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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be upset that the shop didn't honor their mistake ?

68 replies

Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 15:53

My friend told me there was a shoe sale on sketchers with lights, at a local big sports shop.

We went and asked a staff member to help..he did and we got a lovely pair of shoes to fit after trying on three sizes.

The shelf had a shop insert label of £12.99 reduced from £30.

I had even commented to the staff member, that is was a great price as we never buy expensive shoes (outside school shoes), when we were trying them on and was happy that we could get them.

When we got to the till they came up full price of £30. Turns out the staff had put the wrong label on that shelf.

I asked them to honour the price, as it was their mistake and he checked with the manager and he said no, so we left without them. Sad

What upset me most is that the shoes were for my 2.9yo DD who was with us and loved trying the shoes on and didn't hear the discussion about not buying them (held away from her)

She doesn't talk much yet and is a bit behind in a few ways and I didn't know how to explain to her that we hadn't bought the shoes and I knew she would look for them when we got home and get upset.

I took her to Asda to see if I could something twinkly in shoes to replace them...but she started melting no and screaming....so we came home without anything.

I am probably more upset about the fact she doesn't understand why she didn't get the shoes in the end...not really about the shoes at all. So I now have a very upset and confused child who does not understand where those pretty shoes went.

It is so hard to communicate with a pretty much non - verbal child.

Was the shop wrong not to honour their mistake ?

ps. I understand this is minor firar world issue and she is lucky enough to have boots etc at home that fit fine. Just upset that their mistake caused me a lot of meltdowns and screaming to deal with.

OP posts:
Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 16:23

It was not a label easy to change by a customer. Anyway they admitted it was their mistake...nothing to do with other customers.

They won't lose much custom from us Smile

OP posts:
OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 13/04/2015 16:23

They don't have to honour the price - if they spot the mistake, they can legally refuse to sell at the lower price. Annoying and disappointing for the OP, but the shop didn't do anything wrong.

londonrach · 13/04/2015 16:26

Legally they dont have to sell at that price but you find alot of the big stores will.

SevTSnape · 13/04/2015 16:27

Legally, shops do NOT have to honour a pricing mistake. This is a common misconception, particularly as the big players do tend to honour them.

I'm sorry your dd had to go without, but I'm sure she'll soon forget about them

Honeypot1 · 13/04/2015 16:29

Toys r us honoured their mistake when for a £30 toy marked at £10. And I didn't even have the kids with me! So YANBU.

TheReluctantCountess · 13/04/2015 16:32

Shops don't have to honour the price if it's an error, but I would expect them to in that situation - it wasn't hundreds of pounds.

Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 16:35

I can see why legally they were right to insist on the full price.

I had just hoped that as it was a genuine mistake on both sides that they would of honoured it.

I agree the big shops honour their mistakes routinely to maintain customers.

I had thought that Sports Direct would of been big enough chain to have a similar policy but I appreciate they never had a legal obligation to do so.

Distracting DD3 with popcorn at the moment. Grin

OP posts:
madamginger · 13/04/2015 16:36

Tesco direct honoured a price when a kids bike went through for me at £14.90 instead of £149.00 Shock I kept my mouth shut about that one but they didn't have to and could have cancelled the sale

ohmyactualgiddyaunt · 13/04/2015 16:37

Have a look online at sports direct - I got trainers for both dds that were in store at full price for half the cost online. They have a massive stock liquidation thing online.

BuildYourOwnSnowman · 13/04/2015 16:39

Have you tried tkmaxx? Kids shoes in my local one are often under £15 and I get my dd's party shoes there.

Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 16:44

ohmy...It was Sports Direct that messed up the labelling. I don't think I want another mistake.

Will try tkmaxx. ..We have one not far away.

OP posts:
icelollycraving · 13/04/2015 16:46

Yanbu to hope they would honour it but would have been unreasonable to insist. Keep feeding popcorn Wink

nemo81 · 13/04/2015 16:46

Sports Direct online had skechers twinkle toes for a reasonable price, around £18/£19 atm.

TheDailyWail · 13/04/2015 16:48

Was it Sports Direct? Well known for putting the wrong labels on merchandise.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 13/04/2015 16:57

I thought by law if an item has a price on it then they hVd to sell it at that price. But we all know what thought did. Pissed himself when he thought he was sweating!

Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 16:58

ahh, Daily Right, I didn't know that.

OP posts:
CombineBananaFister · 13/04/2015 16:59

As others have said they don't legally have to honour it - where I work usually does as it's good customer service, then removes from sale until sorted if it was a genuine mistake.
It's rubbish your DD was upset by it all Sad It's a bit short-sighted of them as am sure you'd have been a customer for life if they'd been so kind to do it.
I have to say at the moment though, on a side note, I really do think retail shops need to get their shit together re: offers and price-cuts. It's pretty much a weekly accurence that I've been charged wrong on my supermarket shopping 3 for 2 or BOGOFs. If they can't update their tills quick enough or have time to change labels they shouldn't bloody change them so often.

Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 17:05

Thanks for all your comments...
off to make tea.

OP posts:
1hamwich4 · 13/04/2015 17:10

I believe they don't have to agree to the sale, but if they do, it must be for the price displayed.

DH (ex retail manager) had a similar experience recently in a Co Op with some mislabelled wine.

The checkout operator was insisting the till was correct, the manager saw the sense in agreeing to the offered price once DH reminded him of the £3k per item fine should trading standards get involved.

Sorry not much help now I suppose- have they corrected the error?

muminhants · 13/04/2015 17:19

The legal position is slightly confusing.

A shop does not have to honour the price advertised.

BUT it is am unfair commercial practice to advertise misleading prices.

So if a retailer was always doing this it would be well worth complaining to your local trading standards service. But for a one-off you just have to accept the disappointment.

As for switching labels, does that still happen now we have barcodes?

Psipsina · 13/04/2015 17:27

Oh you poor thing and poor little dd. Even if it was not unreasonable of them to ask for the full price, it was VERY unreasonable of them to stick the wrong label on in the first place Angry as it has upset a little girl.

I was actually going to ask if it was SD before I got to that bit of the thread. They are AWFUL. It's probably one of the worst shops in the WORLD for customer service and satisfaction. I only ever buy anything there with a major risk assessment going on.

Hope you can find some nice shoes for her x

Babieseverywhere · 13/04/2015 18:52

We will get her something Smile

TBH I am very sure, my overreaction is more to do with how hard it is to communicate complex things to my young daughter. She gets most things and is very loving...it will also be loads easier when she learns to talk properly...roll on nursery :)

Now I have calmed down and realised how stupid it is to get upset over something so minor. Early night for me I think....more sleep needed in this house !

OP posts:
TiggyOBE · 13/04/2015 19:43

What would happen if you overpaid for something OP? If you gave a £20 instead of a £10 to a shopkeeper by mistake, would you expect them to give you the change from £20 or £10?

Whathaveilost · 13/04/2015 19:49

Seriously it will soon be forgotten by your DD.
Put it down to experience and not bother getting upset over it.

Ticktockwedontstop · 13/04/2015 20:39

www.sportsdirect.com/SearchResults?DescriptionFilter=Sketchers%20Twinkle%20Toes#dcp=1&dppp=24&OrderBy=price_asc

My daughter loves her twinkle toes, I found sports direct the cheapest stockist with shoes starting from £16.50.