They state the coupon gives 50% off, when it really is 20%. Contacted customer service two times. First time they told me they would fix the problem before the sale ends. Second time I got only vague answers, where they tried to deflect all of my questions. Nothing happens with the false advertisement.
In addition, the pricing on a lot of flashlights they have on “sale” have been doubled before put on “50% sale”.
Over here we are well aware of the false advertisements of some chinese sellers like Banggood and Gearbest, although your examples are quite extreme. We could boycot the sellers that lie to customers but some have good enough deals to live with the cr*p they tell us.
In my case I have quite a good sense of what a flashlight should cost so that is my baseline, not what they advertise as their original price.
I am quite aware, but I thought (hoped) they would be a bit more serious than these other china-shops. That’s why I even bothered contacting them. I’ll avoid banggood too, there are other sites I would rather leave my money from now on (unless they forget to double the price before putting them on sale :money_mouth_face: ).
Often, they will jack up the retail price then show a discount. Which really isn’t a discount at all, and in many cases more than what they used to sell for normally.
If you think jacking up the price before a sale is bad, don’t go to an American mall, particularly don’t go into JCPenney.
Most stores do this because it works. Iirc, JCPenney once tried to ditch that system a few years ago and it decimated their sales. Look up “Fair and Square” pricing.
Try that in Norway, and you get the consumer agency really interested. Those who try often gets heavily fined for it too. Anyways, always check several stores before buying seems to be the hot tip here
On related note, I have problems with Banggood as well. I bought flashlight with insurance just in case something goes wrong. It will as lens was cracked and shipping box, had broken lock in tabs.
Banggood REFUSED to replace or acknowledge I bought it from them. I paid via Paypal. If Paypal does not take care of it. I will contact my credit card company.