Italy: Mediamarkt subsidiary sold iPad Air for 15 Euros
A deal for customers with a loyalty card, offered by electronics retailer Mediaworld, was too good to be true. Now, they are trying to get the money back.
Mediaworld store in Italy: Is a deal a deal?
(Image: Walter Cicchetti / Shutterstock)
When a product is offered at a special price, many customers want to grab a bargain. In Italy, this is now causing a dispute because the retailer claims they didn't mean it that way. At the beginning of November, owners of the official customer card of the local Mediamarkt subsidiary Mediaworld received information that an iPad Air model, usually listed for 879 Euros, was now being offered for a mere 15 Euros. There was no catch to the deal. And indeed, it was possible to place the order online and select pickup at a store, as reported in various forums. After about half an hour, the confirmation actually arrived. Even the payment upon pickup went through, and the devices were handed over. There was no information on what to do in case of potential price errors.
Noticed after 11 days
However, after some time, Mediaworld noticed that something was wrong. According to the Italian edition of Wired magazine reports, 11 days after the successful bargain purchase, emails arrived stating that something had gone wrong. The price was "clearly wrong." They demanded either payment of the full price minus a 150 Euro discount or the return of the devices. In return, they would refund the 15 euros and add a 20 euros voucher. It is not known how many iPads were sold so cheaply.
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Upon inquiry from Wired Italy, Mediaworld confirmed that it was a "clearly recognizable technical error" that was only visible for a "very short period of time." The price was "economically unsustainable and not a reflection of our commercial offer," the company explained. The offer of a discount or voucher was intended to "prioritize the customer relationship." The solution went beyond legal requirements.
Can the customer recognize it?
It is still unclear how the matter should be legally assessed. Although there is a civil law in Italy that renders a contract invalid if errors are "fundamental and recognizable," this proof is not easily obtained. It is not enough to claim that a price reduction of almost 98 percent makes the error obvious to customers, an Italian consumer lawyer told Wired.
Today's prices are no longer standards as they used to be. There are always promotional campaigns, such as now for Black Friday. How the matter will turn out is still unclear. Next, according to the consumer lawyer, Mediamarkt's subsidiary would have to formally contact customers who refuse the return or payment of the difference – simple emails are not sufficient for this.
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