# $8 for a Used ibook G4



## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

Used - iBook G4 14" 933Mhz 256mb/40gb/Combo/56k/Enet - Warranty to Dec 14th, 2004
$8.00

This is what was advertized on a Toronto computer website. So I ordered it using my credit card. 

Now....what are the changes of me getting this for $8? Are they legally bound to sell it for this price when it was posted like this and on my sales receit as well? Every link I clicked on for this item right up until I completed the sales transaction it was posted for $8.

The only thing they had was that this :

Products marked with *** are unavailable in the desired quantity.
You can still place the order and we will ship what we have in stock. The rest of your order will be fulfilled when we get more stock.

This product has this ***.

So what do you people think?


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

psst.. what website?


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## hmto (Jul 4, 2003)

Even at 800 it's still a deal, no?


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

all I can say it's a downtown Toronto computer store. Fairly big.

Don't want to ruin my chances of getting this for $8 on a technicality on their part.

Hoping I'm the first and only person so spot this typo!


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

hmto....the site CLEARLY states it to be priced at $8.00

NOT $800.00

I don't need an $800 notebook......wife will kill me!


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## simon (Nov 2, 2002)

All I saw when I read your post is thank you very much for your credit card number, your proper address for billing purposes and I think I will now go shopping while you consider ...

*do you really think you are going to get a working iBook G4 for $8?* 

thanks soooooo much ...


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

http://www.shop-csc.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1072&osCsid=4d0261984a94dd9a55097d9b65ca937d


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

it's not a small time store....They're like Carbon Computing.
that size store. My work has delt with them before.

They are legit. The only thing i'm hoping is that they honour what they post as a price and change it later for the next guy.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

That's the place CapitolK 


What do you think?


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## jonmon (Feb 15, 2002)

obviously a pricing error
but i ordered one for fun
let's see what happens


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

this is what I read on their website:

_PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS
ShopCSC Online and its associates attempt to be as accurate as possible. However, ShopCSC Online does not warrant that product descriptions or other content of this site is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. If a product offered by ShopCSC Online itself is not as described, your sole remedy is to return it in unused condition._


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

busted


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

> Products marked with *** are unavailable in the desired quantity.
> You can still place the order and we will ship what we have in stock. The rest of your order will be fulfilled when we get more stock.


This to me would mean that the $8.00 is a deposit and that you
would pay the actual price when the product is in stock.

Dave


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

No way man. It doesn't work that way. Actual retail price MUST be displayed, and the only price we see there is $8.00. _It is a typo_ and *NO* retailer asks for a mere eight dollars deposit on a >$1,000.00 computer. Also, I'll bet that there's no way they'll honour that, especially after what Pamela dug up. If it slips through the cracks? That's one thing. But it'll never happen if they catch wind of it.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

Pamela I read that as well, but it seems to me that it's for the description of a product, NOT the price.

And no where does it state $8 deposit. 

keeping my fingers crossed


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## Strongblade (Jul 9, 2001)

Well, if it is a typo, there are some laws that state they must honour the price. I don't know the particulars of the rule, but it's akin to shopping in a store and finding a product mis-tagged.


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## dmpP (Jun 1, 2004)

There are laws against "bait and switch"... 

Having said that Dell always has pricing errors on their site, and people order the mispriced items... dell just cancels their orders...

I would suspect that would happen in this case...


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

This could definitely be considered "bait & switch"

Who makes that kind of error?
Honestly... Carbon once had that G5 on its website for 1800 bucks when the price was in fact 3800 bucks... I tried to call and tell them I was ready to buy.. The guy on the phone laughed at me and told me they had over 100 calls...


Regardless,, they took another 3-4 days to fix it on their website.

Although this is more then an error... Its a large discrepancy..
Do some research on companies that have honored pricing errors...

Futureshop has honored a pricing error

buynow.com lost 50 Grand on a pricing error..

Here is some more quotes 

"The Y19,800 (US$180) price was posted on Oct. 31 by Marubeni and went unnoticed by the company for three days, but not by Internet posters on bulletin boards, leading to 1,500 orders.

