Catch of the Day is celebrating its birthday this Wednesday, and claims to have some Nintendo Wii's up for sale at just $199!
Also up for grabs is a current gen 4GB iPod Nano for $99, a Tom Tom GPS for $99 and a Samsung DVD player for $29!
(Edited by scotty — this post is now to discuss Catch of the Day Birthday Bash 25/Oct/2008 event)
Also please help to document this event by modifying this wiki page:
"I bet there was no change in the traffic from the start of the listing to the last 7 minutes, the same traffic was still trying to get through."
The thing is 'you bet' you don't know for sure, it's equally plausible that people gave up or maybe the server coincidentally takes that long to resurrect [casting time] …the latter isn't likely lol.
We'll just have to wait for an official announcement from CotD or QQQ which hopefully will have some truth to it and not be biased.
I bet there was no change in the traffic from the start of the listing to the last 7 minutes, the same traffic was still trying to get through.
Check the traffic image I posted earlier. I know that's OzBargain traffic, but when people can't access CotD, some of them ended up posting here so I guess they are correlated. There's clear spikes at the hour.
Sites like Zazz or CotD usually get massive amount of traffic when new deal starts because people are curious what's on sale. The traffic would die down afterwards. There are a lot of people not subscribing to OzBargain, Buckscoop or Whirlpool so they don't know what's coming up next — it would be common sense for them to log back in at the hour to check out what's the next item.
In some sense I suspect those CotD newsletters, which are sent 12 hours prior to start of sales, are there to reduce traffic so people don't all log back in at 12pm.
I'm sure most people realised that after 30 mins they had lost their chance and stopped trying to access the site. It makes perfect sense that people would stop refreshing on a 10 second basis, especially when people here and elsewhere would have posted on forums the items were no longer available so people would give up until the next hour.
Look at any site that has similar timed releases where people know in adance when the items willl go on sale. Even 2 or 3 mins leading up to the item becomming available you can usually get to the sie but as soon as the hour ticks over you have no hope. Happens to Ticketek and many other similar services that may do stagnated releases of things. After a while people give up and things return to normal.
all i have got today was the pocket photo frame and the heli :(
does anyone know what they are going to put up next?
What does that matter? You'll miss out on it anyway …
well this is true
A webserver that handles decent traffic I think $1,000,000
What a crock. I, like most, wanted the Wii but when that debacle took place then I went for the camera. Same again. Then I went for the GPS, clicked 'bite', put in all my details, clicked through and got the 'sold out' message. Man, this is major dodge! Its like going to a a shop, picking an item off the shelf, actually giving them your credit card to swipe and approve it, and then taking it off you telling you its been sold to someone else.
Terrible. Terrible. Oh and Terrible.
Check your CC, they seem to be debiting them even if stock is sold out. I'm out of pocket $58
This has happened to me on the gps, camera, wii so far man i know how you feel, its a rort considering the things weren't even for me, the gps was for my local fire brigade which im a member of, the wii was for my kid and the camera for my mum :( very disappointed i am …
Bait Advertising
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/item.phtml?itemId=759632&node…
The law
If retailers advertise goods at a special price, they should ensure they have reasonable quantities of the goods available for customers to buy for a reasonable period of time. If there is not a reasonable chance that the goods will be available at the advertised price, the business may have broken the law. Retailers should be able to show that they made the offer in good faith and had reasonable stocks to meet the likely demand for the advertised goods for the length of the promotion.
There is no way in hell they did that…
Yea it seems like theyve broken the law, so somebody should report them so these motherfuckers burn!!!
maybe they did hard to tell
Agreed..Bait Advertising..Lets Feed em to ACA…lol
"…had reasonable stocks to meet the likely demand…"
Quite Grey wording as 'likely demand' is up for subjective interpretation.
However I would be very interested to know exactly what stock levels COTD had for each item.
Complain sent -
If anybody care to do the same:
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/54217
How do you think COTD will answer the following checklist questions?
* What research has been done into the amount of stock needed for the promotion?
* Are there any other factors that could infl uence expected demand for the advertised products?
* Can the business demonstrate that the offer was made in good faith with reasonable stocks to last the length of the promotion?
* Is the wording in the advertisement clear and accurate? <br>
* Are limitations that could affect the promotion stated clearly and visibly in the advertisement?
* Is the business ready to cope if the promotion is so successful that demand exceeds supply?
LOL, it just gets worse and worse. or maybe just maybe, those people who got debited even with the sold out went thru
Nope, there is no order history. Without an order history I haven't bought anything, they just have my funds. I'm following their 'procedure' as listed on their site to get the money back but considering they don't seem to even have a phone number I think I've been scammed.
they are associated with Daily Deals, they are located in Mulgrave Vic, check out yellow pages for the number
100m from my office. on princess highway.
