Lie to your face

After spending some time researching laptops, I decided to buy the Lenovo Yoga 2 11. As a naturally cautious buyer, I was planning to purchase the standard model from John Lewis with their excellent 3 year warranty at around £400. I came across save on laptops, to find that they were selling an improved model (at JL for £450) for £380 (£390 with delivery + card fees(?)).

I was concerned that they might have the wrong specs on their website, so I e-mailed and was reassured, that it was indeed the improved specs. I then put in an order and they immediately took money from my account.

The following day, they contacted me via e mail to inform me there was a problem with the order. When I called them, I was told that it was just a routine security enquiry and that the order would be processed. I received a further e-mail later that day. When I contacted them, they informed me that the product was out of stock, but would be back in 4 working days, I was offered the option to cancel for a full refund.

That evening I checked to see if they were still listing stock. They had the Lenovo yoga 2 11, with the same specs / catalogue and product code, more than 20 available, but now at an increased price of £430.

My husband called the following morning and was told that they were in stock.

When I called them, they initially tried to fob me off, with the out of stock story, but when I pressed, they told me that they had stock, but could not sell it to me at the price that they had already taken from my account. They told me that this is not the first time this situation had occurred.