John Lewis curtain runners rip off

[john brook]

Some years ago we bought a curtain rail and some curtain runners (the things that slide along the rail and that you hook the curtain hooks into), from John Lewis.

Now the curtain runners are all disintegrating, and so I went into John Lewis to get some more. I was told they no longer supply this type of runner, but have some at £3 for 10.

Thats nearly three times the price of the current ones they supply. I was also told the new ones *no longer fit* the old rail.

Here's a tinypic website photo of the two different runners. The original type is on the left of the photo. The one on the right is the one they are now offering.

Now it turns out the *new* ones do fit into the old rail, but they run very stiffly in the rail.

Does this represent a change in policy of John Lewis to being helpful to being greedy? The rise and fall of the Roman Empire, once you reach a certain dominance?

£3 for 10 of these? On an average rail I guess you would need 30 or 40 or so? Thats 9 or 12 pounds for a few cheap as chips plastic.

Has anyone found a suitable alternative to these John Lewis runners? I can afford to buy them from John Lewis, but feel disinclined because of their attitude.

[js.b1]

They look like Swish Nova, about 5-10p each on Ebay.

Accounts is pricing according to profit margins. Customer service would probably like to price at cost or token just to ensure repeat custom. Unfortunately accounts has a habit of winning if they can not see beyond a spreadsheet cell.

[Skipweasel]

Yup - and the other sort don't look compatible - I suspect c*ck-up rather than conspiracy.

[Skipweasel]

Indeed, look here and you'll see that both your "new" and "old" type are shown as seperate items.

[Tony Bryer]

Ultimately for a retailer something stays on display because it earns enough profit per hook/per foot of shelf space over the year. If it's a slow moving item, each sale needs to earn a lot more. Cost plus doesn't really come into it.

[Don Phillipson]

In N.America, specialized stores sell only curtains, window blinds and associated hardware, and the hardware is also sold by fabric stores (because some customers sew their own curtains.) Both types of store usually carry a much larger range of this special-purpose hardware than do general furnishing stores, where you can also buy a piano or a dishwasher.

[Nightjar]

It is more probably pricing according to the cost of buying in what is now a small volume special item, rather than a high volume current stock item.

Colin Bignell

[stuart noble]

A good example of a small, low price item that should only be bought from EBay/Amazon. High street retailers can't afford to sell anything for less than a fiver it seems.

[John Rumm]

And I am sure they might argue with reasonable cause that most retailers would simply dump the previous stock line altogether.

[Jules Richardson]

Agreed - or certainly Swish anyway (not sure about the Nova bit); I remember my folks having some exactly like that at their place and having to source some new bits (but this was years ago and a local DIY place had them).

cheers

Jules

[Dave N]

john brook wrote, on 11/01/2011 21:05:

I don't think John Lewis are trying to rip anyone off - Swish curtain=20 fittings are now hard to find anywhere. Anyway, please see the=20 following web site of a firm based in Edinburgh; they are currently=20 offering your Swish G-1 Deluxe Gliders (your LH photo) at 1.50 pounds=20 for #10, plus VAT plus postage. I used this firm once in 2009 and=20 received a quick and pain-free service, but take them as you find them:-

--=20 Dave N