Marubeni initially told customers it would cancel all orders but after the prospective buyers complained, decided to honor all 1,500 orders. A company spokesman told Kyodo News, a Japanese newswire, that the company prefers to "place emphasis on public trust". 
"

I doubt they will honor anything but raise enough stink... and if its found they are aware of the error....."bait & switch" driving customers to their website .... bad news...


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

Message to CSC Toronto


"Thanks so much for offering such an amazing deal, after ordering the computer for myself I realized what an amazing deal this was and had to do my duty. 

Let me tell you about myself, I am an organizer and volunteer for a variety of non-profit organizations, homeless shelters and churches.. I thought this would be the perfect way to please the lord by ordering 100 Units and distributing them to the poor! 
Thank-you so much!

I will let everyone know of the surprise during Church service in the morning and then head over to the shelter and tell all the homeless that wireless internet is on the way. After that, I'll go around to the local boarding houses and inform the children who have never had the luxury like some of us.

Again, thank you so much! I look forward to being able to do this"


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

I think that *Capitol K* should edit his message and get rid
of that link before someone orders a whole bunch of laptops on
what appears to be bmovie's account.
(I can see bmovies address in that link)

How that happened is very strange.

Dave


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Lindmar wrote:



> Message to CSC Toronto


Did you ACTUALLY do that?! If you did, ROTFLMAO!!


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

wow you can see my address on that link?

Nice...I should complain to the company that their privacy policy is not so PRIVATE!!!!!


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

I checked that link....it's not my address.

I fear that it might be CapitolK's I have sent him a PM informing him to delete his link.

Thanks for leting us know.

NOW, what are my chances in getting one for $8?

And was I first person to order one? 

Hmmmmmm....wonder what will happen Monday? They're closed today.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

OH uh....it's strongblade's info there!


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## pingpong (Jun 16, 2004)

I ordered 3, just to see what will happen.


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

How many are they going to be able to ship at 8 bucks a piece!??! LOL

maybe they just want to give a bunch a way ??? praying.... 
I am 100% sure they do not have to honor anything... although they will have to refund everyone with an apology and explanation.


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## neema (Mar 6, 2003)

Ordered... let's see what happens.

Anyone know why it is in the Taxable Items section of Used Equipment?

I am also reminded of this link:
http://cb-bc.gc.ca/epic/internet/incb-bc.nsf/en/ct02381e.html

Doesn't really relate but if you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you'll see what I mean... These stickers are posted on retail store registers everywhere... even though it's only $10, it's still the principal, right?  

And, if worse comes to worse, we can always get the $ back from VISA if we don't get the item and they don't give us a refund.


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

That's not my info, I'm pretty sure it's just the default address they put it, because it asks you to change it to your own.


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

Well, Who evers address it was, It appears to be gone now.
It said it was in Nepean, Ontario. (I didn't write down the rest).
Honestly...I didn't add to the orders either.

Dave  

Pssst....My shipping address is...


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

People, this is NOT a case of BAIT AND SWITCH, okay? Honestly! A bait & switch migght seem plausable if it was say... $600.00, BUT *EIGHT BUCKS??!*

_It's a typo!_ Not a conscious act of deception. THAT's for sure.

The deal will NOT go through. THAT's my sure bet.


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## neema (Mar 6, 2003)

I ordered mine right off the homepage so that they can't pull any of that, "oh that link was invalid" stuff. I just ordered 3 more.. Let's see what happens.


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## Jordan (Jul 20, 2002)

OKAY, is there a Thor Hovmand here?? 
It seems that I'm getting his email confirmation for the iBook through his or my account at CSC. Somehow somewhere things are being screwed up!!


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## neema (Mar 6, 2003)

I've been researching all this for a little bit and it seems all good to go.. I'm expecting a statement from the company tomorrow... if not, I think I might call em.. and while I'm at it, I think I might order another set of them.. =)


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

I'd be curious what the Business Practices Act would say in this regards.