As great as it was to get the ipods offered in the Small Fish offer, how is that even possible barely an hour (if it was even that) after they were "sold out"? Some people sure did cancel their orders pretty quick in that case. Or were they not actually sold out?
id be going on not sold out and I bet there will be some tomorrow with their catchathon
Daily Deals
2215 Dandenong Road
Mulgrave Victoria 3170
Australia
sorry no number
It isn't a scam, and bait advertising…does it apply to online sales? Does CotD count as a retailer?
Yes they are a retailer. Its just that their shop is an online shop. But they are selling as a retail business, therefore a retailer.
Im sure they have an ABN so that should make that an offical business… That means they will have to obide by the law…
playstation is up
PS2 Now
PS2
Got in, passed as you can get one with a million games from ebay for the same price.
ps2 is up.. easily managed to get in
now stuck at bite me
lets see how long it takes to "sell out"….
yeha not too keen on the ps2
i wonder how long it takes to sell out
me too
its kinda oldish n ebay sell them cheap
As if anyone can be bothered buying the PS2…unless it was for $50 it doesn't seem enough like a "bargain" you can get it same price on Ebay and it costs $135 at EB.
$135 at EB's for a pre-owned one.
Plenty of PS2 i reckon…
Pff who would want a ps2?
SOLD OUT
sold out!!
ok, not normal
sold out
OMG NOW WAY NOT AGAIN. I FRIKING GOT TO THE LAST CONFIRM ORDER AFTER PAYPAL OMG!
7 mins into the hour and the PS2 is sold out… FFS… I was checking out!!!
thats ridiculous how old is it? and its not expensive to buy normally…stupid
SOLD OUT? LOL
LOL gay
what they have a whole one of them???!!!
i doubt it LOL
AAHAHAHAH "A WHOLE ONE" LOL NICEEEEEEEEE
That sure did take a long time for that 1 x PS2 to sell out. :P
Some n00b probably thought it was a PS3 pml
QQQ, please if you're reading this, at least let us know if that is it for the night. I think that's the least you owe us after the last 10 hours.
Any more to come?
edit: Also, you're going to have to sell some of those Wii's sometime…wink wink
I can't believe people bought that PS2, haha. Not a bargain at all.
anyone know wuts up next?
yeah i want to know that too…is there anything else you have one of that you are going to try to flog off…
People probably bought the PS2 because they didn't want to feel like they wasted the past 10 hours. Obviously there isn't much stock though, I'm interested to know how many people actually bought them.
optimistically 1 item each! lol
who is going to hang around?
Just noticed it says "time left: 46minutes" for the PS2…what's next then??
ok, now to see how long it will take COTD to deliver the items (7-10 days, hhaha. from past experience, not likely)
I only got that 1.5” Digital Pocket Photoframe (wanted so much more :P)
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT
i overslept and omg, 4 pages of reading and I'M GLAD I OVERSLEPT HAHAHA!
no one and i mean no one got JACK!!!!!
i got the chopper n dvd player :P good enough lol, i new the wii's cameras n tom toms were all scams :P
i bought 20 of them
i got the purfume for a xmas present…and yes I wanted more too…not impressed
i bought 20 of them!
20 of what?
20 PS2's of course! . kidding lol
lol i got the heli and the pocket frame for all my work and i was at last page for wii gps and the ps2, how sad is cotd to us :(
Might as well stay up a bit more
Sony Playstation 2 Slim, Current Model
New condition in box with WARRANTY
Feedback: 85 | 100%Watch this item 15 Bids AU $41.00 +AU $12.00 3d 14h 22m
"We have taken all of your feedback and suggesitons and mixed it with a few of our dreams and plenty of innovation to bring you another year of not just unbelievable deals, but also an unsurpassed member experience."
From their front page. HAHAHAHAHA
WOOOOOooooo YESSsssssss i got a GPS, Wii, PS2 and pocket Frame haha OMG i cant believe it i dont no what ur all whining about its "Survival of the Fastest web clicking" lol
This i must admit is a BARGAIN!!!!!!!!!! Thank you WHO EVER POSTED IT i LOVE U haha im so happy im gonna sell the Wii on ebay since i got ps3 but yess i gotta admit this site Ozbargain is truly the best i thank you scotty for starting this spent about 400 or so on a GPS WIi PS2 total value 900+
BUT Thanks to who ever posted this i love u lol
LIES UR PROB WORK FOR CATCH OF THE DAY!
I WANT PROOF!!! INVOICE!!!
Screw you as if buy it just to sell on Ebay, there's some of us here who actually wanted that Wii.
dun worry man, he prob works for catch of the day lol! as if ANYONE could get through lik 10 loading screensin 5 min LOL!
