John Lewis blasted for withholding stock during Black Friday sale – then selling it at full price the next day
Chain reduced price to match rival's — but then claimed the product had sold out
JOHN Lewis has been told to treat customers fairly after breaking its “never knowingly undersold” price promise during Black Friday.
The chain claimed it had sold out of £249 Apple Watches — reduced by £20 to match a rival’s price - but the gadget was available on its website again the next day at its full £269 price.
Watchdog has found John Lewis conducted an Apple Watch promotion 'unfairly'The Advertising Standards Agency investigated after a customer complained of not being able to get the deal during the three-day sale last November.
The ASA said that by making the product unavailable online while the rival’s promotion was still running, John Lewis had “denied consumers the opportunity to purchase at the price match price”.
It added: “We considered John Lewis had not conducted the promotion fairly, resulting in unnecessary disappointment.
“We told John Lewis Partnership plc to ensure they dealt fairly with consumers in future.”
The company said it withdrew the watches as it was unsure it had stock to meet demand. It later admitted it acted too hastily.
A spokesman said: “We’re disappointed by the ASA’s decision. We believe this is due to a misunderstanding of the difference between a one-day unplanned price match applied because of our Never Knowingly Undersold policy and planned John Lewis four-day Black Friday promotions.
“We are reviewing how we communicate multiple messages about prices and promotions to avoid any possible confusion happening again.”