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## hmto (Jul 4, 2003)

Is it me or does it seem more strange that everyone is ordering multiple units where it clearly states it is a used unit? Which in all likelihood means there is only ONE. Come on people!!!! 

Cancel your orders. Then I can order mine. But honestly, I'll have to call my buddy tomorrow who works there to get this cleared up..


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## snowin (Sep 5, 2001)

Ordered 2! We will see...we will see.


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## Rade (Jan 15, 2003)

I took a shot and ordered one. What have I to lose? Nothing (or 8 dollars). It's a laugh, why not. 

I do believe Ive seen this kind of error happen before, though, and it went to the favour of the customer, regardless of whether or not it was a computer error, typo, etc...

It'll be fun to see how they explain this tomorrow. 

-R.K.


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## däycüs mäximüs (Nov 30, 2002)

rade, dude you won't even lose the $8. although i ordered mine, i know that they're gonna retract this tomorrow.

it would be pretty cool, though.. since i'm getting rid of this iMac, i DO need a new portable..


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## The Librarian (Apr 11, 2003)

i haven't read this entire thread all the way through, so forgive me if someone's already mentioned this, but here's what i think will happen:

the retailer will realize they've made a mistake, and not do much of anything else. none of you will get an iBook for $8, unless, perhaps, you sue the retailer, and none of you will do that, unless you want to lose a little more than 8 or 16 bucks. sorry folks, don't get your hopes up. my girlfriend is a lawyer who's specialty it is to sue companies.


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

Oh I'm certain that no one is getting an $8 iBook out of this, but I feel pretty bad for CSC, the amount of time and energy to retract it, fix it, refund etc. Gonna be a huge waste of time for them all because of two decimal points. There's probably orders for 50 iBooks from this board alone (quite a few people said they ordered multiples).


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

I hope they honour the first person who ordered it at least....hopefully that's me!

if not then at least honour one order for everyone! The people who are ordering more than one are being greedy and it might hinder anyone getting at least one.

But I"m not getting my hopes up....it was fun to watch this thread grow!
(thought in my head....shouldn't have told anyone  )


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## jonmon (Feb 15, 2002)

Here's hoping for a coupon. That's what Dell did with their pricing error. They gave coupons...I think 10% off peripherals or something like that.


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

There are no laws that say that have to sell you anything in this situation. Basically, an offer to sell is not a contract. 

This changes if they accept your payment. It becomes a contract at that point and they are obligated to fulfill the order or make ammends.

So if there was an actual charge to your credit card (not just a hold), then you could most likely force them to complete the sale.


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

Perhaps they are sold out now and processing the orders!!!


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

HHHmmmmmm I would think that the act of taking an order constitutes an agreement between two parties to do business. Since I received an order number, this confirms that CSC acknowledges the agreement of our transaction and legally binds them to that transaction.

See...

Business Practices Act 

I'm not sure but I think that Section 2 Line 14 applies



> a representation that misrepresents the purpose or intent of any solicitation of or any communication with a consumer.


Also the penalty for any Corporation that break any laws in the Business Practices Act is very harsh...



> Corporation (3)  Where a corporation is convicted of an offence under subsection (1) or (2), the maximum penalty that may be imposed upon the corporation is $100,000 and not as provided therein. R.S.O. 1990, c. B.18, s. 17 (3).


I'm also quite sure that a Small Claims Court case would also rule in our favour. The cost for moving the case forward is usually $50 for filing the claim and the $100 for assigning the court date.

I think that they are pretty much stuck at this point.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

If that's the case then we should all pitch in for court cost and make sure we win!

Also a small finders fee for me  for finding this....


I hoping I just get one...would make a great father's day gift!

The drama continues........


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

i think you guys should quit harassing CSC for what is obviously a typo. if ford mistakenly put an ad on their website for an f-150 for $3 do you think anyone would take you seriously if you tried to hold them to it?









i suppose whoever received order confirmation could in theory force the sale to go through, but if they did then it would make them a dick.

cheers.


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

I didn't ask CSC to make a mistake (if they in fact did so)... And how can I tell a mistake from a legitimate price? Where do you draw the line?

