[Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

[AvalancheDiode]

http://www.techspot.com/news/35297-d...in-taiwan.html

aiwan consumer regulators have ordered Dell to honor a pricing slip-up on their website that offered 19-inch LCD monitors for only NT$500 (around $15). The pricing mistake was posted late Thursday, and while it has been fixed since, news of the supposed bargain spread quickly via email, blogs and sites like Twitter. In the eight hours before Dell corrected the listing to the intended price of NT$4,800 ($148), 26,000 people had placed orders for nearly 140,000 displays.

Dell apologized and promised to offer “reasonable discounts” to those who ordered the incorrectly-priced monitors. Naturally, people were not happy. Taiwan’s Consumer Protection Commission said it has received 471 complaints about the mix-up and ordered Dell to complete orders for customers who had only ordered one monitor. Those who had ordered more than one should receive discounts on the second and further units.

According to the agency’s statement, if Dell doesn’t follow the directive, they will consider it a violation of Taiwan’s fair trade laws and seek legal recourse.

There are some mistake in this article. The officer didn't order Dell to honor the contract, but instead made an appeal.

The government in English speaking countries will never stand at the side of consumers.

[imported_Will]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

AHAHAHA Lolololol..

Oh god, who ever posted that's gonna get fired :awes2

[=98=]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Heh, sounds like a database error. Happened a few times with me, but they never honoured my order as they have the right to cancel the contract at any time.

[TheEn|gma]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Ouch, that's a gigantic loss right there.

[TheHeartSmasher]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

No way Dell would honor something like that, way too big of a loss.

[AlecJ32]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Heh, sounds like a database error.

I can't see how a database error could be responsible for that.

[=98=]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

I can't see how a database error could be responsible for that.

Happened before when I found a £17.99 9800GX2. But, apparently the database on the website had somehow corrupted and prices for each product had been switched. So, the £17.99 item was actually a networking switch I believe.

Somewhere on the site, there might have been a ~£300 256mb USB drive :p

[TheEn|gma]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Happened before when I found a £17.99 9800GX2. But, apparently the database on the website had somehow corrupted and prices for each product had been switched. So, the £17.99 item was actually a networking switch I believe.

Somewhere on the site, there might have been a ~£300 256mb USB drive :p

Or that's some BS line the company spun you so they could save face :)

[=98=]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Or that's some BS line the company spun you so they could save face :)

Nah, there were tons of products messed up :p

Anyway, by law, they can cancel the contract.

[[21CW]HIVictim]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Or that's some BS line the company spun you so they could save face :)

Nah, this really does happen from time to time. Luckily in any modern western hemisphere nation, the company can just apologize for the mixup and offer a discount. That said, any respectful person would accept the apology and either continue the order or cancel.

[AlecJ32]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Happened before when I found a £17.99 9800GX2. But, apparently the database on the website had somehow corrupted and prices for each product had been switched. So, the £17.99 item was actually a networking switch I believe.

Somewhere on the site, there might have been a ~£300 256mb USB drive :p

Sounds like a data-entry error, not a database error, unless their backend was made by a chimp.

[=98=]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Pretty much, it just happened overnight to almost all their products. It wasn't an entry issue. I wonder if they tried to merge multiple databases and failed hard.

[CaptainKirk]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Taiwan has some funky laws; in fact, most Asian nations seem to.

[Vreki]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

Sounds like a data-entry error, not a database error, unless their backend was made by a chimp.

You know what they say, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
Even if the database itself is well designed, the stored procedures (or raw SQL) used to manipulate the data could be faulty.

I believe Danish law is that online ads are an "invitation to make an offer" (awkward translation, sorry), meaning that they can decline to sell you at the price.
As far as I know it is different for "offline" shops, as long as the customer can be said to be in good faith. Maybe because they have a chance to correct the price after the first customer notices it.

There was a case a while back where a potential customer noticed a very low priced item in a window, and took a photo of it before he vent into the shop, which refused to sell to the listed price.
It was later ruled that the customer was not in good faith, since he found the price unusual enough to take a photo.

[Flt. Sgt. Powderhound]

Re: [Techspot] Dell accidentally sells 19-inch monitors for $15 in Taiwan

You know what they say, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
Even if the database itself is well designed, the stored procedures (or raw SQL) used to manipulate the data could be faulty.

I believe Danish law is that online ads are an "invitation to make an offer" (awkward translation, sorry), meaning that they can decline to sell you at the price.
As far as I know it is different for "offline" shops, as long as the customer can be said to be in good faith. Maybe because they have a chance to correct the price after the first customer notices it.

There was a case a while back where a potential customer noticed a very low priced item in a window, and took a photo of it before he vent into the shop, which refused to sell to the listed price.
It was later ruled that the customer was not in good faith, since he found the price unusual enough to take a photo.

In UK legalese, the term is 'invitation to treat'. It applies to online stores and bricks and mortar ones here.