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

Every good deal comes at someone's expense.
It's a. Very very old adage that you can't have your cake and eat it as well.

Was this a no reserve auction sell?

They are here, if the advertised/sticker price is less than the counter price the shop is required to honour the lesser price.

In point of fact I have been at work and found that some dill had not removed an old specials ticket...I honour the price each and every time.

I can't speak to gun sales, but I can speak to food sales. If we miss price a product, we must, by law, sell that item for that price to anyone in the restaurant at that time. However, it must be our mistake. It can't be someone coming in to your restaurant and changing your menu board. (We had that happen many times) Although, as long as we did not think the person asking for the lower price was the person who changed the price, we honored it. I know this law also applies to other retail stores, not sure about auto dealers though.

As others have said, if a product is offered for sale at a price and that price is accepted, you have a completed contract and it must be honored. You can then change your price before anyone else gets to take advantage of it.

I saw a Jeep once that was way under priced. When I asked about it the salesman quickly corrected the pricing.
Another time I was charged more than the marked price for an item at a grocery store. When I questioned the price they gave me credit and fixed their signage.

IMO,,, both instances were handled like I would have expected although I wish it would have been the opposite. I'd have gladly paid a dollar more at the grocery store if I could have gotten that Jeep for half price. Never seems to work that way though.

That comment speaks volumes on character. You should check it out sometime...

Yep.

A GB ad has no excuse. The seller had more than enough checks and double-checks to fix what the "mistake" was to start with.

On GB specifically, it was a "bait and switch" tactic.

When that has happened to me as a buyer, I have chosen to run the other way as fast as I could, knowing that the seller is some kind of scaliwag with whom I was just saved from dealing with.

And no, I don't really believe that every single GB seller is an older, just-retired, fine gentlemanly grandfather who just so happened to hit the wrong keys on his new keyboard!

The Target store here has a long record of the register showing a higher price than the sticker. They'll always change it if you catch it but you have to watch every item as it rings up. It happens too often to be coincidence.

I don't know what the business should do, but the customer should be honest enough to forgive a mistake.

My story was at a Cabelas, which had a Westley Richards .500 Nitro double rifle for sale.

The price tag read $3299.99

I carry it into the salesman's office. "This the right price?"

Salesman: Looks at the tag, "Yes it is!"

I say okay, I'll take it. After a few minutes, I decide if I actually do get out of the store paying that price, they'll probably send the cops after me and accuse me of fraud.

I finally say, "You sure that's the right price?"

Salesman: "Yes it's $32,999.99"

Me: "That's not what the tag says"

Salesman: "Yes I'm fixing it right now!"

I laugh and tell him no thanks.

Last summer, I bought a small boat, a aluminum car topper.
I did my research, and decided on a "Tracker" brand boat, regular price $699.
Bass Pro advertised a sale, the same boat for $599.
I checked Trackers web site, and they had the same boat listed on sale, $599. I went to the web site of the store where I intended to buy the boat, about 110 miles form my house, and there it was, on sale $599.
I got my cash and drove to Bass Pro, picked out a boat, they had several in stock and sat down to do the paper work. $699. No, I said, it's on sale for $599.
The sales man tells me that sale is only on this years model, and the ones in stock are next years models.
What's the difference. Nothing, only the seiral number.
I pulled out the printed adds, all three from Tracker, Bass Pro, and from that pretictular store showing the boat on sale. No dice, he can't/won't honor the add.
This was bait and switch, and Bass Pro has lost my buisness.
The next weekend, I drove right past Bass Pro, another 50 miles to the next Tracker dealer,"Nor Cal Mastercraft" in the Bay area, and they honored the price, and treated me very well.

GunBroker.com® User Agreement
Transactions on the Site

. Buyers and Sellers

b. Seller Undertakings.

(i) Listing an Item constitutes entering into a binding legal contract with the buyer to sell the Item on the terms stated in this Agreement, the Site Rules and in the Listing, if the buyer’s bid is the winning bid. You agree to complete the sale of all listed Items on such terms.

So get a lawyer and spend a few thousand to get the deal

Had the same thing happen with a S&B scope from an online source. Innanet price was ten percent of wholesale price and the scope was in stock. Called the dealer on the phone, confirmed part number and price. I told the woman that while I would love to pay that price for the scope she might want to double check. She put me on hold, gets back on after a minute and apologizes for the pricing mistake. I thought about ordering one but figured they'd catch their mistake and ding my debit card for the difference. I was headed to CO for an elk hunt, that charge would have put a serious dent in my slush fund...

Should businesses honor......

How many customers are honest enough to point out obvious errors? Wife runs a C store, when a clerk missplaced the decimal point and was selling 93 gasolene for $.39, instead of $3.90, the first clue was the huge increase in sales.

I was always taught that if you offered something for sale at an advertised price then that's what you sold it for, if you screwed up marking the item or in the advertisement then you sucked it up and honored your word. I would temper that with obvious major screwups like the $3299 price on a $32K rifle, or putting a half price tag on a jeep. There's no excuse for Bass Pro Shop not honoring the $599 price on the boat, if you advertise it then honor it and $599-$699 is not in the realm of an obvious mistake.

I went in a convenience store near me about 10 years ago to buy a 12 pack of beer. It was advertised both on the outside of the store and on the cooler at $8.99 a 12 pack. I picked it up, went to the counter and the guy rang it up at $10.19. I said no, that's supposed to be $8.99. He said the sale went off this morning and it's now $10.19. I said I didn't know that and don't care, it's advertised at $8.99. He refused to budge so I left it on the counter and walked out, I haven't been back in that store since then and won't.

In my opinion advertising something for a specific price then changing the terms after the sale is agreed speaks to character also. I don't expect someone to take a huge loss because they screwed up a decimal point, but if your clerk forgets to take the sale sign down then suck it up and honor the advertised price. Then go take the sign down & remember not to screw it up next time.

This...end of story

OT a little but WTH....

went to Publix a couple of weeks ago. Had 2 giant jugs of cranberry juice in the bottom of the cart that I failed to put on the belt. Got to the car and realized I got a really good deal on cranberry juice 'cos it was free.

Was it my fault for not unloading the cart or their fault for not seeing the items and then pricing? Don't matter......

Went directly back in and paid for them. Based on my honesty the Manager insisted that I not pay. But I insisted more and settled fairly.

You reap what you sow! Believe it.

When selling on GB specifically, it is almost impossible to make a mistake in listing your price.