Need help on pricing issue!

ricky1091

Hope someone can give me advice.
Just bought a house and today we were going around tile shops for new kitchen floor tiles. 1st shop we went into had the tiles we wanted on sale at £17.20 per sq yard. We asked an assistant how many sq yrds we needed which he worked out and noted the area, price, tile name and total price on a quotation sheet. He also signed the bottom of the quote. As this was the 1st shop we had been to, we left to see what another shop had to offer. They weren't anywhere close to the price in the 1st shop so we returned to buy our tiles. We went to the same assistant and said we'd like to go ahead with the order. He then told us that the manager had priced the tiles wrongly by £10 per sq yrd. The manager said her '2' looked like a '1', but myself, fiancee and assistant all took it for a '1' which it clearly was. (The price sticker had been changed when we returned) He tried on his system to reduce the price but couldnt. I asked the manager if there was nothing she could do and she offered a similar style of tile but was a different shade of colour. I've just read on trading standards website that they dont have to sell for the mistaken price, however because we have the written quotation signed by the assistant does this make a difference?

I intend contacting trading standards and the tile chains head office in the morning as I cant get anyone today being a bank holiday.

Many thanks in advance!

dmg24

No, it does not make a difference until they accept your offer to buy. The quotation is an invitation to treat.

Valli

dmg is right - you make the offer to buy when you say you will pay the quoted price. At that point the shopkeeper/sales assistant is perfectly entitled to say that you can't have them at that price...
I wouldn't even waste money calling trading standards or the tile co. head office tbh

hollydays

Look at this way,if it was your business and you had made an honest mistake,would you expect to be penalised for that?

ricky1091

hollydays wrote: »

Look at this way,if it was your business and you had made an honest mistake,would you expect to be penalised for that?

So with that attitude we'll see an end to all the threads on tesco misprices? After all someone is employed to change price labels and check that prices are correct yet if they miss one - 'an honest mistake' people are on here complaining if they are not given it at that price?

Valli

yes people DO complain they are not given that price...but THE LAW is that they are not entitled to claim that price.
Stores DO NOT make an offer to sell at a stated price
Stores make an INVITATION TO TREAT - the offer - is made when the customer agrees to pay a price
multiple chains will sometime abide by a misprice
they have the option not to though - so if an employee 'stickers' a £1000 item at a £10.00 price ... the store does not need to sell that item for £10.
Some stores/chain will let a customer buy an item at a stickered price to maintain goodwill...they are not legally obliged to sell the item at the stickered price though.

This has been law for a VERY long time! Unfortunately some customers believe, albeit mistakenly, that a shop is obliged to sell an item for the stated price. So no rights in law.
Sorry!

If you smile, and are pleasant, and ask nicely though...

And people will still come on here and moan esp about Tesco because Tesco will sometimes honour a mistaken sticker/shelf edge price....
IMHO Tesco can afford to abide by stickered prices.
(And I VERY RARELY shop at Tesco!)

ricky1091

After waiting on the area manager ringing me back, I have got the tiles for the original quoted price plus free grout and adhesive for the inconvenience. Just goes to show you if you dont ask you dont get!! :j

Tozer

Good for you.

All of the above is correct. However, whilst they do not have to sell for the "wrong" price, they actually commit an offence under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and the Misleading Price Indications Order if you are misled.

Hence most retailers err on the side of caution and sell for the lower price rather than risk committing and offence.