So if 2 days ago something is £168.90 – 10%

How come today after receiving a -20% code the same item actually costs £2 more????

The answer……

Inflate price buy 10% then make yourself look really generous offering the extra discount.

MERLIN = busted!!!! ( item in question reverb)

(Ps I know this is a common sales technique but very poor all the same )

The email advert is a little unclear – “we will double our discount” – so presumably an item they list at eg 35% off RRP would be reduced to 70% off RRP; this does not seem to be the case, rather that they will double the “online discount” additional saving, which isn’t really the same thing.

Maybe it’s early and the site not yet updated, maybe I’m missing something obvious?

The double discount applies to their extra added discount, ie, 10%/5% depending on the item…

I was straight on there for a reverb as well, hoping to grab one for £135 ish… But alas, no, they put the price up before the double discount period.

Gutted.

Is that legal?

Is that legal?

I think so, A lot of places like Evans Halshaw use price checking software, thats scans the interwebs to keep their products at the best price.

Merlin could have been matching another site, once the other site puts their price up merlin follows.

50/50 that it was a coincidence you where looking at that particular product and that it was just before a discount period.

What is regulated is the original price before discount. Seeing as its a discount on a discounted price (if that makes sense) I think it is above board, even though it is sharp practise!!

I always take offers with a pinch of salt – look at the price, not the offer, and see if it is worth it.

Generally, Merlin offers have been pretty good.

MERLIN in poor arithmetic shocker

Their arithmetic is perfect.

You just don’t like the answer it gives 😉

Would give Merlin the benefit of the doubt here. Order a lot of stuff from them and they’ve always been spot on with prices and service. Though I did find the discount on the discount thing slightly puzzling.

Primers have just done the same thing.

They’re still my 1st port of call for anything bike related… Prices always competitive…

Just a little annoying the whole “Put the price up before having an extra discount” thing…

Personally I’ve hit a point with online cycle retailers where I ignore the ‘money off’ malarkey and just compare like product for like product around assorted sites and go for wherever’s cheapest at the time.

Ultimately the ‘money off’ stuff is all a gimmick to get you onto the site, so there’s always a catch somewhere.

Merlin are awesome but they arnt a charity, they offered an awesome rockbottom price and i don’t blame them for re-jigging.
Cut them some slack.

Last week when the £165 Reverbs with the 100mm drop were advertised the 10% discount took them down to £150 ish. They sold out of thos sizes at the weekend. But as I type this and check their website the sold out item I bought has increased to £186 so the OP is correct!

However, this is not accross the board. The RS Sektor Coil’s have been £199 and I’ve double checked by popping them in my basket and whacked in the DD20 code and they dropped to £159.99 which is cheap as chips. And I tried it on some Revelation RLTs and they dropped from £339 to £271.

Now that is a fab price for Revs!!!! Sadly my recent stream of “bike shit” parcels has been noticed, otherwise I would be tempted!!

That puts RLT’s at the same price I paid for RL’s 3 months ago!

I thought legally you had to put the last price it was before the current discount, whether or not it was a discounted price previous.

Aside from the Reverbs (and why should they sell at a loss/no/not enough profit?), the vast majority of stuff on the site hasn’t gone up pre-discount.

Just got the credit card out for the MT91s I want/need because at £103.96 they are super cheap!

Still find it odd that it is cheaper to buy a reverb from europe even with the p+p

Bargain MW81s just bought for £99.97 +cashback. bargaintastic, been eyeing those up for ages!

Whilst frustrating, I don’t think there is anything strange about this. Just look at the actual selling price and decide whether its still a good buy for you, relative to elsewhere. They can sell stuff for whatever price they like, as long as it isn’t a false discount.

Perhaps the sold out reverb cost them more to restock than previously so the end price had to go up.

Last week when the £165 Reverbs with the 100mm drop were advertised the 10% discount took them down to £150 ish

bought one (a still-in-stock size) last night for that price (plus topcashback). Whether the new stock is costing them more, or they’ve figured out they can sell em for a bit more Merlin are no worse than CRC, On One, or the likes of DFS when it comes to sale prices. Dont like them or the price, buy elsewhere.

they do this all the time, so does every big retailer!

I am soooo tempted with the RLT Revs!

OOh the Hope Vision R4 works out as only £136. I am so tempted!!

I went on Merlin this morning to order the £150 reverbs i noticed they had put the price up (before they announced the double discount)and was really fed up so ended up going to wiggle and paying £170 for the 125mm version, its a shame they lost a sale as i always used Merlin

Is that legal?

Yes as long as they sold them at RRP (or whatever they term the ‘original’ price) at some point.

The could offer them at 70% off for ages. Then have a 50% sale where the item’s actualy 66% more than it was before.

A few years ago Wiggle announced 20% of all waterproofs and at the same time they moved the event Gill Pro Speed in to the windproof category. They assured me that one decision was made by the technical department and one made by the marketing department. I think they were lying.