Cottage rental possible pricing error on website

breadmonkey

Hi,

This might be total rubbish but thought I'd investigate anyway. Basically, I'm looking at renting a cottage up the north for the weekend. Their website says the following:

Special offers
2 night self-catering break £95.00 (Apr May Jun Sep)
£85.00
3 night self-catering break £120.00 (Apr May Jun Sep)
£100.00
2 night self-catering break (Euro) €95.00 (Apr May Jun Sep)
€85.00
3 night self-catering break (Euro) €120.00 (Apr May Jun Sep)
€100.00

Note the Sterling prices are the same as the Euro prices. (I don't understand the other £/€85 and £/€100 prices so just ignore that). My girlfriend rang up and they told her this was a mistake and the actual price is STG£95. Are they bound by what they advertise on their website? Is a shop bound to sell a TV clearly advertised for the price on the tag?

parsi

In a word nope.

This comes up again and again and must be worthy of a sticky.

The situation changes if they accept your euro payment i.e. the money leaves your account and _then_they say sorry the price was wrong. In this case the contract has been made.

breadmonkey

Fair enough, thanks!

parsi

Anytime...

daheff

Parsi ..i'm not sure that is 100% accurate. Under Irish law if you see something advertised at a certain price then you are entitled to get that price IF THE SHOP STILL AGREES to the sale...they are not obliged to sell to you...but are obliged to sell at the advertised price if they do.

eg...if you were in a shop and saw 2 similar items, but both priced differently ..then you are entitled to the lower price

Sam Vimes

daheff wrote: »

Parsi ..i'm not sure that is 100% accurate. Under Irish law if you see something advertised at a certain price then you are entitled to get that price IF THE SHOP STILL AGREES to the sale...they are not obliged to sell to you...but are obliged to sell at the advertised price if they do.

eg...if you were in a shop and saw 2 similar items, but both priced differently ..then you are entitled to the lower price

where did you get this information?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invitation_to_treat

A shop owner displaying their goods for sale is generally making an invitation to treat (Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Boots Cash Chemists [1953] 1 QB 401). They are not obliged to sell the good to anyone who is willing to pay for them, even if additional signage such as "special offer" accompanies the display of the good. (But see bait and switch.) This distinction was legally relevant in Fisher v Bell [1961] 1 QB 394, where it was held that displaying a flicknife for sale in a shop did not contravene legislation which prohibited offering for sale such a weapon. The distinction also means that if a shop mistakenly displays a good for sale at a very low price it is not obliged to sell it for that amount [1].

parsi

daheff wrote: »

Parsi ..i'm not sure that is 100% accurate. Under Irish law if you see something advertised at a certain price then you are entitled to get that price IF THE SHOP STILL AGREES to the sale...they are not obliged to sell to you...but are obliged to sell at the advertised price if they do.

eg...if you were in a shop and saw 2 similar items, but both priced differently ..then you are entitled to the lower price

You cannot be entitled to something if it is subject to the other parties agreement....