The fact is any corporation has the responsibility to make sure that typos DO NOT happen in their corporate communications.

What if a pharmacutical company made a typo on the dosage of their product and someone was injured from taking too much or too little of their product? Do we just say "Sorry, stop harrassing BioX Corp cause their typo made you grow a third hand on your head".

Was it a typo... I don't know. What I do know is that CSC has entered into a business relationship with me by issueing me an order number and they should be honouring that order or be found to be commiting an unfair business practice.

If CSC has any product in stock, they are oblidged to sell that product at the price they have advertised... there is plenty of case law to support this.

PS. And if Ford did make that typo, yeah legally you would be entitled to hold them to that price.


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

> I'm also quite sure that a Small Claims Court case would also rule in our favour. The cost for moving the case forward is usually $50 for filing the claim and the $100 for assigning the court date.
> 
> I think that they are pretty much stuck at this point.


CSC could present this thread as evidence that you all knew the ibooks were posted at a price far below market value, that you knew that the price posted was a typographical error, and that in bad faith, you proceeded to place orders in an attempt to take advantage of this error.

[ June 21, 2004, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: TroutMaskReplica ]


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Ummmm no they couldn't. The advertised price is the advertised price... end of story.

And it is my understanding that should CSC try selling that same product at a higher price than what they have advertised it as, they would be in conflict with the Competition Act and any other Canadian retailer could in fact sue them as well.

[ June 21, 2004, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: da_jonesy ]


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

1.


> What if a pharmacutical company made a typo on the dosage of their product and someone was injured from taking too much or too little of their product? Do we just say "Sorry, stop harrassing BioX Corp cause their typo made you grow a third hand on your head".


this is irrelevant to what we're discussing. there is a whole raft of very specific regulations that pertain to the labelling of food and drugs. this does not fall under business practices.

2.


> The fact is any corporation has the responsibility to make sure that typos DO NOT happen in their corporate communications


it's a fact, eh? show me in the act how this results in you getting a free laptop computer?

3.


> f CSC has any product in stock, they are oblidged to sell that product at the price they have advertised... there is plenty of case law to support this.


i'm pretty sure this is BS. let's see some of this 'case law' that you're so knowledgeable about.

4.


> Ummmm no they couldn't


go back and reread the thread. only a total idiot wouldn't draw this conclusion.


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

could you please post new posts instead of continually adding to the old one via the edit button?


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## Mantat (Aug 22, 2003)

Its funny to see how many people here are taking their wish as facts. 

First of all, erroneous prices have to be honored by the seller if they result in sales. Which basicaly means that you can put a 8$ iBook in advertisement and just correct the mistake once the person enter the store (and in the next brochure). This is why Carbon Computing was ok with the mistake.

In the current situation, 8$ was the price of the sale, so yes, its a contract and is official.

On the other hand, it is obvious that 8$ of an used iBook is too much of a good deal to be real and even worst, people who ordered many are obviously doing it not in good faith but only to take advantages of the mistake.

In this case, sorry but you wont get it. We are not in the states here, common sens still rules. 

But still, the store is at fault and should compensate those who really ordered the iBook in good faith (good luck to prove that!). So they are probably going to either sell the iBook at 8$ to the first buyer or give rebates to everyone. 

If you are really malicious, you could go to the small claims court to have a better compensation but if you want to do so, be prepare to lose a lot of energy and time. Also dont accept any kind of compensation because once you agree to get something, you cant ask for more. 

Moral of this story: always have a double-triple checking procedure when selling stuff online! Also, they had no A.I. bots to survey the store which is another big mistake. Errors like that should be noticed within minutes and corrected. They shouldnt expect the court to protect them vs mistake and for this reason, I hope someone go to court... 

Its going to be very interesting, keep us posted!


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

> go back and reread the thread. only a total idiot wouldn't draw this conclusion.


Hey Buddy... at no point did I personally attack you... and at no point did you provide any laws or regulations to back up your statements. I've provided The Business Practices Act and the Competition Act to back up my arguements... I will also refer you to the Consumer Protection Act which will also bolsters our position in this regards.

