Vendor makes mistake in price

[Beth]

I recently purchased a diamond online giving cc details and completing a checkout process with an order confirmation (automated). The confirmation indicated that a rep would be in touch via email or phone to be sure about authorization. I then got an email saying that the "vendor" (as if it wasn't them) had made a mistake in the price and the stone was actually several thousand more. I am wondering if the company (not sure I should name them) should have to honor the price they advertised the stone for? Just wondering if I should pursue this and by what means. I found the stone via PS database.

Thanks for any input

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

There was a similar topic a month or 2 back.

I believe an honest mistake on a vendors behalf does not make a contract to sell.
The only case would be a misleading mistake to create a loss leader situation to gain attention.

I did once hear about a woman who sold her ex-hubbies Merc sports for $100 (about $99,900 less than it was worth).

 

[joycer]

That happened to me once also on a PS search. When I saw the price I thought it must be too good to be true... and it was, so I wasn''t too disappointed when I found out they made an error listing the price and I did not expect them to honor their price. In general I don''t think that a blatant error (one worth thousands) on an impersonal level like the internet is one vendors should be held accountable for, everyone makes mistakes. As a consumer I would expect a vendor to honor a lower price that was listed improperly if there were other vendors selling the same quality of stone at the price they told me was an error.

-joycer

 

[valeria101]

Not sure if this is very relevant... but this database and the one of Blue Nile (the two I looked at often enough...) are all the time rife with dead links and obviously weird prices: both way less and way more than one would reasonably expect.

If there is any way to obtain the goods for some serious discount... well, no idea what that could be.

Most stores take care to say somewhere that they are not responsible for listing missmatches and typos.

 

[Beth]

I will keep looking. I don't think it was intentional but it still makes for a disappointment. I didn't see the other thread as I don't read this board on a regular basis but I appreciate the quick feedback. I noticed another vendor has the same diamond listed on their database at the same price too so I guess it is one of those dropshipped deals, but you would think that somebody would catch the error before it got to the checkout process. I think the email saying they will call or email to verify the order is the loophole that lets them out of having to honor the price as advertised. It was an F VVS2 asscher ! I thought I had won the lottery. lol. I have similar feelings to you Joycer. I jumped it pretty quick.

 

[codex57]

Date: 4/4/2005 4

1:27 AM
Author: but you would think that somebody would catch the error before it got to the checkout process. I think the email saying they will call or email to verify the order is the loophole that lets them out of having to honor the price as advertised. It was an F VVS2 asscher ! I thought I had won the lottery. lol. I have similar feelings to you Joycer. I jumped it pretty quick.

Companies do this b/c there are mistakes that happen all the time when typing in the price. It''s very common on the internet and its rapid price changes. Most internet shops use the checkout/authorization process to "catch" any price mistakes. If it ships, then you got it for that price. B&M stores are teh opposite. Once you see the price labeled on the item (even if incorrect), then the general rule is to honor that price.

 

[Mara]

most companies with ecommerce capabilities have disclaimers somewhere on the site noting that if a stone is mispriced or an error occurs that they will not necessarily honor pricing. the awareness of this is much more prevalent now than in the past...some well-known companies have price errored in the past and then had to backpedal to make up the losses.

if it seems too good to be true....especially when it comes to diamonds! there aren''t tons of thousand dollar discount ''bargains'' out there unless it''s eBay!

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 4/4/2005 4

1:27 AM
Author: Beth
I I noticed another vendor has the same diamond listed on their database at the same price too so I guess it is one of those dropshipped deals, but you would think that somebody would catch the error before it got to the checkout process

Most drop shippers upload and post these diamonds without ever looking at the listings, they do thousands of stones at a time all through a computer program that adds their small percentage on each stone and moves on. This stone was obviously incorrectly listed from the owner of the stone who is NOT going to ship the stone at that price.

Some vendors on Polygon are even listing their stones at ridiculous prices so that they will come up first in a search for stones of a given size and quality then claim "oops" when called and quote the real price. Very annoying and many of them simply get filtered out of our polygon searches since we do not have time for such silliness. However, when one is uploading and posting a "virtual inventory" then those mistakes get posted and buyers like you will be angry at the selling vendor, not the real culpret who was the vendor selling to your vendor.

Wink

 

[windy1365]

I was on Blue Nile once and saw a D, 1.79, princess, very good cut stone for only $3k. It was a mistake when I called about it, but I wonder if someone actually got it for that price??

 

[DiamondExpert]

Windy, you can bet your keister that no one, no how got that stone for $3K!!!! Diamond folks may make mistakes, but they ain''t stupid!!

Remember, with diamonds, you alway get what you pay for and sometimes a lot less!!