Online price V tag price on item received conflict 27 November 2022 at 2:17PM in Consumer rights 12 replies 513 views

susie65

Hi, I'm happy with an item that I've just purchased online from John Lewis ... except that there is price tag on it for  £40 less than I have just paid. JL say that by ordering and  accepting it I have agreed to the higher price and will not refund the difference (as it could be old stock). I want to keep the item. Any thoughts? Many thanks

eskbanker

JL are right (unless they have any merchant-specific pricing terms) - the presence of a tag doesn't affect the terms of the purchase that you agreed.  If the tag had been a higher amount, would you have been contacting them offering to pay more?

TadleyBaggie

There is no conflict, they offered the item at a price you were prepared to pay, you paid and they delivered the product. All the parts of a completed contract. If they offer no goodwill, then you have no recourse.

user1977

eskbanker said

If the tag had been a higher amount, would you have been contacting them offering to pay more?

And if it had no tag, would you think it was free? 

ThumbRemote

There might not be any legal conflict, but it's crappy behaviour from a retailer. They may as well have put in a little card reading "Ha ha we've ripped you off" - because even if they haven't, it certainly makes you feel like they have,  

Assuming they sell the item cheaper in store, and you can be bothered to look, you do have the right to return your online item. 

pinkshoes

Well Sainburys are charging £22 online for their 1L bottle of Baileys, but they're £10 in store...

They're perfectly entitled to charge different prices from online to in store. It's likely the store it came from had reduced the price but hadn't done the reduction online yet. If they have said on, then that's their choice, you can either return it and see if it reduces online, or keep it.

cymruchris

I had it some time ago with a Sports Direct order (the one and only time I ordered with them) - I sent it back for a refund as I had the same feeling of being ripped off, even though they hadn't done anything legally wrong. You could either keep the item, enjoy it, but always resent that they'd 'overcharged' you - or you could send it back, and buy something similar somewhere else.

cmthephoenix

In the case of John Lewis they appear to have a distinct policy on this. If OP can find a store that is selling it at the marked price I think they may have a case

"However, if you've already made a purchase with us and the price has since reduced at John Lewis (either online or in-store), you can still submit a claim for a price drop refund using our form within 35 days of purchase."

MalMonroe

pinkshoes said:

Well Sainburys are charging £22 online for their 1L bottle of Baileys, but they're £10 in store...

They're perfectly entitled to charge different prices from online to in store. It's likely the store it came from had reduced the price but hadn't done the reduction online yet. If they have said on, then that's their choice, you can either return it and see if it reduces online, or keep it.

Eeekk! My favourite Christmas tipple!!  I actually ordered it online last week and it came with my groceries BUT it was only a tenner. I'd never pay £22 for it. How very rude of them. I like my Baileys at Christmas but won't pay more than double for a litre of it. 

Sainos may lower the price again, they sometimes do mid-December, we shop online with them every week and they've done that in the past. 

MalMonroe

ThumbRemote said:

There might not be any legal conflict, but it's crappy behaviour from a retailer. They may as well have put in a little card reading "Ha ha we've ripped you off" - because even if they haven't, it certainly makes you feel like they have,  

Assuming they sell the item cheaper in store, and you can be bothered to look, you do have the right to return your online item. 

I agree. They could have at least had the foresight to cut the tag off!   

MalMonroe

susie65 said:

Hi, I'm happy with an item that I've just purchased online from John Lewis ... except that there is price tag on it for  £40 less than I have just paid. JL say that by ordering and  accepting it I have agreed to the higher price and will not refund the difference (as it could be old stock). I want to keep the item. Any thoughts? Many thanks

They might be right legally but they are really letting customers down by doing that.

I'd have sent it back.  And as I said to ThumbRemote, above, they could have cut the tag off. That's just adding insult to injury. 

Having said all that I've recently bought quite a few items from JL and have been happy with them all - no price differences though. 

I just feel they could have refunded you the £40 in the name of fairness. I know they don't have to but they could have.