Nerdy Note: Mispriced beans

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Former_MSE_Wendy
Former_MSE_Wendy Posts: 929 Forumite
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If a 40p can of bean’s mispriced at 4p
They don’t have to sell it at that price

If something’s genuinely mispriced you can’t demand its sold to you at that price. Until you’ve paid for it the ‘contact’ isn’t concluded. Though of course, there’s no harm in asking for it at that price. Yet if a company is deliberately and systematically mispricing to unfairly attract customers, its actually a criminial offense, and should be reported to Trading Standards.
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  • silvercarmel
    silvercarmel Posts: 30 Forumite
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    And if its wrongly priced and they dont sell it to you, they have to take all those off the shop floor for 24 hours
  • silvercarmel
    silvercarmel Posts: 30 Forumite
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    wow I was the first to post GOOOOO MEEEE
  • Neo08
    Neo08 Posts: 76 Forumite
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    I was always under the impression that if it is mispriced, they dont have to sell you it at that price as long as they are all removed from sale at that time. Once the price has been corrected they can be put back out for sale.

    I was told this by someone that works in retail but i've always wondered if this info was correct. They never mentioned anything about it being removed for a set amount of time. Mind you, it was a while back i was told this so things might have changed since then.
  • AHAR
    AHAR Posts: 984 Forumite
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    Many years ago Dell somehow managed to list 19" TFT monitors on their website for about £340 I think - this was back when they cost £800+ (Inflation? pah! ;)) I ordered a couple but because they never confirmed the order or took the payment they didn't have to sell them to me. They phoned a day or so later to explain it was a mistake.
    Someone else I know had more luck with Kodak when they mis-priced a digital camera for £100 instead of £300+ on their website and the order was processed beyond the point they could legally back out of.
  • midflight
    midflight Posts: 247 Forumite
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    If a 40p can of bean’s mispriced at 4p They don’t have to sell it at that price

    Agreed.

    I have one question:

    Do the rules change if the price has actually been advertised somewhere?

    (for example, on TV or in a newspaper, rather than just a wrongly priced item in a shop)

    I'd prefer a definitive answer if possible, rather than people speculating, as you can ask this question on any forum you care to choose and I guarantee you will get at least 23 different "correct" answers...

    :cool:
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  • A.Jones
    A.Jones Posts: 508 Forumite
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    midflight wrote: »
    Do the rules change if the price has actually been advertised somewhere?


    No, it doesn't. An advertisement is not a contract. It is illegal if a company deliberately misprice in an advertisement, but not if it is a mistake.
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812 Forumite
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    Can we possibly get through this without someone using the phrase "invitation to treat",just to prove they are superior to us mere mortals?
  • midflight
    midflight Posts: 247 Forumite
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    As a side note, I'd be interested to learn the difference between "in person" (eg in a shop or over the phone) & online transactions (ie an automated system), given that the actual point of purchase is more vague online...
    Someone else I know had more luck with Kodak when they mis-priced a digital camera for £100 instead of £300+ on their website and the order was processed beyond the point they could legally back out of.

    I assume you're referring to this story?

    http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/news/feature.asp?Index=5265

    Which raises the interesting question, at what point does an online transaction reach the point of being a "contract" (on screen confirmation? email receipt? when they charge your card? etc). There are answers suggested in that article, but it's from 2002 and admits there are still grey areas. Anyone know the latest?
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  • Ben_Clay
    Ben_Clay Posts: 2 Newbie
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    So, if you knowingly buy a tin of 40p beans from Tesco for 4p - good on yer!

    What if you buy a laptop for £3.99 instead of £399 by keeping quiet at the checkout of a small town computer shop. After which the manager stops you as you are leaving the store explaining it 's a junior cashier's error. Legally right but morally? Is this one for the Money Moral Dilemma?
  • Ben_Clay
    Ben_Clay Posts: 2 Newbie
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    midflight wrote: »
    Which raises the interesting question, at what point does an online transaction reach the point of being a "contract"?
    My wife's internet selling site has a long, boring Terms and Conditions page defining when the contract is completed. Most selling sites will have something like that but I'm not sure what the case is if they don't.
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