Amazon have cancelled my order

Technique

I purchased a tv on Amazon UK over the weekend from one of their marketplace sellers. The tv normally sells for around £700, but was on sale for £412. I received the e-mail confirming the transaction and giving approximate delivery times. Now, this evening, I have received an e-mail from Amazon saying that they cannot complete the transaction and that I haven't been charged.

Now, it was obviously a pricing mistake at the weekend, but have I any rights to force Amazon or the marketplace seller to complete the transaction seeing as how I bought at the advertised price and received a confirmation e-mail?

Greetings from Amazon.co.uk,

We are writing to you in regard to the following Marketplace order(s):

XXX-XXXXXXX-XXXXXXX

We're sorry, we're unable to complete your order from this Amazon.co.uk Merchant. We have canceled this transaction and you have not been charged for the order.

In this case, the seller is currently unable to accept payment. Amazon Marketplace items must be paid for on the Amazon website. Since the seller is temporarily unable to receive payment by that means, please search our site for this item from another seller, or return and attempt to purchase from this seller again at a later time.

We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank you for shopping at Amazon.co.uk.

Sincerely,
Amazon.co.uk Customer Service
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk

Eathrin

Im no expert but I believe there is no legal obligation to sell the item. If the price remains the same I would make a complaint. If not and they rectify the price it was an accidental error and i believe there are nothing legally wrong. For example if a tv was advertised at €5.00 instead of €500.00 You cant expect them to sell it can you but many people chance it and pay anyway.

Your better of seeking better advice anyway from some other boardsies than myself but in any case i would make a complaint via email

waraf

A similar thing happened with littlewoods not so long ago. They priced a PC incorrectly and there were loads of us here on boards that placed orders. We were all informed that our orders had been cancelled and we had no recourse as the terms and conditions clearly stated that littlewoods didn't have to honour the prices stated on the website. I'd be very surprised if amazon didn't have this type of thing covered in their T&C's too.

dudara

It doesn't sound like a pricing error - they say that the seller is unable to receive the payment.

Either way, there is no obligation to complete the transaction. You cannot force a seller to sell you an item.

sunnysoutheast

You do not have any rights to "force" a sale at any advertised price, "invitation to treat", "E&OE" and all that.

In such a situation the best you can hope for is a goodwill gesture, but I'd say you're not going to get a £700 TV for £400 any time soon.

SSE

Technique

Okay, the replies are pretty unanimous.

As one poster above has said, it would be hard to believe that a major player like Amazon wouldn't have a get out clause in the smallprint for occasions like this.

Thanks for all the replies, anyway. I'll have to keep saving then, so.

Eathrin

Tis unfortunate. You find the right thing for the right price and it turns out your left waiting. Disappointing but it happens

Cabaal

1. They have T&C's to cover themselfs
2. They didn't charge you so didn't complete any contract

Baiscally they've done nothing dodgy

Max Power1

Invitation to treat.
If i've (or others) said it here once ive said it a million times. You cant force someone to sell something to you. The contract of sale only happens when money changes hands, up to that point there is no contract of sale

the_syco

What model was the TV?

J_Wholesale

It may have had nothing to do with the price. I had a similar occurrence involving an Amazon Market Place seller a couple of years ago, and it was for an average priced DVD. It's quite possible that the seller has gone out of business, or that there's a problem with the seller's account. Or it may simply be that the seller no longer has the item in stock, and didn't take down the Amazon listing. Something simple like the registered email address bouncing back (mailbox full) would probably be enough to cause the order to be canceled.

And don't expect Amazon to take the item down for that particular seller either.

Technique

the_syco wrote: »

What model was the TV?

Sony 40W5500

the_syco

Technique wrote: »

Sony 40W5500

Best I could find was €679 (£612?) http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/sony/bravia-kdl40w5500/sony-kdl40w5500 and in-store only. When did this model come out?

Technique

the_syco wrote: »

Best I could find was €679 (£612?) http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/sony/bravia-kdl40w5500/sony-kdl40w5500 and in-store only. When did this model come out?

Launched in April 09.

On Amazon, was around £950, then £850, then £720, then £700.

Thought Christmas had come when I saw it for £412.

Technique

BTW, that one in Richer Sounds is 679 sterling.

Still the cheapest I've seen yet, though.

MunsterCycling

Pop over to Belfast and pick it up, but Richer Sounds will most likely send it to you if you ask them on Boards first, they have their own interaction forum.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1105

monkeypants

Dell got hit over something similar...in Taiwan earlier this year. Story here.

Does this help you? Unfortunately not. But it is nice to see a consumer organisation with teeth.

the_syco

Technique wrote: »

Launched in April 09.

Aye, was thinking something like that. If past times are anything to go by, there'll all gone. Best to ring your local Sony centre, and ask is that line finished? Google the next line of that model is it's the end of the model.

MunsterCycling

monkeypants wrote: »

Dell got hit over something similar...in Taiwan earlier this year. Story here.

Does this help you? Unfortunately not. But it is nice to see a consumer organisation with teeth.

If the NCA here had that power they'd be like a dog with two dickies

cc-offe

The thing with the marketplace sellers is that it is not Amazon selling them so they didn't offer you the item at that price in the first place so it's not Amazon's fault.
If you had attempted to buy the item off Amazon itself then they might have honoured it had they made a mistake but they have no obligation to try to force the 3rd party seller to sell it to you at the first price, with this transaction they would just have been the middle man.

Zhane

I didnt think Amazon sold TVs to Ireland anyway?

dudara

Zhane wrote: »

I didnt think Amazon sold TVs to Ireland anyway?

They didn't for ages due to WEEE legislation. However, they do sell electronics to Ireland now.