At no point was anyone expecting a free laptop... free shipping yes, but the advertised price was clearly shown... and my order recipt (legal binding document thank you very much) clearly states the price.

If you want to provide laws or regulations that refute my arguements, please feel free to bring them to my attention. These are the laws of Canada and Ontario... if you don't like them I suggest you move elsewhere or lobby your MP and MPP to change these laws.


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

> Hey Buddy... at no point did I personally attack you


true, but i AM personally attacking you for the dubious behavior and malicious attitude that you have shown here.


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

> true, but i AM personally attacking you for the dubious behavior and malicious attitude that you have shown here.


How so? For defending my rights as a consumer? Seriously dude these laws are in place to protect you and me... If they are not acted upon then Corporations can say anything they want about their products and will not be held accountable.

Your personal attack is completely without merit and totally loathsome...


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

ok so you're a consumer rights activist. sorry, i take everything back then.


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

wow
fires heatin up
ibooks should be shipping today


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

> posted June 21, 2004 08:38 AM
> HHHmmmmmm I would think that the act of taking an order constitutes an agreement between two parties to do business. Since I received an order number, this confirms that CSC acknowledges the agreement of our transaction and legally binds them to that transaction.
> 
> See...
> ...


so if we all throw in a few extra bucks for the court case... these ibooks are gonna cost us $12-15 bucks each.. Are we willing to go that high...


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Don't get your hopes up, but If you do decide to take this to small claims court it would have to be done as an individual. There are no provisions for "Class Action" type cases in small claims court.

http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/courts/scc/


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

People remember it was for a USED ibook and one that wasn't in stock...please read my first post

Has anyone tried calling them? I have and left a message with the person who handles online orders.

I called twice and didn't get him. I'm wondering what's going on there now?


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

> I didn't ask CSC to make a mistake (if they in fact did so)... And how can I tell a mistake from a legitimate price? Where do you draw the line?


This is really a ridiclous thing to say, especially in this case - you _know_ what a legitimate price is for an iBook, that's the difference. And you also know that $8 for an iBook is a mistake without asking around regarding it.

For other cases, your statement may be true, but in the case of this $8 iBook, it's crap.


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

> People remember it was for a USED ibook and one that wasn't in stock...please read my first post


That shouldn't matter if it used or not... If they get any of these in stock (which will be their out IMHO) they have to abide by the contractual agreement which is your order confirmation.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

I would be happy with just my one order.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

This is geting retarded.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

My thought on this... people are getting *WAY* to excited over a typo... a mistake. 

Common sense would suggest they don't have an iBook for sale for $8 and further that they don't have dozens of them available.









I don't think there's any sinister bait-n-switch program going on and I actually feel bad for the huge headache they're probably being handed with everyone trying to place orders with them. 

Just my 2¢.


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## since84 (Jan 9, 2002)

I just checked their website and all refernce to the $8 iBook is gone. I signed in to my account and my shopping cart is empty and there's no link to checking pending orders.

Guess they just wiped the slate clean and all our orders are just chalk dust now.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

my order is still there!


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## Goobernatorial (Sep 24, 2003)

Did anyone else have their account mysteriously wiped out? They really should have printed a retraction rather than wipeout everyone's account.


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## pingpong (Jun 16, 2004)

My order says 'pending'.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

You all know you're not going to get an $8 iBook, right?


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

My account is still there...

Regardless if thats what they are doing just wiping accounts... Oh boy, there asking for trouble.. Thats some seriously bad PR.


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## pingpong (Jun 16, 2004)

Probablly yes. But I'm curious to see what will happen.


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## Goobernatorial (Sep 24, 2003)

I know that its a shot in the dark, there's no way they can supply iBooks for $8.00 worth a try though. 

I remember Amazon.co.uk had Sony Clie's for £25, a lot of people ordered them but about 4 hours later they sent out a retraction. Nobody got a Clie at that price. I seriously doubt a small company like CSC would care about hurting the feelings of a handful of people who ordered the ibook for $8.


