinking about it. Paying 39$ for it would be great!
Seriously, corporate companies will change their policies following that. Something is coming.,. The Wii U was one thing, but the theft with the ps4, its something else.
But i am pretty sure now things will change.Not only for walmart but other retailers as well. The Wii U listing was an error ( or maybe made by a sears employee too? ), but now this is going to another level.
Watch this trying to happen with apple, xbox, or anything valuable. Hey, i might need a new laundry machine thinking about it. Paying 39$ for it would be great!
Seriously, corporate companies will change their policies following that. Something is coming.,. The Wii U was one thing, but the theft with the ps4, its something else.
Everything Wal-Mart does hurts its employees. If every person taking advantage of this scam bought a PS4 at full price instead, would that improve the lot of Wal-Mart employees? Nope.
I try not to shop at Wal-Mart because of its poor treatment of workers, but I guess I'm actually hurting workers instead. If I start to patronize Wal-Mart religiously, though, then I'll still perpetuate the practices I oppose.
I guess my point is that there's no way to win if you're an hourly employee at Wal-Mart (or most big-box stores, for that matter).
superchunk
Member
I don't care what walmart or their employees do. What I do care about is obvious thugs scamming the system that could cause a full removal of a very good customer focused benefit.
Facts
1) this was an organized scam - a criminal activity
2) they stole the ps4. There is no way around it. I can't drive away in a $20,000 car and say I didn't steal it because I left $100 on the table and the person gave me the keys.
These thieves walked in with an intent to perform a crime against Walmart and all of us may be impacted when we can no longer take advantage the price match guarantee.
What does that mean?
- You must drive across town to original store offering deal vs the store close toyou
- You buy a product from one store and another puts it on sale the next day, you can no longer go back and get a refund
Scamming and such is just bullshit. Those of you trying to polish this turd by stating its an evil corporation and that they deserve this fail to see that only the employees actually ever get impacted by the losses of the corp. Not the people making the rules by which the company runs.
A Link to the Past
Banned
I don't object to the Sears.com thing, but flat-out faking Amazon.com sites is shitty.
Walmart employs thousands of grandmas, among other human beings.
They're the ones that suffer the consequences of things like this, not the logo on the building.
7DollarHagane
Banned
Idiot employees going to lose their jobs for not looking for "ships and sold from amazon" like thry are trained to at every other retailer..
Or managers for not training staff.
Or managers for not training staff.
Solid SOAP
Member
Whilst driving, a person is jaywalking in front of your car. Jaywalking is illegal and you had the right of way, and knowing this, you continued to drive and killed him. Too bad for them, they shouldn't have been jaywalking. Mess up once and you're gone! Shouldn't have jaywalked!
HF2014
Member
Your totally right on this. This is what im scared now. A good policy for the customer might be gone soon, or changed.
7DollarHagane
Banned
This kind of price match should require a manager override and if it doesn't than walmart are idiots.
If the manager allowed it they take the heat.
A Link to the Past
Banned
Well, Wal Mart is making the choice to punish the Grandmas as opposed to taking a hit themselves.
If internal and advertised policies (and staff training) let it happen with enough frequency that it causes problems, then those problems are with the business operations, not the customer. If you're the person who planned out a bogus listing, then it's indefensible, but in the more general sense, this is a symptom of a faulty policy that it's unreasonable to expect buyers to account for rather than the business actually addressing it.
DoktorEvil
Banned
Of course, but if that listing is indeed fraudulent, those people who were bragging about abusing a great policy that Walmart exercises should get some kind of punishment.
Even in regular sale transactions, the difference between 350-400 dollars and 60 dollars for the same product is enough for someone from Walmart to determine as fraudulent, but they still are forced to adhere to price match.
I question the morals of people who are so quickly ready to defraud a company out of one sales transaction when those same people may never set foot into a Walmart again.
I also think it's really stupid to post on Twitter that you defrauded a company based on a bogus Amazon listing. Im sure the company can trace the purchase back to the person who bought the item, assuming they paid on a debit or credit card.
Jawbreaker
Member
Wait, people are defending this? Unless I'm reading incorrectly, it wasn't a pricing mistake on Amazon, rather faked screens, so it's not like what happened with Sears where there was a legitimate pricing error on the site. That's plain theft. Not only that, but this shit is going to ruin it for everyone else when it comes to actual mistakes like what happened with Sears in the future. Granted, it doesn't seem like the employees were actually checking the price on Amazon to confirm it, which is a problem on their end.
