Finding a great deal can feel like winning a treasure hunt — although sometimes the real challenge comes afterward.

This couple’s quest for a cheap Ring doorbell turned into a game of corporate cat-and-mouse, but their persistence paid off in a unique way.

Read on for the full story!

Delivery ‘stuck’ in warehouse

So we decided to get a Ring doorbell, and my wife found it at a great price with a national chain. They even had an offer on, which made it even cheaper: £58 down from £119. Bargain!

This chain doesn’t have a shop in our town, but you can click and collect from the supermarket that is. Great!

But actually collecting the doorbell would prove more of a challenge than they realized.

So we order it and wait, but a few days later, it’s still “out for delivery.”

I do a live chat with their customer service, and it’s stuck in the warehouse. They try to unstick it for me.

The company keeps up with their petty excuses.

A few days later, it’s still “out for delivery.” Another live chat, and I’m told, “It’ll be there in a few days.”

Now it’s getting to the end of the collection deadline, so I “live chat” again.

Finally, they offer a “solution” that doesn’t quite sit well with the customer.

The answer is that it’s stuck in the warehouse and won’t get unstuck. The only solution is to cancel the order and buy again.

The problem is that, in the meantime, it’s selling for full price —£119 — when we bought it for £58.

So the customer asserts themself.

I’m polite but forceful, trying to find out why it’s “stuck” and explaining why I can’t rebuy it as it’s now much more expensive.

It’s still on sale on their website. I can go into a store and buy one right there and then. They’re even giving them away with TV sets!

It’s clear the company is playing a dirty game.

Suddenly, we realize what’s happening — they’ve sold it too cheaply and changed their mind.

So I kick up a fuss and get offered £5. I ask to speak to a manager. I’m told I’ll be called back in three working days.

So the manager tries to sweeten the deal.

A manager calls me back five minutes later and offers me a voucher for £62 — the difference in value between what I paid and what it’s on sale for. This way, I can go back online and buy it at the price I originally bought it at.

Yeah, of course, I’m going to do that…

But the customer does them one better!

So I wait a few weeks until they’re doing their Black Friday deals. It’s on sale for £61.

We’ve now got a £2.99 Ring Doorbell.

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Now that’s a budget-friendly victory!

What did Reddit have to say?

Many businesses seem to offer convenient excuses to cover for their shady dealings.

This commenter wonders how the company could even get away with such a thing.

Maybe the company realized this savvy shopper was onto them and they want to throw them off their tracks.

This user remembers the “good old days” where companies actually gave their customers good deals.

With a little assertiveness, this couple proved you can outsmart a greedy system determined to make you pay full price.

In the end, this price hike turned into a priceless win!

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