Best Buy Not Honoring $9.99 HDTV Price

What did they expect...but best buy...your kinda fail.

I saw this on their website, it was not specified that it's "online only" went to the store because i couldn't order it, at which point i was told that it was in stock and they'd sell it to me for 1400. Classic bait and switch. illegal. I filed a formal complaint with the BBB.

As if they would follow through with something like that.

If you saw a 52" HDTV for $10, would you seriously think,"MAN NO WAI WHAT A DEEL"? I hope not you moron.

Its obvious they won't honour the price that was listed, so don't be suprised when they say it was a typo.

iamcanadian7I hope not you moron.Its obvious they won't honour the price that was listed, so don't be suprised when they say it was a typo.

Hey genius, notice what happen with Dell? This is because it is ILLEGAL not to follow through on an advertised price - EVEN if it was a typo. I, and others, have gotten many things on these errors for cheap. I've gotten a $120 item for $12 at Best Buy. They tell you it is an error, and you tell them too bad, it is law. And they have to honor it.

Where it is tricky here is since it was online and the discount was HUGE. But legally they have to honor the price. I am sure there will be legal intervention with this and perhaps even a court case.

I'm sure none of these people thought "wow what a great deal" but rather "wow let's take advantage of this error because they have to honor it by law!"

Ahh, i wish i could have grabbed one of those Dell monitors.

iamcanadian7As if they would follow through with something like that.If you saw a 52" HDTV for $10, would you seriously think,"MAN NO WAI WHAT A DEEL"? I hope not you moron.Its obvious they won't honour the price that was listed, so don't be suprised when they say it was a typo.

What if the listing price is $100 or $1000. Would you think that $1000 is a typo? Then, where do you draw a line.

I think companies should be forced to follow through on an advertised price. Next time they'll pay more attention before publishing. Who's to say that companies start using that tactic to get people to a store:
- AD: "Buy this new LCD LED TV for $900"
- Dude: "No way, I must get it now"
- BB rep: "Sorry, it's a typo but let me show you what we have in store"

Makes you nauseous, right?

Dannyaa is correct. I was a retail manager for a couple of years and the law states that companies must honor an advertised price regardless of whether or not it is an error. These people who took them up on the price should file a class action lawsuit. They will win. If not, companies can just claim any price to get you into the store, or whatever, and just say--oh, oh, we made a mistake. Sorry Best Buy, take it on the chin and learn how to proofread your frickin stuff.

No, the law does not state that you have to honor a typo. FTC does prohibit bait-and-swich tactics with respect to printed media, HOWEVER, the FTC has also provided a provision for typos such as this. Stop talking out of your ass. Bust Buy has done nothing wrong except not proofreading the ad before it went out.

There is an interview with one of the bigwigs from bestbuy about this issue. He said they would have honored it, if people weren't so greedy about it. Like the guy with the first post "I would have bought 10". Can't just get a 52" badass HD TV for $10? That's not enough of a deal? Ohhh nooo. . . I better buy 50 and make some money! He mentions that one guy ordered over 60 of them. Greedy bastards.

And yes, seriously, what kind of d-bag looks at an ad for a 52" hi-def LCD panel and thinks "that's one heck of a deal!". Seriously, you'd have to be braindead to not know that's a typo.

dannyaaHey genius, notice what happen with Dell? This is because it is ILLEGAL not to follow through on an advertised price - EVEN if it was a typo. I, and others, have gotten many things on these errors for cheap. I've gotten a $120 item for $12 at Best Buy. They tell you it is an error, and you tell them too bad, it is law. And they have to honor it.Where it is tricky here is since it was online and the discount was HUGE. But legally they have to honor the price. I am sure there will be legal intervention with this and perhaps even a court case.I'm sure none of these people thought "wow what a great deal" but rather "wow let's take advantage of this error because they have to honor it by law!"

The Dell thing was not here in the US so I can't say for them. Best Buy however does seem to cover this in their fine print and this being online makes things fuzzy. Laws don't cover the internet very well yet and Best By can afford good lawyers, I doubt they will have to honor the price.

