Car price slash puts JamJar.com in jam

Online car trader, JamJar.com, had a bit of a mix-up over pricing at the weekend, which left some customers unable to buy the cars they wanted at the advertised price. A Nissan Primera was withdrawn from sale on the site after it emerged that it had been offered for sale at £1,000 below the actual price.

This differs from previous cases of incorrect pricing online in that the price asked was reasonable, rather than totally silly. For example, while £9,500 is a good deal for a Nissan Primera, it is not so incredible (in the literal sense) as a television being offered for sale for less than three quid.

The problem, according to Jam Jar, was last minute changes to the price made by the manufacturers. However, a spokesman for the company acknowledged that Jam Jar does have the final say over the sale price on the site.

In a prepared statement, the company admitted that there had been instances of price problems over the weekend, but said that all customers concerned had been notified of the error, and in some cases had been offered alternative vehicles.

"Jam Jar is constantly trying to negotiate the best deal for our customers, but sometimes manufacturers prices are changed up or down with very little notice. Jam Jar must honour the price negotiated with the manufacturer until such time as we have confirmed orders," the company said.

There is no question of legal action over the incident as no money changed hands before the orders were cancelled. As the law stands a contract for sale only comes into being once the seller has accepted an offer made for goods or services. ®

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