Stevie D and Company
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8/14/2009 4:02:52 AM
Advertising Law: Mis-marked Price
On August 12, 2009 ten lucky online shoppers got the deal of a century from Best Buy. The Best Buy website had listed a Samsung brand 52-inch flat screen TV at an amazing sale price of $9.99. If a price of $9.99 for a flat screen TV seems to good to be true that;'s because it is; the entire Best Buy listing was a mistake.
So what does the law say about corporations having to honor advertised prices? Will Best Buy have to sell the flat screen TV to anybody who wants one for $9.99? The online gossip is full of misinformation from "print a copy of the web page and take it to a store, they have to honor it" to "they only have to sell a few at the advertised price and then they are OK." The reality is there is no consumer protection law that covers simple mistakes.
The consumer protection laws protect against deliberate misinformation being used in advertising, but it does not cover honest mistakes. Had the best Buy $9.99 flat screen TV deal been a bait and switch technique, consumers may have been able to fight back under federal protections, but it seems that this was nothing more than a data entry error.
However, that being said, various states have different laws regarding mis-marked prices. If you really want to push Best Buy to sell you a flat screen TV for $9.99 check with a lawyer in your area to see if you may have a legitimate claim under the laws in your state. Some states to require merchants to honor a mis-priced sale item. Check with your state Attorney General's Office to learn more about the mis-marked pricing laws where you live.
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