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## since84 (Jan 9, 2002)

OOps! Went back and looked again and found my order listing. It.too, says pending.
So the game is still afoot!


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## Strongblade (Jul 9, 2001)

Looks like the page is no longer there.

Darn. It would have been nice to get 3 iBooks for $8.00 each... however, i am not really surprised they removed it...


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## thebatman (Aug 17, 2003)

1) My order is still there...says 'pending'

2) No, I never expected to actually get an iBook for $8...but I put an order in anyway, just incase...

3) I fully expected to either get a written statement acknowledging their error, or read a statement to that effect online. Heck, even getting one from them that started off, "Whooops...boy, are our faces red!" would be fine. You know...treat it as the humourous thing that it is/was. 

4) If, however, they just go in and wipe out any reference to my "purchase" on the understanding that it was just a mistake, then I'll be seriously pissed. Not enough to go to court, but enough to make sure I never do business with them, and make sure I let others know how they treat people when they make a mistake. I don't think they would be so understanding it I mistakenly purchased a couple of G5's, even though I could point out that considering my bank account it was obviously not realistic that I could make such a purchase.


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## thebatman (Aug 17, 2003)

Update...just checked my email and found this:

Dear ShopCSC Online Customer,

We regret to inform you that your order has been cancelled as there was only one
iBook available for sale.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

So there you go. Don't know if that one actually went for the $8, but it's finished. Oh well...it was a fun ride.


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

> 4) If, however, they just go in and wipe out any reference to my "purchase" on the understanding that it was just a mistake, then I'll be seriously pissed. Not enough to go to court, but enough to make sure I never do business with them, and make sure I let others know how they treat people when they make a mistake. I don't think they would be so understanding it I mistakenly purchased a couple of G5's, even though I could point out that considering my bank account it was obviously not realistic that I could make such a purchase.


100% I totally agree with you. I would be truly pissed as well. Exactly... If I accidentally hit 4 g5's when I order instead of 1, they wouldn't be as easy going.. 

As for all those who are pissed of or getting so worked up over this. They are just jealous cause they didn't buy an 8 dollars ibook!! 
(this is not meant to be taken seriously)

Regardless, do you think the free shipping service will get them here by the end of the week????


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

just got my email... 

i sent a reply

You only have one ibook?
Was I charged for this?
So did one iBook get shipped?

The children at the orphanage are going to be so upset. Perhaps you should be a little more careful next time when putting the correct quantity of ibooks available.
They were so excited to be getting a computer and this will simple be a heart wrencher. I truly wish this email could have been delivered yesterday before I informed the children. You should truly offer a new one to me instead since the children will be expecting this.


A lost customer


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## dmpP (Jun 1, 2004)

I got my e-mail too... I'm just going to ignore it... I mean... I pretty much knew that they would cancel them... nothing we can really do...


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## dmpP (Jun 1, 2004)

I got my e-mail too... I'm just going to ignore it... I mean... I pretty much knew that they would cancel them... nothing we can really do...


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Yeah, inventory (having no stock) would have been their only way out.

I'd be curious however, at least one person should have got the iBook at that price.

About 10 years ago I remember that Business Depot had Apple PB batteries for $19 (not $199 which was the going rate)... I cleaned them out of their stock at the time. If this had been a small mom and pop type shop I would have looked the other way at the mistake... however large corporations/retailers HAVE to pay attention to this sort of thing, and to that end I don't mind taking advantage of their mistake.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

the deal is that there was only one and 

get this.....


IT WAS $8

not a typo but that was the actual price.

some lucky guy got it at 9:30 in the morning!

END of the Ride everyone off the bus!


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## pingpong (Jun 16, 2004)

I guess IT IS A TYPO, but some smart lawyer tells CSC to handle it this way.

It's not a smart solution however, as they confirmed my order with an email( and a printout), there is still some area to argue about.

[ June 21, 2004, 02:10 PM: Message edited by: pingpong ]


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## farfisa (Nov 5, 2003)

Someone GOT IT for $8? You're kidding me.
I actually saw that on Friday afternoon, and laughingly thought of ordering it. It was in the "Taxable Goods" section of the Used department, so I figured they were messing with the system...