@machowarrior
it wasn't a bait and switch, it wasn't an add to get you into the store for one thing. And as far as offering you the 1400 price tag, you can walk into any electronics store and talk them down at least 10% on most items. In my experience tvs more than 10%. Last year I went to best buy for my tv, list was $2400. Amazon had it for 1700 with free shipping. Best Buy was going to give it to me for $1850 which was good for me, didn't expect a price match, then they didn't have it in stock. Circuit City, American, and Ultimate wouldn't come close to that price so I wound up using Amazon. My point is, I like BB, they have always been good to me. Geek Squad is a joke, but if you are on this site do yo really need them?

jkflipflop98No, the law does not state that you have to honor a typo. FTC does prohibit bait-and-swich tactics with respect to printed media, HOWEVER, the FTC has also provided a provision for typos such as this. Stop talking out of your ass. Bust Buy has done nothing wrong except not proofreading the ad before it went out.There is an interview with one of the bigwigs from bestbuy about this issue. He said they would have honored it, if people weren't so greedy about it. Like the guy with the first post "I would have bought 10". Can't just get a 52" badass HD TV for $10? That's not enough of a deal? Ohhh nooo. . . I better buy 50 and make some money! He mentions that one guy ordered over 60 of them. Greedy bastards.And yes, seriously, what kind of d-bag looks at an ad for a 52" hi-def LCD panel and thinks "that's one heck of a deal!". Seriously, you'd have to be braindead to not know that's a typo.

Correct, typo's are not considered a must price for purchase. Patterns of bait and switch is a violation, non sufficient quantities of products can be but not always be a violation. I just bought a 40" Samsung for $759.00 and with 1080P source material it looks fantastic

All this babble is making me SICK. It was a typo, I would NEVER think that the TV was $9.99, would immediately know it was a mistake, would try to get it and if I was denied, I would be expecting it. If I tried to use the "GOVERNMENT" and it's "LAWS" I would be a hypocrite for trying to "SCREW" Best Buy. Jesus H CHRIST. People alllways lookin for handouts.

"I saw this on their website, it was not specified that it's "online only" went to the store because i couldn't order it, at which point i was told that it was in stock and they'd sell it to me for 1400. Classic bait and switch. illegal. I filed a formal complaint with the BBB."
As others have stated, its not bait and switch, its a typo, and as for not honoring it, they have their butts covered because of the statement on their website saying "Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Best Buy reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted and whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged." AKA - if you are purchasing something off their website, you are agreeing to that statement and you are s*$& out of luck if they claim it is a typo.

I like how a lot of people say what the law is, but they have no clue. This the law (in the US): Once you have a contract (like you paid online) if there is a material mistake of fact (like the wrong price), no contract is formed if the other party knew or should have known of the mistake. "Should have known" means a reasonable person would have figured it out. $10 for a 52" LCD, that is clearly a mistake.

BTW, a mislabeled item (pre-purchase) is also not binding. Many courts have held that a price tag is not an offer, but an "offer to deal." This means that when you take the item to the register you are offering to buy for the list price, then the retailer accepts. At that point, it is binding. Stores that honor the wrong price do so for good customer service.

The law makes sense. We as a society don't want people making a windfall because of a simple error. If you want a TV, get a job.

You expect Best Buy to really pay that much suffering for a single employee's mistake?

Then again look at the Dell case...

I work at best buy and I have to deal with you freakin idiots on a regular basis! "Hey man give this to me for free" "no you retard" "ah this is a bait and switch" "here let me show you the ad in which it says 'limited quantities, one per household, etc.' I'm sorry you waited till Friday to come in and get this and the ad came out Sunday dickweed and we are out of stock." Use something called common sense, or your brain for crying out loud! Do some research before you come in, and for crying out loud don't piss and moan about not getting 300% off when you found it cheaper on ebay (and yes I've had customers ask me if we price match eBay). Go play in the middle of the road.

doomtomb52" TV for $10! I woulda bought like 10 if I had the chance...

You need to learn how to exploit online pricing error from my friend in Taiwan. Order not 10, but OVER 9000!!!!!!111!!!

These errors w/e.. I'm sure the people who tried to buy them new it could be a waiste of time, but figured they might as well cross their fingers and hope for the best, specially since it's not like their gonna be out of anything. I would've if I would've known.