Black Friday deals after orders cancelled over pricing mistake upset Nood customers

Friday, 23 November 2018

Oops - Nood had to cancel the orders of customers who bought items that had been incorrectly priced.

Nood customers caught out by too-good-to-be-true deals are angry that the homewares chain has followed up with $1, $5 and $10 Black Friday deals.

The retailer said on Thursday that a summer sale that went live at midnight on Wednesday had included incorrect prices.

Among them were dining tables that were normally $1599 and should have been on sale at $799 but were instead advertised at $24.49, and art works that should have been $299.99 advertised at $4.99.

About 130 shoppers tried to buy the items. Nood said it would not complete the sales but would offer a voucher as compensation.

* Paying for someone else's mistake

* Commerce Commission takes no action against Harvey Norman price error**

One, Katie Hogue, has complained to the Commerce Commission.

'The price I paid - $100 - for a chair did not lead me to believe the offer was anything but legitimate in terms of the discount being of the level I have seen from them before,' she said.

'I am particularly concerned they are operating in breach of the Fair Trading Act in misleading and deceiving customers.

'Today they are offering $1, $5 and $10 Black Friday deals. How are customers supposed to distinguish from legitimate pricing and incorrect pricing if there is no consistency? Should we assume that this Black Friday is a mistake also, and outlay time and money in the hope that this 'correct' pricing? '

Hogue said she expected the shop to honour the deal.

'They have retrospectively updated their terms and conditions to support their cancellations, I don't see how those terms and conditions are legal or is it in good faith to retrospectively update them.'

Another customer, Matthew Piggott, bought a sofa for $899 down from $4999 and a chair for $99 down from $999. 'Cheap prices but not unrealistic for some clearance prices.'

A shopper who did not want to be named said she checked the site's terms at the time of my purchase which stated the prices would be honoured.

'It was after I had purchased it that they changed the wording of their disclaimer.

'I am a little annoyed but not sure where to start to fight back. I am also annoyed that my refund isn't back in my account yet or the 'voucher' that was meant to come in . [I'm] also annoyed that last night they sent an email out saying $1 deals start at midnight, terrible PR from the company.'

While retailers usually have to honour the prices they advertise, they are not legally obliged to complete the sale if it was an honest mistake.

The law allows for a retailer to refuse to honour a price that was set in error.

However, if a retailer had a pattern of making mistakes or a shopper felt it was deliberate, they could complain to the Commerce Commission.

Harvey Norman and Countdown have been caught out in recent years - Countdown advertised whole hams for sale for $8.99 in 2014.