IN A Facebook post that perfectly sums up the disastrous Masters fire sale, a Melbourne man has dubbed the liquidation a rip-off.

Woolworths’ failed hardware chain’s ill-fated clearance has been lambasted from the start as a bargain-free zone with advertised stock missing from shelves and prices more expensive than at rival Bunnings.

But that hasn’t stopped Australians from trying to score last-minute deals, with disappointing results.

Disgruntled shopper Stefan complained that the set of kitchen taps he bought was advertised as “40 per cent off the lowest ticketed price”, with a $149 price tag falling away to reveal what appeared to be an original price of $79. After raising the issue, he said, staff refused to honour the lower price.

“This is how Masters are conducting their sale, hiking up the price and then taking 40 per cent off ... They’re still ripping people off,” he wrote on Masters’ Facebook page.

“$149 price at the front and $79 price at the back. Despite their sale tickets saying 40 per cent off lowest ticketed price, they refused service. I wonder how Consumer Affairs Victoria and ACCC Consumer Rights would feel about this.”

Another Facebook user pointed out that the old price appeared to be from 2013, while Masters’ social media representative promised to “investigate”.

It’s just the latest complaint in what shoppers have dubbed “a big joke”, with the chain reportedly cutting off its telephone lines so that customers could not contact stores directly.

The sale was supposed to shift half a billion dollars worth of stock by December, but Masters reportedly tried to cancel supplier orders last month after the sale tanked.

Some people on social media have suggested the original price had been tampered with in the picture, but clearly there only appears room for a dollar sign and perhaps a number 1, which would still be short of the 40 per cent off, given the spacing.

Kevin Olson, general manager of liquidators GA Australia, did not respond to a request for comment.

dana.mccauley@news.com.au