Dell F*ck up
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- toe_knee
For Dell, hard drive space is dirt cheap
By Jesse Hogan
August 10, 2005 - 12:06PMA website blunder by Dell Australia has allowed hundreds of customers to order 250Gb hard drives for $A8.80, almost $A600 less than the actual price.
According to posts on the Whirlpool and Overclockers online forums, customers successfully ordered the hard drives online from 8am on Monday until 10am yesterday, when the particular drive was removed from sale.
One customer claimed to have ordered 60 hard drives at the incorrect price.
Dell has since contacted some customers to inform them that $A8.80 was actually the cost of shipping, with the hard drive costing $A592.
Customer 'Andrew', who ordered two hard drives yesterday, said his credit card statement showed he had been charged for the transaction.
Dell spokesman Paul McKeon blamed a "clerical error", but would not confirm how long the incorrect price had been on the site nor how many drives had been purchased at this price.
"As of yesterday we were still contacting some customers, but the aim is to contact all customers via phone or email," he said.
McKeon apologised for the error, but said customers would not be allowed to buy the hard drives at the incorrect price.
"I believe there were some people with credit cards who were charged, and we're contacting those customers today to go through with the sale at the correct price ($592), or actually refund their money."
But 'Andrew' believed Dell's response was unacceptable.
"I would have been happy to accept cancellation of the order before payment had gone through because of a genuine mistake, but as payment has been made I consider the contract to be in place and I expect my hard drives," he said.
"I'm sure Dell would have issues with me if I wanted to cancel an order after I had made payment on a different product."
The conditions of sale section of Dell's website states the company is not liable for errors on its website.
Two years ago, IBM incorrectly put laptops for sale on its website for $201 instead of $2049. The company contacted each of the 220 customers by email to try and cancel the deal but inadvertently revealed all their email addresses by not using the blind carbon copy option.
As a result of the second blunder, IBM allowed the customers to buy the laptops at the incorrect price.
- MX_OnD0
surely they'll have to honour it.
If you advertise goods at a certain price you cannot then make them more expensive.
- toe_knee0
yeah thats what i thought. But Dell are refusing. Will be interesting to see how far they take this. They will loose money if they give the hards drives at that price, but they will get shitty press if they drag it throught the courts.
more news.
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Claim customers refunded over Dell blunder
By Jesse Hogan
August 15, 2005 - 4:30PMDell Australia is secretly cancelling the transactions of customers who successfully ordered and paid for incorrectly discounted hard drives, an affected customer claimed today.
But the company denies the claim, saying it would not refund the money without the customer's agreement.
Last week, Dell's website inadvertently advertised 250Gb hard drives for $A8.80 - almost $A600 less than their usual price.
News of the blunder quickly spread on Australian internet forums, with hundreds of customers attempting to order the hard drives. One claimed to have ordered 50.
By Tuesday, Dell had removed the hard drive from sale. Spokesman Paul McKeon said the $A8.80 price was a "clerical error", and affected customers could either have their money refunded in full or pay the difference.
Many customers refused the offer when contacted by Dell, believing the debiting of their credit cards constituted a contract. This was backed up by the NSW Office of Fair Trading, which said Dell had a legal obligation to provide the hard drives at the agreed price ($A8.80).
Customer 'JK', who made two orders for five hard drives, was contacted by Dell last Wednesday regarding his transactions, which were paid by credit card.
He refused Dell's offer of a refund or paying full price and was told he would be contacted this week regarding the transaction, but today discovered that one of his two $44 hard drive orders had already been refunded, without his agreement.
"As far as I was aware they were just looking into it. To me, that would generally mean that the company would consult me first, as opposed to making an answer for me," he said.
'JK' provided a screenshot of his internet banking account that showed that Dell had refunded the money.
But McKeon said Dell was not refunding affected customers against their wishes.
"We wouldn't be charging the correct price ($A592) or refunding without an authorisation from the customer," he said.
"If there's a customer that feels they've received that discount incorrectly they should get back in touch with us."
McKeon also disputed the view that customers whose credit cards had been debited by Dell are entitled to receive the hard drives at the incorrect price.
"That's a view that you've had from Fair Trading (NSW) based on their understanding of the situation, but they're not necessarily across this full situation."
When asked if the company would challenge any claims made by customers to the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal regarding the hard drives, he said: "That's a hypothetical thing that we'll look at when we come to it."
- UndoUndo0
haha brilliant. they can't not sell them at the advertsied price.
- Bottlerocket0
yes they can, as it's an error. It may be bad PR, but there is no reason why they have to honour the price.
However, the fact that a charge has been made on some credit cards makes it a whole lot more interesting.
- MX_OnD0
I'm pretty sure that in the UK you are not allowed to advertise something for one price and then demand a higher price.
Goes under false advertising.
- tkmeister0
if they don't honor it, they will get sued by their customers. it's a bad move.
- mbr0
Did they advertise it? Doesn't sound like it. Sounds like it was just on their site.
Big difference.Dell allows everyone to return your computer, monitor, or whatever, no questiosn asked for a month. That's pretty reasonable (I've bought two lcds, returned them and later bought two again - no questinos).
If it was advertised, like in PC Magazine, then they'd have to honor it, but if people just found it on their site, as the article implies ('cause they'd have sold 10 million otherwise!), then they don't have to honor it.
- skt0
If it was on there site at that price and people could buy it from their site at that price then they have to honor it.
Simple.
You can't change the price after the transaction.
- MX_OnD0
and if it is on their site then what pray tell is it if not advertised at that price?
same deal with something in a shop window, exactly the same deal.
- JazX0
glitch. take advantage while you can.
someone in Aussieland is gonna get their @sses reamed..
tee heee nice