MORRISONS shoppers who spotted Glenlivet whisky selling online for just £2.50 a bottle were left bitterly disappointed when the store refused to honour the bargain.
The low price was due to a glitch in the system – but it didn’t go unnoticed.
A full priced bottle of Glenlivet whisky costs over 14 times more than the glitch price
Customers flocked to social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter to share the seemingly good news.
Many were even able to make an order for the discounted booze on Morrisons‘ website, which was down from £36 – an incredible 93% discount.
Some took full advantage of the bargain by ordering several bottles at once.
Yesterday, one Facebook user said: “Ten bottles ordered,” while others joked that 10 wasn’t enough.
But despite payment being taken, shoppers were told by the store it could not fulfil the orders and shoppers would be reimbursed instead.
Morrisons blamed legislation for its refusal to honour the deal.
One unit of alcohol must cost at least 50p, meaning the bottle must cost at least £14 to cover all 28 units.
One upset customer took to Twitter to complain, saying: “Morrisons, why did you cancel my order of whisky? No reason given and had no contact apart from a crappy email.”
While others took to Facebook, with one person saying: “I’ve just had a phone call [cancelling]. Booooo hissss.”
And some customers weren’t given much notice of the cancellation either.
One man said: “My order just got cancelled two minutes before pick up this morning.”
SE has asked Morrisons for a comment on this matter, and we will update this article when we hear back.
What are my rights if the price isn’t honoured?
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Stores that spot any errors before they’ve handed over the goods aren’t obliged to honour the price – as many whisky lovers learned the hard way.
Retailers have the right to cancel orders and issue refunds on any price glitch products.
Refunds can take up to seven days to process, but may take longer depending on the card issuer.
But if you’ve already been sent the item and paid the glitch price, you won’t need to give it back.
Sometimes, posting about the glitch item to other savvy shoppers does more harm than good, as it can mean it is rectified by the seller sooner.
Martyn James, consumer expert at Resolver, explains that not all online transactions necessarily mean you have entered into a contract.
In his guide, “what happens when a retailer mis-prices an item?” he said: “Where a contact exists, the business usually has to honour it if you’ve bought or received the goods, though there may be exceptions in the T&Cs.”
So have a look out for the T&Cs the next time you find a price glitch item.
What if I buy a price glitch item in store?
Rules about price glitches differ slightly in stores.
Martyn said: “The main rule of thumb is if the mistake is spotted before you buy the item then the shop doesn’t have to honour it.
“However, if you’ve bought the item at an incorrect price innocently, then you should not have to pay back the difference if the shop realises the mistake.”
Unless the store can establish that you knew the price was wrong at the time, they cannot demand you give it back.
Our best advice is to keep quiet and keep your fingers crossed.
One glitch hunter got 90% off Adidas trainers last year – here’s how.
Meanwhile, some Missguided customers are furious after being informed they won’t be refunded now that the company has been bought – here’s what to do next.
Here are some ways to protect yourself against holiday failures – from knowing your rights to travel insurance.
Plus, millions of Apple and Samsung customers could get a share of the £500million compensation claim – here’s how.