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.

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.

This is the correct answer!

Good grief folks, do we really want to get mad over a mistake in pricing? I'm glad none of you ever make a mistake.

In Colorado, if an item is mis-priced, the business is required by law to give you one item at the erroneous price.

BassPro was really unhappy with me when they mis-priced a pair of binoculars by $100.00 and I held their feet to the fire and made them give me one pair at the unintentionally discounted price.

A few years ago, I went to Sports Authority to look at a Leupold VX-I 3-9x40 for $170. They didn't have any left, but offered to sell me a VX-III 2.5-8x36 for the same price. I told the salesperson that the VX-III was a more expensive scope, so he asked his boss and that guy pretty much said that "a scope is a scope" and that I could have the VX-III for $170. I bought it and have never felt guilty, since I pointed out the pricing error to both the sales person and his supervisor and they made the decision to sell the VX-III for the VX-I price.

If I am over-charged or under-charged, I point the error out so that I can pay the correct price. Karma is real and to knowingly cheat, take advantage of, someone seems like nothing but bad karma.

In Washington State, the posted price is the price. Period.

People crack me the [bleep] up. I've been in the Engineering and Construction game for over three decades. The overwhelming contracting strategy used in that time by our municipal, state and federal governments, major industrial and energy companies has been lump sum fixed fee. That means the contractor estimates, bids the job, and if awarded it does it for the quoted price in lieu of changes in scope or complexity. The untold losses that contractors over the years have invested in roadways, bridges, waterways, refineries, industrial plants, power plants, and on and on is in the multiple $billions...sorry, I have zero sympathy for a business where a dumbphuck makes a mistake that might cost them a couple hundred bucks...

I guess if I said I made the mistake and mispriced an item the same guys would be saying I should honor it...funny place this.

Do you want stores lying about the price to get you in the dorr, and then changing it on you?

Went to the grocery store one time. Rib eye steaks listed as top round for two something a pound. Pointed out the mistake to the butcher on duty. He muttered under his breath about the gal that labeled them and just went home, said you should take 'em. I picked two out of the six or seven mislabeled in the case and thanked him.

Humans happen, don't be a dick about.

I once bought some ERA laundry soap and was charged the wrong price, like $2 for a $6 bottle. I pointed out the error to the clerk and his solution was to rescan the bar code. I don't think that it occurred to him that the price was wrong in the computer system's master price file. Since laundry soap is a commodity with a long shelf-life, I went back and bought several more bottles and we were fixed for a couple of months.

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but at one time the Kroger where I shopped, if the price in the computer was higher than the price tag, the item was free. This was to compensate for having to waste time dealing with customer service and to show that they were not dealing in bad faith. Good policy IMO.

byc, that speaks to you character. Funny how some will justify stealing.

I'm lucky that we sell mostly nickel and dime stuff where I can afford a few dollars worth of mistake.


but I've got pards that sell rifles, cameras, boats etc., believe it or not there's a very small margin in those products. I could see where if a mistake was made in advertising that they couldn't honor the quoted sales price.

I'd like to think they'd offer something to the customer though for their trouble though, perhaps 10% off on something that they do have a decent margin on.

I dunno. Yep I'd be put out if I drove to a store to get a specific item for an advertised price. And it's happened, but it's still a pretty good life even when stuff like that happens.