Do Argos sell seconds?

[Modette]

A couple of years ago I bought a dining suite from Argos, it was an oak effect extending table and 8 faux leather chairs. It was supposedly half price at £399 - but there is no way that this thing was ever £800. I know you can't expect top quality for £399 but the listed original price lead me to believe that this would be of reasonable quality but it was terrible. I sent the first table back as the edge trim was coming away from the table top. The second one came and there were scratches through the top of it, by the time the third one came which was still not perfect by any means I gave up and kept it. The chairs were ok for a while but after a few months the thin black coating started peeling off. I ended up selling the whole lot for £50 just to get rid of it and I now have solid oak.

A few months later I bought a floor lamp, when it came out the box it had big marks on the base that had started to go rusty. Another time I bought a canvas picture and when water splashed on it the paint ran. I have several canvas prints from Next and Dunelm and they are colour fast. Today I purchased a knife set in a block and got it home to find that the knife block was filthy and scratched and some of the marks were actually inside the clear plastic block so it must have left the factory that way.

I have always found their delivery and customer service to be great, they will always offer exchanges or refunds but I am just wondering where they are sourcing the products!! They seem to be either seconds, VERY cheap imports or stuff that has previously been returned.

 

[varesecrazy]

I've seen LOTS of returned items sold on - several times by the state of some..,

it's not JUST argos though,

I got handed an oil filter from Hafrauds that had no thread.. absolutely useless - it had oil in it when I bought it, so had obviously been returned before..!!,

never been back since..!!

 

[sludgeguts]

I once bought a laminator from Argos, stuck inside was a membership card for a bowls club somewhere up North.
The instructions said place the item inside a laminate pouch then place the laminate pouch into a carrier.
the bowls club didn't - result was a gooey mess inside the machine where the laminate pouch had melted all over.
So, the machine had been returned & then sent hundreds of miles down the country & placed into stock as new!

With regards the table, it probably went on sale in a branch in the outer hebrides for the high price - I think that's how they can justify telling you it's half price.

 

[pooroldcodger]

A couple of years ago I bought a dining suite from Argos, it was an oak effect extending table and 8 faux leather chairs. It was supposedly half price at £399 - but there is no way that this thing was ever £800. I know you can't expect top quality for £399 but the listed original price lead me to believe that this would be of reasonable quality but it was terrible. I sent the first table back as the edge trim was coming away from the table top. The second one came and there were scratches through the top of it, by the time the third one came which was still not perfect by any means I gave up and kept it. The chairs were ok for a while but after a few months the thin black coating started peeling off. I ended up selling the whole lot for £50 just to get rid of it and I now have solid oak.

A few months later I bought a floor lamp, when it came out the box it had big marks on the base that had started to go rusty. Another time I bought a canvas picture and when water splashed on it the paint ran. I have several canvas prints from Next and Dunelm and they are colour fast. Today I purchased a knife set in a block and got it home to find that the knife block was filthy and scratched and some of the marks were actually inside the clear plastic block so it must have left the factory that way.

I have always found their delivery and customer service to be great, they will always offer exchanges or refunds but I am just wondering where they are sourcing the products!! They seem to be either seconds, VERY cheap imports or stuff that has previously been returned.

Well first of all Argos must be doing something right because your willingness to keep going back for more after such experiences is amazing!
Sludge is right about the higher price thing. They only need to have the item on sale for 28 days (I think it's still 28 days anyway) in a few stores (and somewhere it will say where and when it was offered at this higher price) and then it's up to you if you think it's worth it. But as we all know, we gets what we pay for. All of the items you mentioned above will have come from Asia - most likely China but not necessarily. When your workers earn less in a day than you would spend on a Costa Coffee and they are incentivised by the unit produced, there is a big pusch to get containers filled and shipped out the door, so the odd rusty mark or scratch I'm afraid is par for the course.
Some retailers pay for more stringent QC checks than others. Next are very strict, as are M&S of course. But then they tend to charge more as well.
Argos is part of the Home Retail Group, along with Homebase and Habitat.

 

[Modette]

Well first of all Argos must be doing something right because your willingness to keep going back for more after such experiences is amazing!
Sludge is right about the higher price thing. They only need to have the item on sale for 28 days (I think it's still 28 days anyway) in a few stores (and somewhere it will say where and when it was offered at this higher price) and then it's up to you if you think it's worth it. But as we all know, we gets what we pay for. All of the items you mentioned above will have come from Asia - most likely China but not necessarily. When your workers earn less in a day than you would spend on a Costa Coffee and they are incentivised by the unit produced, there is a big pusch to get containers filled and shipped out the door, so the odd rusty mark or scratch I'm afraid is par for the course.
Some retailers pay for more stringent QC checks than others. Next are very strict, as are M&S of course. But then they tend to charge more as well.
Argos is part of the Home Retail Group, along with Homebase and Habitat.

