Online Retailer - Mispriced Item & Dispute. Need Advice.

KarieBlue

Quick question: I ordered an item from a major retailer that was £12.50 and on their 50% off sale, so £6.25. When I receieved the item, it had a pricing tag on it stating £10. I emailed them and got the following reply:

"Thank you for your email about the ELC peg board you have ordered. I have looked into this for you with our product team. They have advised me the price on the product is the ELC price and would have come automatically with the product from the suppliers. As a result, you have been charged correctly on this order."

Is this really right? How can they justify upping the price to lower it on the website?

Any advice is appreciated. It isn't the £ I am worried about, but more the principle.

TIA,
Karie

dmg24

Hi Karie,

Did you order the item from ELC, or another retailer?

KarieBlue

I ordered from Boots, who sell ELC products.

Thanks

stugib

Strange one. Just to be clear, you weren't charged £10 for something they said would be £6.25, it's the fact that they claimed it was £12.50 full price when you think the full price was £10?

I don't know the answer but it could fall under one of these two things:
- is a retailer allowed to sell for more than the manufacturers recommended price, which Boots seem to be claiming is £10 now. I think they're free to do so.
- the £12.50 price had to have been charged, by Boots, for 28 days of the previous 6 months (think I'm remembering that correctly) - again, I'm not sure how that applies for online items, I suppose it's the same?


I would guess (and I am guessing) that maybe it was on sale for £12.50 from Boots earlier in the year but it's now been reduced to £10 but they take advantage of loopholes to base the 50% on the higher price?

What ELC put on the box doesn't seem relevant (w.r.t. what they told you), so may just be them trying to avoid giving their game away?

dmg24

stugid is spot on.

The manufacturer can write anything on the box, what is relevant is what has actually been charged for the item previously by the retailer that you bought the item from.

Boots are normally very good with their procedures, so I would be surprised if they had not previously sold the item for £12.50.

However, I would have thought that they might have offered you something as a goodwill gesture x