Spot fake discounts before a sale
A checklist to test whether a sale deal is real, plus a verdict on the specific offer you paste. Paste this prompt into ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok or Claude, change the parts in brackets to suit you, and generate.
- Written for
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Claude
- Status
- Tested 9 Oct 2026 in Grok, 9 Oct 2026 (one run; model id not exposed)
- Test settings
- The page's exact default prompt was run once in Grok on 9 Oct 2026. The default details already written on the page were the input. They are illustrative, not a record of a real event. ChatGPT and Gemini were not used. The first result was kept.
- Variability
- A different set of details, or another run, will change the wording. This is the first result for the defaults on this page.
Prompt
I am shopping in the Diwali festive sale and want to avoid fake discounts. The deal I am looking at: Bluetooth speaker, MRP ₹9,999, sale price ₹3,499 (65% off), extra 10% off with a specific bank card, 'only 3 left' What I actually need it for: a speaker for the living room, used on weekends Part 1 — Explain the common tricks in simple words, each with one quick way to check it: - Inflated "original" or MRP price - Price raised just before the sale - Bank-card or coupon offers with conditions that may not apply to me - "Only 2 left" or countdown pressure - Bundles with items I do not need - Older or lower-spec variant sold under a similar name - No-cost EMI with hidden processing fees - Hidden delivery, installation or "protection" add-ons Part 2 — Check my deal against these tricks using only the details I gave. List which checks pass, fail or need more information. Part 3 — A 5-step routine to follow before paying. Rules: If any detail you need is missing, ask me up to 3 short questions first and wait for my answers. Do not invent prices, model numbers, specs or offers; if you are unsure whether a model or spec is current, say so. Price bands, product models and specifications require dated supplied evidence or current sources you can actually access and cite. Otherwise mark them unknown; do not substitute remembered prices or unsupported bands. Compare delivered prices and terms before purchasing. Never claim the deal is good or bad for sure without a price history I provide. Offer to calculate the true effective price if I paste the full offer terms.
Customise
For example: Diwali festive sale.
For example: your own deal details.
For example: a speaker for the living room, used on weekends.
Fields start with illustrative values; replace them with your own facts. The prompt updates as you type. Copy prompt copies your version.
Example output
Actual tested output. The notes used for this result are an example, not a real event. This box is not copied. Replace the notes above with your own before you paste the prompt.
Three questions before any verdict. I will not call this deal good or bad. No price history was supplied. 1. What is the exact model, and which shop or listing is this? 2. What earlier price do you have for this same model, and which bank card is offering the extra 10%? Paste the condition text if you have it. 3. What do delivery, any protection plan, any bundle and any EMI charge show before you pay? Part 1. Common tricks, and one check each - Inflated MRP: the "original" figure was never the price people paid. Check: find an earlier selling price for the same model, not the MRP printed on this offer. - Price raised just before the sale: the shop lifts the price, then discounts it. Check: compare with a price you saved from before the sale for this same model. - Bank-card or coupon conditions: the extra percent may need a card, a minimum spend or a brand you do not have. Check: read the condition line and see if your card and this product are included. - "Only a few left" or a countdown: the pressure is to pay before you compare. Check: look again later, or in another seller's stock. A low-stock line is not proof. - Bundles: a second item you do not need is folded into the price. Check: see if you can remove the extra item and what the speaker alone costs. - Similar name, lower spec: an older or weaker version shares most of the title. Check: match the full model name on the listing to the name on the box, and do not rely on a shortened title. - No-cost EMI: the monthly figure looks free of interest, then a processing fee is added. Check: at checkout, add any processing fee to the total and compare with paying the cash price. - Hidden add-ons: delivery, installation or a "protection" plan is ticked on. Check: read the last screen before payment and remove anything you did not choose. Part 2. Your deal, using only what you wrote You wrote: Bluetooth speaker, MRP ₹9,999, sale price ₹3,499 (65% off), extra 10% off with a specific bank card, "only 3 left". You want it for the living room, on weekends. Model, seller, price history, card name, bundle, EMI and delivery were not given. - Stated percent versus the two prices you gave: ₹9,999 minus ₹3,499 is ₹6,500. ₹6,500 divided by ₹9,999 is about 65%. The two figures match each other within about a rupee of rounding. That does not show the MRP was ever a real selling price. - Inflated MRP: need more information. No earlier selling price was given. - Price raised before the sale: need more information. No price history was given. - Bank-card 10%: need more information. The card and its conditions were not given. If, and only if, 10% comes off ₹3,499 with no exclusion and no fee, the arithmetic is ₹3,499 x 0.9 = ₹3,149.10. That is not a price I am saying you will pay. - "Only 3 left": need more information. The words are on the offer. Stock was not shown any other way. Do not treat the line as a reason to skip the checks. - Bundle: need more information. You did not mention one. - Older or lower-spec variant: need more information. No model name was given. - No-cost EMI: need more information. You did not mention EMI. - Delivery, installation or protection add-ons: need more information. None were listed. Nothing here passes as "a real discount". Nothing here fails as "a fake discount" either. The checks that would decide it are still open. For a weekend living-room speaker, ignore any bundle that is not the speaker. Part 3. Five steps before you pay 1. Write down the full model name from the listing. If there is no model, stop. 2. Set that next to any earlier price you have for the same model. If you have none, the discount is unverified. 3. Read the bank-card line: which card, any minimum, and whether this speaker is included. 4. On the last screen, add delivery and any protection or EMI fee, and remove a bundle you do not need. 5. Compare that delivered total with the plain sale price. Decide only then. I still will not call the deal good or bad without a price history you provide. Paste the full offer terms and I will calculate the effective price from those figures only.
How to use it
- Open ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok or Claude.
- Paste the prompt and replace the [BRACKETS] with your details.
- Review names, facts and the requested format; follow up with corrections or missing details.
How to use this prompt
- Fill Customise with your real details. Do not let the tool guess a missing fact. Write the missing information clearly if you need to.
- Press Copy prompt and paste it into the AI app named above. This page copies the prompt. The answer is created in the external app.
- Check names, facts, numbers, language and the format you asked for. If something is wrong or incomplete, ask for a correction.
Good to know
- It cannot see live price history; use a price-tracking site or your own earlier screenshots to confirm the real drop. Run once in Grok on 9 Oct 2026 using the illustrative defaults on this page. Check the draft against your own facts before you use it.
- Check facts before you rely on the answer.