Not amazing at all. The reason being its not ALL bad. I bought a new oven from Argos just last week and its fine. The knife set I bought was Taylors Eye Witness - made in Sheffield, comes with a 12 month guarantee, not the cheapest one they have. Which leads me to believe that this is more to do with selling seconds / returns.

 

[EvoStevo]

No, they just sell crap in the first place.

 

[StevenRB45]

No, they just sell crap in the first place.

Have to agree..We've got one bit of argos furniture (a king size bed) at one I was down the local motor factor every week buying washers and bolts to action running repairs.

 

[Modette]

Have to agree..We've got one bit of argos furniture (a king size bed) at one I was down the local motor factor every week buying washers and bolts to action running repairs.

I think it depends what you are buying. Many of the products they sell can be purchased in other stores, like Currys, John Lewis, etc. So its not really fair to say that its ALL crap.

I tend to go to Argos because I can make sure its in stock and reserve it before I set out, there are several stores near me and I can park right outside. I am allergic to crowds, queues and fighting over parking spaces. They also run deals where you get money off coupons back if you spend a certain amount.

So if you take the post above about the laminator - in principle there is no reason to think that the one you buy from Argos will be any better / worse / different than the one selling in any other store. Which brings me back to my initial question - maybe this is where all the other stores get rid of seconds and returns. It would certainly explain a lot. If this is the case I think its also recent, as in the last few years, I don't remember having issues with them like this in the past.

I bought two leather sofas from them about 7 years ago that now reside in my sons flat and they are still perfect, really nice leather. Nice quality.

 

[Meski]

I think they get away with shoddy goods as you can't see it before you part with your cash, you get a big brown box given to you that you just take home. I bet most people would just put up with the smaller defects rather than pack it up and take it back. I know I have done in the past cause they try not to pay you petrol money and certainly would wrangle out of any compensation for inconvenience

 

[sludgeguts]

Of course you can inspect an item - just ask at the customer service counter - they are more than happy to help.

I bought an A3 inkjet printer from them & installed a continuous ink system.
All was great for about 9 months then I was getting error messages about dodgy ink carts!
Took the CISS out & put the original (still new & sealed) tanks in - all worked OK for a month or so - and the same messages popped up ( so not the CISS then?)
Took it back to Argos & they swapped it without question. Put my CISS back in & it's ran fine.

Some years ago I bought a power tool from there, as soon as I plugged it in I knew there was a fault. Took it back & they got another one - I asked them to test it in front of me - it didn't work & neither did the 3rd/last one so offered a full refund but I chose an alternative.

Currys, on the other hand.
Bought a microwave, seems to be a brand only they sell. Noticed a problem with the clock not keeping time - sometimes it gained, other times it lost - I thought it was me not setting it properly.
Anyway, took it back after a week.
They said it would have to be sent away for repair!
Got the manager involved & he gave me the same pony.
I asked them to ring head office & check becaause that didn't sound right - they refused.
So, i used my phone to check on the web, found a number & rang. Putting them on speaker, I asked if this was correct - and they said I could have a replacement!
Shop didn't have any more in stock so I got a refund - which started out as a voucher until I said I would contact head office to check.
Got my money refunded & still called head office - right in front of them- to complain about the manager.
And all in front of many customers!

In my experience, Argos have great customer service & whilst some of their products ARE crap - they are only selling the same crap as other stores!

BTW, the exact same printer was in Currys for the same price. I could've got £5 off with some special deal they were doing at the time - but I was later glad that I didn't

 

[varesecrazy]

probably exactly the same stuff as other companys sell, ( NOT seconds)

Argos just seem to have a strange policy on re-selling returned items/goods,
some items we buy are no-where-near packed correctly , discovered to be faulty - then packed correctly by us for return,

no doubt to be put on the shelf for further sale,

my Mum has had an Argos Freeview box / recorder for @ 3 years,

NOT technically true as they last a max of 6 months , sometimes a few DAYS, :bang:
some MUST be returned goods as they last so little time,
BUT she's gone from a £35 basic unit to a £200 one,
all on an "exchange" basis

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Have to agree..We've got one bit of argos furniture (a king size bed) at one I was down the local motor factor every week buying washers and bolts to action running repairs.

And people thought owning a Fiat was bad!

 

[StevenRB45]

And people thought owning a Fiat was bad!

Until I got this bed the last time I was there was for the sump plug removal tool for the punto!

 

[Modette]

And people thought owning a Fiat was bad!

I don't own a Fiat anymore so all I need to do now is stop shopping at Argos and all will be well in my life