DELL Forced to Honour $15 Monitor Error (from ChannelRegister.co.uk)

Lozzzie on 02/07/2009 - 12:18

article from channelregister.co.uk

Taiwan consumer regulators have ordered Dell to honor an online pricing error that offered 19-inch LCD monitors for only NT$500 (US$15, £9).

News of the supposed bargain spread quickly over the internet when it was posted June 25 at 11pm. Within the eight hours before it was removed, more than 26,000 customers placed orders for nearly 140,000 monitors, according to Taiwan's Consumer Protection Commission.

The agency said in a statement (in Chinese) it received 471 complaints after Dell corrected the listing to the intended price of NT$4,800 (US$148, £90).

Dell has been ordered to make good on the erroneous price for customers who placed an order on one monitor and offer diminishing discounts on additional monitors ordered.

According to the statement, if Dell doesn't follow the directive, Taipei will consider it a violation of the country's fair trade laws and seek legal recourse.

Dell has issued a statement on the matter apologizing and claiming it will compensate the buyers for the mistake. ®

General Discussion

Comments

  • Zero Sydney on 02/07/2009 - 12:42
    +2

    I wish the ACCC or each states dept of fair trading/consumer affairs here in Australia took a stance like this here in Australia, it may make Dell responsible to CHECK things before they make an offer which consumers then try to buy to only be knocked back.
    "Dell has issued a statement on the matter apologizing and claiming it will compensate the buyers for the mistake." Dell Australia treats Australians like Bullcrap. Do they even apologize in Australia?

    • anthony on 08/07/2009 - 10:42
      +1

      I wish the ACCC or each states dept of fair trading/consumer affairs here in Australia took a stance like this here in Australia

      Operating a business and having dealt with the ACCC I can say they are toothless and do nothing more than suggest what to change.

  • daydream on 02/07/2009 - 14:14
    +2

    +1 for Taiwan consumer regulators.
    Australian regulators why can't consumers be offered the same protection here?

  • scotty on 02/07/2009 - 22:22
    +1

    Most Dell monitors are probably not made in Taiwan and I think in this case the Taiwanese consumer regulator is actually giving Taiwanese manufacturer a favour helping them to compete with China or Malaysia made products in their home land?

    Anyway. Well done!

    • HueyData on 03/07/2009 - 00:11

      Interesting conspiracy theory, scotty :)

      • scotty on 03/07/2009 - 23:57

        conspiracy theory

        Yes that's my speciality :)

  • holdenmg on 03/07/2009 - 11:42

    Dell (all "offers" received, none necessarily accepted) still ROFL from the last fiasco(s).

    Fool me once, shame on me…
    Fool me twice, shame DELL shame.

  • jason101 on 05/07/2009 - 09:17

    Yes i'm still annoyed, they offered us the mouse at full retail after THEY stuffed up, then had the gaul to offer it again at something like 5% off to us as a seconds chance when everyone kicked up. Pfft…

  • HueyData on 08/07/2009 - 08:02

    Dell's online price error troubles worsen in Taiwan

    Price errors on Dell Latitude E4300 laptop PCs that normally cost $2,101.34 slashed the price to $563.40 for eight hours on Sunday, netting orders for over 40,000 of the devices, the Consumer Protection Commission said Monday. […]

    The company apologized for the errors and offered customers that had ordered LCD monitors at erroneous prices up to two $30c discount certificates good for purchases on www.dell.com.tw, and $90 coupons to people who had purchased laptop or desktop computers at misprinted prices. […]

    In a strongly worded response, the Consumer Protection Commission said it "cannot accept" Dell's response to the online price errors. The government agency also enjoined related agencies to investigate the errors further for compliance with e-commerce and Internet sales laws as well as any possible violation of Taiwan's fair trade laws. […]

    • scotty on 08/07/2009 - 10:03

      … and Australian retailers are still immune! The JB Hi-Fi misprint is STILL on their website! ARGH!

  • HueyData on 09/07/2009 - 22:12

    Acer founder knocks Dell over pricing flap in Taiwan

    After making a keynote speech during an 10th anniveray celebration at a business consulting firm, Acer founder Stan Shih answered a reporter's question concerning recent troubles at Dell Taiwan by stating that the situation was "unbelievable." […]

  • HueyData on 31/07/2009 - 23:09

    Dell fined $30,000 by Taiwan government over pricing mishaps

    Let this be a lesson for all you kids thinking about opening some online shop with a funky database: pricing errors can cost ya, especially if you're doing business in Taiwan. After a couple of downright embarrassing slip-ups on Dell's Taiwanese web store, followed by a failure to compensate those who got orders in appropriately, Taiwan's government has levied a NT$1,000,000 fine (that's just over 30 grand in Greenbacks) on the computer giant. […]

    • Zero Sydney on 31/07/2009 - 23:12

      Good One.

    • Davo1111 on 01/08/2009 - 11:41

      finally, dell really needs to sort their pricing out. Perhaps australia can do the same thing and fine them too.

    • G5 on 01/10/2009 - 18:15

      I'm sure that's exactly what they wanted. It's certainly a lot less than the money they'd lose selling the hardware at that price.

  • Jabba the Hutt on 07/08/2009 - 17:04

    Are there any countries in the world in which online stores are, as a rule, compelled to honour erroneous prices?

    When one thinks about the implications, it's hard to imagine such an incredibly risky business environment would be to the benefit of consumers.

  • HueyData on 25/08/2009 - 08:14
    -1

    Dell accused of "dishonest business practices"

    Hardware giant Dell is being accused of engaging in dishonest business practices by an outfit called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). […] one of its directors, Melanie Sloan, claimed Dell had refused to honor its next day parts and labor on site warranty.

    CREW said in a release: "DC, as well as other stes, prohibits these deceptive trade practices. In a January 2009 settlement with 34 state Attorneys General, Dell agreed to pay $3.35 million to resolve allegations of deceptive advertising and its failure to honor warranties." […]

  • Jabba the Hutt on 27/08/2009 - 08:32

    So in the end Dell was not forced to honour the erroneous price. It's been settled by the $30K fine already mentioned and a 20% discount voucher to people who ordered the monitor, which they can use on any Dell product.

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