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## Mantat (Aug 22, 2003)

Yep, selling one iBook at 8$ was the easiest way for them to get out of trouble and respect the law.


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## bmovie (Jan 18, 2003)

talk to the guy who takes care of the online orders
and he told me the price was legit.

they do that sometimes he said....post crazy prices.

well who knows what the truth is.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Just because they made a typo does not mean they have to sell at that price. A retraction is all that is due from them, and they do not have to sell anything at that price. If you think they actually shipped an ibook for $8, you are crazy! Why would they? You see printed retractions all the time at Walmart, Canadian Tire, etc., so I know it's perfectly legal. Besides, if you tried to go before ant judge with this they would likely tell you to stop looking for a free ride! It was obviously a typo, and the company would not gain any advantage by advertising this.

Having said that, I wouldnt mind the law coming down harder on places like Canadian Tire. Their weekly flier is consistantly full of great deals that your local store doesn't have and likely never will. In my opinion it's just a ploy to get you in the store, knowing you will buy something else.


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## xorpion (Jul 26, 2002)

a lot of homeless people are going to upset with you, lindmar. no wireless internet for the homeless.


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

> Having said that, I wouldnt mind the law coming down harder on places like Canadian Tire.


And Toys R Us. I went to Toys R Us about this bundle package deal and I get there and they don't have all the items for the package deal, so they say they can't give me the deal. Talk about false advertising. I've vowed NEVER to go there again.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Yeah, I hear ya. At Canadian Tire the clerks will tell you if you ask, that most of the plumb flyer specials haven't been in stock for months, and in a lot of cases are discontinued items. I have seen this scam pulled at Walmart (Tires), Leons (Coat Rack), and several other places. Canadian Tire, you better watch out! You can fool people for a while, but eventually they catch on.


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

The kids are very upset,, and the whole congregation at church was devastated but the worst, was the 200 units I ordered for grandmas senior home.. They were all so excited they even bought wireless routers, a gaming server and command and conquer


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

I'm sure that an offer to sell isn't considered a contract. 

Ford could easily offer F-150s for $8, but that doesn't mean that they have to sell them for that. If you go in to the dealership and they accept your $8, then you can expect them to follow through on the deal.

I'm not sure how the business practices act mentioned earlier changes this, perhaps you may have a leg to stand on with an order confirmation. But in the situations that I've heard of over the last few years, the only ones that went through to completion did so because the order had already been charged to a credit card.


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

The company would have got away with simply saying the price was an error which the "Competition Act" supports:



> Sale above advertised price
> 74.05 (1) A person engages in reviewable conduct who advertises a product for sale or rent in a market and, during the period and in the market to which the advertisement relates, supplies the product at a price that is higher than the price advertised.
> 
> Saving
> ...


That's why all catalogues, sales flyers, and internet sites like this have that fine print about products and prices. Pamela pointed this out, I think way back on page 1 or 2.


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## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

My spouse worked at Zellers P/T for 9 years. While I don't doubt that there are possibly retail 'scams' with low (or no) stock, there are also some very crazy people who line up hours before the store opens to buy out every sale item they can get their hands on. The spouse still has nightmares about Zellers sales and flyers, people trying to bargain with him on the printed price, etc. 

The same goes for Walmart and Canadian Tire--I've had friends who've worked there. It _is_ likely that they really had stock and really sold out very quickly. 

I don't know what the law is on the $8 iBook question, but my own sense tells me that as long as they either a) print a retraction that the price was in error, or b) give a plausible reason (like out-of-stock) and then credit back your card, they've done all they need to. 

A sales contract is an exchange of money for goods. If they cannot provide the goods, then they have to give you back your money. Contract nullified. I don't consider an ad a contract--jobs are advertised, but that doesn't obligate the company to give you one. The truth-in-advertising laws require ads to be truthful, but that doesn't necessarily put the retailer under contract.

Perhaps it's a fine line, but a line nonetheless.


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