Hi All,
Seriously guys, quite a funny read for the last 10 hours. I must admit, I come on here trying for a RC Helicopter, Camera, Tom Tom, iPod Nano and the Nintendo Wii (I'm moving out soon, and thought a cheap one would be cool as I'd be shot dead for taking the one here at home). The only thing I did get (believe it or not) was the Nintendo Wii (I have an Order History, and Paid using Paypal about 55 minutes in). It certainly wasn't a scam (well I suppose it isn't, I have an order ID history thing and email confirming it), and I'll keep you updated if I get it in.
All a bit of fun though, annoyed slightly I missed out on the other stuff, but yeah - just letting you know that someone here did actually get a Wii.
By the way, thanks for the evening laugh! PS2's for $99!!! You can buy off the internet Mod Chipped ones with a few games for that! By far the worst bargain, I had to pick myself up off the floor when it sold out quicker than the probably 2-3 Nintendo Wii's on offer!
Catch around,
Craig.
congrats lol!
didn't the wii's go in the first few mins lik some dude was saying?
u sure ur not dreaming? ha ha ha
:P
Very sure, they weren't gone until right on 8:00. I suppose I'm about the only one though that didn't buy it to sell :) The server was practically Denial of Serviced for 40 minutes. I kept trying and trying. Must have been 7:50 when the server come alive (and consequently most people were bagging out CotD here). I tried, tried and tried (I am lucky, I had nothing in my cart - and the paypal checkout option open). I seriously didn't expect to get it, but pretty cool none the less. Again, will keep you all posted to see if I actually get it. You'll hear about it if it is infact a scam.
Craig.
As expected… so not suprise this many unhappy customers.
well i did by the wii to make a profit :P honestly thats it no other reason ill see if it comes brand new or not but i dont mind keepin it Wii fit ill probz buy i HOPE its Brand New if as for the PS2 ill give it as a Bday gift to my cuzin later on sorry to all those who missed out im just Excited!!!!
What's next after this or is it over? I got nothing out of the deal. I want delete my account because I do not want to purchase from them. I would've purchased from them in the future if I did have the chance to "catch" a bargain today but some "fishy" was going on.
lol, 1100 comments and counting. Is this a record for OzBargain?
It's 1101 now :)
This thread hold the record for now!
I am a first time visitor to COTD (Con of the Day?) and this site, OzBargain (What an interesting site! Found it at about 7.45 pm…. How did you, Scotty, do this on a US $30 month server?, and congratulations, this is a very well set out, easy to use site too) … this experience with COTD has been truly truly frustrating … wasted so many hours (like so many of you).
This oldie learnt a lot today! But not sure if I want to repeat this experience … got on because my little one wanted the ipod and Wii.
Good luck to all of you for the Conathon … I am calling it quits …. already have too many white hairs, cannot afford to have more! Cheers …
How did you, Scotty, do this on a US $30 month server?
Because I shopped around for the best deal? :)
My usual first step tuning a website — get rid of Apache. One of the biggest resource pig.
yay maybe now no one will be awake so i can get something :D
lol ^ agree with kez55! . 13minutes til the next one. studying for tests and oral . so i'll be on til 1 or so. lets get something NICE!
lets team up man lol, hopefully this is not some crap item though :S
sigh All I wanted was one teeny little camera. Heaps of other people got cameras, got multiple cameras in fact. I actually don't blame CotD for missing out - if heaps of other people got the cameras, then it wasn't their fault I didn't. I think it was a combination of heavy CotD traffic and just being the wrong time of night to do ANYTHING using Virgin Broadband, though I did come close! sigh Guess I go back to trawling eBay again …
Actually I'm trying to get rid of a near new Kodak camera, maybe this might end up a better day for you. I can place it on eBay if you want. Rather than paying cash, is there anything you'd consider trading for, maybe something you want to get rid of?
yes! wiis and ipod throughout the night methinks!!!
or more like 'export quality casket of wine'
lol
wow, what a fkn day. That was ridiculous. Did manage to get an ipod off of QQQs special offer on this forum which helped keep me sane, although all I wanted was that wii!
That also got me wondering if there were other pages like that setup - although you can no longer get the ipod, the link still resolves to a somewhat weird lookin page:
http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/smallfish_info.php?products_…
By changing the numbers I came up with this. It seems some other people on some other forum maybe also got a special deal, as this link also resolves to a similar page, but QQQ never mentioned it here:
http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/smallfish_info.php?products_…
Wondering if anyone has found any other 'specials' that may still contain items for sale? I doubt it, but if there is still wii's out their for $200 I want!
What a disgrace! I've been purchasing from COTD for little over a year now and have spent quite a tidy sum in that time. By the looks of things they have really hurt their business today, I for one will not be buying from them again. After wasting 10 hours of my time, I would have been financially better off paying the retail price!
Will there be any more new stuff after 11pm? :)
got the control. so tempting LOL
lol
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Laaaaaaaaaaame
I can't get in most of the times and when I do all I see is the SOLD OUT sign. I don't normally give -ve votes but this will be my first. I've never seen this many -ve votes before this must be a record.