A major pricing error at an Italian retailer, MediaWorld, stunned customers when the 13-inch iPad Air powered by the M3 chip was listed online for an astonishingly low price of just €15 (around $17.28) for loyalty card holders. Naturally, many shoppers jumped on the deal expecting to score a bargain. However, the correct price should have been €879 (approximately $1,013). With Black Friday looming, this remarkable pricing mistake led to a wave of purchases, raising questions about the retailer’s next steps and customer rights.
How Customers Seized the Deal
Many savvy customers selected the "payment and pickup in store" option to secure the iPad Air at the low price, ensuring they paid upfront and could immediately collect their device, which turned out to be a wise choice. MediaWorld accepted the €15 payments and handed over the devices without any initial issues, whether by in-person pickup or shipping arrangements.
What Would You Do?
MediaWorld’s Response After the Glitch
Eleven days after the purchases, MediaWorld reached out to the affected customers to clarify that the initial €15 price was a clear error due to a significant technical glitch on their ecommerce platform. They acknowledged the mistake but offered two options to those who purchased the iPads:
- Keep the iPad Air: Customers could pay the difference between the erroneous price and the corrected promotional price of €879, minus a €150 discount—bringing the final cost to €729 (about $840), effectively still receiving a sizable discount.
- Return the tablet: Alternatively, buyers could return the iPad Air hassle-free and receive a full refund of the €15 paid, along with a €20 discount voucher for inconvenience.
MediaWorld issued a statement explaining the cause of the pricing mistake and emphasizing their intent to preserve fairness and transparency with customers:
“Due to an extraordinary and unexpected technical error on our ecommerce platform, some products were mistakenly displayed at prices far below market value. This was an obvious error and not representative of our commercial offering.”
Legal and Ethical Considerations
In Italy, the law permits retailers to address such errors by either demanding the correct payment or allowing customers to return the product, especially if it’s clear that the price was incorrect. Consumer lawyer Massimiliano Dona explained that the key factor is the buyer's awareness of the obvious price discrepancy. For instance, a single buyer taking advantage of the offer might be treated differently from someone who bought multiple units for resale.
“The real deciding factor is whether the customer reasonably recognized the price was mistaken, considering the sales channel and the buyer’s intent or professionalism,” said Dona.
As this situation unfolds, it’s expected that some cases may proceed to court to determine the outcome of this rare but impactful retail pricing error.
