I can't seriously believe some people are trying to defend bookies on the subject of coupon price changes.

Yes, ideally every single person who walks in should check themselves.

However, in the real world - I notice a comment about it being impractical for a hard worked cashier to inform someone of every single price change when they have 5 people queuing to put a dog bet on for which the race goes off in 20 seconds. But that works two ways. What if I have a 10 match acca when the same situation arises, do I still have to ask the cashier to check every single price to see if any have changed, (thus ensuring that the person who wants his 50p reverse forecast on the 2.48 at Crayford can't place his bet) or am I entitled to assume they are correct unless I am told otherwise?

The facts are perfectly clear. The onus is on the business to ensure the correct prices are displayed or conveyed to the customer. Simple as that. Whether there is a big sign up, the cashier informs the customer, the manager does so, whatever.

You don't walk into Tesco and ask if the price of beans is 25p. You assume it is, and purchase accordingly. (Do you always check your receipt for every one of say, 30 items and make sure every single one is the same price to the penny as displayed on the shelf - fair play if you do, I, along with I suspect 99.99% of the population, don't!). You don't walk into Dixons, see a TV for £400, and ask if that is correct. You assume it is, and purchase accordingly.

Get the idea? Oh, and rest assured that price changes occur in supermarkets far more often than in bookmakers, they seem to find a system of ensuring the prices are up to date and correctly displayed at all times, yet we should accept that bookmakers cannot? Rubbish.

The level of ignorance of basic laws on this thread quite frankly astounds me, and undoubtedly explains why people get such poor service!

A helpfull piece of advice. Google "The Sale of Goods Act 1979", and you will find why it is illegal to display incorrect prices. And just putting "prices are subject to fluctuation" does NOT exempt you from this. Nor is there a special exemption if a business happens to be a bookmaker, rather than a supermarket - this may come as news to some of you!

Asking if a price has changed invariably results in one of the following replies anyway:

1. "The prices don't change, mate"
2. "No" (they can't be arsed checking)
3. "No" (they don't know where to find price changes on the screen)

or a rare but most enjoyable

4. "ffs" (before phoning to refer it and calling the lad on the other end of the phone a "mong")

Just to make clear a few points on this limping dog of a thread:

1) I hope we can all agree it is unrealistic to expect any bookmaker to stand by the prices printed on a coupon when the circumstances surrounding a match can change.  Can you imagine a coupon being printed for a horse race running on Saturday a week before the race and expect to get the same odds at the weekend?

2) Some firms (Hills for one) do offer 'quick slips' featuring selected matches without any odds displayed.  In my experience, these have so far proved unpopular.

3) It is no hardship for the cashier to point out to a customer when a price has changed as I'm pretty sure all firms now use EPOS tills and it will be alerted as the coupon is processed through the till.  They do not have to look at each individual selection and check the prices on the screen.

4) I'm not sure of the ins and outs of the laws on whether bookmakers have to honour prices advertised on a coupon but, irrespective of this, it is simply bad service for cashiers not to inform customers of relevant price changes when the information is right in front of them.

5) The number of price changes on matches during the regular season is being exaggerated anyway and are the exception rather than the rule.

Thank you and good night!

turtleshead, schluck and wizards sleeve - excellent posts that as the last named called it should put to bed this 'limping dog of a thread' but probably won't.

QED

Soccergeez. 


When they don't honour them. 

Put a bet on @ Hills today, coupon price 9/5, was in a mad rush and didnt check the price on the receipt I was given.  Just looked now and I'm on at 6/4, they didnt even have the courtesy to tell me they were laying me a different price.  Pathetic

What hasn't happened in this thread is to solve the opening posters problem. Was the counter assistant supposed to run out the shop after him and tell him his pick was 6/4 and not 9/5  ?

Ken, it is from the Latin Quod Erat Demonstrandum, which basically means which was demonstrated. So when I replied after mrintellectuallysuperiortheresbeenagoal had stated that the thread should end in his role as forum administrator he was basically trying to show that this was limping further forwards again after he had called a halt to proceedings.

"Was the counter assistant supposed to run out the shop after him and tell him his pick was 6/4 and not 9/5?"

No, they were supposed to inform them before money changed hands and if he still wanted to place the bet at the revised price.

Not rocket science, is it?

Dave Edwards / clacherholiday2 - of course the Act applies - you can argue whether you are purchasing a service (the ability to place a wager at certain odds) or goods (the piece of paper which you get as a receipt once it has passed through the till) - either way it does count, rest assured!

