“You know the old saying — if a deal is too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true,” Leslie Tripp reports for CNN. “That’s what happened to a major retailer’s online shoppers Friday afternoon.”
“Sears.com inadvertently advertised Apple’s 16GB iPad 2 for $69, much less than the regular advertised price of $744.99,” Tripp reports.
MacDailyNews Take: We don’t know from where these prices are coming, but, in reality, Apple’s 16GB iPad Wi-Fi costs US$499 and the 16GB Wi-Fi+3G iPad 2 costs $629.
“That low price got the attention of web shoppers and the deal went viral on Twitter and other social media websites,” Tripp reports. “Many people took advantage of the unbelievable deal, though a Sears spokesperson couldn’t give an exact number.”
Tripp reports, “Friday night, Sears posted a statement online telling customers the error was made by a third-party vendor and the deal will not be honored.”
Read more in the full article here.
Contract law has been clear on this for decades. Errors on either party’s part mean that there was no meeting of the minds, and therefore no contract. False advertising is illegal, but only if the action was intentional. Nothing to see here, but a big mistake and a scheming momma. Just my opinion regarding previous sentence.
Contract law has been clear on this for decades. Errors on either party’s part mean that there was no meeting of the minds, and therefore no contract. False advertising is illegal, but only if the action was intentional. Nothing to see here, but a big mistake and a scheming momma. Just my opinion.
Didn’t mean to post twice.
Wow. That woman is an idiot.
This seems like bad word trowing more than news?
“Sears.com inadvertently advertised Apple’s 16GB iPad 2 for $69, much less than the regular advertised price of $744.99,” Tripp reports.”
…uh, it’s CNN, why should they start being accurate now?
true dat
Where was this breaking news on all the Apple covering sites when you need them (yesterday)?
expensive linkbait
This was done on purpose by Sears to draw attention to the fact that they sell iPad 2. The same thing is done every day by auction sites who advertise on the web that someone bought an iPad for some paltry sum. Sears should be charged with false advertising.
No they can’t.
No what?
Who are ‘they’?
Can’t do what?
Are your typing skills challenged or do you simply naysay everything you don’t understand?
He could have given a Steve Jobs reply…
“Nope!”
he meant no SEARS can’t be sued for false advertising.
If they put $69 in the ad on purpose, then yes.
there are many reasons the typos got sent out. happens all the time in the ad world.
could have easily been $629.99 and someone input $69.99 on accident. If it were the 3G version..
or it could have been $69.99 for the cheap Chinese iPad clone running android.
mistake on two individual links $69 ipad 16 gb & $179 ipad 32 gb models. Right before school starts up & rumored apple is about to flood the market with more ipads. Seems like a publicity stunt to me. They hide behind a third party “mistake” does no one proof read or edit their own website? So they get out on a technicality of their ToS instead of taking the positive side & honor the ipads one per household & people would flood their website each day looking for the next deal. But by not sending the ipads that had been purchased already they broke contract. ToS ( just in case if it said you had to cut your wrist “in fine print” guess you would have to do it. huh?
Check the fine print: A iPad 2 for $69 plus $430 shipping and handling.
I purchased an iPad 1 in April from Sears for $239. I even received a shipping notice without a tracking number. Upon contacting Sears they told me to contact the vendor. The vendor number was disconnected and their location listed was a vacant lot in Long Island, NY. After several weeks of calls I eventually received my money back. It seems that Sears is trying to copy Amazon but is not managing its vendors or site content. This is an example of gross incompetence!
If you were to have the price in store and Thay made that mistake that have to give that price to you so what’s the difference between store and on line, if it’s not honor ( I’ll never shop at sears)
When’s the last time you shopped at Sears.
Why do these stories get traction. Anything viral on the web is just that…VIRAL!
Exactly! I got a pair of Calvin Klein jeans in Macy’s for $30 less than what they were supposed to because the Calvin Klien rep forgot to remove the price above the jeans.
My Dad and I were at Cabela’s last fall.
He was looking at this Rod/Reel combo for $59.99…
The combo… wasn’t a combo.. It was a $59.99 Rod, with a $59.99 Reel… some employee mis-marked it.
He ended up buying it, the clerk said he’d honor that price but if my dad didn’t buy it.. he was going to price it correctly.
And then my Dad whips out his $20 coupon…
I NEVER find deals like this.
@MDN, botvinnik
I believe it was this product that cnn is referring to:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM2885143202P?prdNo=15&blockNo=40&blockType=L40
Sears has a bunch of weird prices on iPads because they seem to support a whole bunch of 3rd party vendors on their website, many of which seem to be charging prices far in excess of Apple’s on iPad 2’s.
It’s the Sears Market place, like on Amazon or EBay. I think it stinks, as Sears is known for selling their own stuff, and when they offer an open market, it’s confusing… You actually think its Sears making the sale. Basically they are watering down their brand name.
Unfortunately, the Sears brand may be dead soon anyway. The parent company is losing money, and is billions in debt. The merger with Kmart has resulted in overlap and comes out as the better financially performing brand. So it’s likely they’re going to shut the non performing Sears stores, and rebrand the rest to Kmart.
Everyone needs to relax … it was a simple mistake. They accidentally priced the iPad 2 at $69 instead of its rip-off, wannabe clone, the Playbook.
Lot’s of returns in Sears.com future…
I am 54 and remember an era of better customer service. If a retailer made an error on pricing, ( no matter whom is to blame ) they would always honor the price in principle alone. Retailers would never upset their customers in the past. Sears should honor the iPad price, it is not the customers fault because someone did not do their job correctly. Honoring the price would surely not bankrupt a huge company like Sears and only put them on a “higher pedestal” for satisfied customer service. Sears could cancel the contract with their third party vendor that made the error. It is a shame in today’s world that retailers have lost the meaning of “Satisfied Customers” and “Customer Service”.
If the product didn’t ship, then there was no sale to honor.
You, my friend, come from an era where consumers paid more per capita for products. You also lived in an era where people didn’t window-shop at the department stores and then go home to buy the product online to avoid state tax.
You come from an era where customer service was higher, because a higher percentage of the sale of the product went toward PAYING for said customer service.
You come from an era where people didn’t buy disposable furniture and bought things to last more than a few months.
This level of service DOES still exist in places like Japan. And if you visit Japan, you will find increased costs for most things in department stores and amazing service, spotless stores, concierge desks with uniformed staff, neat and organized wares, bathrooms clean enough to eat off the floor etc. You will an entire floor of wonderfully prepared food with higher prices. People there will pay extra if a product is presented better but has less actual product.
Americans have consistently decided with their wallets and if they see an 8oz. jar of honey with nicer, more expensive packaging and a 16oz. jar of honey for the same price, they’ll, without fail, take the larger one.
Don’t complain about the lack of service, my friend. Complain about those around you that are unwilling to pay for it but still feel entitled to receive it.
To clarify one point from my previous post, I meant to imply that Sears should only honor the price in error on confirmed sales for the iPad. After that point, Sears should have posted an apology for the error of pricing and offer the iPad at the correct price.
@ Bubba R, the sale is not confirmed until the product ships. The products didn’t ship. End of story.
But what about CNN? Why did they state that the price for said iPad, was $744, when it is actually $499?
The $744 price doesn’t exist for any model of iPad.
Person is from another galaxy.