REBEL Sports Members Discount

Just received in the mail the latest catalogue from Rebel Sports.
I was intrigued to see a Torros Pro Weight Bench advertised for $249 and if your a member the price is $149 - $100 or 40% cheaper.
Then there is a Nordic Track Upright bike for the general public, at $999 and $799 for Members - a difference of $200.
My question is are they penalising general members of the public with a huge price hike, or in reality is it a genuine discount?
I think the former, as I believe there is something tricky going on here.
I have written to them asking about the Terms and Conditions of membership and eagerly await their reply.
In the meantime can anyone throw any light on this observation?

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Had a similar experience with Anaconda.

Label was folded over the shelf but didn’t mention that this was a members only offer. I got to the checkout and it rang up at 239.99 with no explanation. I mentioned the sale label and showed them the phone photo (I’ve had trouble with ‘sale’ dockets disappearing when staff go to ‘check’ :slight_smile: ) and I was told that was a member only offer, but without even a pause they offered me a memberhip application form, free to sign up (free as in zero financial outlay required, but I gave away minimal personal information in the process), and it would apply to this purchase, so I got them at 143.99 on the spot.

I think the point here is signing people up, direct lines of advertising, captive audience, data mining/profiling of customers, but I’m just a cynic not a marketing ‘expert’ …

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Hi draughtrider. Thanks for your very interesting reply. What you have described above in my view, is both deceitful and dishonest. It is disappointing to read that we have to be one step ahead of the retailer, as you were, in taking a photo of the price label. There would be a lot of customers who would be unaware of the tricks some retailers get up to.
Unfortunately, these days, becoming a member of a company or organisation puts at risk your privacy, and comes at a cost. As you say, they are open to selling your personal details resulting in you getting heaps of spam with attachments with the potential to infect your computer, tablet, or smart phone with viruses, malware and website tracking.

Rebel is part of the Super Retail Group, along with Amart Sports, Goldcross Cycles, Supercheap Auto, BCF, FCO, Ray’s ( Tent City). I thought as I was reading your reply that Anaconda might be part of SRG - but it appears they aren’t. That’s one retailer I wont be shopping at.

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Hi @Airsie,

This is the link to the rebel sports T&Cs.

I recall someone taking legal action against Woolworths for their reward card discount…the litigant didn’t have a card and claimed it was a form of discrimination not getting the same discount…and the action failed.

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Hi @phb
Many thanks for providing a link to Rebel’s Terms and Conditions of membership. Was actually not as restrictive as I thought it would be.
Was interesting to learn, that someone is prepared to take legal action over perceived discrimination, with a loyalty card

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It is good to know that I am not the only cynic who takes photos of labels, which disappear, or are mysteriously relocated to another part of the store.

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I had an experience where I challenged a web site promotion that was very clear in what it stated, that was not being honoured. While I was on the phone with the company they changed the web site to match their side of the story in real time as evidenced by auto-refresh while I had their site on my screen. They declined to honour their promotion and disclaimed any knowledge of it :expressionless:

I was naive in those days and did not take a screen shot prior to ringing. I have collected and protected evidence as “job 1” ever since.

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I got caught at Lincraft, members only special price. I took my purchase to the counter, it was processed, then my Loyalty card was recorded, I paid and a receipt was printed. Only when I got home did I realise I paid the “full” price, and no adjustment had been made, despite all my Loyalty card details being printed.
Another trip to this store and I saw another “members only” price on sheets with all sizes mentioned. Handwritten tags on the shelf proclaimed “was $30, members $20”, so I picked one, showing my Loyalty card first. Again, only when I got home did I realise that I was charged $60. Apparently it only applied to the Queen Size in that range, despite no mention of that, and a large end of aisle display of member prices for all sizes. Quite disillusioned with their “Members Only” pricing. Next time I will be taking a photo and checking the receipt before leaving the store.

To their credit, I have returned with a number of issues, all have been resolved satisfactorily - cloth collars at 50c rung up as dog collars $3.95ea, a blind that was obviously a return that somehow found its way back onto the shelves, with paint on it slapped on the material, parts missing; replaced with an undamaged one. Probably too many issues for the few visits and the distance for returns.

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