OfficeMax claims they will beat a competitor by 155 percent (match a lower offer, then give a credit of 55 percent of the difference, up to a maximum $55), but what are the exact rules? I tried to buy a Canon 250 printer, listed at $179 at OfficeMax, $149 at Circuit City. OM said it would match Circuit City, but that the 155 percent offer applies only to Office Depot. But we didn't see that advertised. We bought it for $149 anyway, then decided to stop by Office Depot next door, where there was a lesser model for $99 ($139 at OM). So we went back to OM, but were told we needed an ad as proof. We went back to OD, got an ad and returned. But then OM said they didn't have the item in stock and they couldn't give us the 155 percent offer because it was a clearance item for OD. Has anybody ever received the discount? Many restrictions apply to
OfficeMax’s discountThe rules are specified at the bottom of the store sign, but you have to read the smaller print.
The 155 percent offer applies only to "another office supply superstore and states specifically Office Depot, Staples and Office One," said Mike Weisbarth, divisional vice president, investor relations, in Cleveland.
Also excluded, according to the sign: ad errors, close-outs, clearance items, floor samples and limited-quantity items. Also, the competitor must have the item in stock.
Asked if the restrictions could be made clearer, Weisbarth said: "I don't know how you can make it clearer if you read the signs. I really do think it is well explained in the sign in the store."
As for your last question, the store manager said they have made good on the 155 percent offer, but referred all queries to the Cleveland office.
If you still feel you got the runaround, file a complaint with the state Office of Consumer Protection, said Executive Director Jo Ann Uchida. Call 587-3222.
Limitations should not be "so ludicrous that maybe one person in the universe would qualify," she said.
There have been advertising disclaimers "where there simply is no way an average person would qualify for a discount. Those are the ones we'd really be interested in following up on," Uchida said.
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