New details on Click Frenzy Mayhem 2018 deals revealed

SHOPPERS were urged to have “realistic expectations” ahead of Tuesday night’s Click Frenzy Mayhem sales bonanza.

But as soon as the start time ticked over for the online shopping event, the complaints had begun.

The event, which more than a million Aussies took part in last year, kicked off at 7pm tonight to great expectations from shoppers lured in by promotions of 99 per cent off some items, including special “Go Nuts” deals for subscribers.

Subscribers were expecting to receive email “clues” to direct them towards those extraordinary deals by 6.45pm, ahead of the sale starting. But it appears those emails failed to land in the inboxes of some keen shoppers.

Complaints began online when the email deadline ticked over.

“No email. Waste of time,” one bargain hunter wrote on Twitter at 6.56pm.

“Click Frenzy is delaying once again in sending e-mails to its subscribers,” another wrote just after 7pm.

By 8pm, buyers were complaining they were getting charged $3 extra “pending” on their credit card for an order placed for their purchases.

Others said that the banner advertisement for upcoming items such as a Toshiba 32 inch TV for $3 had appeared right at the top of the screen, or flashed up and disappeared, meaning that a bargain could be missed if a buyer hadn’t refreshed the page.

By 9pm, one potential Xbox buyer tweeted in frustration at having missed out, “WTF happened there? No banner, then clicked once it appeared to a SOLD OUT! Refresh gives a glimpse of the form, but no dice.”

Earlier in the day, the sales’ official Twitter account was responding to inquiries about the email clues assuring would-be shoppers their clues would arrive between 6.15pm and 6.45pm. However, no customer tweets have been responded to since 6.15pm.

One disappointed shopper declared the online shopping event “another broken sale”.

Bargain hunters had been urged to sign up for email alerts to nab bargains including a $3 TV and a $1 Nespresso coffee machine.

The email clues that did make it to shoppers revealed those special deals would each only be available for one hour during the sale and hidden in unusual sections of the website.

More than 250 retailers and brands will participate in the 24-hour sale, including Myer, Sony, Big W, Bonds, Optus, Rebel, Dell, Peter Alexander, Cotton On, Sheridan, Webjet, House, Mon Purse, OPSM, Adore Beauty, Catch and MyDeal.

Deals cover fashion, electrical, home, health and beauty, toys, kids, food and liquor, sports, sleepwear, travel and more. As always, there are a number of hotly anticipated deals on offer.

But retail expert Brian Walker urged shoppers to prepare for disappointment and to have realistic expectations, as some signature deals — including $5 Dyson vacuum cleaners and $1 GHD hair straighteners — are expected to sell out within minutes.

“It’s about being there at the starter’s gun and giving yourself every opportunity. That said, organised events like Click Frenzy Mayhem are pretty good at talking with resellers about what sort of quantity levels they have … and no one consciously sets out to promote an item they’re going to run out of very early on, I’d like to think,” he said.

“But it is a case of buyer beware and of the customer getting in very quickly, and being aware of the terms and conditions.

“Having realistic expectations is very important. Above all, Click Frenzy Mayhem is designed to create excitement which leads to high-impulse sales, so activity will be strong.”

2018’S BEST DEALS

This year, there are 16 signature “Go Nuts” deals at 99 per cent off, including:

• LG 55-inch HD LED TVs for $10

• The Original GHD IV hair straightener for $1

• GoPro HERO 5 Black Action Video Camera for $2

• Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Multifloor Barrel Vacuum Cleaner for $5

• Toshiba 32-inch Series L37 HD LED LCD TV for $3

• Google Home voice assistant and speaker for $2

• Nespresso Inissia Coffee Machine with Milk Frother — Black for $1

• Bose SoundLink Revolve Bluetooth Speaker for $3

• Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ear Headphone for $3

• iPad Mini Wi-Fi Only for $5

• DJ1 Spark mini-drone for $10

• Xbox One S 500Gb for $3

• Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Large Fitness Wristband — Black for $2

• Click Frenzy is also offering subscribers a chance to score a range of Myer gift cards for 99 per cent off

HOW TO ACTUALLY GET A $10 TV

While there will be a huge range of discounts available during the sale, the chances of scoring one of Click Frenzy Mayhem’s coveted 99 per cent off deals are slim.

Anyone can access the sale from 7pm AEST tonight until 7pm AEST tomorrow — but subscribers will get early access, and they are the only ones who will be able to access the special 99 per cent off deals, which always sell out within minutes.

People who subscribe before 6pm tonight will receive a series of four emails over the 24 hours of the event containing specific instructions with clues for how to find the Go Nuts deals, where to be and when.

The 16 deals will be scattered throughout the event, although a sleep break has been scheduled between 11pm and 6am.

Subscribers keen on scoring a deal must look for the pop-up banner in the right place at the right time, answer one simple question and then check out quickly for their chance to bag a bargain.

Other tips include:

1. Turn off ad blockers if you use them. You need this off to see the pop-up banner

that will trigger the product page. Also, be sure to refresh your page regularly to make sure you don’t miss it.

2. You must subscribe at www.clickfrenzy.com.au by 6pm. Four emails will be sent during the 24 hours with special deals and instructions — the first will go out between 6pm and 7pm

tonight, so check your spam folder too.

3. Only MasterCard and Visa will be accepted. Click Frenzy recommends putting your preferred settings for payments in your browser’s autofill to speed up the process.

4. It’s a maximum of one item per user per household for the whole 24 hours, so pick what you want most. Once you’ve scored a bargain, you’re out of the hunt until the next event.

FEARS OVER SITE CRASHES

When Click Frenzy launched in 2012, the website’s servers crashed, meaning many shoppers missed out on bargains — and retailers lost valuable sales.

And in November last year, many Click Frenzy shoppers were left disappointed after a number of web pages at partnering retailers failed to keep up with the sudden surge in demand.

Many unhappy consumers took to social media to complain about sold-out deals and crashed web pages — and with more than one million Australians expected to shop in the sale this year, some fear there’s a reasonable chance history could repeat itself.

However, Click Frenzy co-founder Grant Arnott told news.com.au he was expecting the event to go smoothly without technical hiccups or crashes.

“Click Frenzy tends to be a lightning rod for questions about technical capability,” he said.

“We haven’t had a significant technical issue since the site was down for three hours during our launch in 2012 — don’t jinx us!

“We work with all our retail partners to deliver a good experience for shoppers, and we’re not anticipating any technical problems during this week’s event.”

However, Mr Arnott warned the sale’s signature 99 per cent off deals would “absolutely” sell out almost immediately.

“We know that the subscriber-only 99 per cent off deals sell out really fast, but we’ve added more stock than ever and those subscribers who follow the clues in their emails are going to have a real chance at scoring a bargain of a lifetime,” he said.

MORE DETAILS

Mr Arnott said this year’s sales would the biggest yet, with up to 80 per cent off footwear, fashion and homewares and massive discounts on electronics and travel.

Australia Post is partnering with Click Frenzy Mayhem again this year to ensure bargains can be delivered to 11.7 million addresses.

The 2017 Mayhem broke online shopping records, with Australia Post reporting a jump of 32 per cent in parcel volumes year-on-year.