Meanwhile the John Lewis chain are coming across as equally slippery with their back-tracking on their 86-year-old “Never Knowingly Undersold” guarantee to refund price differences.

According to the Daily Telegraph it is now refusing to honour its pledge on electrical goods where it offers an extended warranty that others don’t, arguing that this makes it a different product, even if customers don’t want the extra cover, or want to buy it separately, and cheaper, elsewhere.