This is the relevant part:

Your Rights

If you have bought goods you have a right to expect that they should be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality:

‘As described’ means that it should correspond to any description given about the goods such as the quantity, colour, measurements etc.  These descriptions may be verbal statements about the goods, statements in the brochure, on a shelf edge or even on the box.

I can guarantee you 100% that this covers bookmakers displayed prices just as much as Tesco's baked beans.

mrintellectuallysuperiortheresbeenagoal

thanks Dave, appreciated.

last observation from me, if the shops are understaffed why do they have someone standing next to the FOBT's with a clipboard on a satuday afternoon trying to get 70 year olds hooked on the machines?

Kenilworth, your comeback is that they have a legal requirement to tell you, same as in any other business.

I don't have a specific legal qualification, Dave Edwards, but I have a reasonable knowledge of laws / acts / statutes relating to consumer protection, The Sale of Goods Act being one.

The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations is another - I'll give you an example of how I used it:

Some time ago, I had a contract phone which I generally used mainly for phoning a specific racing service (I won't mention which one). Now as you may or may not know, you have to ring what they call a "non geographic number" ie 0870, 0844, etc.

One day, I got a text informing me that with effect from a month's time, they would increase charges to those numbers from 10p per minute to 20p per minute. Naturally, I complained. I was told that it was in the contract and they could do this. Fine, I said, I'll cancel the contract (It was an old phone and I was going to change it sooner or later anyway). I was told that to do this I would have to pay for the remainder of the line rental for the year, which was just over 3 months worth, and that until they had this payment, they would not process my cancellation.

After arguing and being told this by 3/4 different people (including supervisors / managers), I gave up and simply sent them an email telling them I was cancelling it by giving them the same months notice which they had used to inform me of the change. I said that I wasn't going to pay them a penny for the unused line rental, as I believed that any clause which allowed them to increase their charges by such a huge amount would be deemed "unfair" under the aforementioned Act, and that if they disagreed, they could take me to court, we could each argue our case, and may the best person win.

Have a guess what happened?

A few days later I got a reply confirming the cancellation of my contract without paying the remainder of the rental.

Funny that, eh?

It pays to know your rights, otherwise companies walk all over you.

Having a few bits of legal background [;)] I would say this is an especially "grey" area after the 2005 act.

The fact it is a contract should apply, unless it is a complete error. I think the "objective rule" sorts this out.

If I see a bet that is 1/5 rather than 5/1 then I should realise that is incorrect.

If I see one that is 9/5 then "chopped" into 6/4, that is not a mistake.

They are taking the urine out of us, and need sorting. We need one person to land a huge 8-fold acca or something similar to get subject to this disgraceful treatment, and then we might get a finding in law.

Personally, I think it is borderline deception, unless it is immediately pointed out.

It's a little like going into to Tesco, getting a 2 for 1 deal, and then being charged for both of them, and not realising until you get to your car. I can guarantee you that they will give you money back for one item when you go back with the receipt.

The comment of "Invetation to treat" or invitatio ad offerendum is indeed correct, but once a contract is struck then you are in a contract, of which terms can only be altered by BOTH parties.

For reference see J Spurling Ltd v Bradshaw

Never thought I would see the day when Tesco prices were compared to Hill's prices !

If you start Puting Brand Names Like That On The Table Your In Trouble

Two questions I used to ask when getting phone calls about disputes

"What time was the bet taken?" and "Is there a price on the slip?"

The EPoS systems now print the correct price after a price change as the OP found out.

Coupons are such an outdated way for shopsto advertise now but punters like them. Most shops take as little as 20% of coupons issued with many people just picking one up for reference

How about this solution which was suggested a few years ago?

SINGLES & DOUBLES

No Guarantee for coupon prices, you get the current price

TREBLES & UPWARDS

Guarantee coupon prices upto £250. This would prevent upsetting regular punters when Celtic have changed from 8/13 to 4/7


Remember, these prices are 111% and should rarely go too far under the BF price

Just to bring this post back up I have had a definitive answer from the bookie in question.

Should the price of a selection change from that printed on the coupon, the cashier will be able to see on their terminal that the price has moved and must inform the customer before the bet is processed.

Bit unlucky for the shop and cashier in question that the only reason I was there in the first place was to carry out a mystery shop on them

Just been to Lads to back Hadjuk Split @ 4/5.

By the coupons, there was notice of one price change, namely Zenit, who played yesterday.

On the staff messages screen there was notice of limits on Torquay on Saturday, and no other information.

When I looked at my slip, Hadjuk were 8/13.  I got my money back.