Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Should businesses honor pricing mistakes?

At what level should a business honor a mistake in price?
If a specials menu is wrong by a couple dollars?
A car mispriced?
What about the difference between a single gun shop and a company like cabelas?
Should one be allowed to not sale a mispriced item due to internal negligence?

How would you like to be treated, were you the seller and made a mistake?

It is their merchandise that they bought and paid for. Unless they signed a legal contract to sell item at x amount of dollars, they should be allowed to deal with it any way they want.

Local grocery chain had whole pork loins advertised in the flyer for 1.19 a lb. Went yesterday and there was a sign saying it was an error in the print, sorry for the inconvenience.

I'm good with that.

Kent

No, any business can make a mistake in advertising.

It depends. Some businesses have been known to make "mistakes" in newspaper ads just to get people inside the store. Once customers got there someone points out the disclaimer about mistakes in very small print at the bottom of the ad.

But for honest mistakes, especially ones with a substantial difference I'm OK with them not honoring the advertised price.

If the bargain cave at cabelas had a vx3 stickers for half price and you got to the register and they said it was mispriced would you ask for the sticker price anyway?


I bought a rifle off gunbroker and the seller, a brick and mortar FFL, LLC, refuses to sell. Says a price mistake.
The GB agreement says listing and bidding are contracts.
As well, listing have a full auction preview before posting.

a mistake is not taking money out of your pocket.

Its depressing. But obviously a known fact of being to good to be true when you see it to start with.

Had a car dealer agree to a price some years ago, and we were just about to sign, when the manager comes in and pulls the paper away from us..

Pretty simple, walk out and don't come back on that one.

Is it a mistake or bait and switch?

This is purely situational. Just this week I had an employee try to buy a truck. Price and paperwork were agreed upon as were financing terms. Bank approves loan and it is then understood the wrong vehicle was used and instead of a 2013, they approved and negotiated on a 2005. The truck he test drove, took home and had all paperwork on was 2013. The bank could have approved a 2013, but dealership would not honor price or resubmit the loan request. They said the loss was too great, offered no resolution to meet 1/2 way, just asked that he do the right thing and return truck. IN this case, they should have honored it.

I don't believe businesses are legally obligated to honor a price in case of a pricing error, however some do. If something looks suspiciously inexpensive, I'll confirm with an employee the price is correct, then move to the register.

If you see a pattern of pricing mistakes it would make you wonder.

As I understand it (AND I'M NOT A LAWYER!) if something is offered for sale at a price and you accept the offer, you have an enforceable contract right then and there.

I believe the courts have held that prices in a printed flyer may not be an offer but merely an invitation for the buyer to make an offer. Kind of a stretch, but they had to deal with the prevalence of misprints in printed ads.

So that leaves merchandise priced on the shelf and auction prices. I believe those prices are bona fide offers and are binding if not retracted before acceptance. I would raise holy hell if a buyer tried to refuse a sale in those circumstances.

I've had that situation a couple of times with guns on the internet. My questioning about the details of something led the seller to conclude that it was more special than he had thought. In one case he withdrew the item from sale before I had said "I'll take it" and I honored that. Another weasel tried to withdraw an item I had already bid on and I held his feet to the fire and got it.

If the mistake is corrected immediately I don't have a problem with that.

If the store's mistake is still uncorrected after a long period of time, that is false advertising.

I get that a store needs to stay in business and are understandably subject to mistakes as we all are, however, time and logistical costs on the customer's behalf should be taken into consideration. Ultimately, the business will burn it's reputation for intentional BS.

If it's too good to be true, I'd pick up the phone and confirm before heading to the store...research goes a long way in sifting through the rubble.

I cut them a break and pay the proper price. There is no sense in a business taking a whipping over a mistake.

No way to force the seller.
He will say its a consignment item and can't sell it that cheap.
And im not interested in the rifle at his retail+ revision.
I'll let gunbroker handle it and use feedback. His loss of sales will exceeds his loss on this one single auction.

Everyone wants a good deal, but why would you want it at the other guy's expense?

Just put yourself in the other guy's shoes.

How would you want a buyer to treat you in that situation?

Wishful thinking. As long as they get paid their fees, Gunbroker will do nothing. As long as his feedback is predominantly positive, no one will care about your negative feedback.

I would expect the business to make it right first and foremost.
If that means losing a consignment fee and the profit on the item, so be it.
They should take it up with the employees who made the mistake.
It's called accountability.
If the item was listed for $1000 and had a buy now of $2000, I would be expected to pay the BUY NOW if I chose to do it.
Simply bowing out of a transaction because you put responsility into an employee that wasn't competent or because you undervalued or under researched and item for sale is unacceptable.