Argos welshes on three quid TV Net ‘offer’
Transmission error to blame for bargain of the decade
Posted in Business, 7th September 1999 15:27 GMT
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A telly for under a fiver? You'd have to be either insane or just back from the updated Argos website, where a Sony TV was on sale for a mere £3.00. The price has now been changed, but the company says it has received a number of multiple orders from online customers. Argos has just updated its site for the autumn season. Over 500 new products -- including the bargain TV were added to the site yesterday. The official line is that there was a 'transcription error' somewhere between Argos and the company that maintains its web site. However, the exact source of the error has yet to be tracked down. Those who spotted the mistake and ordered the Sony television will be disappointed, as Argos has no plans to actually sell the TVs for £3.00. Until money has changed hands, Argos has no contract with its customers, and is under no obligation to fulfill the orders. Which is just as well, since the people who spotted the bargain, put in orders for ten or fifteen TVs. The television is now advertised at the correct price of £299.99. A spokeswoman for Argos commented: "We cannot fulfill the orders we have received - even as a gesture of goodwill. It would simply be too expensive." She was not sure how many orders had been received, but assured The Register that it was a significant number. Expect some disgruntled would-be buyers to sue. The courts make take a different view on consumer contracts than Argos. ® Daily Net Finance News from The Register
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