It's basically fake predatory pricing, which even without the fake part is definitely illegal to begin with in most countries.
It's Walmart.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
Lol... and it's still the scammer's fault for creating the situation. Just because Wal Mart policy and management is shit, doesn't absolve the person for attempting the scam. Both parties are shitty.
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
That would be a reasonable take if this were indeed just a crazy good deal.
baphomet
Member
Yea, instead of fixing their policy, Walmart should do something highly illegal.
Chû Totoro
Member
I don't feel bad for Wal-Mart but I was already feeling bad for their employees. (Wal-Mart is shit). Now I just think that anyone working here in a "small" (sorry if the word offends some people) job are going to suffer even more because people can't accept to pay a price for things.
There is a lot of things I can't buy. I just don't buy them. I'm clearly not going to do tricks like this which are going to hurt honest workers at the end. It's like wanting everything for cheaper and cheaper always and always... things we love (consoles) are already made in China by people having very low salaries, you really want to go deeper?
It's not like I'm saving the world but at least I'm not accelerating things and with the behavior a lot of people have the inequalities are just going to widen more and more.
note : not a drama here regarding Wal-Mart but the behavior I'm describing is a major capitalism problem imo. People wanting to succeed and having money is something, people wanting to spend less for more every day is bad. Things have a cost, quality have a cost, people who work on the other side of the planet should have a decent salary hence a bigger cost of production.
There is a lot of things I can't buy. I just don't buy them. I'm clearly not going to do tricks like this which are going to hurt honest workers at the end. It's like wanting everything for cheaper and cheaper always and always... things we love (consoles) are already made in China by people having very low salaries, you really want to go deeper?
It's not like I'm saving the world but at least I'm not accelerating things and with the behavior a lot of people have the inequalities are just going to widen more and more.
note : not a drama here regarding Wal-Mart but the behavior I'm describing is a major capitalism problem imo. People wanting to succeed and having money is something, people wanting to spend less for more every day is bad. Things have a cost, quality have a cost, people who work on the other side of the planet should have a decent salary hence a bigger cost of production.
It's not about Walmart. It's about personal ethics. Want to hurt Walmart? Don't shop there.
DrROBschiz
Member
I thought Retail ONLY pricematched with other RETAIL stores
How the hell did anyone get an AMAZON price match?
How the hell did anyone get an AMAZON price match?
In the case of the Sears pricing error, it absolutely is. That's on them, not the consumers.
It's the fake Amazon listings that are totally sketchy and gross.
ScriptedReality
Member
Thugs you say?
DrROBschiz
Member
starwarsfan541
Banned
Pretty much this
To the people saying its theft, its something but not really. They solid willingly, there was no coercion etc
Predatory pricing definitely
Zen_Arcade
Banned
I already don't. That doesn't mean I don't also enjoy seeing them get screwed over from their own stupid mistakes and policies. The fake Amazon thing is fucked up though. There is a difference between taking advantage of the rules given to you and breaking the rules so you get a deal.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
The original listing was posted by "Amozon"
Seems like a pretty deliberate attempt to dupe the less sharp/vigilant employee.
DoktorEvil
Banned
Care to quote a source on this illegality?
I'm only outlining what someone from Walmart's legal team would attempt to do. Frankly, I do not think it is illegal, rather unethical, but hey so is defrauding a company out of a good.
How should a low to mid level employee fix a policy he/she had no control in creating?
A Link to the Past
Banned
The party that passes the buck to employees instead of themselves is more responsible.
The funny thing is the policy was just implemented last week so it totally backfired on them
http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2014/11/14/walmart-price-match-amazon/
God help these guys ( the ones who scammed) if you are the prosecutor. That is a reasonably sound legal argument.
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
Crips love them some PS4
Same colors and everything....
Just waiting for the food stamp and fried chicken references.
UncleCross
Member
You realize that analogy doesn't work at all, right? Should I explain to you why or would you rather figure it out on your own?
Square Triangle
Member
They need to educate their employees. Best Buy trains their employees on the difference of Amazon and third party. Hell, they make you out like a theif while they adjust the price.
Journey
Banned
Stealing is stealing, no matter who you're stealing from.
If you get robbed by a very poor or homeless person, don't even try going to the police or even complaining, because you're rich to his perspective, is that correct?
Oh, you can enjoy the spectacle all you like, no issues there. Just responding to those that try to paint the activity as ethical. Again, price matching against a glitch is legally in the grey, trying to do so against a scam listing is definitely illegal.
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
I was referring just to the phony Amazon listing scam.
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