Bait and Switch- Intentional or Clueless Employee?

My best memory of a potential bait and switch was about 10 years ago. We needed a new washing machine. I headed to a major department store. I won’t tell you which one, but the name had 5 letters, the first and last were “S”. I threw my two oldest (then 5 and 3 yrs old) into the van and headed for S___s.
As usual, I knew exactly what I wanted, and didn’t want to spend time at the store. S___s had run an ad for a washer with a price of $250. I took the ad with me, showed it to the first salesperson I saw, and said: “I want this dryer that you’ve listed in this ad”. Pretty simple, huh? “You don’t want this ad”, said the salesperson, “You want THIS washer over here……”
“What about the washer in the ad?” I asked. “Oh, that one doesn’t have a filter” the salesperson responded. “Without a filter in the washer, you’ll get lint and junk on your clothes”. “How much is the other washer” I asked. “It’s $300” said the salesperson.
By this time, my 3 yr old son was banging on the keys of a keyboard nearby. “Thanks” I said. I handed the salesperson the ad, left S___s, and have never been back for 10 years.
I was reminded of this story when I saw an article on Best Buy.
“The lawsuit accuses Best Buy of denying deals found at the company's Web site, http://www.BestBuy.com. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said store employees charged customers higher prices found on a look-alike internal Web site.”
“… a columnist for The Hartford Courant reported the experience of one Connecticut man who found a laptop computer advertised for $729.99 on BestBuy.com, and then went to a Best Buy store where an employee who seemed to check the same Web site told him the price was actually $879.99.”
Now, my question is both cases this is: was the “bait and switch” (luring the customer in with product A and then selling them a more profitable product B) intentional, or the result of poor communication in the business? Judging from the age and experience level of most store employees, I think educating workers may be an issue! I can’t get these kids to make eye contact, much less add any value on products. What if the in-store Best Buy website is pulling data from the wrong input- a tech problem? Could it be that S___s changed the print ad but didn’t tell store employees? Finally, think about your own business. If customer gets information from a salesperson that is different from an ad, will they think you’re trying to pull off a bait and switch?
The Lesson: It’s critical that the business owner communicate ad information to all employees, so that customers get consistent treatment.
Your Homework: Have you had a situation in which an ad and information from a salesperson weren't not consistent? Did clients complain? How did you handle it?
(Source: “Best Buy Accused of Overcharging Buyers”, Associated Press, 5/21/07)