Perpetual sale?

[jakobkh]

We have in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I live quite a few carpet seller's shops. They usually sell carpets from the Middle East and similar places, some original, a lot copies, but good ones if you like these kinds of carpets.

What is remarkable about the shops is that they seem to have a perpetual closing sale. Some shops have had "closing soon - going out of business - buy now!" signs in their windows for literally years!

I am wondering whether Auran can be compared to one of those shops?

In the Newsletter of Februaty 25th I was told to BUY NOW! This sale ends NEXT WEEK and will NEVER be repeated! (see http://www.auran.com/newsletter/trainz/2011/Feb_25.html )

I had long been thinking about buying Trainz, so I thought "Why not save 10 AUD? I mean, they will never repeat the offer, so I will forever have to pay 49,99 - or at least not 39,99 - if I don't buy now".

So I bought Trainz, and have not regretted it. I do however feel like I have been treated like a fool by Auran. You see, today, March 12th - only TWO WEEKS later - the offer was... you've guessed it... REPEATED! (see http://www.auran.com/newsletter/trainz/2011/Mar_12.html#NewYearSale )

This is not a "I was ripped off" rant, because I am satisfied with my buy. It is more a comment on very questionable sale tactics from Auran. I guess technically the sale was PROLONGED, since it is still a "new year's sale" (now running into March), but as a company, you should NOT announce that a sale will end next week, only to change your mind almost the second you have made the announcement.

So... is Auran a Copenhagen carpet seller, or is it a company whose announcements can be trusted?

 

[pware]

Its called marketing ....

 

[jakobkh]

Yes, marketing is trying to sell your products among other things. I don't disagree at all.

What I am questioning here are the ethics involved. Do Auran really want to sell to their potential customers by LYING to them?

 

[Richarde57]

Marketing... actually it's SMART marketing.

The whole year an item in a shop costs € 30,00

Once a year they hang up a sign:

DISCOUNT!
From € 39,00 for € 30,00
BUY NOW!

And what do you think will happen...
YES!
More people will buy the product...

 

[jakobkh]

Well, THAT kind of marketing is just illegal

At least it is in Denmark, where I'm from. Since the business is lying about previous prices implying there is a sale, when actually the prices haven't changed, they are breaking the (Danish) law. Businesses that folow this marketing strategy are heavily fined, so luckily it doesn't happen that often, although around Christmas it usually happen once or twice.

I hope that the rest of the world is not that morally corrupt as to not having implemented laws against this kind of behaviour

 

[clam1952]

Well in this case they were previously charging a higher price which I paid and am not moaning about it, nothing illegal about that.
The offer was extended, nothing illegal about that either.
Why not just accept the fact that N3V are not lying but attempting to maximise sales in a time of world wide economic depression and find something constructive to do.

 

[zatovisualworks]

is Auran a Copenhagen carpet seller

A Magical Carpet seller tinted with flea-marketing shades! :hehe:

The question is: Has anybody really believed in the sales deadline dates? The part of my old-timer trainzer's healthy neurons (fewer than I guessed I had :hehe said chorally: Noooooooooooo!

But it's not Auran's heritage, it's N3VRFall who is a better seller than it was Good Old Auran. Let's face it, Auran is just a trademark, Auran is dead for the good and the bad. I regret and miss it a lot!

But I understand and respect (no use the opposite) this since it is how the Internet international Who-cares-for-it marketing practices are being done now, despite in some countries (i.e. the EU ones) they are not allowed to locals. Nothing new in the sun.

The choral side of Alberte :wave:

 

[Euphod]

I hope that the rest of the world is not that morally corrupt as to not having implemented laws against this kind of behaviour

Well, I'd LIKE to say that the Chicago, Illinois, USA area is not morally corrupt, but some folks may be eating as they read this, and I wouldn't want to make them laugh...or choke...or shoot milk out of their noses!
Truth is some years back there was a group of carpeting stores that advertised "Going out of business sales" every week for quite some time. As I recall they were prosecuted and fined, but probably only because they hadn't paid off the right official!

 

[mezzoprezzo]

Well, I'd LIKE ~snip~
Truth is some years back there was a group of carpeting stores that advertised "Going out of business sales" every week for quite some time. As I recall they were prosecuted and fined ~snip~

I guess they weren’t being totally dishonest then.

Had they got away with it, nothing lost.

Getting caught meant that they were proved right!

Had they got a good lawyer, I wonder if they might have got away with it?

Cheers
Casper