Charged more than advertised price for car

Bobcat_Mushroom

Hi all, 
We purchased a 10 year old Audi A1 from a local dealership last year. The price shown in large numbers in the windscreen & also on the photo advert attached to the car was £7,999. However when we agreed to purchase it we were charged £8,999 - they said the advert was wrong. Is this ok or can we challenge it as we feel we should have been charged the price advertised. I do have a video sent by the dealer showing the £7,999 price as well as a photo of the advert on my phone.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Bobcat_Mushroom said:

Hi all, 
We purchased a 10 year old Audi A1 from a local dealership last year. The price shown in large numbers in the windscreen & also on the photo advert attached to the car was £7,999. However when we agreed to purchase it we were charged £8,999 - they said the advert was wrong. Is this ok or can we challenge it as we feel we should have been charged the price advertised. I do have a video sent by the dealer showing the £7,999 price as well as a photo of the advert on my phone.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Wasn't the time to ask this last year 🤔

user1977

To be fair, the timescale doesn't really matter - you wouldn't have the right to "challenge" it even on the day - though you could of course have tried to negotiate.

If it had been a deliberately misleading price then that's a Trading Standards matter - but not something which gives you any rights.

Grumpy_chap

The price displayed in the advert / windscreen is usually nothing more than an "invitation to treat" - it means the seller is willing to sell the product assuming an acceptable price can be agreed.  In your negotiations, it seems as though an acceptable price was reached which the seller accepted and you paid.
Why did you complete the purchase at £9k if you thought the car was only worth £8k?

Bobcat_Mushroom

Thanks all - I was a bit bamboozled at the time & recently came across the video which reminded me so thought I'd ask! I know I should maybe have argued more at back then but we had such a nightmare we should have probably just walked away but we really liked the car! 

DullGreyGuy

Bobcat_Mushroom said:

Hi all, 
We purchased a 10 year old Audi A1 from a local dealership last year. The price shown in large numbers in the windscreen & also on the photo advert attached to the car was £7,999. However when we agreed to purchase it we were charged £8,999 - they said the advert was wrong. Is this ok or can we challenge it as we feel we should have been charged the price advertised. I do have a video sent by the dealer showing the £7,999 price as well as a photo of the advert on my phone.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

There is an urban myth that companies have to sell at the price advertised even if there is an error. It's not true. They are perfectly entitled to correct the price, withdraw the item from sale etc. If a pattern emerges that seems its not a mistake then either ASA or TS may consider it false advertising and take appropriate action. 


Even if you'd signed the deal and paid over the £7,999 they can still potentially change it as long as it would have been obvious that it was an error to most people in the market. They'd have to offer the option of cancelling the sale though

Mildly_Miffed

When they handed you paperwork with a price £1k more than you expected, why didn't you question it at the time?

motorguy

Interesting that we are seeing an influx of these "i bought this item X months / years ago, and i now think i've been mis sold / overcharged for it, what should i do?" type posts.

All from new posters, all with no history or subsequent posts.

I'm getting a Dark feeling on this Matter.

FIREDreamer

£9,000 for an entry level 10 year old Audi? Should be nearer £5,000 surely?

kinger101

Bobcat_Mushroom said:

Thanks all - I was a bit bamboozled at the time & recently came across the video which reminded me so thought I'd ask! I know I should maybe have argued more at back then but we had such a nightmare we should have probably just walked away but we really liked the car! 

I believe they are not allowed to sell for a higher price unless the buyer makes a higher counter offer.  They are allowed to refuse to sell at 7999.

kinger101

DullGreyGuy said:

Bobcat_Mushroom said:

Hi all, 
We purchased a 10 year old Audi A1 from a local dealership last year. The price shown in large numbers in the windscreen & also on the photo advert attached to the car was £7,999. However when we agreed to purchase it we were charged £8,999 - they said the advert was wrong. Is this ok or can we challenge it as we feel we should have been charged the price advertised. I do have a video sent by the dealer showing the £7,999 price as well as a photo of the advert on my phone.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

There is an urban myth that companies have to sell at the price advertised even if there is an error. It's not true. They are perfectly entitled to correct the price, withdraw the item from sale etc. If a pattern emerges that seems its not a mistake then either ASA or TS may consider it false advertising and take appropriate action. 


Even if you'd signed the deal and paid over the £7,999 they can still potentially change it as long as it would have been obvious that it was an error to most people in the market. They'd have to offer the option of cancelling the sale though

Well, my law lecturer taught that myth.